Oktoberfest

This is what happens when you leave your husband alone with your children...hee hee.  I was only too happy to be the one BEHIND the camera (the whole night).  Our favorite part of these events is catching up with good friends and last night was no exception.  I even got a few people to enjoy some Apfelkorn shots with me, yum!  Ein Prosit!  Until next time...

Pre-Oktoberfest

The calm before the storm...our annual Oktoberfest celebration is on in 45 minutes!  The Biergarten is set up, the beer is chilled, the Chef Heinz is on his way with the food, can't wait!  Prosit!

Yummy Eggs

Thank you to my sweet friend, Casey, for telling me about the fresh eggs at our local Farmer's Market!  My daughter never saw such beauties before and, quite frankly, I don't think I have either.  I love patronizing the hard working folks at our market and this just made me giddy!  By the way, the yokes on these suckers were the richest shade of orange I've ever seen... in a yoke!  YUMMMY!  They are much smaller than the extra-large eggs I buy at my grocery store too...which really makes me wonder what the size comparison is among the chickens?  I always say that life is about the little things and these little gems are certainly a little thing that makes the morning even tastier.  

Chicago with Love

Ah, nothing says true love like the gift of a shot glass from an airport vendor.  I often wonder who buys these and with what intent do they buy them?  Did they go on vacation and decide to pick up a shot glass as an afterthought?  Or, is it a perpetual gag gift?  Or maybe someone has a shot glass collection and the giver thought it would be a nice addition for them (most likely)?  I guess it doesn't really matter...just consider this your virtual shot glass souvenir from Chicago today, with all my love.

Candy Machines

Wow, does anyone else remember when a handful of candy from a machine cost 5 cents?  Crazy!  I love using hipstimatic for shots like this (app on iPhone)!  Vintage rules!  :)

Drink, Think, Relax.

This is what I always say!  I feel so justified by seeing it in print, on the coaster in my hotel room.  I think I need to keep this as a souvenir.  I over-exposed this to blow out the highlights because I wanted to amplify the message...it's that important to me, smile.

iFreak

I'm traveling again this week...New Jersey this time.  I'm sick of traveling.  The hub and I have been two ships passing in the night and haven't had a normal, boring conversation in weeks.  This is the first time in years I've traveled without my camera.  I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone and will use my iPhone all week (as creatively as possible).  I know tons of people use their iPhone camera but I want to use it for some Fine Art images.  Starting with this one...iFreak!  This shot captures exactly how I feel to be in yet another hotel, in another hotel room, another strange bed...alone.  Blah.

Zebra

I felt so fortunate to be in the presence of such a magnificent animal today.  Isn't she amazing?  We should never take such gifts for granted...cool to imagine your life crossing with that of such a unique creature, eh?  She was so sweet and gentle, I was humbled.

Greek Festival

It's that time again, for the annual Greek Festival in Las Vegas!  This was the 40th Annual Fest and I think I heard them say it was the first time they had the children performing in traditional dress.  They were all adorable but this boy looked like a little man to me and I just love his expression.  It was another amazing display of food, the music was great and spirits were high for this joyous event.  Loved it!

Hello Recycled Kitty!

More local art to whet your appetite!  I just love the creativity and resourcefulness of people.  You look at these little gems and they are not sharp at all, in fact, they are quite soft and fragile.  I love the pop art quality with the modern day soda cans morphed into the fun Kitty design.  Enjoy some of your own local art this weekend and ask them how they do what they do...this little kitty project is quite a process!    Dig it!

Surfers Rock

Nothing exciting today...so I pulled a recent picture I took in Oregon of this surfer and her dog.  Ok, I don't know if that's her dog but I really loved to see the surfers push off in the morning, into the cold ass water with their dogs socializing on the beach.  How cool is that?  I loved watching the dogs hang out while their people were out catching waves...life can be so sweet and so simple...

Oscar Goodman

What a perfect place for the former mayor of Las Vegas...graffiti'd on some seedy back stairs in the Arts Factory for all to step on.  Actually, this was probably done as an endearing legacy of some sorts to the man who talked about reviving the arts community...he didn't...the artists did.

Scarecrow

I wish this lovely little scarecrow would scare away summer for me!  I thought if I put out my fall decor, it would at least feel a little cooler...but alas, the triple digits still remain.  She does make me very happy though (this is the "Mommy" one, we have one for each of us, I'm sure the hub is thrilled).  I also put up wreaths made from grapevines and there are some dried leaves still wrapped around the vines, it makes me think of how amazing it was to live in Carmel during harvest.  What a gift!  Everyone is so joyful this time of year at the wineries as they prepare the new wines in hopes of a fabulous vintage and harvest dinners are enjoyed by the families and their patrons.  I think our best family autumn was spent in California because we were able to enjoy all the season had to offer and even taste a huge variety of organic squash and pumpkin at Earthbound Farms, yum!  We'll see what we can dig up around Vegas...fingers crossed that we find a pumpkin patch but I'm not holding my breath. My cute scarecrow will have to do for now.  

Feelin Crafty

I was feeling a bit crafty today so my daughter and I went to The Artful Potter and got our paint on!  It was fun and the hours flew by.  She chose to paint a unicorn bank and she helped me pick out an olive oil dispenser.  I couldn't help but giggle all afternoon about an episode of Portlandia the hub and I just watched that featured a misfit musician who called herself "Sparkle Pony."  That unicorn bank will always be Sparkle Pony to me...hee hee.  

Huge thanks to Rachel for such a fun birthday present, we are very excited to pick up our creations in a week!  We had a great afternoon.  :)

Mom's Night Out

I'm so glad that my crazy "Mom's Night Out" has morphed into a champagne cocktail, followed by a 4 hour dinner and fabulous conversation that still includes some crass language (as appropriate, of course).  Life is good.

ps. Siena told me to add "Isn't it magic how the table looks like it's sideways in this picture and things still aren't spilling?"  She loves to sit with me while I do my posts and always asks me to read what I wrote.  She's a great critic too, trust me!

I'd Rather Be...

Here's another image to add to my thesis project called, "I'd Rather Be...sipping on a cold beer."  My subjects were so kind to help me out today...my neighborhood garbage men and the poor guy fixing my air conditioning!  I keep telling people, if you want to take a shot of someone, all you have to do is ask...in all my experience, I've only had one guy say no.  

18b

When I need inspiration, I have to physically return to the places that inspire me.  In Florida it was Ybor City and in Vegas, it's the Arts District, also known as 18b (the district used to be 18 blocks long).  The graffiti in this area is nothing short of spectacular so I decided to complete a series on the Arts District.  It won't all be graffiti, but it will be part of the collection since it's so prominent here.  I love this area of town for the raw, urban, toughness of it.  It's not shiny, it's not touristy and it's not a place you will see slot machines -- it's soulful and fabulous and I look forward to introducing it to you.

Blessings

When it comes to blessings, I'll take all I can get from whomever is willing to offer them.  I was delighted to meet a lovely man named Peter in Boston who maintains an alleyway full of the Catholic Saints.  The brick walls are adorned with every saint known to man.  It's really a feast for the eyes and the soul.  He was kind to invite us in to see the entire area "Saint Alley" because he keeps it behind a locked door (tourists can see some it from the outside, but not the entire space).  I thought this was an appropriate post on yet another day of mourning as we learn of more senseless violence and death in the Middle East.  Seems insane to me to kill someone over a moronic, poorly made video...I will never understand people.  I'm just glad to have met Peter at Hannover and Battle in the North End, a gentle soul who made me smile.

People Fun

Timing really is everything...hee hee!  :)

Boston FD

Every girl loves a fireman...couldn't resist taking a shot of Boston's finest tonight.  Loving the North End!

Magical Caffeine Mermaid

Ahh, the sight of her always feels like home.  She is the beautiful, magical caffeine mermaid who welcomes me in to have a double espresso in nearly every airport I traverse.  I enjoyed seeing her this morning...as always, thank you mermaid lady!

Birthday Party

Today we celebrated her 6th birthday and by the looks of it, she had a good time!  :)  They really are fun at this age...I wish I could remember my 6th birthday party.  Do you?

Painter Backpacker

It's back to school for Mom too and I have a ton of homework already, whew.  So, I knocked out one assignment today...create a new image for your thesis project.  I have to accomplish nearly 2 of these/week so it's going to be a very busy (hopefully not too stressful) semester!  As I was walking out of the grocery store I looked back at the men painting the facade and thought...hmmm, I wonder if they'd be willing to model for me?  As you can see, the answer was yes and they were awesome!  I had some trouble with one guy who kept staring and smiling at the camera, hilarious!  I was trying so hard to be still with the monopod so I could keep the shutter speed very low (to capture the movement) and he kept making me laugh.  I know my subject has his face in the shadow but I really don't think it detracts from the concept.  I am actually quite pleased with this one because of all the fun lines here.  The complicated set really adds to the need for an escape!  He is reading the hub's Backpacker mag and I used his old hiking boots as an additional prop (I couldn't bear to ask this guy to wear a backpack in 100 degree heat when he was already gracious enough to do me this favor--as you can imagine, his workmates gave him crap for it non-stop).  I guess my morale this story is to "just go for it" when you think of a project.  Strangers are nicer than you think!

Tip: Don't forget to use an ND (neutral density) filter when you want to shoot outside, on a sunny day, especially at low shutter speeds!  You can't get your ISO low enough or your f-stop high enough to compensate, trust me, I learned the hard way!

Glimpse of Fall

The temperature may have been in the triple digits but the view sure wasn't.  These golden leaves gave me the mental respite I was so desperate for as the sweat rolled down my back.  Fall is my favorite season, all the fun holidays are coming...Halloween and Thanksgiving, yay!  The two easiest, most fun days of the year...you dress up and eat candy for one and you dress down and eat turkey for the other, awesome.  (or tofurkey for my vegan mates, wink wink)  I'm happy to see natures defiance in spite of the heat...I sure wish it were a little cooler though! 

Homework

Yes, it's homework time again.  It was a rough start but we survived...there were tears, pleads for delay, stomping of feet, but I finally got her to sit down and knock out those 4 painful pages.  How?  By telling her she could do each page with a different colored pencil...and it worked.  Wow.  What a simple solution to such a dramatic scene, geez.  Isn't it funny what motivates us?  Is there something silly that brightens your workday or chores?  I'm a candle girl.  If I'm struggling to get inspired to sit and write or work, I light a candle and suddenly, I feel cozy and comfortable and happy to sit still.  I guess her thing is color...for today anyway!

Captain Kirk's Fantasy Girl

You'll only get that if you're a bit of a Trekkie too.  (I'm a nerd, I admit it)  I decided to post another shot from Orlando instead of showing you something boring like my laundry (which was my major accomplishment du jour).  She's really fabulous, isn't she?!

Tic Tac Friend

My trip came to an end today but I wanted to squeeze in one more shot before I left.  This was taken with my iPhone as I looked up at a tilted wall of mirrors.  The reflection is that of my good friend, Lauri, sitting and waiting for our ride at...Disney World!  Smile.  I love how it turned out, a complete happy accident that I just might print now!

Dancing Girl

Here's a badly edited photo of a beautiful girl dancing.  Her smile is infectious and her energy was amazing.  I loved watching her dancing so easily and smiling so wide the whole time.  She personified the word joyful to me today...I hope you feel joyful admiring her.  Where do you think I am?

Where in the world?

I'm traveling again...where in the world do you think I am?  Take a guess!  It's hot here...