1 Tina Brown, Sir Harold Evans, and me DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

2 Here I am with Jim Cramer.

3 My daughter, Alexis, joined me for the occasion DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

4 Here I am with Tina Brown DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

5 Liz Smith, the Grand Dame of Dish, was our emcee for the evening.

6 With Liz Smith and Charles Koppelman - our Chairman of the Board DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

7 Here I am with Ed Victor and his mother-in-law - Florence Boggs - nearly 106 years old!

8 Robin Marino and Kevin Sharkey DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

9 Posing with Cynthia McFadden of Nightline and my niece, Sophie Herbert Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

10 Susan Magrino, her mother Mary Cross, me, and Allyn Magrino Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

11 With my friend, Dan Shedrick Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

12 Dr. Al Siu and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

13 With Larry Shire Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 200 © Patrick McMullan

14 Posing with Gerri Kyhill and Charles Koppelman Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

15 Dr. Brent Ridge, me, and Josh Kilmer-Purcell Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

16 Matthew Axe, Alex Postman, and Katie Hatch Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

17 Mark Ingram and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

18 Memrie Lewis and Holly Bannister Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

19 Darcy Miller with Sophie Herbert - my niece, and Christopher Herbert - my nephew

20 Michael Citro, Laura Blau, Muffin Dowdle, and Peter Michaelis

21 Steven Doyle - Gael Towey's husband and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

22 Here I am with Marc Lowenberg and Greg Lituchi Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING 2009 © Patrick McMullan

23 Jeffrey Brown and Robin Marino Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

24 Bunny Williams, John Rosselli, and me Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

25 Barry and Diana Levinson Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

26 Pomegranate martinis Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

27 Chateau St Jean donated all of the white wine for the evening

28 The vodka for the martinis - Imperia, of course Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

29 The tables were set in the clerestory Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

30 I contributed some of my photographs for the auction.

31 Other various auction items and bidding forms

32 These items were also available for bidding on Charitybuzz.com - some are still open.

33 Here is one of the stations set up for bidding.

34 The room was decorated with large stained plywood squares with silhouettes of bonsai trees made from white and silver vinyl.

35 Another image

36 And another

37 The logo for the Center for Living

38 Chef Pierre Schaedelin and famed Alain Ducasse

39 Pierre's menu taped in the kitchen area for easy reference

40 These racks held the lobster salad awaiting to be dressed and served.

41 The first course was a colorful lobster Salad consisting of lobster, lettuce cup, heart of palm, green beans, avocado, tomato, and grapefruit.

42 Dr. Audrey Chun addressing the room

43 Dr. Dennis Charney

44 Here I am thanking everyone for coming. Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

45 My image up on the big screen

46 Pierre keeping a watchful eye over every detail

47 A very efficient assembly line

48 Pierre manning the ovens

49 The pace was fast in the kitchen.

50 The main course was salmon en croute served with carrot puree, spinach, and tarragon sauce.

51 The parade of food emerges from the kitchen.

52 The auctioneer for the evening

53 The Charitybuzz.com representative received bids by cell phone.

54 Dessert was a wonderful meringue shell filled with chestnut mousse.

55 Piping the filling into each shell

56 Candied marron garnished the top.

57 Cynthia McFadden and Sophie Herbert Photo - DAVID X PRUTTING/ PatrickMcMullan.com====

58 Dr. Nimesh Nagarsheth - the drummer for N.E.D, a rock band made up of six doctors.

59 Karen Hart - Steve Schwarz's daughter on the board of the Brookdale foundation and my friend, Ralph Robbins

1 After my early morning exercise, Mary Curran was ready to fix my hair and apply my makeup between mouthfuls of my favorite Uncle Sam's cereal and fresh fruit.

2 My office at home is in my kitchen and here I am checking my morning emails. I have a MacBook Air and a Sony Vaio - I know - I can have it all on one computer, but I prefer the two software platforms side by side.

3 Time for my morning indulgence of a deliciously rich cappuccino - I also offer this frothy brew to anyone in the kitchen.

4 Ahh! Such thick foam!

5 The perfect cappuccino! A great way to start the day!

6 Silly Mary!! Got froth?

7 Francesca and Sharkey are always sad when they see me packing up to leave. However, it's only for the day and they are always in good hands.

8 With today's newspapers in hand, it's time to leave for the airport and yikes, my hair is already messy!

9 Over the weekend, I made a list of garden chores. On my way out, I met up with Shaun, my gardener, about what requires his immediate attention.

10 This is Manny, one of my security detail, giving a friendly wave goodbye as we drove out the of gate.

11 This is one of the pilots for the day greeting me as I boarded the plane.

12 The mandatory pre-flight safety briefing - I have heard all of this thousands of times, but I always pay attention.

13 As we took off from Westchester County Airport, the foliage below painted a pretty picture.

14 Looking down the Hudson River - That's the George Washington Bridge with Manhattan on the left and New Jersey on the right.

15 All settled in for the 36 minute flight to Philadelphia.

16 I enjoy the Ken Ken puzzles - they help to sharpen my mind for the busy day ahead.

17 Two vehicles greeted us on the tarmac - Susan Magrino, my publicist, is signaling for everyone to get moving.

18 How sad - I always feel so badly when wildlife is hit on the roadway - This is an unfortunate red fox.

19 The King of Prussia mall is very nice - lots of great shopping.

20 Here I am approaching the Williams - Sonoma. The crowd was lined up and waiting.

21 MSLO employees - William Van Roden - with his mother, Dee - and Ellen Morrissey - They happened to be in the area and decided to come to the book signing. I was so happy to see them in Philadelphia, that I invited them to join us for lunch.

22 This is Meryl - she made this necklace from Home Depot paint chips and a decorative paper punch.

23 Roasted pumpkin soup, found on page 168 of my new Dinner at Home book, was served to the crowd. Everyone loved it.

24 The line for the book signing was really long - it seemed to wrap around the entire mall!

25 More of the line - everyone was so patient and kind.

26 This is Sang Mi and her cute baby, Jeremy.

27 ABC's Nightline was there filming my book signing as part of a TV special.

28 Carl is a big fan of the Martha show and he knows how to wear our T-shirt.

29 Donna and Ashley - notice that they shoot with a Canon G9? Great camera!

30 And look who else came! This is Margy, the mother of Shaun, my gardener.

31 Margy's book - signed by me!

32 These yummy coconut cupcakes were provided by Cupcakes Gourmet. www.cupcakesgourmet.com

33 We sold over 600 books! That means I signed over 600 books!

34 In the back room of the store, the Williams - Sonoma employees left me a message on their blackboard.

35 Kate Tyler, and Susan Magrino, and Nicole Sutlif discussing logisitcs.

36 Mary Beth and her adorable rescue poodle, Irish

37 Very sweet!

38 This is Kelly McDade, who was the winner of last year's USA Today's Cooking with Martha Contest. I was happy to see her again.

39 This little girl was a bit nervous to meet me, but was very happy afterwards.

40 What happened to the baby??

41 Here he is! I suppose that stack of books weighs more than he does.

42 It really never gets old - I love book signings and meeting my fans.

43 In addition to the roasted pumpkin soup, hanger steak with caramelized shallots on page 207, was prepared by The Water Works Restaurant in Philadelphia www.thewaterworksrestaurant.com and offered for tasting.

44 Executive chef Darryl Harmon of The Water Works Restaurant

45 Rambunctious and playful brothers

46 Of course, they were more interested in their Medieval toys than my book.

47 These are Williams Sonoma employees, who were so happy to have me sign their copies.

1 An overall view of the farm taken with an overcast sky.

2 Even with an overcast sky, the fall colors were aglow.

3 This is the little house where my basket collection is stored. The ferns in the foreground are browning.

4 The climbing hydrangeas have gotten very full and tall over this past summer.

5 I had this pergola built to provide shade for many of my potted plants, which are now inside the greenhouse for the winter.

6 I call this my Japanese garden - the structure behind is my cold frame, which is planted with lettuce and herbs.

7 My beehives are still very active, as the bees prepare for the cold weather ahead.

8 I never tire of taking this shot.

9 This is the equipment barn behind a row of pin oak trees.

10 A brightly colored black gum tree next to my patio

11 Saturday was a very rainy day - the clouds were rolling quickly.

12 This orange-leafed beech tree is planted near the summer house.

13 A glowing ginkgo biloba

14 The fan-shaped leaves are so delicate.

15 The leaves of an American buckeye

16 My newly planted Japanese maple grove - the trees are adjusting very nicely.

17 A bright yellow maple tree

18 A grove of upright maples

19 This is a metasequioa dawn redwood - it drops its needles in the autumn.

20 A close up of its needles turning brown before dropping

21 A wild thistle growing in the wetlands and a very happy bee

22 A thistle flower that has gone to seed to be carried with the wind

23 A woodland fern now bronze

24 A grouping of October Glory maple trees planted in one of the meadows

25 I love this contrast of color and texture.

26 The gnarly roots of what once was a tree, clinging to the bank of a streamlet.

27 Bright colors against a Norway spruce

28 This is a late-blooming flower called monk's hood - it's very beautiful, but a very poisonous plant.

29 The bright red glow of a burning bush

30 The vibrant green hostas are now glowing yellow.

31 A photography experiment - focus here....

32 And focus there

1 Here are my new kittens Empress Tang and Princess Peony.

2 Look at Pam's denim jacket! This spells serious cat lover!

3 Pam introducing one little beauty

4 And her sister - another beauty

5 Of course, Francesca and Sharkey were very curious to know what was in the cat carrier.

6 Lots of sniffing going on!

7 Bartok is a bit wary of new cat smells in the house.

8 Up in the craft room, Verdi approaches the carrier with caution.

9 Vivaldi tries to act as though nothing is happening.

10 Pam is having a tearful goodbye.

11 Empress Tang is hiding behind a stack of books in the craft foom

12 Princess Peony is very shy and came out of hiding for a brief moment.

13 I just love her facial markings!

14 Empress Tang is the bolder one of the two kittens and likes wandering around the house.

15 She is a very playful cat and likes a lot of attention.

16 Princess Peony enjoys snuggling in my bed.

17 She is so fluffy and soft.

18 Purrrrrr

19 Sweet dreams, Princess

1 This is one of three horse mounts on my property, located near the main house. I love this massive stone.

2 It was so very foggy.

3 The spider webs on this boxwood were covered with mist.

4 The apple espalier looks so great in the fog.

5 As do my antique apple trees.

6 Down at the stables, Martyn was very curious looking out into the foggy morning.

7 Looking away from the stables, the ground was mysteriously dark, while the sky turned gorgeous pastels.

8 Another view of the east down the boxwood allée

9 Through the mist, you can see the equipment barn, the greenhouse, the gym building, and the old corn crib.

10 This is a walkway between paddocks - the mist is dissipating quickly as the sun rises.

11 Walking back to my home, called the winter house - it's softened by the foggy mist.

12 After going inside, I looked out my kitchen door into the courtyard - it was stunning in the misty morning - a wispy Phoenix roebelenii palm flanked by two century plants.

13 This cycad looks just beautiful against the fog.

14 A collection including a blue agave, cycad, and a Bismarckia palm

15 A giant aloe, succulents, and cacti

16 Three 'hairy' men

17 Another type of aloe

18 A beautifully patterned cactus

19 Another angle

20 And another

21 A lovely birdbath reflection

22 The birdbath has an elegant base.

23 A better look at a century plant

1 Here's the entrance to the Mariani Gardens parking lot.

2 The main door is nicely decorated for autumn.

3 Mariani has an interesting selection of garden sculpture.

4 And very interesting wooden furniture

5 Another nice bench

6 This is Garret Negri - Garden Décor Manager - and Erika Petrilak - Home Décor Manager

7 Mariani offers an impressive selection of aged clay pots, unique ceramic vessels, and flower boxes.

8 These containers are nice to look at even when empty.

9 Great garden supplies

10 A collection of wonderful Botanical Interests Seeds

11 The outdoor courtyard has an interesting array of specimens.

12 Another view

13 Beautiful boxwood

14 All shapes and sizes

15 A bright autumnal display leading into the greenhouse

16 A wonderful collection of annuals, perennials, and tropicals

17 A flowering dracena surrounded with staghorn ferns

18 Lovely begonias displayed with the unmistakable pots of.....

19 Ben Wolff! benwolffpottery.com

20 There are also Guy Wolff pots guywolff.com - Ben's dad.

21 The very attractive leaves of the croton plant - a tropical

22 The amazing bloom of a bromeliad - another tropical

23 A really great table

24 Contemporary furnishings in the showroom

25 A photographic mural

26 Another display

27 A tiled wall with cascading water

28 All sorts of bowls, trays, and frames

29 This distinctive floor lamp is constructed out of pieces of driftwood.

30 This wonderful buttress is the wood of a tropical tree.

31 A dining room display

32 And another

33 And more curios

34 In the back corner of Mariani's is a very nice florist shop - here are stalks of amaryllis, cala liles, and protea pincushion flowers.

35 Many, many colorful blooms

36 This tassel flower is called love-lies-bleeding - it's terrific in arrangements.

37 Ania Szurawski - floral designer - busy at work

38 Adjacent to the show room is the Mariani Cafe, which serves delicious food made from local ingredients.

39 A nicely composed salad

40 A fresh fruit and vegetable juice bar

41 Crepes being made on a crepe griddle - they're filled in a variety of ways.

1 The traffic jam in Acadia National Park on Ocean Drive - the drive was closed because of the emergency.

2 Cars were diverted from Ocean Drive back to Route 3 (Bar Harbor) because rescue teams, ambulances, and park rangers were hard at work trying to rescue those washed out to sea near Thunder Hole.

3 We drove back on Cooksey Drive and the white surf was raging in Raven's Cleft.

4 The seas were wild with lots of white foam crashing into the rocks.

5 The sea almost totally obscured Bunkers Ledge - a seaman's marker right at the mouth into Seal Harbor.

6 The surf was churning.

7 The white breakers heralded extra high tides and an impending storm.

8 This scene is just about a half mile north from where the victims in Acadia were washed out to sea by a rogue wave - white surf, like this, is quite rare in the summertime.