The Westchester View

Mother’s Day at the Furniture Sharehouse…

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:55:47 +0000

Here’s an idea for a unique mother’s day gift. Hundreds of families are in real financial trouble. Since they can barely put food on the table, the result is that they are often eating on the floor. They can’t even afford the basics in terms of beds, tables, chairs etc. That’s where the Furniture Sharehouse comes in. They work with local social agencies and help furnish homes for families in need. To do so, the have a large network of volunteers that collect gently used furnishing from area residents and store it in one place so a needy family can be matched with appropriate items.

Furniture donations are always welcome, but the Furniture Sharehoue also is in need of funds to coordinate and maintain the nuts and bolts of their work. So for Mother’s Day you can honor Mom by donating to the Furniture Sharehouse and you can download a card to send to your mother showing what you did!

Click here for the link to the Furniture Sharehouse special Mother’s Day donation page:

Flowers Anyone? There is still time for an arrangement at Carlson’s for Mother’s Day

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:46:00 +0000

Carlson’s Floral and Gift at 625 Dobbs Ferry Road in White Plains always has wonderful arrangements for all seasons and occasions. I was there shortly before Easter and though the offerings I have photos of are probably no longer seasonal I thought I would share them here as I somehow never had a chance to earlier.

Its always fun to see what Nancy Schellhas has on display. Even if you are not looking for a gift, it is a wonderful place to get ideas for your garden. If you are thinking of selling your Westchester home, curb appeal is absolutely essential and Carlson’s is always chock-o-block full of ideas for enhancing curb appeal and making a home “pop”. Even if you aren’t moving - or even thinking about moving – enhancing your curb appeal can be fun. Its a gift that most of us can readily give to ourselves.

Carlson’s is located on 625 Dobbs Ferry Road in the White Plains PO. Just off the Sprain Brook Parkway on route 100B.

Phone # for hours and information: 914-684-6084

As to the photos – I was experimenting with photoshop filters on these. I felt the flowers really lent themselves to these effects – and heck – it was just plain fun for me to do them this way.

Fotos on the Fly: The Tappan Zee Bridge on a Cloudy Night…

Ruthmarie Hicks — Sun, 06 May 2012 06:38:13 +0000

Early this evening I went in search of photos for a perigee moon. Of course it was the optimist in me that actually made me believe that with all this cloud cover there might be a picture to take. But alas, the moon could not been seen through the clouds. In the end, I wound up on the Hudson River Walk in Tarrytown. I thought it was a logical place to practice night photography since I know it really well. Besides, lately I’ve been obsessed with shooting as many pictures of the Tappan Zee Bridge as I can – since it is slated for replacement. When I got to the river, I saw that the water was like glass and it was reflecting the lights coming from the bridge.

For me the Tappan Zee has always been there, its like a fixture, a permanent part of my memories since childhood. When I was little, we used to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge on the way to Lake Mohonk where we spent our family vacation. Even as a small child, I loved going there and associated the bridge with that trip so much that even at the age of 3 or 4, I got very excited when I saw it from the car. I know its past its prime and needs to be replaced, but it is sad to see it go….

Fotos on the Fly: Perigee “Super Moon” – A Preview

Ruthmarie Hicks — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:49:49 +0000

OK – so I admit that my low-light photography skills need some help – but tomorrow’s full Moon will be a “super Moon”. Technically – its called a “perigee moon”. Full moons vary in size because the moon has an elliptical orbit around the earth. When the moon’s orbit is at perigee it is 50,000 km closer to the earth than when it is furthest from the the earth (apogee moon).

Anyway, the moon was almost full early this evening just before 8 PM. and very bright in spite of the hazy sky. I was able to take this photo as a preview for tomorrows event. I will try to take some photos tomorrow night – although I can not guarantee how they will turn out.

Meanwhile – if you want to see the show, watch the sky tomorrow night!

Fotos on the fly: The Hudson River at Dusk – Tarrytown NY

Ruthmarie Hicks — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:15:44 +0000

I admit to having a real love of the river towns. Don’t get me wrong – I love the Sound Shore area as well, but there is a certain wildness and weathered beauty to the western portion of the county. I was on the Hudson River walk near dusk on a stormy night – or really a pre-stormy night last week.

Lately I have been taking a lot of photos of the Hudson and Tappan Zee Bridge…probably because I know that the view will be forever changed as soon as work begins on a new bridge. This picture from the Marina in Tarrytonw is from a slightly different angle.

This photo would have been great for “Earth Day”. When I was little, the Hudson was considered a dangerous and dirty river. Certainly not a place where one would even think of going fishing. Yet I see people fishing - successfully – on the Hudson River throughout the warmer months. Although I don’t wax political on this blog – for those that think the EPA is useless – this is a living example of its success.

Fotos On the Fly: Downtown White Plains – “The City in the Park”

Ruthmarie Hicks — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:48:18 +0000

It was a cruel twist of irony that this shutterbug was trapped indoors during the glorious weather last week taking her real estate CE classes. Though the classes were terrific, weather-wise this would have been a better week to be indoors! But I was able to take advantage of one of my lunch periods to get some shots of Downtown White Plains in its spring glory.

The White Plains Beautification Foundation is responsible for many of the floral displays that are carefully tended in the downtown area as well as suburban sections. White Plains has been called “the City in the Park” and although some of the downtown buildup over the past 10 years has tended too much towards the concrete and steel (that’s just one person’s opinion) you still see the “green” influence throughout the downtown residential areas and business district. That is not to say that the suburban areas are not similarly graced, but these photos show the contrast between green grass, open spaces vs. concrete, steel and glass.

In this photo you can see White Plains’ Trump Tower in the background. I seem to always want to tone down the city-feel by surrounding my pictures of high-rise buildings with trees, grass and blossoms or foliage. Of course there are times that I just give in to the power of our tall buildings – but the photo below definitely softens the “Trump Effect”.

Fotos on the fly: Tarrytown NY spring blossoms

Ruthmarie Hicks — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:28:12 +0000

As the soaking rains of Sunday showed us – spring blossoms can be here today, gone tomorrow. So I was out taking a lot of photos last week. So bring on the backlog! I haven’t even been able to sort through them all. While shopping in Tarrytown, NY I took a shortcut. When I saw this Wisteria trained to grow around a wraparound porch – I stopped my car and grabbed the camera.

It really looked like something from a bygone era where people sat outside on the porch at night and enjoyed a glass of lemonade. Here are two versions of the same shot – the second uses some artistic filters from photoshop. But for need to restock my dog food supply, I would never had seen this while it was blooming.

Home sellers should also take note: This home comes alive with curb appeal because of the plantings. If you think that landscaping doesn’t make a difference – think again. Now, if you are selling your house, you can’t wait years for wisteria to grow around your porch – but there are plenty of other less time consuming solutions. More on that shortly!

Fotos On the Fly – Larchmont NY – Early Spring in Manor Park

Ruthmarie Hicks — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:18:42 +0000

It was one of those days where the weather wouldn’t make up its mind and neither could I. I wanted to take a walk and take some photos, but would it pour? I finally took a chance on a stroll through Manor Park in Larchmont NY. In the full bloom of summer, Manor Park in Larchmont literally is alive with color while small boats dot the landscape on the Long Island Sound. The feel was different that day with the cloudy sky and the water and rocks somewhat forbidding. But the blossoms were peeking out and signs of renewal were pretty much everywhere. People were out, walking their dogs and climbing on the rocks. I even photographed a family of five walking their Havanese through the park. (I won’t publish those pictures without permission – so these landscapes will have to do!) Hope you enjoy them.

Just an FYI, in addition to being a real estate agent I do photographic work upon request. Several agents have asked me to help them with their listing photos and slide shows, so the whole thing started somewhat by accident. For anyone who would like to make use of this service, feel free to contact me by phone (914-374-5529) or email me at Ruthmarie.Hicks@gmail.com.

Fotos on the Fly: Tarrytown Victorians & Blossoms….

Ruthmarie Hicks — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 04:02:17 +0000

Over the past few months I’ve been working to improve my photographic skills. So I will be posting more photos of Westchester. As previously noted in post about the importance of the MLS listing – good photography is like crack cocaine for home buyers, so I consider this to be an integral part of what I do for a living.

These were taking a few days ago on a beautiful but brisk spring day. I was in Tarrytown NY – one of the prettiest villages in Westchester – if not the country. Sometimes spring blossoms are just uplifting. They give us a sense of renewal – of new beginnings. They were an interesting backdrop to the Victorian homes that had seen many a spring renewal over the past century….

Just an FYI, I have started working as a photographer. Several agents have asked me to help them with their listing photos and slide shows, so the whole thing started somewhat by accident. For anyone who would like to make use of this service, feel free to contact me by phone (914-374-5529) or email me at Ruthmarie.Hicks@gmail.com.

Fotos on the fly: Spring Blossoms & Storm Clouds….

Ruthmarie Hicks — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:03:26 +0000

One of the greatest things about the spring and fall seasons is that the blossoms and foliage create a vivid color display. On a bright sunny day, they sight is amazing…but sometimes storm clouds create a contrast that makes the seasonal colors appear more vivid. This is particularly true when the sun is peeking through heavy cloud cover – just as it was today. This photo was taken in White Plains near the Gedney Farms neighborhood. I actually pulled the car over to capture the moment. I’ll admit that the composition isn’t what it could be, but really, its more a color display than anything else.