North to Alaska

September 30th

That's the song that kept running through my head the whole way there. Johnny Horton's ballad. I flew to Alaska by myself for three days to visit my brother and my 4 legged niece Belle. The flight up there was long but beautiful. I watched the moon rise on one side of me and the sun set on the other. The weather man had been calling for rain for the extent of my stay.....but I think God must have known the severity of my disappointment had it rained.....so I got to experience 3 clear beautiful days in the North Country.

I had the pleasure to see Alaska and all of it's magestical grandeur. There are no small words to describe it. It's nothing short of spectacular. There isn't a direction you can turn that isn't meant to be in a calendar. It's a photgrapher's fantasy. And to top it all off.....I saw everything in the fall...the most manificent, colorful time of year to visit.......and cold.

The shot below was the first shot I took of the day. I knew it was going to be a wonderful day. We went down south to Whittier (which is a little town on the coast full of boats) The drive down there was just amazing. After that we drove up and went over Hatcher's Pass. Now, if you have ever seen the "Sound of Music" it reminded me so much of some of those scenes....and I felt like singing like Julie Andrews the whole time. Again...just amazing. In one I day I went from the ocean to the top of the world.

The next day was spent on a 4-wheeler through the brush in the mountains.....just like the below photo. It was muddy and gross and sooooo much fun. My brother lost his wallet which was found my a fellow mountainier the following day....after he had already cancelled everything. And even though my brother thinks I'm a yuppy....I'm not afraid to get dirty.

The following day we didn't have much time to go to very far ....... but we went hiking for the morning. We saw some wild moose and let me tell you....they are MUCH bigger in real life than what you might think. Some of the trails were closed do to bears in the neighborhood....I was less than thrilled about that as I really don't think it as being adventurous if you end of getting eaten by a bear. The below was in the middle of the trail in one of the clearings....once again...amazing!

And this is my studly outdoorsy brother, Sean (as requested) and his dog Belle. Thanks Seany for having me. I had a wonderful time.

I couldn't post all the pictures here. That would take WAY too long, so I put them in a gallery for your viewing pleasure. Just click the link. http://www.flickr.com/gp/8125773@N08/0xy362

If you choose the detail link in flickr (next to the word "thumbnails") at the top you are able to view them bigger or you can also watch them in a slide show.

Site Scouting

September 25th

I went downtown looking for great spots for pictures today. I kind of wanted some of Park down there, but he wasn't very cooperative....he's too used to my camera. I did get this one and I can't decide between the black and white or color. I normally prefer black and white. I guess I'm just an old fashioned kind of girl and I tend to see details better in black and white..... there's nothing for the eye to get distracted by. I promise to post something besides Park next time......I can't help it sometimes.......he's my favorite little model!!

Cold Enough for a Hat

September 24th

Today was a pretty darn cold day. Enough for jackets and hats and all the essentials for staying warm in Wyoming. It's even more fun when your hat is colorful and fun and makes you look adorable even if your face is still covered in the afternoon snack choice of the day....poptarts of course.

Kev

September 23rd

A very uneventful day. My clients cancelled on me...which was alright because it was raining most of the day, but still disappointing because they are such cute kids. I did however pull these shots off. After two tries in dim light I finally got these. I love them (hopefully Kev does as well.) Kevin has the most infectious smile. I don't shoot brown eyed people often so it's always a challenge. I like the black and white....but it's always nice to have a choice.

The Pumpkin Patch

September 22nd

We went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend. This one is right outside of Wellington called the Harvest Farm. http://www.harvestfarm.net/ There are a ton of things to do for little ones and it's a great way to spend a fall day. We normally go a little bit later in the season, but our schedules are full clear though October....so this was the weekend to go. Brady, Parker and I like to pick out our own and cut it rather than choosing from the ones they have already picked. We traipse though fields to find our perfect pumpkins.


Parker also had to find a perfect pumpkin just his size.

We met Celeste, Erik and Evan there. This was Evan's first time at the pumpkin patch and he seemed to be having a really hard day.

Parker kind of smiles for me in the mist of all the pumpkins, gourds and corn. He was a little distracted and didn't really have time for the silly things like cameras or moms.

I have never in my life seen Indian corn this beautiful and colorful and vibrant. Look at how it almost has stars in every kernal.

There was a giant bin of corn kernals for kiddos to play in . It was so fun!

Evan got in just for a little bit, but he was more interested in chewing on his shirt rather than playing. Parker must have thought it was just ridiculous that this kid would be interested in eating his shirt and not the corn.

I know I'm not suppose to like Colorado and everything....but deep inside I do. Especially when it looks like this. I mean really.....who wouldn't love this kind of view out their back door?

Crazy

September 21st

Not too many words for today....I think the picture speaks for itself. I was wondering to myself which one of us he inherited his loonie gene from!

Chick Food

September 20th

Now I know some of you will look and this and be completely revolted.........but to me this is my lunch often times in the fall when my tomato garden is bountiful. This is the greatest healthy snack in the universe. It's just fresh tomato slices with fresh mozzarella (the squishy gooey kind in the fresh cheese area in the grocery store, believe me it makes a big difference in taste.) Top it off with fresh basil. Now even though I live in the huge metropolis of Cheyenne, I cannot get fresh basil at a reasonable price so I had to suffer and just sprinkle some on. Also don't use old spices as they loose their flavor after a year or so and it will just taste like you sprinkled dirt on your fresh tomato. And if that's what you want then just don't bother washing it off after you pick it and you will get the same effect. Tomato lovers give it a try...you'll love it!

Milton

Septemeber 19th


I took these photos last month and never got them posted. I found them today as I was cleaning up the computer. This is Milton. He's my mom's new kitty. He came to visit our house for a couple days last month while my mom stayed with us as well. My mom lost her cat Lilly this past year to cancer (she was the meanest cat on the planet, but one of the most beautiful too)......so my dad randomly one day brought this little guy home. What better way to show off his gorgeous orange stripes and pint size than to put him in a giant Demdaco bowl. Welcome to the family Milton!

Garden Party

September 18th

It's that time of year to harvest the garden....or in our case the jungle. I don't normally pay too much attention to carrots, I plant them every year, but then just let them be. This year we got a few good ones. The wraskary rabbit that lives at our house would surely love to eat them, but the marigolds are keeping him out. He just sits in the yard outside the garden gates drooling over everything he could be eating. Now a garden party wouldn't be complete without some actual partying. Parker took care of that for me while he carefully picked the tomatoes he wanted to eat.

Oh and we also had to practice farm animal noises. He gets very excited about farm animals....especially cows.

B

September 17th

Meet B......this kiddo is so relaxed. I had so much fun with him. He's a natural. Or at least he was that day. He just turned 1 year old. He wasn't all over the place like most one year olds. He was just.....cool. He sure has changed in a year. He was so tiny the last time I photographed him...this is him a year ago.

And now look at him....a one year old. Kinda walking, kinda talking.....bigger none-the-less. They grow so fast. That's why I love what I do..... I get to preserve it just a little bit.

Pumpkin Roll

September 16th

The first time I ever had pumpkin roll I was living in the Springs and working at Goodwill. Jeanie, the lady who reminded so much of the little girl in Peanuts with bottle glasses and that dark brown bob,(I think her name was Marcie), made it for us. My first taste and I was in love with a food. I had to know how to make it. So.... I asked her. And she explained the whole process and by the time she was done I was worn out. My culinary talents were not that extensive. I could never do what she had just explained to me. Well, a couple years passed and I couldn't live without it (I had moved away from Jeanie and her fabulous pumpkin rolls) so, I found a recipe and gave it the it my best. It didn't turn out perfect, but first tries tend to not be perfect, but it sure did taste good!!!

So here I share the recipe for my favorite fall dessert.

Cake Ingredients:

2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin

1 cup Sugar

3 Eggs

3/4 cup Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/3 tsp Salt

Filling Ingredients

8 ounce package Cream Cheese

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

4 tbsp Butter

2/3 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Beat eggs on high for 5 minutes (this is the key to making this.....if you don't do it it will not be fluffy and wonderful!!!)

2. Stir in at medium speed pumpkin and lemon juice.

3. Mix together dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, and spices. Fold into pumpkin mixture.

4. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

5. Spread cake mix into a 15x10 jelly roll pan. (this looks like a cookie pan with little edges around it)

6. Bake for 15 minutes

7. Remove from oven and loosen edges with spatula.

8. Sprinkle powdered sugar on cheesecloth and turn cake onto the cheesecloth. (I normally just turn it over and let it set for a minute so it can loosen itself)

9. Roll warm cake up in cheesecloth and let cool to room temp.

Filling Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients until smooth

2. Unroll cake and remove cheesecloth.

3. Spread filling onto cake.

4. Re-Roll the cake

5. Chill for several hours or overnight

Hope you all enjoy.

A photographers child

September 13th

Sometimes all a mom wants to do is take a nice portrait of their child. Nothing fancy, but maybe a smile or two ....against a lovely hazelnut background....you know...perfection basically.



This is how is goes around here. First off there is some crying and maybe some poking in of the eyes.


And then there may be some wailing of sorts. Sometimes screams.

Then, after a bribe of a cookie at some point in time I get a looked at a little but with still no commitment to smile.

And then after I dance a crazy mumbo jumbo dance and squawk like a chicken then I get this.....perfection...okay well almost, he's not looking directly at me, which is something I'm a really stickler about.

It's not really just my kiddo that's like this...all of them are and that's what I love about it. The challenge.....but sometimes I really do just love the non-smiling stare into your heart ones as well. But, today, non-smiling wasn't my goal.

Parker Eats Poup

September 12th

I had the worst spell of sickness in my life this past week (besides the 9 months of pregnancy I endured.) I got Strep Throat. I haven't had strep throat since I was in first grade. My dad put my medicine in noodle soup for me. It was the one and only time I ever remember him staying home from school with me and that's all I can remember....my noodle soup turned pink. So I decided after three days of not being able to eat that I was going to waste away to nothingness if I didn't get something in my tummy. I made tomato soup. Now I know a lot of people don't care for tomato soup, but I love it. I don't like it with crackers and I like to make it with water ( I know it's pretty gross) but that's what I like. So I sat Parker down and said we're going to have some soup and in response I get....."mmmm poup". So here's my son.....eating poup, and loving every moment of it...or is he?

Backyard

September 11th



I found this growing in the backyard. I had planted them in July thinking that they probably wouldn't bloom, but lo and behold I was blessed with some sunny sun flowers right at the end of summer. I did a happy dance and then sang "You Are My Sunshine", because that's what I think of when I see sunflowers.

Play Time

September 9th (again)

While I was out taking pictures of other people's children, grandma and grandpa got some quality time with my little one. They ate and played and sang and and read and counted and slept. A good time was had all around. We all went down to the new play park that Dave and Bev helped rebuild this past summer which turned out to be a hit with my kiddo. Before our second trip there I dragged them out for some pictures. Some people get tired of my camera, mostly family and I have to beg and plead and say "awwww come on, just one more"..... but it wasn't too bad this time. Parker found plums to keep him occupied and Grandma and Grandpa had a great time jumping up and down behind me trying to get him to smile. Which unless your a giant walking talking Elmo, he will never look at you.

The boys came home empty handed this year (as far as deer hunting is concerned.) Kevin had a wonderful time watching a racoon family though...oh and he scoped himself in the head (which I will get a picture of later). It's better than falling out of the treestand which I was completely expecting.

Notice the little dog squeezed up in the middle there. That's Toga. He's a little insecure sometimes and he needed attention too.

Now I can almost garantee that I will get grief over this one because I've yet to take a picture she likes of herself. I really like this one.

The Gerber Babies

September 9th

The annual deer hunting trip to Thermop proved to be a busy one for all of us this year. I've been trying to get together with this family for months now and it finally happened. Their last name is Gerber hence the gerber baby title. These kiddos were wonderful! It's hard not to fall head over heals for them as soon as you meet them. It was so cold out and they were so good. I had so much fun with them. I think we all needed a little something warm by the time we were done.

I couldn't show you these beautiful babies without showing you where they came from......

The beginning

September 7th


I have decided to start a photoblog. I jumped on the band wagon. Hopefully you all enjoy it. I'm hoping to have a little bit more than just photos, but we'll see as we go. I photograph at least something everyday, or at least I try. It doesn't matter what it is, but I truly believe that there isn't any other way to get better without practice. Sooo.... here's what I photographed today. The chair I'm sitting in I reuphostered myself. It took a month. Mainly because I have a toddler that likes hang on my back like a monkey while I'm trying to work. It's going in the red room which I've completely overhauled in the past month as well. I also wanted to show off my new bangs. I've never had bangs so I thought I would give them a whirl.
I'm a natural light photographer. I use only available light (windows, solar or otherwise). I find it challenging that way. Sometimes too challenging.