strawberry blue

I spent a few hours today shopping for a crib and stroller with my stunning daughter, a month away from the arrival of her own beautiful daughter.We are getting pretty excited.

Here's the last strawberry from the pint I bought last Sunday at my local farmer's market. I meant to get more today, but we were busy driving from Ikea to Babies-R-Us. This little berry needed its picture taken and I'm happy to report it was delicious!

a few neighborhood impressions

Just for today, when the sun was out, the breeze was so light and mild, the soft morning was still quiet, I felt so, so lucky. And this is what I found.

Well-maintained memorial to a beloved potbelly.

small ambitions

I'm restless. This blog isn't what I want it to be and I keep thinking I'm going to make changes but can't quite figure out how to implement them here on Blogger, or maybe it's the limitations of my little netbook that are preventing me from progressing. Whatever. I need to make changes, and just altering the background image or layout here doesn't exactly satisfy, you know?

Organizationally, I'd like to be able to separate out photography from my creative writing, with categories for family and maybe other creative projects. Ideally, I'd like to establish a little sideline as a freelance photographer, so developing a website dedicated exclusively to that goal is the better idea. I can see the value of maintaining a blog for family so far away, so I'll continue to post shots of our activities and growth here, but I'm determined to finally get myself some cred as a photographer this summer. So watch this space for updates and news.

I shot these gorgeous 'chokes this morning at our modest little farmer's market here in Irvington. I do still wander with my one-eyed boyfriend when the weather cooperates, and love to shoot up the landscape wherever I am, but would be so cool to occasionally get paid for it! 

a perfectly perfect day.

Memorial Day weekend Rachel and Oscar spent a delirious, delicious, hilarious, and sweet afternoon visit at my house! They were in town to meet, snuggle and schmooze with a brand new family member on the Macy side in Newberg (Baby Will, who, judging from photos is as adorable as all the rest of Oscar's cousins).

 My place was jumping with boyz for hours! Grayson was the hero of the day: the littler boyz only wanting to be wherever he was, doing whatever he was doing, literally hanging on him and following him room to room to room and back again.

It hadn't been this exciting in my apartment since the last time the Philly family was here, way last summer! Brock also spent the afternoon and Shanna joined us as soon as she got off work (baby Stella makes her debut next month!!), and even Doc came by for the meet-up. I managed to get just a few shots at home, but had better luck at McMenamins where the rambunctious ones finally had to stay in their chairs (let us all praise highchair straps!). It was a perfect day. Perfect and sweet and funny and fun.

Brock & Griff

Oscar & pizza

Rachel & smile

Oscar & Rachel break the crayon with their powerful breaths!

Grayson & crayons

Rachel actively listening to Grayson

Grayson less actively expressing his thoughts

Oscar actively listening to Griffin who is not quite coherent. Yet.

Brock politely enduring yet another encounter with my camera. Thanks, big guy!!