{03.15.2008} Berrien Springs, MI

After dinner tonight my dad and I pulled off the road in Berrien Springs to do a little night shooting. Something I've never done with my old man, along with a location I've not paid much attention to after dark. The dam is south of the city and you don't see it till you cross the bridge and round the corner. I was amazed at the captures and absolutely LOVE them in a high contrast black and white.

Dad is constantly amazed at what digital technology offers being that his Fujica (the camera I learned on) has so many limitations...according to him. We discussed the Fujica's one second exposure limitation to my D300's 30 second. I can not wait till he purchases his first DSLR...something we talk about ALL THE TIME.lol

{03.15.2008} A Fabulous Day!

This morning I headed for St. Joseph to meet with Gennel, Chelsea and James, and Chelsea...all of which are August 2008 weddings! Back-to-back-to-back meetings were all very different. How much better could it get? Coffee at the South Bend Chocolate Company, crab cakes at Schu's, and great company! I absolutely love discussing what plans every bride has for their unique storybook wedding. The day could not have been more fabulous!
The images above were taken in the entrance of the Mark III restaurant in St. Joseph this evening. This wooden phone booth is wonderful addition to their smoky ambiance and incredible Mexican food.

{03.14.2008} A borrowed location.

There are a lot of favorite portrait locations here in northern Kent County, but one of my absolute favorites is a friends house in Rockford. He's in the process of repainting the house and staining the barn. I love the barn. The south side of it was just stained blue this past summer, the other three sides are faint red and perfect red depending on how the sun has weathered it. It's a fabulous location for country portraits.

On my way home day, even though I was two hours later than I planned, I pulled in there and snapped a few shots. The sky's were beautiful and the weather the same.

I love spring.

{03.13.2008} Leelanau Cellars

Wine? Wine not?

I grew-up with my dad making merlot in a shed behind our first house in Stevensville. I helped smash grapes, funnel the funny liquid into large glass jars, run the tubes, and then bottle. These are memories from before I was five. I never understood what was so special about the bitter, dry, tasting stuff. Today my taste buds have matured and I'm beginning to love testing the different bottles my dad shows up with at family get-to-gathers.

In February he showed up with a bottle of Lelanau Cellars Cranberry. I've looked for it in a few places, but today I found the Cranberry along with several other fruits at a local grocer. They are a little taste of summer...which with the weather today was perfect. I'm looking forward to relaxing sunsets on the deck with a glass in my hand.

{03.12.2008} Permanent Marker vs. Wood Furniture

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME...

...LEAVE THE TESTING TO A PROFESSIONAL THREE YEAR OLD

I'm going to start this blog with saying how much I love my darling daughter and that she does still live with us.

Monday my desk was delivered, Tuesday afternoon my dad called asking about plumbing in our basement which took me away from the main floor of our home for two minutes. You know how it only takes two minutes, and that's why everything with a toddler happens while you are peeing...well, IF you are lucky enough to pee alone? In that two minutes Nyla made a bad choice, although very creative. My little princess discovered I had markers in a container on the new desk. Yes she has seen these markers before, they have always been in this same container, but on the kitchen counter. They had not found a place with in the desk because I was looking for locations for everything...the key to organization. Let me add too that neither of my kids touch my equipment, my desk, the computer when unsupervised, and have never drawn anything on our walls. I came upstairs to discover Mat Man had been drawn on my new desk right in front of my computer monitor with a permanent blue sharpie marker. I took a deep breath and started to cry. After putting the little princess in time-out I then googled "removing permanent marker from wood furniture."

Could it be done? The clouds opened up above my house, the sun started to shine through, I could hear harp strings (okay, I'm getting carried away), and this website came up...
www.thriftyfun.com/tf788353.tip.html

A bit hesitant, I tried the Mr. Clean Eraser. As long as you are working with a FINISHED wood surface it will come off with a little elbow grease. Make sure you have your furniture polish right there though because it will dull the finish, but a little Pledge and you are all set to go...and your child won't need to pack their bags!

Kudos to all the brilliant moms (and dads)!