Reflections, the Wedding at Oheka Castle Part 2

Behind the Castle is the reflecting pool and gardens. The photo above was taken from the bridal suite on the second day of our stay (note the clouds). You can see the damped grass where the aisle was at the wedding the evening before.

The reflections were so wonderful, blue sky, the trees, shrubs all combine to make a beautiful scene.  

The photo above is my favorite of the reflections.

The fountain is in the center of the garden.

At the far end of the garden is a very pretty gazebo. We were about a week away from seeing the many blooms on the vines that climb up each supporting post.

                               

I had a lot of fun taking these photos of Jan at the gazebo. She wished I had asked her to take off her sunglasses, though. Next time, for sure...

I hope you like the photos. Click on any of them to view enlarged in a slideshow. Next post is the interior of the Castle.

Thanks for stopping by,

Mike Z

We attended a wedding at Oheka Castle Part 1



Entrance to Oheka Castle

We were invited by our friends Rosie and Jim to attend the wedding of their daughter Ruth to her soulmate Matt. The wedding took place at the Oheka Castle on Long Island New York. What an amazing place! By wondrous luck the day was bright, clear and even a little chilly.

The Castle was built in 1919 by Otto Kahn, and the name Oheka is an acronym for Otto Hermann Kahn. It is pronounced O-HEE'-ka.



We flew by Southwest Airlines to LaGuardia Airport, which was the closest driving distance to the Castle.

Ornate brace for a very tall chimney - closeup

Our room was very large with tall ceilings and a great view of the Long Island countryside. There is a subdivision of sorts on the grounds around the castle itself, and the homes are lovely. (More about this in a later post.) 

View from the window in the hallway

The morning of the wedding, Jan and I made a tour around the castle itself. I was not able to pack along my Nikon camera, but using Jan's camera we managed to get some good shots of the building and the wedding.  

Outside view of our room - we were on 3rd floor right window

The photo above was taken on the second day we were there. What a contrast from the day of the wedding. The bride and groom were very lucky to have such a perfect day for their celebration!

 

Closeup of our room on the right



Each time we rounded a corner, we were more amazed at the beauty of this place. It truly was like being in a European castle or a nobleman's home. The Castle is used for weddings a lot now, with famous people occasionally using the grounds for weddings, and is sometimes used as the backdrop for commercials and movies. 



View of the Rear of the Castle from the Reflecting Pools

The Reflecting Pools will be the subject of Part 2 of this "series." The wedding itself was held in the grassy space between the castle and the reflecting pools. A perfect spot! Future posts will include the walk we took around the neighborhood (so many beautiful flowers!), the interior of the castle, and the wedding itself. I hope you enjoy them.

Till next time,

Mike Z

Our Walk Around the Neighborhood

It's hard to believe I haven't posted a page on this 'blog since Thanksgiving! So many things have happened, new grandchildren, stents in my heart, more pressure at work, that I have let my photography slip. So this weekend I decided to start up again and see if I could get any shots of the birds around the neighborhood on our walk.

I was a little nervous about just going out and getting great artworthy shots on my first outing. Looking at these photos I can tell I have lots of practicing to do! But sometimes it's just about clicking the shutter, I suppose.

I was hoping to see a heron or a crane, as they are starting to appear in the waterways along our walk. But such was not the case. Our neighborhood is crowded with doves, and the dove above sat still long enough for me to get a photo or two.

Mockingbirds are also common. 

Bluejays too.

I liked the second shot of the bluejay so much I included it here. 

I know, you're saying "those aren't birds" right? As we walked along, one of the neighbors had spared these buttercups as they cut the grass. I liked the way the sun highlighted the flowers in the center, so I took a shot to see how it would turn out. 

Hopefully, there will be more photos in the coming weeks. I am glad to be back. I hope you're glad I am, too.

All the best,

Mike Z