Elizabeth’s Mom’s birthday is just a couple of days after Christmas, and more often than not, she ends up sharing her celebration with another birthday that happens on December 25th. This year, we all met at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach to celebrate it on its own day. If you’ve ever been to Las Brisas, you know that the food is good and the view is great.
Jan 24
Celebrating Gail’s Birthday
Jan 23
New Years in Big Bear – 2010
We spent New Years weekend this year in Big Bear, and while the drive up turned out to be a little wet, New Year’s day and the rest of the weekend were really exceptional. A few snaps after the link below..
Dec 26
Christmas 2009
Christmas 2009 was full of revelations. Key things to remember for the future: 1) Ten strings of Christmas lights are not nearly as spectacular as you think they’re going to be, 2) Meeting Santa for the first time can be pretty darn overwhelming, 3) Never start potty training on the happiest day of the year, 4) Keep the cake level and 5) Even the happiest day of the year can be a roller coaster with a 2 1/2 year old.
Dec 16
Christmas pageant – Early preschool
Megan’s class did a Christmas pageant tonight. I do think she’s the most talented of the group. After the performance, we went for a very special dinner at McDonalds!
Nov 29
Photographing Fireworks (at Disneyland)
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
One of the things that I’ve always wanted to try is to capture shots of fireworks at night. In the past, I’ve used a point and shoot camera to try to capture the Fourth of July. Needless to say, the fireworks were underwhelming at best. Now that I have more gear, and wisdom gleaned from the internet (oh, the magic), I set off with my father-in-law one evening after work to try to capture fireworks at Disneyland. We set up shop at the top of Main Street, right in front of the train station (and actually, upstairs on the raised platform, rather than at street level).
The image at right represents where I thought the fireworks would appear based on my previous experiences at Disneyland as a gawking observer, rather than as an aspiring photographer. In actuality, from the top of Main Street, it appears the fireworks are bursting from nowhere near the castle.
Nov 26
Family vacation to Yosemite, March 2009
The Awahnee Hotel
In January of 2008, I signed up for a “Biggest Loser” style contest at work, and managed to win enough money to pay for a really exceptional Yosemite vacation. We made reservations a year in advance because we wanted to visit for Megan’s second birthday. We stayed at the Awahnee, the only real hotel in the Yosemite Valley. As luck would have it, we stayed in the same room that Queen Elizabeth stayed in when she visited. This was a once in a lifetime experience that we felt very lucky to have.
Nov 15
Photowalk in Old Town Tustin
Public Parking, Old Town Tustin
On July 18, 2009, I participated in the second annual Scott Kelby photowalk. The group I participated with spent our time in Old Town Tustin, California. These are what I thought were some of my standout pictures from the day.
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