Jean Pierre & the end of trip

Here is the finale.  We left Jean Pierre in the hotel room the entire time we were in Memphis getting ready for the wedding.  We felt bad, but we were busy and it was too hot to lug him around.  The wedding was beautiful, I now have a wonderful sister-in-law who makes my brother smile from ear to ear.  As soon as the wedding was over we hit the road the very next day.  

Day 11: Jean Pierre was trying to stick around with my uncles, who could always be found out by the pool smoking.

Day 11:  Jean Pierre tried to get in the pool as we were trying to leave, claiming he'd be good in the car if we let him swim for 5 minutes.

Day 11: We had a hard time staying in the car, having escaped it for the last couple of days.  We did stop for the best frozen custard (aka cement) ever.  We had high hopes of getting 2 smalls each, but after 1 we were so full there was no way we could eat anymore.

Day 12: Jean Pierre was really confused by the hotel room we stayed in.  We got in late on Sunday and went straight to bed.  When we got up the next morning and I opened the curtains, we were looking out into a conference room/ballroom.  Weird....

So that's the simplified version of our trip.  I'll upload more pictures this week sans Jean Pierre.  We saw some incredible views, really cool towns and some great people along the way.

The adventures of Jean Pierre, part 2

I feel a little ridiculous writing a post about a plastic donkey we photographed across the country. I photograph these toys, I sometimes play with them when children are around, but I don't typically carry one with me wherever I go. But then I remember that it was fun to prop him somewhere or tell my family (yes, there were strange looks) about our mascot and figure that it's okay, I don't do this every day. (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

So Jean Pierre continued.....Day 2 dinner time - Jean Pierre stopped by to see Steph and eat some delicious BBQ chicken pizza. We made sure to include a lovely picture colored by one of Steph's neighbors to remember that we were in Utah.

Day 2 & Day 3 - Jean Pierre camped out at Big Cottonwood Canyon in Utah. He was amazed at how close we were to Solitude Ski Resort and how much it rained on Day 3.

Day 6 - Jean Pierre sulked in our hotel room in Boulder for 2 days because we refused to haul him around as we hiked the Flatirons or walked around town . He forgave us on day 6 as we headed out, but insisted that we see the Flatirons 1 more time.

Day 6 dinner - We were on a mission to find BBQ as soon as possible. Because we were still 2.5 hours from Kansas City Jean Pierre made us stop in Salina, KS and we ate delicious BBQ at the Hickory Hut.

5,335 miles

5,335 miles in 13 days all the way to Memphis (and back) for my little brother's wedding. I was hoping to blog throughout the entire trip and share fun pictures, however my computer and camera were not being cooperative. So you'll be inundated this week with lots of pictures.

I decided for this road trip (last minute) that we needed a mascot. We needed something fun, something large and something that we thought could signify our adventure on the road. I chose a jackass, I mean donkey, it seemed fitting for people who wanted to drive over 2,000 miles for a wedding that lasted 3 hours. We named him Jean Pierre and vowed to photograph him at every stop.

Jean Pierre had quite a few photographs taken, but not every stop. He was really excited at the beginning of the trip but by the end he didn't even bother getting out of the car for most of them....

Day 1: (about 2 hours in) Jean Pierre by a tree that he thought was pretty in Oregon. He actually made us stop to photograph this tree.

Day 1: Jean Pierre by the windmill farm in Oregon. He was entranced by these giant wind turbines and asked us to stay and stare at them for an hour.

Day 1: He kept asking if he could ride up front, so we let him, but just for a few minutes.

Day 2: While we were getting dressed, Jean Pierre surfed the Internet at our hotel in Boise in hopes of finding something fun to stop at along the way.

Day 2: He found Lucky Peak recreation area just outside of Boise. He wanted to go swimming in the lake, but the photographer knew they were camping that night and didn't want to smell like lake for 2 days.

Stay tuned for more of Jean Pierre's adventures and his sad story of being left behind and locked in a car for multiple days.

Rose Festival?

I'm not quite sure what is set up at the waterfront... It's a fair with rides, fried dough, games and such, but I don't know if it is for the Rose Festival or another event. I know it is open Thursday through Sunday until 10pm. These are all cross processed Holga images that I took a couple of weeks ago. I love the darker images and that almost night time feel.

Steph came to visit

I'm not sure whey I have a Mouseketeer smile, but we loved the last one.

Steph showed up yesterday. We went to the required places: Kenny & Zukes, Stumptown and the Ace Hotel. Then we headed to the coast where she is hanging out with some of her family for the week. We drove up to Fort Stevens and visited the battery and to see the shipwreck I managed to overlook last year. Great day all around, I was sad to drop her off.

Steph, this picture isn't nearly as cool as we thought it was when I took it, but I still posted it for you to see... those little on camera screens sometimes make things look much better.

I'm gearing up for a road trip. Yup, a week and a half, Memphis or bust. My little brother is getting married and I decided that driving was the most appropriate way to go. I'm slowly packing up my cameras... how many to bring? And tying up loose ends before I hit the road.

Yes, we take pictures of our cameras.... we are photo geeks.

picture sharing

Happy Friday! Today I had a lovely breakfast with this lovely person today. And I was able to give her loads of pictures that I took of this lovely baby.

I have been photographing lots of children lately. I have enjoyed each and every session, to the point that I'm laughing while editing. I remember a funny incident during the session that makes me smile so hard I laugh out loud.


Have a great weekend!

Oh Canada!

Last week was busy. I'm sorry for the lack of posting.

First there was creating postcards to announce my new portrait sessions on my soon to be updated website. I specialize in lifestyle photography of children & families in their homes or special places. Sessions are available to Portlanders and non-Portlanders (depending on my travel dates). Please email me if you'd like information.


Then there was the hanging of my show at Sip & Kranz. Should be a picture here..... The show will be up till the end of June.

Third was setting up and then immediately tearing down for First Thursday. We ended up being caught in a very quick and gusty thunderstorm that blew tents over, sent art flying and caused quite a scare. I was hoping to find pictures of the event, but I think we were all running around just trying to catch art and watch our heads.


Then, heading over to Sip & Kranz to recover from the First Thursday fiasco and hang out for my very small opening. There were 4 of us. The good news is pints are $1.00 on First Thursday.


Friday I flew to Toronto to meet up with my parents and extended family for my cousin's wedding.

Saturday we toured a beautiful winery in Vineland and attended a wonderful wedding.