Grand Miscellany

Things happen so fast these days. I can't decide if it's my age, or my love for slower pace that drives this insane feeling of just hanging on to the merry-go-round.

In mid August, I ran the ING half marathon in Edmonton. The course took us through some beautiful neighbourhoods, along the river, through the downtown. In spite of my under trained state, I really enjoyed those parts of it. The pain part was less enjoyable, but I'll probably still do the Okanagan half at Thanksgiving. Better training makes all the difference.

Speaking of better training, I'm slowly working my way back to a fitter me. So much time in front of the computer working has NOT been nice for the size of my pants.

One to 1 Fitness is just newly opened, and that's where I am two mornings a week. They've got a really nice, UNcrowded spot in Cronquist Business Park.

Last week the kids & I enjoyed a hike with the Central Alberta Mountain Club. On the trail we found a free range Border Collie (Violet) who had given her owner the slip. We brought her home with us and left a note at the trailhead. The owner came down the next day to get her. She was a nice dog, but very shy of us. Young, frisky Jake LOVED her...a little more than the 10 year old Violet would have liked.

The rest of the week has been all about the de-clutter and clean up of our house. We are selling this one, and crossing our fingers on another one. The whole real estate thing is for people with better nerves than me.

Tomorrow is Matt & Naomi's wedding. I'm really looking forward to that. They are really cool, and just easy to mesh with. It's funny when work is the most relaxing thing going for me this week, but I LOVE it. Photography is the best job in the world.

Little Roundup

The Wedding Gallery has been updated.
I've got an unexpected wedding tomorrow. The Bride was in today to book after her photographer was unable to make it. My original booking for the day had to postpone, so this works out really well.
This has been a beautiful summer. So much sunshine, and not a single rained out wedding. Nothing more than a few drops, even on the days ith threatened to drop buckets on us. My week at school was FAR too short.
Our eldest daughter in in the Treehouse play Fiddler on the Roof. That takes place in September, but they work ALL of August to prepare. She's loving it.
Once Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows arrived in the mail, I made very short work of it. It answered many questions the previous books left hanging.
The other two kids are playing with all their might...sometimes they use the hose to play with the dog, who is sure he can catch the flailing stream of water if he only runs fast enough and barks it down. High comedy, watching that!
Next week I'm coordinating a hike with the Central Alberta Mountain Club and teaching a bit of photography on the way. We're going to Wildhorse Creek, out past Nordegg somewhere.
Monday we drove up to Edmonton for some lunch & shopping and took in the HP Imax. We love the Imax, and the fire breathing dragon.

A little from the Island last week

Nice Week

Yesterday I got to sit down with Glo, who gets married TOMORROW. We figured out all the details of the day on the patio at Starbucks...where the sun snuck in to burn my shoulder! I could have sat there all day sipping the Javachip squishy drink.
I got to buy books at Chapters.
Today I met with a nice young woman who wants to take August 11th for her wedding day, and photographed another young lady some 'Fiancee Gift' images.
Terra is my assistant tomorrow, and she's always wonderful.
I'll post up some wedding images as soon as I get some ready.
Should be a good day!

Nice, smelly night.

Last night when Kevin got home, he asked me if I wanted to go for a ride. Oh BOY! (that's a yes) There was such a mess of smells...a mix of landfill and cows, one place had a bit of that burning rubber smell. Good thing for the wind! There was such a beautiful sunset I kind of began to relax. It's really hard for me not to watch the road like some kind of copilot - and that's when we are travelling IN a vehicle. I'm no better on the back of a bike. We stopped at Starbucks for coffee and enjoyed it outside. I would end each night like that. It was so cool. I'll get some shots of Kevin with his new baby pretty soon. It's very pretty.

She does something to the weather....

In January, the Independent Achievers were to have Kelley Keehn down as a speaker for one of our lunches, but the wether was wild and snowy. It wasn't a good idea to have her drive down for it.

Flash forward to May 24, the day she graciously agreed to reschedule her visit to us, but in the evening. JUST look at the snow we got. Kelley might actually be a volitile force of nature. Invite her down, expect things to explode. That's in a good way, though; she was a very enjoyable speaker. you can find her at http://www.kelleykeehn.com

That's Kim Berube of Real Woman on the Run Magazine just above getting her book signed.
You can get on board as a subscriber to her very cool publication.

An Edmonton kind of weekend.

Saturday afternoon, the kids & I drove up to Edmonton to spend the weekend with family. (Kevin came up after work - he nearly froze on that bike) I also got to take care of an engagement session early Sunday morning with the Super-fun Naomi & Matt. On our way into town, we stopped at a downtown Starbucks for a quick visit with a friend from high school. We were friends in grade nine, and I met up with her again on the very handy Facebook. It was very nice to see her. We all endured Jake's big pee on the sidewalk in full view of people eating in a restaurant. Sorry people.
Naomi & Matt are also big Starbucks fans, and that's where we finished up our session. We drew the attention of a very funny old man who thought he'd been dropped in Hollywood when Matt got all amorous on Naomi.
Sunday night was a beautiful night, and Kevin took me out for a ride on the motorcycle. I'll have to get some shots of it soon. It's beautiful.

New member of the family

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1940s Fun Night, Sunday the 15th in Winnipeg

This is Me, Amanda from Nikon, and my friend Melissa Kelly, a super Photographer from Saskatoon Photo by Craig Minielly
These crazy 1940's Housewives are some of the Saskatchewan gals. There's a LOT of talent stalking around in those dresses. They cleaned everything, but mostly men's bald heads. Amanda took this pic.
This is me, Two Nikon Fellows - Robert and Brian, and Brent Edwardson, our PPOC Past President. Photo by Craig Minielly - who is btw, one of the BEST photographers I've ever met.
He took this with a point & shoot by leaving the flash off. That little on-camera flash makes ghastly images.
This dodgey looking area is in the bowls of a very OLD bank. The upstairs is opulent, the basement has cool old vaults and scruffy sections...we were eventually kicked out. Craig noticed that it looked a whole lot like a slasher flick. We did kind of expect to be picked off one by one.

Just another mindblowing week.

Maybe this is the norm...I'm not sure.

I took some photos with my phone because I didn't bring my good camera. Phone images are not nice. (ok, they're crap, but it's all I had) The second one is Melissa Kelly, a photographer from Saskatoon. She is my friend, and used to be my neighbour in Saskatoon. It was she who helped me learn enough about photography to get started.

The top is obviously just one more bad airplane window shot. Sunset over Manitoba. The weather is, by the way, MUCH better in Winnipeg right now than it is here. ...Hella windy, but no snow!!!

The bottom one was taken on a proper camera - the Nikon D2Xs. That's Amanda, the Nikon service girly who is SO used to being the guinea pig for cameras. She let me use one of Nikon's cameras. Very cool.

Anyway, the whole week, convention and all were mindblowing. My prints did not hang in competition, but I took advantage of the critique session and my more experienced friends to learn how to improve my images. Happily the flaws that kept the prints from being accepted are minor and easily fixed. I'm looking forward to entering next year.

Our speakers were really enjoyable and informative, and all the goings on after hours are just as informative. I still have so much to learn, so I just soak it up.

Winnipeg has a GORGEOUS downtown area with old buildings. I LOVE that! Our fun night had a 40's theme and was in an old bank, complete with marble walls, a giant glass dome in the ceiling, and old, scary vaults. We toured the frightening basement before the staff started rousting us out of the 'out of bounds' stuff. That's me...misbehaving!

I got heck for not posting....

But here I am. Sorry, Cara. The last month has been surprisingly full. The work I've done in the past month has been the kind I don't normally post up. There were a couple of home staging before & after projects - that's an art all by itself. The people who know exactly how to make a home show it's value really do their homework and make beautiful spaces shine. They probably make not so beautiful spaces shine too.
There were also Corporate jobs -portraits of directors and groups, annual general meeting type stuff. This is where being a portable studio comes in very handy.
Our son had his DARE grad, which is the final cap on a substance abuse and awareness program sponsored by the Piper Creek Optimists. All the grade fives go through it.
Last week my husband managed to pull a surprise out for me. I didn't think I was that easy to spring anything on, but apparently, I'm pretty trusting/oblivious. He drove the family down to Calgary on Friday with some 'business' reason to be at the airport. I don't suspect a thing, because he's mentioned going downtown for Chinese food once we're done. This is quite in character for him. I was mildly annoyed about having to go into the airport just to drop this thing off, but he assured me that he had to meet the person to give it to them.
I didn't even suspect anything- I mean not a whiff - when I saw that an Abbotsford plane was just arriving. I did say something about it, because that's where my Mom lives. My husband stops and suggests that we wait and see if anyone we knew was getting off. Do you think I clued in then??? No. I just asked him WHAT he was doing. About 16 seconds later, when I saw my Mom, that's when I got it. HA! We had a very nice weekend with her, including the 'big dinner' on Saturday.
Tomorrow I leave for Winnipeg and the Professional Photographers of Canada Convention. Four of my prints are in national competition, and the judging is tomorrow...I'll know almost as soon as I get to the hotel how I did. I'm very excited to see if any of them are accepted.
I will be returning calls while I'm gone if time permits, and will be back on Thursday.
I'll take care of anything I miss Thursday afternoon.
Have a great weekend!