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Travelogue | New Years in Glacier National Park

Glacier Park holds a special place in my heart. Justin and I have spent one long, blissful week in his family’s cabin there each of the ten summers since we started dating. It’s where we were engaged in 2006 and, in 2008, we were married just outside the park in the tiny town of Polebridge.

This year almost was the first year we weren’t able to honor our traditional summer Glacier visit. The week before our scheduled trip, we were trumped by a family member with much greater leverage. Rather than stay in Seattle, we took our time off at another family member’s vacation home in Jackson Hole. (I know, not exactly terrible, right? But not the same, either!)

We just had to set foot in the Glacier cabin before 2009 ended! A few phone calls, and an extra day or two off around the holidays, and we were headed to the Park accompanied by our good friends. Somehow, the weather cooperated perfectly and the passes were clear. We arrived on New Year’s Eve to usher in 2010 in utter solitude on the banks of Lake McDonald.

We brought some snowshoes, a handful of good books, and a few bottles of wine. It was a half mile hike on the closed Going to the Sun road to the car and from the cabin. There was nothing resembling civilization for miles.

BLISS.

Lake McDonald in Glacier National photographed from Apgar Village. Photograph taken January 2010.

Rachel and Micah hold hands and snowshoe through a white winter in Glacier National Park Snow flipping up off of Micah

On Time & Travel (Not Time Travel)

Today I got back into shooting after a few weeks off, and I’m glad to be reminded how much I love it (in spite of cold, unwelcome rain). Just three more weeks and we’ll be in Hawaii, celebrating my transition from wage slave to full time photographer. Then, it’s off to Vegas with me for the Wedding and Portrait Photographers’ International conference and a Wedding Bee blogger meet-up.

Did I mention I love traveling? Between 2009 and 2010 I visited more than 10 states, and I’m adding a good three into the mix in early 2010. We rang in the New Year in snowy solitude in Glacier National Park, and I just got back from a week in Boston.

I love to meet new people while on the road– so if you want to get together, either for a shoot or just to say hi– while I’m in Maui or Vegas, just drop me a line.

Travel may be one of my favorite things, but it does take away from the time I should spend blogging, posting lovely photos from December’s family, maternity, and boudoir sessions. I have a backlog of absolutely fabulous photos to share, and I’ll be digging into those during the coming week. For now, enjoy this cute candid teaser from a family photo session on one of this winter’s coldest days…

My Trash the Dress Shoot with Kate McElwee

Guess what? Yours truly is featured over at Kate McElwee’s blog right now! This September, on our one year wedding anniversary, (glee!) I broke my wedding gown out of retirement and took it down to Georgetown for a TTD shoot with my awesome husband and the always-effervescent Kate McElwee. It was SO. MUCH. FUN! Kate has all the details up on her blog, and a whole bunch of pics, so go check it out!

I’d loooove to take some ladies out for adventurous TTD sessions (whether or not the dress actually ends up “trashed”– mine didn’t at all). It’s definitely not ideal TTD weather in Seattle right now (brr!) but as soon as we get back into warmer weather– or if I meet a bride who wants to trash in the freezing rain/snow– I’m gonna make some kickass images!

Travelogue | Cows!

The weather last Friday was uncharacteristically sunny and gorgeous, not Black at all. We’d just finished cleaning up from Thanksgiving, hosted at Justin’s mom’s house, and we had the place– and her convertible– to ourselves.

We could have gone shopping, but getting jostled and trampled didn’t seem like a good time. So what do you think we did? We took that sucka out for a drive… Top down, speedometer up, scarves flying, and sunglasses on, we flew out I-90 and took the back way into Snoqualmie, through the countryside, over some fine winding roads, and back to civilization.

You never know what you’ll see out there in the sticks.What kind of cow is extra-fuzzy and has a white cummerbund? We did a Uey when we saw these weird beasties hanging out, chewing their cud like they weren’t some sort of Tuxedo Beef.

Even the brown Bessie had a white midsection, and one of the cows had perfectly round spots in her belly band. Weiiiirrrd. [FACTOID: The Internet says these are probably called "Belted Galloway" cows, aka "Oreo Cows." It's not the only cow breed to have some unusual markings. Did you know there is a miniature panda cow? No joke!]

And yes, that is a donkey. The theory goes that should a predator accost the cows, which are too stupid to protect themselves, the donkey’s short temper will save their hides. (Because “save their asses” would have been a really wretched pun.)

Well, there ya have it… By the time we were done, we’d lost most of the daylight and were all feeling seriously chilled. But we were in one piece, the car was in one piece, the house was in one piece, and it was the perfect way to spend Black Friday far, far away from the crazy consumer crowds. As hectic as life has been lately, I might need to ask to borrow that car again, real soon.