Saturday, August 31, 2013

Back To School

631-993-1039 / 516-659-4716




Whether its going to be a new grade, a new school, a new teacher or even a new house which means you became a long island resident the 1st day of school can be quite stressful.
 All the questions about new classes, new teachers, new friends and new school can be quite overwhelming.
Just remember to buy your supplies ahead of time, so you don't suffer from having the supplies you need sold out.
Also there is another thing you can you try to send your kids to sleep early a week ahead so that back to school morning you and your kids don't have a hard time waking up earlier than you were used to.
If you are new to the school district make sure you introduce your self to the teachers and make them feel comfortable of telling you anything about your child in the future.
One important thing is to buy your kids the necessary tools for example in gym, make sure you buy them the correct type of jean even if they aren't the most stylish ones. Comfort and Support is better than fashion sometimes.
Also make sure you have a set up time for homework, a time when you are comfortable to check your kids backpack  and know how they are doing in school.
And also make sure you remember that your kids are your responsibility don't expect the teachers to raise your child for you. Remember that everything starts at home. 

any tips for back to school? contact us and let us know how your 1st day of school went. 

Labor Day Weekend


631-993-1039 / 516-659-4716


Labor Day weekend has become one of the most anticipated long weekends between New Yorkers. It marks not only a paid day off celebrating how hard they work but it also marks the last weekend of the summer and the weekend before the kids go back to school.

Labor Day weekend has many festivities and activities that you can enjoy with your family before the holidays.

Labor day weekends is also estimated to bring good economy for the state as per other ones too, this year AAA estimates that many New Yorkers will leave the state just for the simple reason gas is cheaper than last year.

We have put together a bunch of activities and places where you can go and enjoy.


Richmond County Fair – Staten Island
A real old-fashioned county fair takes over the 25-acre site of Historic Richmond Town, featuring multiple performance stages with live rock, country and acoustic music, and carnival-style fun such as pig races, pie- and hot-dog eating contests, classic car displays, arts and crafts projects for the kids, and a midway with rides. The best part is that all the fun is free with admission. In advance: $15; at the door: $16; free for children under 30 inches

NYC Unicycle Festival – Governors Island
Head to Governors Island to give one-wheeling a try, or stay on two feet and watch unicycle basketball and hockey games, and pros in some grueling competitions. While on the island, check out all the other attractions including can't-miss vintage carnival FĂȘte Paradiso. Saturday and Sunday only. FREE

Singin' in the Rain – Upper West Side
Head to Lincoln Center to introduce the kids to this wonderful Technicolor musical comedy about Hollywood's transition to talkies. Then freak them out by telling them that Debbie Reynolds is Princess Leia's mom! $6
 

Saturday, August 31
The four-day West Indian American Day Carnival culminates in one of NYC’s largest parades on Labor Day, and while it's a colorful affair it's also crowded and noisy. The Children’s Parade on Saturday is a better bet for families. Kids of Caribbean descent don elaborate garb as they travel through Crown Heights and onto the grounds of the Brooklyn Museum for a costume contest and carnival. FREE for the parade, $2 to enter the museum grounds

Dan Zanes Porch Party Sing-along – Governors Island
Head to Governors Island to hear the sweet international sounds of Grammy Award-winning Dan Zanes. The family rock favorite will be sittin' and singin' on a porch, and his talented friends will drop by to join the impromptu acoustic jam session. Singing along is encouraged! FREE

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – South Street Seaport
Head to the South Street Seaport for an outdoor screening of Steven Spielberg's classic sci-fi flick. The perfect way to end the day after romping around Imagination Playground. FREE

Sunday, September 1
Watch a dozen or so tug boats race from just below the 79th Street Boat Basin down to Pier 84, where there will be knot-tying and spinach-eating contests, live music and other family fun. The races and competitions take place in the Hudson River and can be viewed for free between West 44th and West 79th Streets, but for the best vantage point you can buy a ticket for the Circle Line spectator boat that follows the tugs. FREE from the shore, Circle Line tickets are $25 for adults, $12 for children

Brazilian Day – Midtown East
Celebrate the culture of Brazil with food stands, free shows and crafts in New York’s own Little Brazil. FREE (food and items for purchase).

Monday, September 2
Free Bike Rental – Governors Island
Enjoy an hour of free cycling with no-cost kids and adult bike rentals thanks to Bike and Roll. Governors Island is a safe and fun place to ride and of course there are lots of other attractions there as well - including Fete Paradiso, the festival of vintage carnival rides and carousels, open for the holiday Monday. FREE

Outside NYC
If you want to see more events outside of NYC, check out our WestchesterNJ,Connecticut or Long Island sites—each with its own Event Calendar and weekend event highlights.

New Jones Beach Boardwalk

631-993-1039 / 516-659-4716





The original boardwalk was destroyed by Sandy Hurricane.
  Schumer said FEMA will be picking up the tab for most, if not all, of the $44 million price tag.
The new boardwalk is made up of resilient materials, including Brazilian hardwoods and concrete. It also features a retaining wall that will provide protection from future storms.

Many residents are still struggling to rebuild their homes. City officials said the return of a small section of boardwalk is a sign of the progress already being made.

Overall,  this project is expected to span over two miles and cost over $40 million when all construction is complete.

The city says the entire boardwalk will be re-built by early November.

This new Boardwalk is expected to last 30-40 Yrs even with future storms. 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Family Tree


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Genealogical data can be represented in several formats, for example as a ancestry chart. Family trees are often presented with the oldest generations at the top and the newer generations at the bottom. An ancestry chart, which is a tree showing the ancestors of an individual, will more closely resemble a tree in shape, being wider at the top than the bottom. In some ancestry charts, an individual appears on the left and his or her ancestors appear to the right. A descendancy chart, which depicts all the descendants of an individual will be narrowest at the top.

 The longest family tree in the world is the one of a Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius  and he is the descendant of King Tang . The tree spans more than 80 generations, and includes more than 2 million members. An international effort involving more than 450 branches around the world was started in 1998 to retrace and revise this family tree. Now day many companies make money trying to create a persons family tree, people want to know where they come from and who are their ancestors. Thats a big reason why many companies as ancestry.com have had success.

A family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine and social work are known as genograms.

Source:WIKIPEDIA.COM

NYC New Hurricane Evacuation Zones



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NYC has new evacuation zones, "The new Zones, 1 through 6, which will replace Zones A, B and C, now include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones."

Now people can visit  www.nyc.gov or call 311 to find out if their homes or businesses fall within the boundaries of a new city hurricane evacuation zone.
The mayor's office says that the new "zones are based on coastal flood risk resulting from storm surge - the 'dome' of ocean water propelled by the winds and low barometric pressure of a hurricane; the geography of the city’s low-lying neighborhoods; and the accessibility of these neighborhoods by bridge and roads." And the new zones "include an additional 600,000 New Yorkers not included within the boundaries of the former zones. The increased number of zones will provide the City with more flexibility in targeting areas to evacuate in advance of a predicted storm." 

for more info visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/hazards/storms_evaczones.shtml








You can see the map here: http://maps.nyc.gov/hurricane/




NY Big Tree Register

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The Department of Environmental Conservation likes to highlight and show the importance of tree record size. The promote the importance of tree with peoples everyday lives. The big tree register is based on a list of many trees arranged by name and scientific name order. This list doesn't include hybrid species, only american species. In order to be a champion, the tree needs to have been measured or confirmed to exist within the last 10 years.

The way they find a winner is the sum of the tree's height in feet, the trunk circumference in inches at 4 1/2 feet off the ground, and one quarter of the tree's average crown spread in feet.

If you ever want to nominate a tree after you measurements you should contact you Regional DEC Office and after they confirm the measurements you then also need to contact local DEC office filling out New York State Big Tree Nomination Form after you also find out its the biggest on NY state.

For more  info contact the Big Tree Program Director at the following address:

American Forests
734 15th Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: (202) 955-4500
Fax: (202) 955-4588

and to read more about it and have access to more visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/5248.html


List: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/treechampcom061413.pdf

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Long Island's Gardens


631-993-1039 / 516-659-4716



During the warmer months, you can enjoy the sight of lush greenery and colorful flowers blossoming in public gardens on Long Island. You and your friends or family can relax and stroll as you admire nature’s colorful creations.
There’s nothing like sinking your bare toes in warm Long Island garden dirt. Especially when it’s public Long Island garden dirt. These are some of the best.

Bayard Cutting Arboretum
440 Montauk Highway
Great River
(631) 581-1002
Now a New York State park, the Bayard Cutting Arboretum was a former estate, created to “provide an oasis of beauty and quiet…for those who delight in outdoor beauty.” With acres of fir, pine and other trees, the arboretum boasts some of the largest trees of their species in the area. In spring and summer, wildflowers dot the green expanses crisscrossed by ponds and small streams.

Bayville Road and Feeks Lane
Lattingtown
(516) 571-8020
When businessman Frank Bailey built a house on 43 acres in Lattingtown, he wanted it to be "a living, growing museum...of trees and shrubs," and gave it the whimsical name "Munnysunk." A self-taught horticulturist, Bailey grew native and non-native trees including the exotic Dawn Redwood. This species was rediscovered in China in the mid-20th century, long after experts thought it had gone extinct. Now listed as "critically endangered," 20 of the seedlings Bailey obtained and planted still survive. One is thought to be the widest such tree on earth.

Bridge Gardens
36 Mitchells Lane
Bridgehampton
(631) 283-3195
First opened to the general public in the spring of 2009, Bridge Gardens was created by gardeners Jim Kilpatric and Harry Neyens. Working for 20 years on the five-acre property, they created fantastic topiary, lavender beds, a garden maze, an herb garden, a hidden bamboo room and other lush delights. Now owned and run by the Peconic Land Trust, Bridge Gardens is open to visitors from May 1 through September, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon-4 p.m. on Sundays. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the gardens have additional opening hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon-5 p.m. and on Fridays from noon until dusk. Admission fee is $10 for adults, or $20 for a family of up to four.

Clark Botanic Garden
193 I. U. Willets Road
Albertson
(516) 484-2208
Clark Botanic Garden opened in 1969 as a living museum and educational facility. Visit its 12 acres to stroll through collections including butterfly plants, medicinal plants, native wildflowers, roses, rock garden plants and more. The garden is known for its daylilies and is listed as an official Daylily Garden by the American Hemerocallis Society. There are only 325 such gardens listed in the United States.
The garden offers educational programs. Please check the Clark Botanic Garden website for details. Admission is free, but voluntary donations are greatly appreciated.

Hofstra Arboretum
114 Student Center
Hempstead
(516) 463-6815
Hofstra University doesn't just grow a love of learning. On its 240-acre campus, there's also an arboretum. Who knew? With over 12,000 trees representing over 600 species, stand tall at the university, and it's open to the public. In addition, the Friends of Hofstra University Arboretum have turned two campus acres into a bird sanctuary.

347 Oyster Bay Road
Locust Valley
(516) 676-4486
Step into this tranquil space and you'll leave behind any memories of traffic on Oyster Bay Road. Opened to the public in 1987, the John P. Humes Japanese Stroll Garden was originally commissioned in 1960 by a former U.S. ambassador to Japan and his wife to remind them of the calm oases they experienced when they lived in Japan. The four wooded acres are filled with deep green plants and trees, against a backdrop of white sand and gravel and dark-hued stones. With Buddhist and Shinto elements, the stroll garden includes an authentic Japanese tea house amid flourishing bamboo, evergreens and water elements.
$7 admission. $10 for tour and Japanese tea ceremony (reservations required.)

LongHouse Reserve
133 Hands Creek Road
East Hampton
(631) 329-3588

Famed textile artist and collector Jack Lenor Larsen had LongHouse Reserve built to resemble a 17th-century Shinto shrine in Japan. With 16 acres, LongHouse Reserve's mission is to blend art with nature, and this idea is reflected in the sculptures adorning the gardens.
Programs include Twilight Tours, Sound Meditation, changing art exhibits poetry reading and more. Group tours for schoolchildren can be arranged. Open to the public Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. In July and August, the reserve is open Wednesday through Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. $10.00 admission for adults, $8.00 for seniors. Members and children under 12 accompanied by an adult: free.

Nassau County Museum of Art - Formal Gardens
One Museum Drive
Roslyn Harbor
(516) 484-9337

In 1919, industrialist and patron of the arts, Henry Clay Frick, gave his son, Childs Frick, and his bride, Frances, a wedding present in the form of a sprawling, 200-acre estate. Today that property, with its Georgian mansion and landscaped surroundings, is the home of the Nassau County Museum of Art.
When Mrs. Frick lived at the estate, she commissioned Marian Coffin to design the formal gardens. The original design's walkways and shrubs still remain. Some of the other gardens have been partially restored and maintained.
To take a photo tour of the museum's outdoor artwork, please go to Outdoor Sculpture

Old Westbury Gardens
71 Old Westbury Road
Old Westbury
(516) 333-0048

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Old Westbury Gardens was once the home of financier John S. Phipps and his family. The mansion is surrounded by 200 acres of formal gardens, woodlands and lakes. Stroll through the former estate to see rich greenery, fragrant flowers like roses and lilacs and a tranquil pond.
In season, there are outdoor concerts. Throughout the year, there are adult and family programs. The house and gardens are open every weekend from April 4th. April 27-October 31: open daily except Tuesdays, from 10-5 p.m. Tours are available.
$10.00 admission to the house and gardens, $8 over 62, $5 for ages 7-12, free for children 6 and under.

Planting Fields Arboretum
1395 Planting Fields Road
Oyster Bay
(516) 922-9200

A former Gold Coast estate, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park sits on over 400 acres with formal gardens, greenhouses, woodland trails and more. Coe Hall, the estate's original 65-room mansion, still sits on the property and is open for tours from the spring through the fall.
The estate's grounds were designed by the famed Olmsted brothers. The landscapes are lovely in every season. There are frequent scheduled programs for adults as well as children, and the grounds are often used as a backdrop for wedding photography.