12 June 2010: MMM

Mary, Mike and Max came up for a visit and it was my first time meeting Max. He was simply adorable! We had a great afternoon hanging out and doing an impromptu photo shoot!

17 April 2010: Family Values

Excuse me while I step on my soapbox for a moment...

I went to visit some friends who just had a baby. Two people who love their daughter with every fiber of their being. A couple that is so in love with each other that there is no doubt that their love will be passed on unconditionally to this child and any other children that they welcome into their family. How anyone could question their right to marry and have children makes me angry. Thankfully they live in a state where they can marry and they did have a child. They are truly an inspiration to me...I have every confidence that they will raise this child to an open-minded, community focused and strong woman! There are far too many children in their world who are not loved, who are abused, who are being taught that not all people are due the same rights - I love that these two women are just being who they are and committed to raising their daughter in a loving home. Isn't that what "family values" SHOULD be all about???

26 March 2010: Moments In Time

I am not sure when the moment happens. Sometimes it is instantly...sometimes a matter a months and honestly sometimes it never happens. The moment when your work colleagues become your friends. People you truly care about and want to keep in touch with even when you are not gossiping around the water cooler.

I was able to catch up this week with a friend I still work with and one that I haven't worked with for many years. It was great on both counts. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in work and forget that there is much more to connect with people about. It was nice to remember that those connections run deeper than projects or the most recent crisis. So whether it is crazy Kelly doing yoga poses on the window ledge in our hotel room or meeting Denise's beautiful baby girl for the first time, I am happy that those connections moved past the office and into a lasting friendship!

14 June 2009 Photo(s): Magical Moments

By 9AM this moring, I had a pretty magical day. Bill and I went across the street to our neighbors who live on the water to watch the 6am balloon launch. When we got down there, the water looked so inviting that I decided to take the kayak out to watch the balloons take off. I love kayaking and love hot air balloons so it was a perfect combination. I put my camera in a plastic bag and off I paddled. The rising sun with the rising balloons...it just couldn't get much better than that.

Afterward when we got home, Bill was taking Mona out and came across a baby woodpecker who was learning to fly. I had come across the same scene last year so I knew the baby would be ok so I ran to get the camera and take some photographs. As we were standing around, the bird started hopping toward my sister and she kept moving back to let the bird have space but it continued to follow her. I told her to stand still for a moment and the woodpecker hopped right on her foot and started climbing up her leg while saying, "Are you my mommy?" We were AMAZED and enjoyed this magical moment until I removed the baby and placed it in the tree out of harms way. All this followed by a lovely morning under the gazebo reading the Sunday paper...I just wish everyday could start off so perfect!

13 May 2009 Photo: Outfoxed Again

Ok so I am obsessed with our fox family. I look for them every time I drive down the road behind our house. Slowing down, doing u-turns, peering past the train tracks and looking on the logs has become a daily event. I have seen them several times now and even saw the babies feeding from the mom. I could not get a picture of that because it was 5:30AM and the light was terrible. But I did capture this photo of the mama and one of the babies. This baby is staring at me! I have seen at least 4 babies together now. Mona still knows something is living up there but luckily there has not been any problems and we are making sure that she does not get too close.

29 March 2009 Photo(s): Finn's Fabulous Fotoshoot

On our way to NYC today, we spent time with our friends Tom, Molly and with the fabulous Finn! Tom and I have know each other for more than 10 years and one obsession we share is photography. Poor Finn was getting cameras shoved in his face at every turn (I am sure he is used to this however with Tom as his father). As you can see there were too many cute pictures that I could not choose just one.

I love the "family portrait" below where I caught Finn being adorable, Molly making sure he was safe and Tom taking a picture in the background. If you want to see more pics of Finn, you can check out their blog at http://babydunne.blogspot.com/