Settings: ISO 800, f/6.3, 1/60 sec, 47mm focal length (24-105 L series Lens)

So, we’re now back in the city after a lovely (and much too short) weekend in Watermill, NY.  We were visiting our friends Mark & Julie who have a gorgeous new country home out there.  Much of the weekend was spent relaxing at the house, swimming in the pool, playing with their two kids and cooking meals from ingredients purchased at the farmers market down the street… kind of my heaven.  Yesterday we made an amazing lunch – super fresh scallops from the market, a fresh corn, mozzarella, cherry tomato and basil salad and some kick ass guacamole.   We had fresh fruit at just about every meal.  I LOVE eating like that.  I swear – eating foods that have just come from the farmers market makes me feel so good.

I grew up within a mile of about three different farms – though I don’t remember really doing the farmers market thing as a child.  Ironically enough, it took living in NYC for me to get interested in farms and dairies and gardening.  Maybe it’s just because I’ve become so much more interested in food as I’ve gotten older.  Maybe it’s because we keep learning more and more about the evils of industrialized agriculture and processed food.  Whatever it is, my desire to become closer to the source of my food keeps growing.  It’s a satisfying thing – to meet the person personally responsible for growing or making your food and to put your money directly into their hands.  And everything TASTES so much better that way!  I bought a pint of blueberries at the Tompkins Square market last Sunday and brought them out to snack on while Adam and I were watching TV one night.  Adam was literally flipping out over the blueberries – they were SO good, tart and just bursting with blueberry flavor.  It’s like… oh… so that’s what blueberries are supposed to taste like!!  And believe me… Adam’s not necessarily one to flip out over fruit.  Good stuff.

I swear… I’m starting to crave the country life more and more these days.  In my perfect world, I’d live out in some beautiful place – with trees and farms but I’d still have a little one-bedroom apartment in the city for those times when the NYC energy and stimulation are calling.  Hmm….  something to shoot for. 🙂

Oh – and Mark is an awesome photographer and has a ton of amazing photography equipment that I got to play with this weekend.  I experimented with several high-quality (L-Series) lenses  – my favorite was the 200mm.   Here are some of my favorite photos using a variety of lenses:

Settings: ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, 200mm lens

ISO 100, f/5.0, 1/800 sec, 200mm lens

Settings: ISO 100, f/8, 1/200 sec, 200mm lens

Settings: ISO 100, f/5.0, 1/640 sec, 200mm lens

Settings: ISO 100, f/2.0, 1/1250 sec, 135mm lens

Settings: ISO 200, f/2.0, 1/1000 sec, 135mm lens

Settings: ISO 100, f/10, 1/160 sec, 85mm lens

Settings: ISO 100, f/16, 1/60 sec, 14mm lens (wide angle)