Twenty Little Piggies.....

My toenails are just barely dry from spending a "girls weekend" with my mom. I left the kids behind with David and flew to Baltimore for a short visit.

Mom got her nails done while our toes dried.....

Of course once you have gorgeously manicured feet, what else can you do but go shopping for new open-toed shoes to show them off!!??

The Winner!

A Photographic Tour of Annapolis, Maryland......

When I visit a place specifically to get some photographs, I always try to see what others would pass over without much thought. I like for my photos to represent a place in a way that even a person who has been there a million times would find something new in one of my photographs. A new perspective, a new focus, a new way of looking at the world.

Here is downtown Annapolis, MD through my eyes......

I had intended on getting photographs of some of the historical elements of Annapolis. Maybe a few sail boats and water views too. But while walking through the red brick streets of downtown Annapolis, I was really drawn to the rows of homes that lined the streets. So many of them had really unique doors and beautiful windows that I found myself forgetting all about my plans and focusing mainly on them. I like to imagine what kind of person has a raspberry colored door or colbalt blue shutter doors. What exciting lives they must lead to put such a bold and whimsical face on their dwelling! If I could choose, the door on my house would be cranberry red against a weathered white frame....what color would yours be?

Spider Hunting!!!!

As my grandmother can definitely tell you, Bren loves looking at spiders! Great Nana, as we lovingly call her, stayed with us for the month of July here in Rhode Island. She and Bren quickly found an activity that came to be called Spider hunting. They would go out into the yard in the mornings and would search for spiders who has spun new webs. What would give me shivers down my spine occupies Bren for a good 20 minutes. She will hunt all over until she's found a web and then she'd be so excited over it!

Now she wont get too close and she's not much for touching the spider or web, but she sure is fascinated by them!

I knew she'd have a ball with this photoshoot as soon as I saw the t-shirt!

Latest Session

I just loved doing a session with this family!

Pamela was the first person I "met" in Rhode Island and I met her before we even moved here! I was asking questions all about Rhode Island on an online forum and she was nice enough to answer them and point me to the church we now attend.

I adore her daughter Ashley who is in our youth group and Bren is great friends with Pamela's four year old daughter Christina.

Here are a few sneaks from the session.....

The breakfast of champions.....

C'mon, I know you have all done it! Traded a nutritious breakfast for the convenience of a box of dunkin donut munchkins! In a hurry to get on the road, we bought Bren a box of 12 assorted munchkins which she happily snacked on while we drove to our destination. About 10 minutes later, she proudly announced that she had eaten them all! I was surprised because even with her being as good of an eater as she is, I expected her to eat about 4 or 5 and then save the rest for her siblings, so I turned to see if she really had finished the whole box. Grinning from ear to ear, she held up her donut box where she had literally, "Eaten all of them", she just hadn't eaten them all gone!

Papaya Sky

Just another reason why I love Newport!! There is a place called the Cliff Walk right along the Ocean edge with a backdrop of the famous Newport mansions on one side and gorgeous Atlantic views on the other. Here we are at one of my favorite places to watch the setting sun paint the sky with shades of papaya and melon......sigh!

Old Ironsides..........

When I was in the third grade, my class took a field trip to Baltimore to tour the USS Constitution. Later my senior class went on a trip to Washington DC and I toured her again. Little did I know that while following our colonial attired guide around the ship, that the USS Constitution would come into my life again in an exciting way. My awesome husband Dave was selected to sail aboard the USS Constitution along with a few other Chiefs from his division. This is the last voyage she will make for at least three years and it was a great honor to be a part of it. David and his fellow chiefs were among several dignitaries and their families, and a large group of chief selectees from this year. He had a blast and is so thankful for the chance to make history on history!

BEAN TOWN!!!!!

If I had my life to live over, I would go to college in Boston!!!

I loved it fifteen years ago when we first visited it, and I love it even more now! The city has such a charm to it. Everywhere I look there are reminders of American History. For me it is like walking through a living history book. The old graveyards, gorgeous architeture, wrought iron, cobblestone streets, it all just does it for me.

While David had the honor of sailing out on the USS Constitution, we spent the day exploring Boston. Here are some photos of our day....