Posts Tagged ‘“my neighborhood”’

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.

heather & jerry | vintage love shoot

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Boy oh boy. Just when I think I am getting caught up- I schedule myself into a pit of 6 sessions in 3 days. What goes first? This blog. In an effort to get caught up, I am FINALLY posting these images of Heather and Jerry. We had their session planned for months- emailing back and forth constantly and even forming a friendship (not that my sparse communication is even worthy of being called that) and bonding over a trip to the local farmer’s market and my favorite antique stores.

We started in my (now old) neighborhood at a REALLY old apartment complex.

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And then stepped across the street to my FAVORITE park. Ever. Ever ever. Heather’s expression in this one make me so happy.. I can relate to having felt that way before.

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Oh! I heart the colors in these two. all the green and then the pop of purple from Heather’s dress. For the longest time I though Florida was the ugliest place in the world for taking pictures because of the palm trees. Palm trees (unless on a fancy schmancy resort) are really quite shaggy things with browning fronds-that give me a really bad taste in my mouth. But then I discovered how beautifully spanish moss photographs–and it makes me happy.

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And then there’s the majestic Southern live oak trees… almost forgot about those. This specific tree is estimated to be around 250 years old– and may be the single oldest living thing in Jacksonville, predating the founding of the city by Isaiah Hart during the 1820s (how do you like that history lesson?). That left image is hanging large and in charge in their home.

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Though this one, personally, is my favorite. The octopus-like branches of the Quercus virginiana make me swoon.

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Beautiful. Heather sporting my vintage headpiece–scored at an antique store in Yoder, Kansas. The shallow DOF with the trees just brings me to my knees.

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I absolutely LOVE when clients (I mean new friends..) come to me with ideas to make their sessions unique. Heather and I share a love of all things old and I was MORE THAN happy to help incorporate some of her favorite pieces into the shoot. When scouting out this location the week before, the grass was long and flowing. We arrived to it having been cut short. We made it work.

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Heather, you rock. That is all.

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A picnic with romantic pictures, anyone?

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LOVE!

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Or how about a picnic with a record player streaming love ballads? Note to self- find boyfriend who won’t think I am crazy for wanting to have a picnic in the woods while wearing my prettiest dress.

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Heather and I spent way too much time and energy trying to find tan suspenders. It was worth it.

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Saving more of my favorites for last. These are the last images from our shoot.

Can’t you feel the love? I can.

It warms my heart. Thank you for sharing your evening with me, Heather and Jerry, and letting me witness your beautiful relationship.

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shelbye | 9 years

Friday, September 4th, 2009

I posted a few other shots from Shelbye’s session here. Not much to say on this session, except that Shelbye is such a sweetheart-and that this is definitely the session of a nine year old bookworm. ;)

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She loves books and horses. We combined the two!
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Juicy apple.
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Pocahontas? Just a little? Come on
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Mmm yes, three of my faves!
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Like I said, nine. Laughing to mom doing the underwear dance.
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Work it, honey.
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And then the light proceeded to disappear.
Thank you Shelbye, for being such a trooper. I know you didn’t feel well. :)

sneak peek | shelbye

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

OHH!! I just love when I have complete freedom when it come to planning a shoot. Shelbye was such a doll. I have SOOOO many great shots. Here are just a few-for now.
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I love just-before-sunset light!!
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melissa | natural beauty

Monday, July 27th, 2009

I had the intense pleasure of meeting and photographing Melissa recently. We met at the Starlite bar in 5 points, shared a beer and some conversation (if you call me watching her drink a beer–”sharing”) before heading off to the location I chose for her shoot.

As we chatted throughout the shoot it became apparent that this was a girl who is comfortable in her own skin–and a complete natural in front of the camera. This was one of my favorite sessions, ever. Melissa, who has never had pictures taken before, slowly changed from one gorgeous “pose” to the other with minimal direction from me.

In 35 minutes, I took nearly 200 photos. Here are just a few:

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Thank you Melissa!

christie | rad pregnant belly

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

I just love it when I get the chance to photograph interesting people with unique looks. Christie was just that-I was so excited I could have burst. By the time we finally coordinated schedules, Christie was 3 days from her due date- and she wore high heels! How cool can you get?

By the time we got to our location- I was afraid all the light was gone.. but we arrived just in time for a little golden light.

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Look at that perfect belly!

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Then she takes her shirt off ;)

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Doesn’t she look amazing?

Thank you SO MUCH, Christie.

riverside arts market

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

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