Tempus Fugit

Time has been flying. Normally, this time of the year we are doing a lot of cleaning, organizing, and planning. This year is so different. We have met so many wonderful customers that have allowed us the opportunity to try so many creative ideas. We have some amazing maternity and family/children portraits that we will be able to share with you Monday, Nov. 10th. Stay tuned.

The autumn color change of the trees is, as recently predicted, peaking right now. We have been able to move most folks back to this week and next week to take advantage of the great colors this year. There are several afternoon slots that are still open.

We have some great new designs for this year's Christmas cards. We will display some of these next week.

Lucy, our eleven year old Rotweiler is getting closer and closer to the end of a long, happy life. She is the kindest, most gentle and loving dog we have ever had the privlege to live with. She is having such a hard time getting up and down. Hip dysplasia and arthritis are deteriorating quality of life and hard decisions are close at hand. It seems that this time with her has flown by so quickly.

Speaking of time flying--it is 49 days till Christmas.

RED ALERT

We went on a hike this morning and made a surprising discovery. The last three years has seen the foliage color change peak around the third week of November. We noticed that the red oaks have started their color change. It is just beginning. The colors look to be much more vibrant and rich this year. The rain durning the last several months has apparently helped to bring about this colorful treat. We think the color will start peaking in the next several weeks. We are contacting our bookings for third week of November to encourage them to change to the first and second week.

Call now as all times will be gone quickly. This is going to be a year of vivid color that you will not want to miss. The last two years color change were dull and mostly a brownish orange shade. This year will have deep reds, bright oranges and yellows.

Click on the photo to get an upclose view of what is happening right now in Elm Valley.

65 days till Christmas.

All dem chillins and families

Many of our customers are thinking ahead and getting family and children's gift portraits ready for Christmas. The studio and our Elm Valley location has been robustly alive with the sounds of laughter and fun. The last several weeks have really been full of action with many kids and families.

Think ahead, be smart and book your session now before all the available times are filled. From today, it is only 66 days till Christmas. And less that 30 days before the fall foliage peaks in color at Elm Valley.

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.

Labor Day Leisure

It is nice to reflect here on some recent shoots.

Zig and Zeus

Thought I would introduce you to two family favorites. Many years ago I saw Ziggy, an abandoned kitten, catching bugs from under a night light outside of a commercial building. That was how he was surviving. I took him home and then to the vet to get checked out. I should have taken him to the vet first. By the time the vet told us he had ringworms, he had started an infestation of this malady to 3 of 5 dogs and 3 of 8 cats. No good deed goes unpunished. But we all survived it and he has turned out to be a fiercely loyal cat (sounds like an oxymoron, but it is true) that follows us around the 80 acres like a puppy dog. He is the most skilled hunter of all the cats. Margie hates to leave him out while we are at work because he routinely murders some unsuspecting bird. He is fearless and every one of the dogs give him a wide berth when walking by.

The other food processor is Zeus. A very indulged and spoiled dog with a great heart. There is a definite pecking order of our pack and Margie and I are somewhere close to the bottom. Zeus is truly the alpha male around here. I have managed to hang on to my favorite spot on the living room couch.