My Pink Croc'd Partner

My partner in business happens to be my partner in life and the love of my life. If you have not met Margie, you should. If you are lucky enough to be one of her close friends, you know what it is like to have a fiercely loyal friend.

Margie is originally from Iowa and Brownwood, Tx. Her interests are flower and herb gardening, grandchildren, friends, travel, and music (opposites do attract--her-country western--me-rock & roll). She would admit that she is obsessive compulsive about neatness and knows that I believe that a clean, organized desk is probably a sign of a sick mind. Amazingly, we find some way to meet in the middle.

She plays a mean game of scrabble has the ability to make an upset 2 yr. old turn on a dime and start smiling. And, her artistic creativity is greatly enhanced by her guru Adobe photoshop skills. Margie provides the major source of our artistic, post capture work. She has a huge appetite to learn new techniques and leading edge styles. She learns very quickly and never forgets .

We, together, are the essence of a team to produce artistic images that can be your family heirlooms. Call and schedule your portrait appointment and meet Margie today.

A Toast to the Left Coast

We decided it was time for some rest and relaxation and booked out several weeks to recharge, refresh and regroup. We spent several days in San Francisco wandering through many of the tourist haunts. We visited the financial district, fisherman's wharf, Embarcadero, China Town, Haight Ashbury, Golden Gate Park. We hired a driver to go over Golden Gate Bridge and lunch in Sausalito at the Spinnaker Club overlooking the bay. Next, we took a hike in Muir Woods National Park and awed up at the giant redwoods.

We then rented a convertible and headed for the wine country in Napa Valley. We found a great place to stay in the North end of Napa Valley in Calistoga. Over the next four days we toured so many wineries and vineyards that I dreamed my head had turned into a giant cabernet grape. September is a great time to be in Napa Valley. Cool crisp mornings and evenings with the highs in the low 80's during the day. This is harvest and crush time for the grapes and we got to see everything in full swing. Anyone considering a trip to Napa Valley should not miss the following wineries: Sterling, Rubicon Estates, Cakebread, Stags Leap, Markem, and Hoenig. Also, the Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena is a "have to". Heirloom tomato bloody marys and a dynomite sushi bar are just two of the specialties of this multi-faceted gourmet restaurant.

The trip gave us a lot of time to reflect on the frantic frenzy of this summer's schedule and get inspiration from the photographic art we saw in so many fantastic galleries in San Francisco and Napa Valley. We came back with some unique, original, ideas that will give many seniors some "one of a kind" portraits this winter. New backdrops are arriving daily. We recommend seniors and families to book your sessions as soon as possible before the holiday surge fills up the rest of our appointments. The color changes at Elm Valley normally peak in the second and third week of November. That is prime time to create family heirlooms that make great Christmas gifts.

If you have not been downtown lately, you need to swing by the studio and check out our new metallic prints in our window display. This is a beautiful, unique look that really brings out the pop in a portrait. We have several new albums and collections that will be new for this area.

Over the next week, I will highlight a post on my partner and our new intern, Stephanie. Stay tuned.