We got fake married last week!

Esther and I were fake married last week, to help out with our photographers Justin and Mary Marantz. They do photography workshops with budding wedding photographers, and last week, they held their most recent workshop at the classicly beautiful Chamard Vineyards in Clinton, CT.

We arrived at the very hospitable White Dress by the Shore, so E could don a 'cupcake' dress, then shot across the street to Jennie Fresa for some makeup artistry. The White Dress folks also chose some hair adornments for E to sport, and after we arrived at the vineyard, and a quick consultation with Mary and me, she settled on...a tiara?

yep, it looked good, with E all princess'd out, but it doesn't really take a huge effort to make Esther look good.

But, like Aunt Norma says, 'Eh...you could put her in a potato sack, and she'd look stunning.'

I think we were initially a touch intimidated by the huge throng of photographers and the paparazzi like flash bulb popping, but we settled in to the process, almost as a continuation of our first experience with J&M.

After the shoot, the always generous Marantz's invited us to Miso in New Haven for a rejuvenating sushi dinner, and we were on our way back to Boston.

So, be sure to check out the sneak peek post HERE ...

...and the full version HERE at Justin and Mary's incredibly life+work-fully integrated blog.

Also noticed that one of the photographers (Jake from Nodo Photograph) that attended the workshop has also posted some photos on his blog. He has an expensive camera, and he uses it for good, not evil.

Dress Fitting #1

I had my first dress fitting yesterday!!

If I haven't already told you (10x) that my soon-to-be Aunt Norma is making my dress, well...now you know. Norma is a creative GENIUS and makes beautiful work out of anything...food, fabric, whatever. We currently display some original Norma throw pillows in our living room and keep her ridiculous brownies in the freezer for special treats. When Norma said that she would be honored to make my wedding dress for us I was ecstatic.

JC & I drove down to Norma & Jim's place on the Cape yesterday where Norma has been working on my dress. After a brief chat, we kicked JC out so Norma & I could get to work. As soon as I saw the dress lying on a bed...I was speechless. I worked with Norma online while she was in Florida this winter to figure out the best shape and style for my dress, and Norma sent me small fabric samples to choose from but I am NOT a creative genius so I had no idea what to expect. My brain works best with numbers and patterns, and exercise, but I can barely draw stick figures (evidence to the left) so I really couldn't envision the dress we were designing. I have to say, it is BEAUTIFUL J I'm not going to ruin the surprise with pictures, so you'll just have to be content with the happy (naked) self-portrait you see here.

After Norma & I discussed minor adjustments and finishing work to be done, we let JC & Jim back in the house so we could all have a proper visit. If you're going to the Cape, you have to get lobster and ice cream so we ended a fabulous day with a delicious seafood dinner on the water and ice cream (in fresh waffle cones!) at the Polar Cave Ice Cream Parlour where Jim's granddaughters work.

Stay tuned for Fitting #2!

Galvanized buckets

Our galvanized buckets (and trays) that we'll use in some of the flower arrangments arrived from jamaligarden.com website. Quick response, received the order one day after it was shipped (from NYC).

Amazingly wide selection, good prices.



We're pretty happy with them overall, and got the style we were looking for...plain galvanized French florist buckets (...er...from China.)

But, who would ever thought that our search through the internet would lead me down a treacherous road where an innocent email inquiry about the purchase of galvanized buckets would raise the ire of 'customer service' to the depths that it had.

Other than for formatting purposes, this is the un-edited email exchange between me and galvanizedpail.com 'customer service'.
_______________________

From: Tetreault, Jean-Claude
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 3:06 PM
To: info@galvanizedpails.com
Subject: placing an order

…I’m trying to place an order, but I need to speak with someone directly first. Please call me at 617.417.2996 Thanks,JC
_______________________

From: "Galvanized Pails" Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:59:53 -0500
To: 'Tetreault, Jean-Claude'
Subject: RE: placing an order

Sorry we do not offer customer service by phone.
_______________________

From: Tetreault, Jean-Claude
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 5:36 PM
To: Galvanized Pails
Subject: Re: placing an order

Dubious at best.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
________________________

From: "Galvanized Pails"
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:43:52 -0500
To: Tetreault, Jean-Claude
Subject:
RE: placing an order

Yea, we’re dubious. We have a million dollar domain name and we have been in business for twenty years. Yea we’re REAL dubious. Go ahead, call some minimum wage phone order taker and see how fast your personal information is compromised.

Customer Service
________________________

From: Tetreault, Jean-Claude
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 6:44 PM
To: Galvanized PailsSubject:
Re: placing an order

Ok, maybe you aren't dubious. But you sure are snarky.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
________________________

From: "Galvanized Pails"
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:49:06 -0500
To: Tetreault, Jean-Claude
Subject: RE: placing an order

Well most people would recognize that since the internet has been around for more than 30 years that a company that actually owns a top level domain name either spent a fortune to get it or has been around for a very long time. Well we have been around for a very long time. Also your concerns are misguided. We don’t offer customer service by phone because it is a liability. The kind of people that lands a job as a minimum wage phone order taker are the weak link in customer security. We outsource our customer security to PayPal. Also, you are the only person that doesn’t get it. Our sales have gone up every year for more than 20 years because the rest of the world knows what true security is.

Customer Service
________________________

From: Tetreault, Jean-Claude
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 8:27 PM
To: Galvanized Pails
Subject: Re: placing an order

You are right, I have learned quite a bit with your version of superior customer service.But seriously, thanks for the laugh tonight, it was a good one.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
________________________

From: "Galvanized Pails"
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:50:38 -0500
To: Tetreault, Jean-Claude

Subject: RE: placing an order
What was funny? Pointing out your ridiculousness? With people like you your employer couldn’t possibly last 20 years. You must be fresh out of junior college.

Customer Service
________________________

I had enough of a laugh to spend any more time/effort dealing with this clown, but as I forwarded the message on to Esther, she felt the need to at least shoot a quick email to the 'parent company' of galvanizedpail.com.

...and this is what followed. truly amazing stuff.
________________________
From: Esther
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 7:36 AM
To: info@uspurchase.com
Subject: Message from U.S. Purchase

I just want to inform you of an email response one of your customer service representatives relayed to my fiance yesterday, after an email initiated about an order we wanted to place. Needless to say, we will not be ordering anything from your website.

From: info@uspurchase.com
To: Esther
Subject: RE: Message from U.S. Purchase
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:17:57 -0500>
Your fiancé suggested that we were dishonest.
We don't play that game.
If you start something we are going to finish it.
We are glad you are taking your unwanted business elsewhere.

You and your fiancé need to stick to Wal-Mart where people of your class belong.

Customer Service

Esther_loves_figs and JC is a hydrangea Papa

"Oh my God! are those... FIGS?!?"

Esther loves figs.

Specifically, black mission figs. I've actually never seen someone get so excited about figs. Its extremely cute how much energy flows from her eyes, when someone mentions figs. Fresh figs, specifically, but she'll happily take the dried version at the drop of a hat, too. So, you can imagine her excitement when we found last fall that my dad had received a fig tree from someone who was moving away, and wanted to find a good home for it. Someone, like my pop, to give Mr. Fig Tree that good home it deserved so it could continue to produce its figgy goodness.

While Esther was in Connecticut to do some test hair + makeup runs, I went to my hometown to check on a number of things, not the least of which was whether or not Mr. F. Tree has, like the majority of soggy New Englanders at this time, the affliction known Seasonal Affective Disorder, or if it is deciding to look on the sunnier side of photosynthesis, and started to push out some baby figs.

Good news, all.

It has!

..see?

You can make out the wee little green bumps emerging from the base of the stems, near the leaves. In the soon-to-be-here summer heat, these little nubs will mature to plump purpley/black fruits with the sweet creamy pinkish seedy flesh that is on Esther's 'if I could only take one kind of food with me to a desert island' list.

So, this is a very long winded way of saying, 1. you can, in fact, grow the California favored fig tree in Acushnet, Massachusetts, and 2. be on the lookout for figs in the fare lovingly prepared by Gourmet Galley, even if just served fresh during the cocktail hour.

Of course, I took advantage of the trip home today to check on how the hydrangea were dealing with the weather, too. They seem to be a touch 'leggy', meaning that they look just a little stretched out, like they are searching, eagerly stretching for a peak at the sun.

But today, yeah, they are digging days like today. ~80F, a nice breeze, the roots still tucked away in the spring-like cool and moist soil. Though the nearby oak-leaf hydrangea have bees buzzing through their full glory, the flower buds on the PeeGees haven't even been set, but, don't worry they are just biding their time. I can tell. This is actually quite fortunate for us, as that means that they'll be fresher, cleaner and brighter for the late summer cutting for our day on 09.06.09

The mass grouping that me and my pop created last spring from the 5 yr old (or is it 6 years now?) rooted cuttings I started are looking great. I'm feeing very confident that we'll have more than enough for the planned flower arrangements.

Take a look:

...and for no other reason than to cheer up your day, another picture of some bright gloriosa daisies that happily reseed themselves every year in my parents' garden.

Engagement Shoot Part 2: The pictures!

Esther

"Are they up yet?"

JC

"Nope, not yet...it'll probably take about a month, they are super busy this time of year, and that seems to be about the turn around time they usually have. I think its pretty amazing that it only takes them that long, actually."

Esther

"How about now, are they up yet?

JC

"Nope, not yet...it'll probably take about a month, they are super busy..."

________

This is pretty much the daily conversation for the month of June, so you can imagine the JC+E joy when I checked http://www.justinmarantz.com/index.cfm?postID=220 this morning after breakfast with Brendan, one of my groomsman. We are finally ON their blog!

One saturday in early June, our experience with the dynamic duo was nothing less than completely natural and easy. Its probably the rare combination of their personalities, energy, professionalism and artistry that can make it seem that way. We do know that behind this apparent ease was an intricately engineered clockwork whizzing away at light speed. And switching between our relaxed natural state, and the realization about what's going on behind the camera is one of the things that made a day with the Marantz's such a special one.

When we arrived, we found their mini parked on the crushed seashell drive, and the Justin and Mary already comfortably relaxing, having just done a wine tasting at the very same picnic table we ourselves had done our post-engagement toast, wine and cheese mini-meal.

Cool. We quickly dressed, after garnering their of advice on what outfits would look better together, and several hours zoooomed by. We did break quickly to slam down some cheese, fruit and crackers for a second burst of shooting, but from what I remember the sequence was as such:

We shot next to some flowering weigelia, got well acquainted with the old rusty ford, then in front of some symetrical doors of a barn, and then in the vines.

Then we jumped in our cars, down the estuary lined roads, to find that a final shoot at the closed-for-the-evening horseneck beach wasn't in the cards, but the tenacious J+M was up for some quick shots on Gooseberry Island (...it has a facebook page? weird) as the sun was fading. So...how did they make these pictures look like a great sunny day at the beach? Nice.

We were all kinda cold, and definitely hungry, so I invited the (very generous, thank you again) Marantzs' to have dinner with us at the Back Eddy, where we've had a number of our post-beach lunches. We really love the ardent use of local and ultra fresh ingredients, from the oysters to the salad greens to the house made pickled carrots. Anyway, getting to know Justin and Mary was a natural continuation of the day, and I instantly got the feeling that I would start inviting them over with good regularity for some of my 'everything from scratch' dinners.

If they only lived less than three hours from Boston. Seriously, though, when you are in the area, let us know. I want to cook for you. I know you're very busy, but you have to eat. :)

I did leave the evening with some doubts and regrets...

I have been experiencing some serious camera envy (see if you can guess which of the above pictures from the Marantz-machine, and which are from my POS digi...yeah, not that hard), and the experience sealed the deal. I'm seeking Justin's advice on what might suit my budget/needs, and will be picking up a digital SLR well before the wedding, so I can be acquainted with it before the honeymoon. I should probably stop proscrastinating on the Lasik too, but that's another story...

Having read almost all of their posts, and going through many months of anticipation, now to see ourselves up there in all kinds of digital glory...

well, Justin, Mary...

let us just simply say:

thank you

________

JC+E