Posts Tagged ‘Colorado’

a lesson in asparagus

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Steamed, boiled, sauteed, roasted, fresh- I love asparagus any which way. Funny, because I had never tried it until last year. I kind of thought of it as somewhat of a delicacy as it was only in the stores during certain times of the year and most of the time it was far more expensive than I could afford. What?? $7.99 a pound? You can imagine the sheer excitement I felt when I learned that asparagus grows wild in Colorado (among other places). I was in awe for days. All fall and winter I have been waiting for asparagus season… for when the asparagus shoots out of the ground it means spring has come! For weeks, I’ve been combing the roadsides looking for the green and purple shoots with not much luck. I plucked 3 stalks a few weeks ago and was quite disappointed that there wasn’t more.

Today, however, was a different story. I strapped Connor into the stroller for a walk in the beautiful weather this morning and there were shoots EVERYWHERE! I probably picked 2 lbs of asparagus this morning- for free!

Did you know asparagus is a member of the lily family?

The word asparagus originates from the Greek language meaning “sprout” or “shoot”.

During the Renaissance age, asparagus was a dubbed an aphrodisiac and was later banned from the dining tables of most convents.

And because babies make everything cuter, here is Connor noshing on some fresh asparagus.

This kid loves his vegetables and I attribute it to the fact that his momma makes sure to eat a variety of veggies that he gets via breast-milk and also from us exposing him to vegetables from a very early age. This kid doesn’t eat any added oil, sugar or salt. When one’s taste buds haven’t acquired such a taste fruit is as good as candy and kale can be eaten by the hand-full.

country life

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Life in the country rescued me from the stress of living in a large city and rush, rush, rushing everywhere. 4 months ago I was working 3 jobs and feeling quite rundown mentally. I was unable to focus on tasks in the present because I was too busy trying to remember what I knew I was forgot to do in moments past. I could not remember anything- sticky notes didn’t even help.

I moved to the countryside of Southwest Colorado in August. As soon as I arrived, I let out a huge sigh- probably all that built up stress and anxiety! These pictures were taken the month that I moved here. My home for the next 9-ish months is nestled in a valley surrounded by the Gunnison, Uncompahgre and Rio Grande National Forests. To the North there is the Grand Mesa which is the largest mesa in the world at over 500 square miles. To the East is the Uncompahgre Plateau and to the West is the Black Canyon. To the South, the San Juan Mountains.

This is the mini orchard in the backyard.

On the left is our irrigation.  This region is very desert-like and the only green areas are fed by irrigation ditches.

The sweetest dog- Abby

During the warm months we use the clothes line as much as possible to dry our clothes and Connor’s cloth diapers.

Gretchen is a rescue chicken. When the hens on many farms no longer produce enough eggs they are slaughtered- Gretchen got to come live a much better life.

colorado-before the move

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

I’ve been wanting to post pictures of where I am living in Colorado- and all of the millions of pictures I have taken of Connor (the little man I nanny) but I thought I should start from the beginning.

In June I flew to Montrose, CO (the nearest “city” to where I now live) to meet Ryan, Jennifer and 7 week old Connor. I guess they wanted to see if I was super crazy before having me move into their home and spend all day with their son. ;) While I was visiting we drove down/up (into the mountains) to Telluride. There was snow!  In June! Here are a few shots from the trip.

playing catch-up

Friday, September 17th, 2010

I felt like before I could blog about my cross-country move, all the delicious vegan restaurants I have eaten at across the country and MY WEDDING! I should get a little caught up on actual photography posts. I’ve had so much going on the past few months that it has been nearly impossible to remember my own name- let alone update a blog that I am not sure anyone even reads! But, I know my mother reads (Hi Mom!) and so I am updating this for her- and anyone else who still checks in.

Laura and TJ- Trying to convince a 2 year old to sit still and look at a camera=impossible.

The Franklins- Super Mommy Extraordinaire (Holly) with 2 of the spunkiest children I’ve ever met. I love this family with my whole heart.

Dacey and Justin

Heather and Ryan- Holly’s little sister and new brother-in-law

The Mabe Family

Sara and Junior- Elopement wedding in Key West

Baby Kathleen- My first Colorado shoot

(back to Florida)

The McGhee Family- They’ve been with me since I first started my business and I love them dearly

Jodi and Cory- A rainy day, Kansas wedding with a high school friend.

Gabriel- Who I’ve photographed since he was in his mommy’s belly.

(Mom bought a large gallery wrapped canvas print of the right image. LOVE)

The Weiblinger Family- I’ve also been photographing baby Nate since before he was born. :)

Savannah- A very photogenic senior.

Heather- Again, this time with a sunrise bridal shoot.

Linda- A goodbye shoot with my  ”hair lady” of almost 4 years.

JD and Matt- A New Jersey Wedding

Phew! That is all for now! I am off to Utah for the weekend to shoot a maternity session and hang with some ultra-cool and very talented photographers.