Halloween Dog Parade - Happy Birthday Sarah and Aimee xx

The end of the day.

One of our new favorite Saturday dusk pastimes is watching the wedding and sweet 16 photo shoots at the waterfront park beneath the Brooklyn bridge.

How to make a pawk sausage.

The sausages came about because K needed to photograph a small business and Mike the local deli owner said sure , then 2 days later he called K and said "I'm making sausages tomorrow at 3 come down and help out " soooo, I did the helping out , and K got some great shots.
He ended up leaving me in the kitchen with Mum squeezing out and tieing up sausages while he served in the shop , he's a great guy , nothings a problem and his sausages are 100% meat with whatever seasoning , squeezed in to either pigs or sheep's intestines , yes I cleaned them out too.
The breef , cheese and parsley , chopped off the block romano and freshly chopped parsley ! 
Mike and his family immigrated to New York in 1958 when Mike was 11, they where a farming family from Bianco near Naples in the south of Italy.
Mike trained as a butcher on 6th st in the meat packing district,  today he says you can hardly recognize the place, so much has changed, he then went to work for another company and 25 years ago he started Graham Avenue Meats and Deli.
Mikes off-sider is Chris, a local guy who's brother used to work with Mike and Chris started helping out when he was a kid .When I asked they where related  they both shrug in that classic Italian American way " yes , we are more than family ", it's true they are team , weather they are father or son or boss and assistant , they have a natural working rhythm, giving recipe tips to customers , weighing and packing delicious deli small goods or flirting with the ladies , from the moment you walk in you are a part of their generous family .
There is of course the secret weapon , Grandma , Mikes mum , well into her late 80's she works tirelessly in the kitchen making , lasagna , marinara sauce , stuffed eggplant , tripe in tomato sauce to name a few of her tried and true recipes from the Italian countryside. She greats us with a warm kiss and goes on stirring an enormous pot of tomato sauce.
Hopefully next week we'll learn how to make mozzarella.

Our neighbourhood

We have been living in Williamsburg for a couple of weeks now , and we love the little part of it that is our hood. I'm guessing originally an Italian working class suburb, so lucky for us there are still a lot of old Italian businesses around mainly bakeries and delis , you'll see old blokes sitting on deckchairs outside the shops yakking away in the classic New York Italian accent smoking cigars and giving their 10 cents worth to who ever's listening , its just like being in the Sopranos , we often have to pinch ourselves when we hear people talking on the streets , as well as the accents they also speak very loudly. 

Slowly the new wave of city kids are moving in so along with the old businesses there are a few  new modern well priced restaurants scattered between laundromats , delis , Mexican restaurants and nail bars.

Fake shingle cladding and brick cladding is very much all the go.

 As well as more elaborate modern casas , just about every house has a flag , around here both Italian and USA  are a very popular combo

There is a lot of web taking over the city at the moment.

Our Lady of the beaudiful flowers.

One of my favourite local businesses is the Monumental Mason , as well as a fine variety of head stones he also sells his cousins freshly baked bread every day.

Chris and Mike. 

Mike lamented to me the other day in his broad New York Italian accent , "you see no prams round here any more , where are all the babies , this neighbour hood used to be full of kids" 

He's right , I guess the new immigrants to the area , the Trustafarians are having too much fun being artists and musicians.

Mikes deli should be a national treasure , they make the best sausages I have ever had in my life as well as many other delicious home made Italian deli treats.

Piano Karaoke

With Jo Mc Ginity from The Psychedelic Furs.  At 'The Manhatten Inn' in Williamsburg every Tuesday night.
 Brilliant! the enthusiastic and totally wacky fun loving audience where all in their 20's and 30's as well as a couple of rather attractive older broads belting their hearts out to the classics 'Total Eclipse of the heart', 'I've got a brand new pair of roller skates' 'Summer lovin' to name a few of the 70"s and 80's classic hits , perhaps next time will be our debut, we did join in on the chorus tho. We will definitely be taking you here.

Mean while back in NZ

Once again Miss Peach has landed on her feet. On vacation at Bethelles Farmstay for dogs along with her new brother , Billy and sister Tatty . Covered with her favourite spa treatment sheep poo. If your looking for somewhere to send your dog for a treat check out Bethelles Farmstay for dogs , they also have a face book page.