Lifestyle Archives

Weekend First Fall Hike in Westchester New York

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After spending the week working indoors, it was nice to get out and experience nature. This weekend, I went to the Baxter Preserve located in Northern Westchester. There was a beautiful combination of park land and open farm space.

Everyone was welcome to roam. There were people going for walks, riding horses, and running around with dogs. I even brought a long leash so my dog Dyson could explore the area more freely.

Right outside of the nature preserve were nice shops and places to eat. I met up with a coworker who lived nearby and we had a good time hanging out. This was truly the perfect weekend.

I have to give credit to Sarah Philips, pictured above, for the idea to come out here. It was the perfect escape during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sleepy Saturday Baby – this bed is my bed

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Another ongoing photo series of mine—taking pictures of Dyson—is also an ongoing ode to him. Anything he does is worthy of commemoration. He’s just that cute! Look at that sleepy Saturday baby, all curled up and comfortable. Here’s Dyson snoozing on our pillows and Parachute comforter. Like many dogs, he thinks our bed is his bed and prefers to take his naps there.

This is his typical “baby face” when he wakes up in the morning—sort of sleepy, sort of “hey, how’re you doing?” Sometimes he’s just too cute. He looks like he’s posing and showing his good side, but I can assure you, as his owner, every side is his good side!

Starting Weekend Whiskey Time

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One great thing about New York being a “melting pot” is the availability of products from different parts of the world. I was able to pick up some Nikka Whiskey all the way from Japan. Unlike most Whiskeys made here in the U.S., Nikka Whiskey has a nice and light taste.

To enhance the experience of a great alcoholic beverage, I poured the drink in my Tiffany’s crystal glass and added some Geo cube ice balls. The lighting in my apartment was especially beautiful on this day. I could not imagine a better way to wind down for the weekend.

Tatooine Over the Hudson : Forest Fires

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This past year has been filled with plenty of “pinch me” moments. Witnessing the sky turn orange was one of them. The widespread forest fires in California (and the west coast in general) were so bad that it affected the atmosphere on the east coast as well. This created a really weird sunset that I was lucky enough to snap a picture of #nofilter.

While staring at the foggy orange sky, I could not believe this was real life. I was immediately reminded of the Tatooine sunset from Star Wars. Experiencing this unnatural occurrence was creepy, but still sort of cool.

I’m blue and that’s ok

#selfie #blue #headshot ???

Keeping with my “blue only wardrobe” theme, the latest update of my blog and complimentary emails carried through the same essence. If you are a first time reader and stumble onto this post, you may be unaware that several years ago I decided to curb my shopping habit and make my life easier by only wearing Blue clothing.

This year I have spent time to split out my brand of ZAMARTZ and my personal blog to this website. I was able to use this site to take a bit more creativity and really show more of my personality. I hope the blue on blue is not too monochromatic to some but I love the way this image turned out.

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He looks out on the morning mist

He looks out on the morning mist.

From the balcony, the river is a sheet of quiet glass, holding the pale sky the way a house holds a familiar smell—something you don’t notice until it’s gone. Across the water, the hills sit in a single long exhale, their edges softened by fog that refuses to hurry.

He stands at the railing and watches as if the view is speaking in a language older than commands. No barking, no spinning in place. Just that forward-tilted attention, the kind that makes the rest of the morning feel like it should lower its voice.

Down below: a curve of path, a bench waiting out the season, stones stacked along the shore like punctuation. Out there: the Hudson, slow and wide, carrying the day in without ceremony. Even the distant boat looks like a thought you almost remember.

The mist makes everything honest by making it unsure. It blurs the line between what’s happening and what you’re imagining, and somehow that’s comforting. You don’t have to name the feeling. You just have to stand near it.

Dog Overlooking Misty River: a small moment, held still long enough to feel like a place you can return to.

Everything the light touches…

The caption says, “Everything the light touches…,” and it’s hard not to believe it when the morning hits the floor in clean, angled stripes.

By the window, the room feels quiet in that settled way—like it has already decided what kind of day it will be. A small dog lies stretched on a dark, plush bed, paws folded around a worn toy, ears lifted as if listening to the house breathe. The sunlight doesn’t just brighten the space; it softens it, turning ordinary corners into something almost familiar, almost remembered.

There’s a table nearby with a patterned runner and a book left open, as if someone paused mid-thought and stepped away. The rug holds the light in pale patches, and the rest of the room stays gentle and still.

I like moments like this because they don’t ask for much. They’re not grand. They’re just proof that warmth can land wherever it wants—on a rug, on a tabletop, on a dog who has claimed a bed as if it’s always been theirs.

Everything the light touches becomes its own small world for a while, and if you stand there long enough, you can feel the day widen.

Festival Fun Forever, my own Pride 2020

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In the virtual world of Animal Crossing, Festival Day is one of the most exciting events of the year! Since Pride 2020 was cancelled, I held my own version within the game. When I upgraded to the rainbow theme, it created the fun look and feel of the Pride March.

My character arrived in an all-blue outfit and sported a pair of heart-eyed shades. I spent hours interacting with all the activities at the fair. The bright, fun color scheme and snowy scenery created a really visually appealing experience.

My new snazzy sweater

There’s something quietly thrilling about a new sweater—like stepping into a slightly different version of yourself.

This one is snazzy in the way good winter things are: soft, sturdy, and a little unexpected. The knit is thick and pale, scattered with blue like weather moving in over an empty field. It doesn’t try too hard, which is exactly why it works. The kind of piece you throw on without thinking, and then later realize you’ve been wearing all day because it feels like a small shelter.

I caught myself looking down at it and smiling. Not because it’s “new clothes” new, but because it carries that calm, settled feeling—like something that can live alongside you. Like the familiar creak of boards in an old house, or the way winter air changes everything into a softer version of itself.

There’s no big story here, just a simple upgrade to the everyday: cuffs rolled, collar peeking out, the world a little brighter and bigger for an afternoon. Sometimes that’s enough.

If you’ve ever had a piece of clothing turn into a season—something you reach for when the light gets thin—then you know exactly what I mean.

Puppy Pool Party

There’s a particular kind of summer moment that doesn’t ask for much. A patch of sun on the deck. The wood warm underfoot. A small blue pool holding a thin, honest layer of water—barely enough to make ripples, but enough to change the day.

Puppy Pool Party is the name, and it fits in the simplest way. Not a crowd, not noise, not anything staged. Just a puppy standing in a fish-print kiddie pool, looking up with that steady gaze that feels like a question: is this all there is? And if it is—can we stay here a while?

The pool turns the ordinary into something a little brighter. The water catches the light. The painted fish float under the surface like a tiny summer world. The puppy’s paws make soft circles that travel outward, then disappear at the edge, like so many things do.

I like how animals don’t overthink joy. They step into it. They test it. They decide, in a moment, whether it’s worth trusting. And when it is, they settle in—not with grand declarations, but with presence.

Maybe that’s the whole party: a small body of water, a warm day, and the quiet permission to be exactly where you are.

Just a little cabana time

There’s a particular kind of quiet that shows up when you finally stop moving. Legs stretched out, sand bright enough to make you squint, and those blue cabanas standing like small, sturdy rooms against the open beach. The ocean keeps its steady line in the distance, and everything else feels like it can wait.

I like how simple it is: shade when you want it, sun when you don’t mind it, and the slow choreography of people coming and going near the water. Clearwater Beach has that wide, washed look—white sand, pale sky, and a horizon that makes your thoughts feel less crowded.

It reminds me that places have their own kind of living, the way a house creaks and settles. A beach does it too, just in softer ways: wind moving through umbrellas, waves folding and unfolding, footprints appearing and disappearing like they were never meant to last.

Cabana time is never really about doing nothing. It’s about noticing the small things that are usually drowned out—salt on your skin, the weight of warm air, the patience of the tide. For a little while, the day becomes as uncomplicated as looking up, listening, and letting the world pass by at its own speed.

Wedding Date is Set for Zachary and Angel

Wedding Date is Set, September 7th 2019

So its official Angel and I are engaged and have set our wedding date in September. We are so excited to celebrate with our friends and family and our beloved puppy Dyson.

Find us on instagram:

If you want to send us some best wish see our instagram accounts @takenbyanangel @zamartz and @dysoncyclone

We don’t have a registry because apartment space is limited and admittedly I (Zach) am a “particular person”… or so I’m told… lol

so you can Donate to the wedding with paypal:

send us a donation here : paypal.me/zamartz

Or Donate here on the website

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