Wake Up!

This post is admittedly out of order. These pictures come from a little day trip up to the Muir Woods north of San Francisco. However, we took this trip before the move, back in mid-July, when we were looking for an apartment and my Uncle Victor happened to be visiting the city and staying with my brother. It was really fun to hang out with my uncle and do activities that we would do with friends instead of just family events - like hiking in a forest of redwoods, for example.

Here, Rodrigo and Vic are planning our route. I wasn’t paying attention to the planning and due to some latent insticts instilled in me by four years of track, I just started to go uphill. For some reason, everyone followed.

Very tall trees.

Can you see all four people in this tiny image?

The gang after the hike.

Then we traveled the very windy Panoramic Highway to Stinson Beach. If you know my dad, you probably see some similarities here.

It was a bit chilly as the sun was setting.

And on the way back, the Panoramic Highway proved to be such.

I just had to show you what we did in the evening. Can you guess what these concentrated and slightly suspicious characters are doing?

They’re playing Clue! What a great game. I don’t know how we played when we were younger, because now it’s all about the strategy. You can’t beat hiking, beaches, and Clue. You just can’t.

Despite my newly found proximity to San Francisco, I remain convinced that I am a country girl.  I use the term “country” very loosely, meaning (to me) something along the lines of “not city.”  This is, of course, not to say that I do not like where I currently find myself.  It’s just an explanation as to why I was soooo excited when the County Fair came to town.

Mmmmm, metal bars.  Too bad his food dish was empty…and he was standing in it.

We played some games, but kept getting beat by the kids.  Stupid kids.

No rides, though.  Carnival rides scare me.

Here’s a little detailed look at one of my favorite parts of our new apartment: the bathroom!  Just take a look and you’ll see why.

Pretty tiles, pretty window in the shower, and pretty glass sink.  Love it!  If you want to see more apartment pics, just drop me a line and I’ll send you a link.

Outside of the apartment, I love hanging out with Miche and Angie.  You have to know the back story to this picture to truly appreciate it.  The first weekend we were here we went to the woods to have a cookout. Upon arrival, Miche, clad in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, realized he was under-dressed for the crisp forest weather.  Fortunately for him, I happened to have this alpaca sweater in my trunk (along with a copy of Battlefield Earth…long story).  It’s not exactly Miche’s style, but Angie loved it because it was so soft.  In the picture, she’s asking if they can keep the sweater (can we?) like it was a lost kitten they found in an alley.

I also love hanging out with this guy when he gets home from work and the big city in the evening.

But when I’m alone during the day, I am left to hang out with this guy.

And then there’s me, happy in the new apartment.

I thought it would be inappropriate to move on to San Francisco photographs without bidding an official farewell to the exquisite town of Santa Barbara that treated us so well for the last six months.  It may have been a short stay, but I feel like I got a good sampling of the town, the restaurants, the people and the sights.  There are more than a few things that I will miss, but here are some of the highlights.

The many beautiful beaches, including this photograph of my favorite, Butterfly Beach.  The last two weeks I was in Santa Barbara, the water at this beach was actually warm enough to swim in!  I had been dying to submerge myself in water since my family went to the Outer Banks without me (hehe).

I will not only miss the beaches, but also just being so close to the coast and the water, even if I don’t get in it.

With the beach comes the palm trees and the feeling of being on an eternal vacation.

And then there is the beautiful Spanish influence on the architecture and style of the town.  Absolutely precious!

But the thing I will definitely miss the most, is hanging out with these two fabulous gals every day.  Nicole and Bethany, you’re the best.  If you want me to elaborate on how great you are, just read what I signed in your yearbooks for a little reminder of how I think you’re the coolest people I’ve ever met and that you should never change.

Bye bye, Santa Barbara!

Santa Barbara - San Francisco: 304 Miles

Okay, so it has been an obscene two and a half weeks since my last post.  Unacceptable!  I know and I am ashamed.  If indeed anyone still does check this blog, I wanted to detail the reasons for my behavior.  Since July 20th I have “stay-cationed” in Santa Barbara, packed up the entire apartment, hosted Blair for three days (the third of which was moving day), drove to San Francisco, saw the Dark Knight again, got sick, and started to unpack.  I expect that the desktop computer will soon emerge from the boxes and I can then resume my usual blogging activities.

And since I cannot leave you without a photo, I will leave you with a little bit of my new home.  Welcome to San Francisco!

It has already been a month since I returned to PA for a very short visit and two very fantastic weddings.  I am just now coming across some pictures from home that got caught up in the whirlwind of events of the past few weeks.  As you can see, all is well in Carlisle.

This is my mom making a move in Sudoku.

Here’s my dad chillin’ and grillin’.

And here is my 16-year-old dog haulin’ booty across the backyard like he’s still a pup!

This is the dog that got him all revved up.  His name is Miles, and he looks very sad.

Now Tipper is eying up the food.

This was a shot I took in Mount Joy on the way back from the wedding rehearsal.

I hope to be visiting home again sometime soon and with more time to actually spend time with everyone.

Fourth of July was really fun this year.  With the recent news that we will be moving to San Francisco, we really soaked up the celebration in this fabulous little beach town.  So did Miche and Angie, who had to get their last taste of sunny SoCal before we are all united in the north.

And what would our independence be without some fireworks?  Well, nothing.  The fact that there was an ongoing fire didn’t stop the Santa Barbarans from shooting off some fireworks from the ocean.  So here is everyone heading away from the fire to see some fireworks.

Miche was impressed with the colors of the fireworks.  He referred to them as being from the Ralph Lauren collection.

On Saturday we headed to Jalama beach, which is famous for the long windy road to the beach, the beachside camping sites, and the freakin’ awesome Jalama burgers.  (Santa Barbara - Lompoc, CA:  104 Miles, Round Trip)

I’ll keep your sights up to the sky with this first photo.

As you can see, it was a beautiful day.  We walked the beach, ate Jalama burgers, and played some bocce.  After two grueling games of bocce, we decided to see who could slam the ball deepest into the sand.  Also a fun game, by the way.

I have to say that I will miss the SoCal way of life.

California has decided that Rodrigo and I really need to get the full west coast experience, so she and nature (or some punk a@$ kid) worked together to produce a wildfire just a few miles from our apartment.  We have had a pretty good view of the fire from our kitchen window since the blaze started on July 1.  While many families have been evacuated from their homes, we are not in any danger and have only experienced some blackouts as a result of our proximity.

So this is what I saw out my window when I got home from work on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, there was a lot more smoke and this was how the sky looked at 6:30 p.m.

And when we had no electricity for the second night in a row, we abandoned the cheesecake and Scrabble and went exploring.

We, of course, were not the only ones that wanted a closer look.

Yes,  you have to say his name like that.  So Jooooooeeee’s wedding took place on June 21, the same day as Lauren and Patrick’s wedding (see previous post).  I was not the photographer at this wedding, just a wedding guest getting my second serving of cake for the day.  So Joe is a good friend from college who found his perfect match, Amber.  It was truly an honor to be a guest at their wedding and to witness the love and commitment they share.  There was an outpouring of speeches and toasts for the couple like I have never seen before at a wedding.  And some of the most precious moments were watching Joe and Amber together with their baby girl, Bailey.  So cute!  See for yourself:

Joe was once a professional dancer.  Well, that’s not entirely true.

Welcome to the club!

Over the weekend I flew all the way back to PA to be a part of Lauren and Patrick’s wedding on June 21.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph their  nuptials.  It was so much fun watching them celebrate their marriage with their friends and family.  It was a beautiful morning ceremony held at the Nevin Chapel on the Franklin & Marshall campus followed by a fabulous lunch at the Cameron Estates.  I am posting just a few of many great images from the day.  I am still sifting through them all.  Patrick, I apologize in advance that these will more likely launch Lauren’s modeling career than yours.

Here is the glowing bride getting ready.

The newlyweds share a tender moment amidst the commotion.

Lauren admiring the centerpieces before the guests arrive.

When Patrick asked me how the cake was, I told him it was “life changing.”  And I meant it.

And finally enjoying the party!

Congratulations, Patrick and Lauren!  I wish you would have taken me to Jamaica with you.   More to come…