A Picture-Perfect Wedding on Lake George

The scene after the ceremony on the dock of the Lake George Club (click on photos to enlarge)
TD and I had the great pleasure of attending last weekend the wedding of my cousin Lindsay Mumford and Mark Nemith. The wedding was held upstate on Lake George where my family spent a lot of summer vacations when I was growing up. On Saturday TD and I rented a car and sped up the Northway, voted America's most scenic highway in 1967. We checked into Capri Village and had time to take a most refreshing swim in Lake George off the dock.

Next door was Beckley's, an old fashioned gas station that boats can drive through. I love this sort of thing.

Then it was into our Hugo Boss suits and on to the main event at the Lake George Club at Diamond Point. I had never been before to the club which is perched on the shore of the lake and was built in the Tudor style in 1909. Here is a photo of it circa 1923.

(photo from Lake George Mirror magazine)
Guests were beginning to arrive at the club

and assemble on the dock were the ceremony would take place. It was a gorgeously warm and sunny day fortunately because the weather on Lake George can be less than forgiving.

Soon Lindsay descended the steps of the club on the arm of her father, my uncle Brian Mumford.

She wore a beautiful, simple strapless gown and a flower in her hair.

Quickly she and Mark were husband and wife!

At the reception, the star of the setting was the lake itself which was constantly changing as the sun descended and the light shifted.

My goddaughter Erin Mumford, sister of the bride and a maid of honor. Peonies and a beer: a great combination.

Inside, the club featured dark wood, ceiling beams, and Tudor windows. It had that turn of the century style that I love.

The furniture reminded me of the lobby of the Raleigh Hotel in Miami.

There were charming views out the window behind the bar

and upstairs out to the boat houses along the lake.

Florist Dryck de Matas arranged a spectacular quantity of peonies into luscious clouds. Susan Mumford, the mother of the bride, collected silver birch bark on the family's property in Argyle, New York, which was incorporated into the flower vases. Susan also cut silver birch logs to make the escort card holders and the table name holders. Peonies are full and lush while silver birch is quiet and understated – a perfect pair.

Pale peonies bloomed in bark vases on all the dinner tables which lined a porch overlooking the lake.

It was the most spectacular place to eat dinner on a night in June.

As the sun set, a band revved up in the club's main room and dancing took off, but I will remember the wedding's lovely simplicity and elegance.

A beautiful day as Lindsay and Mark start their new life together.

A Day in Chelsea: Flowers and Art

Great style at the farmer's market. (Click on photos to enlarge)
Gee, I've had some ideas for the blog but they didn't work out. (Did you see the Hemingway & Gellhorn movie on HBO? I was really looking forward to that but it wasn't so good.)
New York City came to the rescue: yesterday TD and I had a nice day in the neighborhood. It started at the Union Square Farmers Market which is now in full tilt. The woman pictured above was wearing a cotton coat and carrying bunches of flowers in her arm. Her coat was not new trendy fashion but instead a beautiful, timeless print which looked especially great combined with the flowers. That to me is real style.
Into our canvas shopping bag we crammed lilies, sunflowers and a baguette. What else do you need?

Bunches of peonies with a yellow eyelet dress

and waves of perennials.

Back at home a red sparrow visited the bird feeder

while Bell napped on the couch below.

Then it was off again to some art galleries in Chelsea. First stop, Gagosian Gallery for the murals and portraits of Richard Avedon. Between 1969 and 1971, Avedon created four huge murals which pictured Andy Warhol and the Factory, The Chicago Seven, military and government officials known as the Mission Council, and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and his family.

The murals are gigantic, and it was almost like watching a movie as they progressed along the walls.
Then it was on to Matthew Marks to see paintings by Brice Marden.

Most of the paintings here were oil on slabs of marble which Marden completed last year on the Greek island of Hydra. The thin paint on the white marble was serene and quiet.
Then we stopped into 192 Books on 10th Avenue which seems to be just about the last independent bookstore on the isle of Manhattan.

After this exploration, we required some refreshments so happily we found two empty stools at the bar at The Red Cat restaurant where we had a restorative glass of wine and some French fries. On our way home we vowed that our next foray would be up to the High Line which is now extended up to 30th Street.