Wendy and the kids

A very dear friend of mine wanted to have some family portraits done of her and her kids. I have known this family for many years and remember when the kids were "knee high to grasshoppers" - now they are all grown up and I had fun capturing their personalities in the photos. Initially we had a hard time coordinating schedules so the kids and I plotted together to plan the photo shoot as a surprise for their mom. It worked beautifully and she was completely surprised - I knew the shoot was a success when she cried after seeing one of the pictures of her and her kids - so touching!

The shoot was awesome - the kids (well adults now) were so cooperative and we had a blast wandering around the train yard and nearby vacant lot to get some great photos. The main image (the one above) is my favourite of the session. Thanks Wendy, Ryan, Kate and Rolland - I had so much fun doing the pictures - enjoy!

Andrew

I took these photos a few months ago, but hadn't finished the series till tonight. I thought it was fitting to post a wee homage to my wonderful son as he is about to embark on a tremendous journey and we are all so proud of him.
Love you kiddo!
Good luck and safe journey... Mom xoxo

Moments to Treasure

This past weekend I had the chance to spend 2 whole days with my mom. We don't often have a lot of time together - visits are often snuck in between other life commitments. This weekend though was just about us... "mother and daughter"... and the moments we had I will treasure forever.

Our weekend included a visit to a local art gallery and a wonderful conversation with local artist Brian Dalton, exploring the town I grew up in (Ripley Ontario), a visit with the cousins at "wing night", shared laughter including a moment so funny I actually spit wine out my nose... yes, yes I did, you had to be there... lol.

The best part of the weekend was the road trip with my mom the next day - we spent hours driving around visiting all the things I remembered from childhood like the public school I attended, the house we lived in, the best ice cream cones in the county at a local mom and pop store among many other places. We even stopped so I could take a picture of the farm my Gran had when I was a child and a surprise visit to my favourite Uncle.

I remember as a child my mom packing my brother and sisters and I into the orange pickup truck we had and off we would go day-tripping. She would pack a lunch and we would hit the road. Every time we got to a stop sign my mom would give each of us (in turn) the option of picking the next direction. I'm sure sometimes we must have drove in circles but mom never said anything, just let us pick the next turn or go straight as we wanted to.

My favourite trip ever ended up with us in Clifford, Ontario - having a picnic near a small stream, such a pretty spot. And try as we might, we never found it again - such were these adventures... each one unique, each one filled with its own story, each one a memory that I will treasure always - just like the trip on Sunday... moments to treasure. Thanks Mom, I love you!



My Gran's farm - gosh has it changed.




Countryside on our road trip


The cousins


My gorgeous mum!


No post is complete without a fur baby making an appearance - this is my mom's newest baby. Aptly named Mr. Dressup (its a story - but I won't share, well maybe later... LOL)


We ended our road trip with a visit to my uncle, whom I've always called "Snookey". The story goes that when I was a small child he used to call me "Snookums" but I couldn't say that and in turned called him Snookey - which has stuck all these years. Still one of my favourite childhood memories - so wonderful to see him - thanks Mom!

A day enjoying the sunshine...

This picture is my favourite from the day.








A little nature shot at the park.









The next 4 photos are a series of a rock dropping into a stream - I love the details of the water splash :)