Lifestyle

Baby Girl Turns One!

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At the end of April we headed up to Grass Valley to celebrate our niece's first birthday. On Saturday morning we stopped by the Nevada County Certified Growers' Market at the North Star House. It was the first farmer's market of the year. Christian bought flowers for babe and mama. The sweet peas smelled heavenly.

It had just rained, so the quality of light was incredible. It also felt like the trees and the ground and the people were all exhaling, happy and grateful for the precipitation and the beautiful day.

I love the purple speckled ones. When we arrived the birthday girl had just woken up from a nap and was getting dressed for her party.

This little lady has a wealth of older cousins to look up to. They are all so lucky to have one another.

And then the sugar rush set it...

Bath time. :)

The Big Island

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There really are no words. Despite two days of debilitating sickness for me, it was the perfect vacation. Late March was the time to go. The weather was glorious and the sea life showed up. We took four long hikes in six days to remote and beautiful locations all over the island: Shipman Beach (15 sea turtles!), Waipio Valley (whales!), Papakolea (more whales!), and (not pictured) Kealakekua Bay, where we were treated to the best snorkeling I have ever seen and we got to swim with a pod of 30-40 spinner dolphins. Traveling with our friends and getting to share our favorite parts of the Big Island was a gift. It was the perfect combination of relaxation and adventure and I am so grateful.

November in Hilo

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It's Saturday evening and the chickens are out for their nightly forage. The neighboring roosters are crowing out of jealousy or hunger or loneliness, chained to their a-frame shelters. Nala girl stares through me, her eyes are bottomless pools of caramel. I think she is the most perfect creature I have ever met. 

It's Sunday and the sky is bright blue and littered with cotton ball clouds. I am surrounded by young coconut palms and I am mesmerized by lines and light and color. Later, mom and I will go for a long ocean swim, out of the reef and into deep water. We will see multiple sea turtles surfing in the waves and we won't know that it's our last sunny day.

It's Wednesday and for the second afternoon in a row I'm tied to a roof documenting a module installation for my dad's company. It's starting to drizzle, and I keep having to wipe the raindrops from my lens.  

It's Thursday and the table is set. There is too much food. We invited three adults and two children to join our table, but failed to tell them how many people there would be, so they brought enough for an army. We will eat leftovers for days.

It's Friday at noon. It's been raining all morning and I had to postpone a photo shoot for the second time. I'm up the road visiting the brand new baby sheep we saw on our Thanksgiving walk. Surprisingly, the mama comes right up to me when I call her, and her little black lamb bounces along beside her. On my walk back home I will find a perfectly ripe avocado on the ground that we will enjoy in our salad for dinner. 

It's Friday evening, and I'm outside the fence admiring how the light catches and dances off water droplets. Mochi kitty comes running out to join me. He has proven to be my most challenging subject. Every time I get down at his level he runs to me for loving. I discover that if I put him on the fence it buys me some time. His eyes are the same green as the ginger. 

sunrise from Mauna Kea

It's Sunday morning, 6:20 am and we're up above the clouds at the Mauna Kea summit. At 13,000 feet the horizon is apricot colored fading to blue, both getting brighter as our spot on earth rotates closer to the sun. It's below freezing and the wind is blowing. I can't feel my hands, and the Japanese tourists are hopping around in their orange snowsuits, trying to stay warm. The shadow of the volcano is printed on the candy-colored clouds to the west. I slip into the car and pour myself a mug of Earl Grey hot chocolate and warm my fingers and my lips. We will later go out for pancakes.

It's Sunday afternoon, and mom and I have finished the quilt top to my new quilt. We designed and sewed for four days while it rained and rained and now it's spread out on the dining table full of safety pins waiting to be quilted. Nala is cowering under the table because she knows her days with me around are numbered.

It's Sunday evening and we're taking Nala out for her walk. I have to run back for my camera because the sky is putting on a show. A lot of water has fallen during my visit, but when it isn't raining the sky is doing spectacular things. All that rain makes you appreciate the relief even more, and I revel in its beauty. 

It's Monday morning and my flight leaves in a few hours. I am rejuvenated. I walked Nala every day. I spent quality one on one time with my parents. I photographed four families, I reconnected with an old friend, and I made plans for my next visit. I feel really lucky and happy and grateful and excited for what's to come.

4th of July // In the Garden // Willits, CA

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Our 4th of July weekend was enjoyed up in Willits with good food, great friends and lovely surroundings. I was lucky enough to photograph a friend's expansive garden in the evening, morning and afternoon light, and that was pretty much the best.

In the morning, I grabbed my camera and headed out to the garden in my pjs when everyone else was still asleep. The bees were making their rounds to the poppies, which had opened overnight. I watched their wrinkly new petals change in the light as the sun made its way through the trees. Poppies may be my favorite flower to photograph. I love them from every direction, in any light, in focus or as a speck in the background. 

That the afternoon I returned with Christa to water. She proved to be a lovely subject. As were the chamomile and the sunflowers.

I'm appreciative of good friends who cook up delicious breakfast feasts, make ice cream sandwiches with cookies warm from the oven, play multiple games of ping pong and Settlers of Catan, and share their bounty.

I'm anxious to have our own garden, where I can watch the bees dance from flower to flower and study the light on petals and greens. 

P.S. Last 4th of July in Santa Cruz and the one before that (also in Santa Cruz).

Memorial Day Weekend with Friends // Grass Valley

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Warning: this is a photo-heavy post. 

We drove out to the Sierra foothills on Jeffery's birthday to spend Memorial Day weekend with some of our favorite people, to enjoy the lush surroundings, and to meet a very special little lady. Jeffery had never held a baby before and it was pretty incredible watching these uncles fall in love with their one month-old niece. 

On Saturday we hiked past Lake Carr and Lake Feeley to Island Lake, fishing poles in tow. 

Island Lake, Tahoe National Forest

That evening we enjoyed some more baby snuggles. 

Katie runs the garden program at the Grass Valley Charter School, and on Sunday morning she gave us a tour of the [incredible!] grounds. I would send my kids to this school just for the garden. Ranger liked it too.

That evening: family, food, and more baby loving. Uncles, aunties, and cousins, all gathered around, we couldn't keep our eyes off of her.

Welcome to the party, little Ava! We're so glad you're here. 

Birthday Weekend in Lake County

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For my birthday we drove up to Lake County, known for its meth problems and mercury contaminated lakes, but also for its rolling hills and stunning views. We stayed at the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake Friday (highly recommended) and on Saturday morning met up with our friends Ross and Nicole and their new puppy (!) and drove out to Nicole's family's cabin. 

The cabin sits on the edge of a small valley, only about a mile across. It was breathtaking in every direction. Her stepdad grazes cattle in the valley, and some of the cows go there to die, so sun bleached bones were scattered throughout the wildflowers and valley oaks.

The best part was that I got to shoot Ross and Nicole's engagement session Saturday evening. It was unbelievably beautiful. I can't wait to share the rest.

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And then I took some of Nicole with her mom and her stepdad. These are the moments I feel privileged to witness, the photographs I love taking the most.

Jeffery is always sticking his hand in my shot. 

We feasted on ham, scallop potatoes, and a green salad with apple and celery. Delicious.

In the morning we hopped on ATVs and took a tour of the property. It was my first time driving one, and it was totally invigorating. Such a fun weekend. 

Thank you Nicole and Ross for sharing your family with us, for showing us a new part of Northern California, and for letting me shoot your engagement photos! I think I've figured out the formula for my perfect weekend: visit a beautiful location that I've never been to before, go with people I love being around, and eat good food. Bonus points if there are doggies or kitties hanging around, oh, and if everything is in bloom. 

P.S. Last year's birthday getaway to Anderson Valley.

Tomales Take Two

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Lat weekend Marina was still housesitting the B&B on Tomales Bay, so we went for another visit. On Saturday we drove up Highway 1, north of Bodega Bay and explored the Sonoma Coast. It was incredibly windy, but so beautiful. 

Of all the places we stopped, Duncan's Landing was the most beautiful and dramatic. It was fun seeing the beaches whose names I only know from Marina's paintings. 

By this point there was so much salt spray on my filter that I should have cleaned it to improve clarity. Live and learn.  

Afterwards we had a couple rounds of drinks at the Valley Ford Hotel, which I highly recommend. (When I was a kid, age 7 or 8, my aunt and uncle got married there. I remember part of the wedding feast being a luau pig cooked underground that exploded and got stuck in a tree. They got it down and we ate it and it was delicious.)

Sunday

After feasting on a late breakfast of spinach and asiago omelets, smoked salmon bagels and honeydew melon (and shooing the cat away), we drove over to the Point Reyes National Seashore and hiked the Tomales Point Trail. 

It was the absolute worst time of day for portraits but I still love this. Thanks for the photo, Marina. 

We hiked about 7 miles round trip, but with those views, it didn't feel like it. This woman is an inspiration. 

It's a bit of a drive and a bit of a hike, and so worth it. 

Weekend with Friends // Hike to Lake Spaulding

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"I just need some time in a beautiful place to clear my head." I've been seeing that floating around the internet lately, and it definitely applies to our latest trip to Grass Valley. Our friends Sam and Christian are the new proud parents of a goldendoodle puppy. We spent the weekend celebrating a birthday and a baby shower, but this little man, Ranger, stole the show.  

The ten of us (eight couples and two pups) took a Sunday hike to Lake Spaulding.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful weekend. Jeffery even found a hundred dollar bill on the hike and treated everyone to lunch afterwards. So looking forward to our next trip up in May. 

(All of these images were taken with my new pancake lens, which I'm pretty pleased with.)

Last Weekend on Tomales Bay

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Saturday

Last weekend Jeffery and I drove up to Marshall, where Marina was conveniently house-sitting the Inn on Tomales Bay. We took a lot of walks, explored the coast, and ate incredibly well. It was the perfect reset after two long work weeks since returning from the Big Island.

Tomales Bay from Clark Road, the Strauss Family Farm below.

We enjoyed a late lunch of Oysters Rockefeller and tri-tip sandwiches as the Marshall Store (highly recommended).

Evening walk on Dillon Beach

Elephant Rock

 

Where's Waldo?

Sunday

Marina's pop-up studio, I spy a naked lady bottom right.

Breakfast of smoked salmon Eggs Benedict, sautéed mushrooms, and mimosas.

Ed's Dock, Tomales Bay

Salad Niçoise and Scrabble for lunch

Last Days in Hilo

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The last of our Hawaii vacation photos. Sigh. As always, it felt like too short a trip. And because I had three photo session while we were there, I ended up taking fewer personal photos than usual. These are the ones I don't want to get away.

Jeffery and I went to watch the surfers at Honoli'i Beach Park. We walked down to the creek and then drove over one of the prettiest bridges in the Hilo area. 

One evening we went for a long walk in my parent's neighborhood and encountered some interesting creatures:

Hawaiian Pony

Jungle Kitty

Vacation Jeffery

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We took Nala on a five-mile round-trip hike through the jungle to Shipman Beach, definitely a highlight of the trip. 

Smiling dog

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On Valentines Day I got my mom to take our photo, the only one of me that exists from the whole trip. We went out to lunch, shopped for fancy chocolates at Big Island Candies, and enjoyed a decadent meal of filet mignon, lobster, asparagus, and hollandaise at home with my parents. Best of all, I got to spend the entire day with my honey. 

Our last adventure was a drive to the Waipio Valley outlook. We hiked a bit of the way down the hill before determining that we were underprepared and turned back. Afterwards we tasted some beers at the Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea (highly recommended!). 

Oh, Big Island. I really love you. And I appreciate your mellow vibes and understated beauty. We look forward to next time!