Autisticana

a gallery of autistic special/intense interests

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Category: Photography

  • Why you should go to Hunter Mountain New York

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    There’s so much things to do during the fall and winter months. People can go skiing snow tubing and community events, hiking. The town also often host local beer festivals and cultural activities in the area. The weather is cooler during most of the summer and it has the best scenery of the amazing different colors of leaves during the autumn. Lack of carbinonaxie which is good for the people to breathe in with the fresh air. It is also one of the most iconic places in Upstate New York with so much sceneries.

    Housings and ski resorts for the holiday tourism. People should consider moving to Upstate New York because there’s less population than Southern New York which they need to move up in the north. They also have a solar farm. They have colorful housings and stores in their local downtown area on Route 23A Main Street in Tannersville. There’s also art museums, historic places, antique shops and other local attractions. Upstate New York also has a lot of real life Cafes and Thrift Stores for local business.

    During the Winter Months, most of the time it always snow and has plenty for people to do skiing, snow tubing and so much adventurous activities during the day. People can sit by the fire and have marshmallows with hot chocolate to keep you warm. There’s also great shopping and dining options especially when people wanna enjoy their getaway trip to the resorts or Winter Lodging for fun activities. Others can do non winter activities like snowshoe trails through the woods, or shopping downtown and enjoying a craft beer tasting. There is plenty of activities like historic sites and other events which is the reason why the Catskills are the ideal destination! 

    The reason people should move to the Hudson Valley/Catskills because they can have the luxury life or find something that fits your budget but wanted to find somewhere with nature. Most of the houses would have more freedom of the walk around the property and often see wild animals once in a while or see the shooting stars on a clear night.

    The place is a the sense of wonders during the summer months like going out to so many fun places to go out for a trip to remember. Theres plenty of lakes and waterfalls for tourists to spend parts of the day like swimming in swim holes, paddle boating, Canoeing, Kayaking, fishing, and exploring animals in the nature preserve. The Catskills has local eatery and brewery for adults who love to socialize and have a good time. Hit the highlights or go through the horizon and see where the road takes you to find a great spot like, biplane adventures, the waterpark, mountain activities, or eatery cafes and restraints for the whole family. They can also stop by at local music festivals if they wanna have a good time especially theres the shops of Woodstock were they can check out and relive the memory of the Hippie Era. Also there’s a couple of petting zoo for kids and people who adores with animals and loves learning about history at some of the local museums and art museums.

    The scenery is beautiful during the autumn because of the Fall Foliage and theres much adventurous activities. The weather is also breezy and crisp during the autumn months. There’s also lots of fall festivals, horse back riding trails, hiking trails, farmers markets and trips to the farm.

    Numbers and Links about Life of the Catskills

  • The Retreat House of Autisticana in the Hudson Valley Region

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    The first thing that Dr. Christine and I did was that we stopped by at the Cafe called Golden Russet Cafe & Grocery. It was a Cafe and Grocery Store which is very interesting and it only happens in less populated areas especially in the woodlands or the rural suburbs.

    I ordered myself a bacon and egg and cheese sandwich with tomato which was really delicious.

    There was a play room and a reading station for the kids while the grownups got to have coffee time with friends and family. I thought that was a great idea !

    I was able to meet Jenny( the owner) so Christine and I interviewed her about the place and how she and her husband ran it so successfully. We also got to discover the beautiful historic houses, a local farm, and a local brewery around Rhinebeck. We also visited the Omega institute which is the most famous health and holistic retreat center in the United States.

    Afterwards, we stopped by at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York. We saw a very old tree which was over 350 years old, It is called the survivor tree as Christine always teaches us the tree pose and how to stand tall with resilience. ,

    I also thought it would be a very nice spot for holiday tourism or a weekend for a day trip in the area.

    When we drove to Poughkeepsie, there was a section of Marist College which is near the downtown area of Poughkeepsie.

    We also had great exercise and spa time at Mike Arteaga’s Health and Fitness

    We got to go swimming in a great salt water pool, and there was a hot tub included and a cold plunge and sauna that we rotated over and over for detox

    There’s also a cardio room in a movie theatre room where you can go on the treadmill while watching a movie. That was so cool , and we made a pact to go tomorrow again at 7 am.

    Then we got onto our obligation to wash our service animal doggies ( Mabel n Moon and company , of which their books are coming at soon!)

    Foam and wash is also a car wash which opens 24 hours a day. Two for one ! As conscious and accountable news makers, Christine has taught us how to really effectively multi task.

    Afterwards, we drove through the Mid Hudson Bridge which was beautiful with the rainbow lighting on the bridge which was meant to be as it represents us at Autisticana.

    Finally we drove all the way to Kingston to stop by at a progressive urban book store called “The Rough Draft Bar” and Books, which it’s a cafe where writers can work on their blogs or their upcoming books. The place was very interesting and we ended the night with a healthy and delicious dinner.

    I had a nice adventure and a great trip around the Mid Hudson Valley.

    The Cold Plunge Challenge for Autisticana

  • Waterdrinker Family Farm in Manorville

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    The Place is beautiful where everyone can enjoy the day with so many outstanding things to do. There’s Pumpkin picking, Sunflower Station, plenty of farm animals, it’s pet friendly, it has popular photo spots, wooden play land for the kids and so much acre’s to walk around the farm. The place was also a popular hotspot for holiday goers for a weekend trip.

    The day when I went there, it was busy and all of the kids took the day off of school because of the holiday, the first thing I did was that stopped by at the petting zoo farm. Next I discovered the classic cars so I wanted to take interesting photos of myself doing poses. Then I checked out the farm animals and one of the garden was beautiful. I went for a walk and played the ring on the string game which it’s fun like doing a pub game. It was challenging by I got after couple of tries. I checked out the wooden playground to walk around. Then I went on the Jumping Pad which it was a lot of fun. It was good to use up the energy while having fun. Afterwards, I went on a steamroller which it was a challenge. I checked out the photo spots and went to the sunflower fields and it was beautiful with all of the sun flowers in different conditions. I saw a scary werewolf so I call it the werewolf vampire and it a photo pose of the werewolf. Finally I went to the pumpkin patch station and there was plenty of pumpkins. Before I left there was garden and a brewery on the other side of the farm.

    Here’s the link about Waterdrinker Family Farm

    https://www.water-drinker.com/farmadventure

  • Why do I Want to Be a Car Photographer

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    Inside of a new Toyota RAV4

    Hi my name is Scott and I’m the CEO at Autisticana.org . I wanted to talk about why I love to take pictures of cars.

    I wanted to work at a Dealership just to take pictures of cars and add it on the website. Working as a photographer at a dealer, maybe they would hire me for my great talent and my abilities instead of seeing me through the “disability lense”. I love taking pictures of cars and check the details of the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Sometimes when I see pictures of the person who owns the car and who is going to I want them to see the clear picture, with every detail. I wanted to take pictures of cars at a car sales dealership because I wanted to double check the vehicle, make sure the car is in good condition, mileage and color and specific type of vehicle. If I would know how to sell my own car, I would like to use every detail of the vehicles condition, photo of the car in every angle and talk about the vehicle itself.

    Cars in the Showcase at an Toyota Dealership

    If I work at the dealership, I would take a picture of the car who was last leased, and then check the vehicle itself for mileage and other detail of the vehicle to see if its running well. If I work at a Car Sales, I wanted to work as a Car Photographer because, I wanted to take a picture of the car in every angle of detail, car condition, interior, exterior and upload the pictures on the website, like the website of the car dealership and online Market Website for Car Search. I would also have to learn how to do vin number and use the key to alarm the car to see which is the exact vehicle. I would be very flexible about new vehicles in the fleet

    New and Used Cars for inventory

  • Special Olympics Tournament in Orlando

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    The Long Island Field Hockey 4 All Team went for a weekend trip to Orlando for ESPN+ Hockey. This is the first time that Special Olympic Games are hosted for the Florida Event. It was at the ESPN World of Sports Complex which it’s a Sports Park for Special Events. Most Tournaments are focused on Nationwide Teams for different Sports for Youth Teams. Over 200 Teams around the Country and thousands of people participated to play as athletes. Even the parents and fans decided to show up to the Sunshine Show Case Tournament of 2022.

    There’s so many sports fields in the park which is the ESPN World Sports of Complex and it has like 31 sports fields. Like Soccer Fields, Baseball Fields and so much more.

    The main Tournament was Long Island Field Hockey we got in before 9AM we wore special uniforms and we huddle as a team and were the first Long Island Field Hockey Team to join the Special Olympics Field Hockey Team joined the tournament and 1st annual Olympics tournament. It was also the first time that the special Olympics Field Hockey Team that was hosted because we wanted to show the world that Field Hockey is not just girls Field Hockey but it’s also for people with Development Disabilities.

    The Long Island Field Hockey went to the tournament but we end up two teams for ourselves. It was The All Stars in White and the Long Island Field Hockey in Gray. The Girls Team came to help us out and play like we’re having fun. One day the Sport would become a popular sport for the team when it reaches 2028 for the Summer Olympics and the Paralympics.

    We get to also be famous from ESPN which the players ourselves get to be interviewed by USA Field Hockey and Long Island Field Hockey

    During the bracket of the tournament was The Long Island Field Hockey Team but since the other teams never showed up we decided to make up two teams on our own. The Long Island Field Hockey Girls Team happily came to help and they volunteer with us. It was the Gray Team and White Team. Half of the group went to the Gray Team and the other half went to the White Team. The Long Island Field Hockey Team was the Gray Team and the All Stars were the White Team. All of them each got a volunteer to partner up to help our teams to achieve what they can achieve something. Originally I thought that we would have 200 Teams around the nation with disabilities but it was only 200 teams for the Girls Field Hockey Team, so we created 2 Teams and the team in Gray is the Long Island Field Hockey Team which is me, Michelle, Rebecca and Paul. The White Team is the All Stars which the team has Anthony, Elouise, Gia and Adriana

    During the Match, there’s 10 Minutes in 2 half’s of the match. During the first half of the match, I was already got a head start but it was just short not too far from the goal. Then my teammate Michelle scored the first goal and took the lead 1-0. Not for long, Elouise got the first goal for the All Stars which it tied at 1-1. Then the teams did a lot of defensive moves time to time. Paul on the LI Field Hockey did a lot of help with the defence to not let the All Stars take the lead. During the 5 minute warning, I ran into the other side and waited for the goal and Michelle passed the ball to me and I scored the goal to help LI Field Hockey 2-1. Then the All Stars went to take immediate action and scored then second goal to tie it up 2-2. Before Halftime I ran the ball and I was going to score again but they goalie blocked my shot and the defense took the ball from me so I went back to center field and passed it to Rebecca and give it to Michelle and she got herself the 2nd goal which give LIFH to get back the lead 3-2 and it was halftime. Everyone had a water break and then each team huddle up to work on teamwork and continue to have fun while making history.

    During the 2nd half of the match, the Long Island field hockey was leading the All Starz 3-2. It was neck to neck for the first few minutes until Michelle got the goal to take the early lead with my quick thinking pass before I got out of bounds and helped the LI Field Hockey Team continued to take the lead 4-2. Then I scored before I put myself in an offside position which I got lucky to allow myself to get that goal when the ball rolled to me and scored. In the meantime, Paul and i did a phenomenal job with the defense and not let the All Stars scored like 5 times. The Defense on the LI Field Hockey was outstanding during the tournament so hopefully we can get ourselves promoted for the 2028 Paralympics. Before the match was done, the LI Field Hockey Team scored 2 more goals which it was credited by the whole team with outstanding creativity of teamwork. Once the Tournament was about to draw to a close, Elouise helped the All Stars got one more goal even though they tried their best to get the goals from the great defense. She got the buzzer beater goal and happily got the All Stars 7-3 but the Long Island Field Hockey won the Tournament which it was a fun tournament. We won 7-3 against the All Starz which it was a fun game to remember while making History for the Special Olympics.

    The winner of the tournament was The Long Island Field Hockey Team but it was about a fun tournament which hopefully one day more teams around the USA to increase Special Olympics Field Hockey. I like to remember the score just i can focus on track with the results especially in every Special Olympics Tournament.

    Afterwards we took a group picture with girls team who helped us and the team itself. Then I was interviewed by 2 people like Sally from USA Field Hockey and Valeri from Long Island Field Hockey. I talked about that I wanted to explain about Field Hockey which its popular from Europe, Australia and India but Wanted to expand the sport to the United States. It would be interesting if the Special Olympics was a reality besides the Girls Field Hockey. One day this sport will be huge for the 2028 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics. I can grow as a player for myself especially my teammates.

    The Long Island Field Hockey Group Picture

    The All Stars at the Globe

    Websites for the Special Olympics

  • My Trip to the Organics Today Farm – East Islip, NY

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    By Scott Weisbrot

    Recently, I went to the Organics Today Farm in East Islip, NY with my friends. It was a farm with growing crops. It seems to be great for programs to help out soak all local communities to do volunteer work. We had to walk around in a cricle, which made it interesting to see the sights.

    A wooden sign painted red showing visitors to the famr where different locations and activities are. From top to bottom in bold white lettering it reads: pumpkins, tables, eggs, pies, honey bees, and Farmers Market. The sign is surrounded by festive fall scarecrows, halloween decorations, and pumpkins for the reason. The sign sits next to a small garden and is front of a wire fence. It is planted into the dirt.
    A photo of a sign directing vistors to different areas of the farm during the Halloween season (Photo credit: Scott Weisbrot)

    We saw a lot of plants, crops and farmers market. There was also wagons to ride for kids if they want to go for a rides with their parents or use them for pumpkin picking if it is too much to cary. We saw scarecrows and an old mid 90s Jeep Cherokee that never moved in 7 to 8 years. There was a pumpkin patch field where you could pick pumpkins. During the summer months, people can come to the farm to pick fresh fruits and vegetables they can eat or cook.

    When we came to this path, I noticed that some car might’ve drove on the trail. I could tell this because the dirt path was divided by a segment of grass in the middle. At the end of the trail, I saw a train from the Montauk branch. This was cool for people who love to hear passing trains. Finally, we went to the Farmers Market, which was in a small building. It has a lot of cool stuff like local food and handmade soap, honey, cheese, diary, maple syrup, and farm products.

    The Organics Today Farm also does programs, dayhabs, volunteer work and field trips. It is open from the first day in the spring to Thanksgiving.

    You can check out the photos I took on my adventure:

    Edited by avanicole23

  • My Trip to Bellport Village

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    By Scott Weisbrot

    Bellport is one of the most interesting villages to go in central Suffolk County, Long Island, NY. Recently while I was there, I found a playground with an outdoor workout station – which is cool. The playground was opened during the end of 2020 If I ever plan on visiting Suffolk County during the summer, I can take a 5 minutes drive to workout almost everyday.

    Photo of the author Scott, a young white man wearing a dark colored sweatsuit at the beach in Bellport Village, NY. He is surrounded by Dr Christine Grimaldi and friends. Dr Grimaldi is a middle aged white woman with dark brown hair and wearing a navy sweater. She is holding the leashes of several medium-large labrodoodles. They are standing on the beack in front of a red truck on the playground. You can see the bright blue sky.
    Photo of Scott with Dr Christine Grimaldi and friends in Bellport Village, NY
    A photo of the playground on the beach in Bellport Village NY. In the background, you can see the green swingset and slides. In the foreground, you can see trees, park benches, and the sideway to the playground.
    The playground in Bellport Village NY near the ocean.

    Then we stopped by to see the other landscapes of this park which there was a shelter and boat dock. Nearby are the docks of Bellport Yacht. There’s a ferry boat that can take locals to Ho Hum Beach on the East End of Fire Island, NY. The service is only available during the summer months from Memorial Day to Labor Day, weekends only.

    A photo of the docks on the water in Bellport Village NY. In the foreground, you can see the dark green playground equipment. In the distance, you can seee the parking lot of the docks and the boats on the water.
    A view of the docks from the playground in Bellport Village, NY

    We discover busy main street with popular summer shops. This includes cool stores, historic houses, and ice cream shops. It is perfect for summer tourists and people who wanna live there for the summer. Also, there are farms for animals and food – great spots to be in the summer and fall. The houses are nice in the area, and the town has very cautious speed limits from 15 to 30 miles per hour.

    A photo of the storefront of Carla Marlas, an ice cream shop in Bellport Village NY. The storefront is a white building with light blue trim. On the window, it reads "Carla Marlas, Ice Cream Parlor & Candy Shoppe"
    A storefront of Carla Marlas, an ice cream shop in Bellport Village NY.

    Edited by avanicole23

  • My Trip to Hoyt Farm and Preserve – Our Newsday Experience

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    By Scott Weisbrot

    A photo captured by Scott of the changing leaves on a tree. The tree's leaves are changing from green to a bright red. Neraby, you can see a parking lot with a variety of different trucks. In the foreground, you can see a field covered in bright red, orange, and brown leaves.
    The falling leaves of a colorful tree

    Recently, I went with a group of friend on a trip to Hoyt Farm and Preserve in Commack, NY. Hoyt Farm is a preserve in the town of Smithtown, which is a nice place with cool parks and beautiful nature. If you go in the fall, it’s a great place to find the leaves changing color and walk pass through the animal farm. There’s lots of cool stops among the trails. There was also a garden gnomes village in one of the trees. We checked out the empty barns with different paths of bushes. We discovered the Hoyt Farm playhouse, which looked like an empty wooden house. Afterwards, we toured around the preserve. In total, it was a half a mile walk.

    Here’s a map of Hoyt Farm in Commack, NY:

    A map of Hoyt Farm and Preserve in Commack NY - in black and white.
    A map of Hoyt Farm in Commack NY

    You can check out all the photos I took on my trip to Hoyt Farm below:

    Edited by avanicole23

  • My visit to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum

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    “A beautiful field experience with our crew”

    By Nicole Magee

    Photos of the News Makers crew and Nicole at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum

    One of my intense interests and hobbies is nature and hiking. Every weekday morning, I try to go hiking with my dad. On weekends, we get out as a family. My whole family loves the outdoors and camping. We spend a lot of time enjoying all the seasons and activities that surround nature.

    Exercising in nature allows me to stay fit and calm. I love creative writing and visualizations, and field experiences like this one. It allows me to see the beauty, visualize it, then write and blog it.

    I was inspired after our journey through the Bayard Cutting Arboretum, which was fully decorated for Halloween, and wrote this visualization, after I left. Creative visualization is one of my special interests, it helps you to relax and meditate on a fantasy story. I hope you enjoy it!

    A Spooky Adventure through the Woods

    By Nicole Magee

    Place yourself in a comfortable position, close your eyes and take a full deep breath in, followed by a deep breath out. Continue to follow your breath as I guide you in our spooky adventure.

    Imagine you are in a dim-lit street, walking towards your local pumpkin patch. On your street, while you are walking through the pumpkins you get a visit by the pumpkin king Jack Skellington (from Disney‘s The Nightmare Before Christmas), who invites you to carve a pumpkin with him.

    At first, you take a big deep breath in and out, because you are feeling scared, but then a good witch named Star appears because she notices the fear in your eyes. She says, take another deep breath in and release your fear, and do not be scared. We will not hurt you, then once again you breathe in and out as you now feel more relaxed and are ready to start carving your scary face on a pumpkin.

    Once you are finished, you show your jack-o-lantern to your new friends. Then Jack and the good witch Star say, “wow, that is the work of a true artist.” You reply thank you as the feeling of happiness overwhelms you. You then say, “thank you for a wonderful time, it is getting late and I must go now,” as you pointed to the old clock. It was just past 6 pm, and I did not want to be late for dinner, as I could smell the sensation of pumpkin soup that mom had made for me. As I got up to leave, the good witch noticed I was dressed as a witch for Halloween, impressed, the witch said, “wait, here please take some candy home with you. “I love your costume as it reminds me of my daily clothing. I replied, thank you and have a Happy Halloween.

    “Thank you, I am looking forward to it. “

    A photo of various orange pumpkins sitting in a bin. A single pumpkin is in focus. This pumpkin has a black scary face drawn on it. It has menacing eyes with small red pupils, a small traingular nose, amd zigzag shaped smile.
    Photo of a jack-o-lanthern among various pumpkins (By Mathias P.R. Reding on Pexels.com)

    We thank you, Dr. Christine, for taking the Newsmakers group to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River NY.

    We had the opportunity to explore the river gardens and the decorated Halloween paths. We stumbled upon a fitness and nature path, which was so cool because it had stations to create creative exercise and breathing.

    As a News Maker, it is important to get our exercise in daily to keep up with our creative rituals.

    Edited by avanicole23