The wind was blowing pretty good making it a bit chilly at the dizzying altitude at the top  of old Chimney Rock.  But the warmth of the sun breaking through to illuminate the valley below and the warmth of the love between these two special people made it easily bearable.  Donna was absolutely radiant as you can see in the slideshow below. Brad was going with the flow as the challenge of getting Donna’s brother up to the top in his wheelchair was handled and the Montana crew found their way to the site just in time.  On the way to Larkins on the Lake for some delicious prime rib I was looking forward to some crazy shots of Donna scrambling up the climbing wall in her dress and cowboy boots, but dang the wall was all closed up and secured.  Oh well have to settle for the beautiful romantic shots on the lake.  The food at Larkins was excellent and take a look at the awesome wedding cake by Tiffany Good.  It was the talk of the night as everyone tried to figure out how she created it.  Hope you guys had a wonderful honeymoon in Costa Rica!

We just had another visit from the bear family as they passed through our yard.  Strange to see them out in the middle of the day so much.

And this just in from Alaska:

A  family that lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, Alaska decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons. They lined the bottom with smooth-stone gravel all around to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries.   They finished building it one Friday evening and were very pleased with the end product.

The following morning, the mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center.  This is what she saw from the upstairs window:

Gives a whole new meaning to “build it and they will come!”

We were in for a big surprise as Carina looked down the street and excaimed, “DADDY I SEE BEARS?!” We went outside and there was Mama Bear with 4 cubs crossing the road.  These cubs are almost as big as Mama. So as they rambled across the road into the neighbors we got in the car and went around the block and caught them tearing open another neighbors trash and having a little snack.  They came within 10 feet of the car which we of course never left.  At one point they were startled by something and it was amazing to watch as one of the cubs jumped about 4 feet up onto a tree trunk and hung on.  As you can see from the closeup they have huge long claws.  So we followed them to another house where they ate sunflower seeds from the bird feeder finally bending over the metal pole as they pulled it down to the ground.  It was quite an amazing sight especially to see how fast they can move.  The girls loved it. Enjoy the images!

Our hearts and prayers go out to our dear friend Pam whose daughter Rinnie made her transition last Sunday. She was a joy and beacon of light for all in our community and will be deeply missed. We love you Pam.

Had a wonderful time with a walk through the botanical gardens with Brad and Donna and then dinner at Wasabi downtown.  They are getting married at Chimney Rock next month and it was great to get to know each other better and have some fun taking some images at the Botanical Gardens and walking around downtown.  You guys did great and we got some great shots.  Looking forward to a beautiful fall and a gorgeous wedding!

As with most weddings there were a few bumps along the way and this was no exception as the groom fell while getting ready and cut his arm on a piece of glass. Fortunately the bride was a doctor and provided triage on the spot and the show was back on the road. It turned out to be a beautiful day and gorgeous wedding ceremony with some very hot dancing and jamming with one of my favorite bands, Orange Krush. Cindy was beautiful in her gorgeous dress made by her sister and Brian was outrageous on the bongos when he joined the band for a set! Enjoy the slideshow below.

It was a fun time having dinner with Cindy and Brian and getting to know them a little before their wedding this weekend. We had dinner at Salsa’s and then walked around downtown a bit getting a few shots for their slideshow.

Forty attendants, a papal blessing, an elegant reception at Crest Center, and the Poprowiny celebration on Sunday with two very special people and their beautiful families made this a visually extravagant and wonderfully joyful experience I will always remember.

  Had a little time this afternoon and took a few shots of my little girls.  Just yesterday they were babes in my arms… tomorrow they will be asking for the car keys.  How fast they grow.  We just found out my brother’s first wife was in a fatal motorcycle accident at the age of 50.  I am so loving my friends and family now in this moment.  I am so grateful that I am able to spend the time I do with them and that I am able to do the work that I love.  Click on the thumbnails above for full-size images.  Carpe Diem.

Thought I would start leaving a few creative ways to be romantic from the book ‘1001 Ways To Be Romantic’ by Gregory J.P Godeck.

Idea 65: Create a “Romantic Idea Jar”
•Write 100 romantic ideas on separate slips of papter. Fill a jar with them. Once a week, one of you picks an idea at random and has to implement it within the next week. Take turns being the chooser every other week.

Michelle’s photographer canceled a few weeks before her wedding and her Mom called to see if we were available as we had shot Michelle’s sister Kimberly’s wedding in May. Of course we were thrilled to be able to do this. When we got to the church the grass was brown, there was a parking lot size red clay hole in th ground where the church had just started construction, there were backhoes in the background and we had not even met the groom before seeing him at the church… could we really capture the beauty and the joy of the love shared between this couple? Well I think it all turned out pretty well. Zeb was a great guy that was a lot of fun to work with and Michelle’s glowing beauty made up for the less than idyllic surrounding. And after the reception Michelle asked if we could go to a friends home on Lake James. What a beautiful setting that turned out to be. We would love it if you would post comments for us or Michelle and Zeb.

Just got back from Atlanta and the Ferro School of Photography Seminar.  It was about creating Portrait Art and was a very interesting and fun seminar. Rick and Deb are great speakers and Deb is an excellent Painter/Photoshop Artist.  I am looking forward to trying out some techniques when I get a few minutes time.

Kimberly & John Slideshow

A slideshow from K & J’s wedding in May at Lake Lure. It was a beautiful day in a gorgeous location.

Raising Nicki has been one of the greatest joys in my life. As a little girl she was always full of life and having lots fun. I was fortunate enough to get to spend quite a bit of time with her as she was growing up.

Nicki at one point asked me to photograph her wedding, and as much as I would have loved to, it was time for me to be the ‘Father of the Bride’. Of course I was thrilled when Nicki and Brain decided to get dressed up in gown and tux the day before the wedding to take some nice romantic photos. So off we went out to a property where the owner had created beautiful gardens replete with pond, fountains, bridges, and tons of mosquitos (hey it is Minnesota in July) for a little photoshoot. My wonderful wife Lisa helped Nicki get ready and then we lathered ourselves with ‘Skin So Soft’ (heard the Marines use it against mosquitos) and headed out. We still got chewed up pretty good but Brian and Nicki were great sports and we got some nice shots. That night before the wedding thinking about my baby girl getting married and thinking back on how much I enjoyed being her daddy and how proud of her I was started the tears a flowin’. I love you Nicki you were a beautiful bride. Thank you for being the wonderful happy go lucky young woman that you are and blessing my life with so many happy moments. Brian you are truly blessed for I know how filled with love and joy Nicki’s heart is. Many Blessings to you both!

Actually got up and on the road by 8:30 am a new record for our family. This is our trip to Minnesota for my daughter Nicki’s wedding. Mia & Carina did very with with only a couple of minor spats in the car. We drove for about 10-11 hours with a short stop on the way for a picnic in a park in the town of Berea in central Kentucky. We played “I Spy” and “Johnny went to market”, found cloud shapes, sang songs and had a great time. Stopped for milkshakes then found a hotel and the girls went swimming. We are off to downtown Chicago for the American Girls store and then to a waterpark hotel in Wisconsin Dells. The girls are excited! Here are a few pics of the girls this morning, Mia had to go swimming one more time before we left.

We are home and the trip was a great success but I am pretty exhausted from our 17 1/2 hour drive straight through from Wisconsin Dells. More to come once we are rested up.