Summer Vacation

My husband and I were able to get outta town for 10 days! It was a much needed getaway. I left with the intention of looking for some great shots, and while I did get a few I found that I was having much more fun just wandering around and not focusing too much on my camera. Here is one of my favorite shots from the coast near Big Sur, CA. May I say that I absolutely love wild flowers!!!!!

Adrianna

This morning when I woke up, it was raining. A slow, peaceful drizzle. I absolutely love the rain. But I was very happy that it cleared up in time for this photo session! The rain and clouds only make the colors better. It was a beautiful morning in the park, with a lovely little girl! Thank you for playing, Adrianna! And thanks to Nicole for letting me play with your daughter. :-) 

Fire Training

One of the things I like about my job is the close access to firefighter training, and the photo opportunities it brings me! (Guys, don't go getting big heads, it's the picture-taking I like, not watching you train. ;-) ) I had fun with these, and I'm excited for my next photo shoot. I have the honor of taking pictures of a friend's daughter tomorrow! I will post them as soon as I can! 

Some old favorites

Thought I would upload some of my old favorites! 

A Church in Bisbee, AZ

Flamingo at the San Diego Zoo

A beach in San Diego.

Sam

In memory of Sam, this beautiful German Shepherd who passed away on July 4th at only 3 years old. We love you girl!! 

Monument Fire Day 5

I was staged out at the command center most of the afternoon and was able to snap a few shots. It's been a long few days for everyone involved... and it will continue to be rough for a long time. All of our area fire departments have been flooded with donations. We can hardly keep up with it!! The response from our small town has been overwhelming. It is truly a blessing to see everyone pull together and help our neighbors. Please continue to pray for the community and for the firefighters, and for the leadership that they would continue to have wisdom in making good decisions in where to send the troops. And pray for some RAIN!! 

This is the mobile command center: 

The air support for the fire was incredible. They were running non-stop for several hours, in what seemed like 30 second intervals. 

It's a lot of smoke, but nothing compared to what it was just hours before. This is looking south from the Hereford Post Office toward Stump Canyon.

Chalk one house saved for this pilot. It is incredible how accurate the drop is, and how low to the ground the heavy planes can fly! 

Interesting cloud / smoke patterns

Rough day, but a beautiful sunset. Even in the midst of so much tragedy, God finds a way to give us a painting like that. 

Some of the crews back in staging, waiting for more orders as the fire banks down for the night.

Tucson Botanical Garden

These are from April, but I love them so much I wanted to put them on my blog! :) The Tucson Botanical Garden is one of my favorite places to take pictures of flowers and tiny critters. There is a butterfly garden there that is so fun to wander through. It's a great place to take kids who are learning about science; there is a great display of live butterflies in various stages.