I had the unique privilege of photographing Betza and Justin's Engagement photos in Brighton, Michigan. Two things made it very special. First, I met Betza for the very first time and I was simply blown away by her charm, kindness, humor, intelligence and beauty. Secondly, I have photographed Justin since he was a little boy, so I was delighted to share this wonderful new chapter in this amazing man's life. I know I speak for many when I say we are so very happy that they found each other and are going to officially start their new lives together very soon.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Betza and Justin's Engagement party in Brighton, Michigan was a wonderful occasion for family and friends to celebrate their upcoming wedding. And as you can see by these impromptu photos, everyone got into the festive spirit. Many thanks to the gracious hosts and all those who worked so hard to make this event a picture perfect celebration for the future bride and groom.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Here are some photos from our Class Party Weekend in Wyandotte, Michigan. The informal festivities for the "kids" who attended Roosevelt High School in the '60's started Friday night at the band concert area of the Wyandotte Street Fair. The Class Party Weekend continued on Saturday night at the Knights Of Columbus hall in Wyandotte. As you can tell by the smiling faces in these photos, everyone was happy to reconnect and reminisce.
Update 2017: We kept the party going for another year. To see those photos click on Amazing Faces: 2017 RHS Classes Of The 60's Party. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I spent three weeks in my boyhood home of Utica, Michigan. When I wasn't visiting lifelong friends and wonderful family, I devoted some time to getting back on track - literally and figuratively. You see, there's these really cool old train tracks and an awesome state park right next to our house. And since my road trip had already begun to make my abs harder to find than Jimmy Hoffa - a Michigan joke if there ever was one - I railroaded (heh, heh) :-) anyone I could to go hiking with me. The list of "no train (tracks), no gain" hikers included my nephews and nieces, a deer friend who scurried past me, and my buddy, David Weeks who walked those same tracks with me over 55 years ago. Need-Les to say, it was a great opportunity to share the simple, lush, fragrant, green, mercifully cool, and beautiful nature walks with the new generation and enjoy it again with my generation. Oh, and being there reminded me, if you REALLY want to see if someone is from Michigan, just hold up your hand in the shape of the mitten. If they can't point to the spot on your hand-y map of the state, they are just wishin'agin that they were from Michigan.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Thanks to my gracious hosts in Westerville, Ohio, I got to rediscover nearby Columbus, Ohio. I used to travel there every year to cover Arnold Schwarzenegger's huge fitness event for Muscle and Fitness and FLEX magazines. But since the Arnold Sports Festival was usually held in the beginning of March, the weather was often so cold even the lifesize statue of Arnold there was shivering. So going there years later during the summer was - flower joke alert - blooming beautiful. :-) Inniswood Metro Garden is this amazing fusion of art and nature. You can walk for hours in cool paths of tree shaded tunnels. And it seems like every new turn along the path showcases intriguing art and architecture. Oh, and one more thing, not far from Inniswood is the Hoover Dam. And here you thought that there was only one in Nevada. HA! See. Ya learned something, didntcha? :-)
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories One of the best things about Route 1 of my roadtrip to all 48 states in continental America has been spending time with my family. That certainly applies to my cousins and hosts with the mosts, David and Carolyn McMurdie in Conway, Arkansas. They took me to two terrific restaurants - Mike's Place and Zazas. We went to Petit Jean State Park and hiked some of the trail to Cedar Falls. And we stopped long enough to get a shot of the college Jimmy Hendrix started. Okay, so I just made that last one up. All in all, it was a great stay and one more reminder of just how friendly everyone in the South is.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Some of the Amazing Faces I see along the way are of the four legged variety. I'm happy to say that dogs just seem to like me and want to snuggle - regardless of size. I love cats, but they sometimes seem aloof, disinterested and indifferent to my persistent attempts to woo them. Come to think of it, I have that same reaction from women. :-) But when the cats do finally come around, it's purrrr-fect. Some of the bigger animals can only be appreciated from afar, while others like the deer that are as plentiful as house pets in Salida, CO are comfortable being close up and personal. All in all, these magnificent creatures large and small are making my trip even more fur-iously fun. (Note: In Chapter 18: Some Of My Favorite Stories. I dedicated the last paragraph to explaining why Reilly is my favorite cat in the world. Well, that's him on the right in full on watchcat mode.) :-)
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Since I have already written about Sarah and Jake Simon in Trip News 24: Taking A Big Leap In San Luis Obispo. and Chapter 18: Some Of My Favorite Stories., I'll just briefly tell you about this photo shoot. As you can tell, both of these athletes are in remarkable shape. So we set out to create photos that would showcase their impressive physicality for some potential business branding images. And because they are newlyweds, I wanted to capture some of the love and charm they exude as a couple. As you can probably tell, they were an absolute joy to photograph.
Update 2017: Note that where Slideshows are included, you need to select a photo and wait until the arrows at the top of the photo appear. Then push the Play arrow (upper left) to let the slideshow run automatically or push the back and forth arrows (upper right) to scroll through manually. Also note that I made a switch from using slideshows to using galleries about half way through (from Sarah and Jake forward) because I determined the galleries displayed better on mobile devices. Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I first learned of Ashland, OR. from my friends, Jeanne and John Koopman. After hearing them talk about the beauty and charm of the city, I just had to see it for myself. And boy, where they ever right. The town known for hosting the world renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival is also home to the gorgeous Lithia Park. It was on my hike there that I met a friendly resident, Linda Roberts who told me a little about the area. Of all the terrific things she suggested I see, the thing that stood out most was how the 93 acre park flows right into the terrific village that is filled with great restaurants and shops. It is a beautiful, practical blend of nature, art and commerce that I believe many cities could adopt with great success.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories Since I talked a little about hiking Big Four Ice Caves in North Cascades, WA with Barry Haughian, Julie and Lisa in Trip News 29: We Were "Stumped" For A Caption. :-), here's a few things I left out. First, call me crazy, but I'm always a little nervous doing anything with signs saying it could kill me. However, I figure if I survive, it will make for a good story. And if I don't, well not so much.
So after reading the signs "ice caves kill" and "entering avalanche zone", I was extra careful not to do anything too stupid. As a result, we had an awesome hike. The beauty was spectacular. The woods were dark and mysterious. And perhaps the biggest surprise was that it went from sweaty hot to downright chilly as we approached the massive ice cave. How massive was it? Check out how tiny Barry is standing in the mouth of the cave. How chilly was it? Check out how Barry and Lisa had to huddle up just to stay warm. :-) Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories |
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