Team Shirt

Guess who is officially part of the Boardworks competitive diving team? Tonight, Kje dove in his first "mini-meet" and came 6th in his class. As part of the event, the coaches handed out prizes and then gave each team member their own t-shirt.

"It's not a t-shirt mom," Kje tells me afterwards. "It's a team shirt." I love that!

A few hours later, after the good-night tickle and giggle.....

"Guess what mom?"
"What?"
"I'm going to wear my team shirt to school tomorrow to show everyone."
"Great idea. Good night."

Pause...

"Guess what mom?"
"What?"
"I'm going to wear my team shirt to school tomorrow."
"Perfect."


Pause again...

"Guess what mom?"

"What?"
"I'm going to wear my team shirt to school tomorrow."
"What a great idea."

Repeat the above a few times, then one last time...
"Guess what mom?"

"You're going to wear your shirt to school tomorrow."
"Yep."

He definitely feels part of the team now.

Cars near Keremeos

These are the results from me yelling "stop, pull over" while driving across southern BC on highway #3. I am pretty sure we are in Keremeos in October, 2009 but I felt like we were in another time and place altogether.

Public Access Photo Shoot

Three band members, five locations, hopefully, one CD cover. Does being the band photographer mean the same thing as being a groupie? Here are some shots from the world premiere of Public Access.

First $20 busking...

First house party.

Quesnel Series #

I have always been attracted to raw materials, rusting metal, cracked paint, graffiti, industrial stuff.Well, here is my latest favourite photo series, straight from the Quesnel train station. A nod to Canadian Pacific, the canvas.

This was once my favourite photo

I thought I should retire these spring shots from my home page before the snow falls... any...day...now.
This is one of those shots that melts your heart... "here mommy, this is for you."

How teenagers make decisions

Quote from Paris:

"I really wanted to sign up for Earth Sciences, but it's suppose to be the easiest class, so I signed up for Physics instead 'cause that's really helpful with video games."

Public Access

After learning the trumpet, the drums, poetry and the guitar, Paris has come together with friends to start their first band.

I kinda like the name, Public Access, and I'm honoured that their first gig will be at our holiday house party. Four original songs (Paris wrote all the lyrics...that's where the poetry came in) makin' their world premiere.

And, speaking of world premiere's....

My neighbour must have known I was a bit behind on my New Year's resolution to "add more music to my life," as he phoned tonight to see if I could use two tickets to see the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Of course! And... they played a world premiere of their new song. Kinda cool to think that one day, years from now, I will say "I remember when that song was played for the first time..."

Perhaps I will say the same about Public Access. And then, I can say I remeber when I became Facebook fan #4. Become fan #5.

Remembrance Day

Perfect pin-up found during our walk through Gowlland Tod Provincial Park on Remembrance Day. A moment of silence was easy in the middle of the forest with only mushrooms, fir trees, field mice and stair-step moss around us.

Music life

For me, this was going to be the year of music. Turns out it has been the year of photography. Here's a peak into music night in the kitchen, mixing the two. (Gotta love the carrot orange recessed lighting that came with the maize yellow shag carpet):

North Saanich Dirt Jump Park

Finally, after months of hearing about the North Saanich Dirt Jump Park without hearing about the exact location, I finally drove by it by fluke. I could barely contain myself until I could get back home and grab the bikes. And the camera of course.

Big blue, staying low, checking out the dirt:

Something about this one reminds me of Elliot in E.T.

Close up on the colours. I love this:

Down air:

Up air:

Here comes the groom

Good friends Brian & Kyle headed down the aisle. Here are a few favourite shots from their wedding day.

At the Sechelt Skate Park

Thanksgiving, a day out for the future Spence skateboarders....who seemed to be more interested in posing with the graffiti than riding. Can't blame them, they are pretty cute.

Kje cleared it... just not in this photo.

Wheee...skate slide.

Hanging at the Interriver Bike Park

Red, White or Blue....mooo

More Saanich Farm Photography! Lucky you. I was playing with my cow photographs and just love this shot focused on the spiderweb. But... red, white or blue? You tell me!

Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout....

Down came the rain and washed the spider out....

Up came the sun and dried up all the rain....

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Saanich Farm Photographer....mooo

As many of you have realized, I have gone a little Farm Girl Photographer over here on the island. Everything from pumpkin farms to wine farms to raspberry farms to grain farms to you name it anything that grows on the land farms. And then there are the fields and markets and fairs and home-made jams in jars.... I could go on.
After dropping my son off at the ferry on Sunday I drove around North Saanich with my camera and came across this amazing cross road with cows hanging by the fence. My moment of cow chasing (with my camera that is) had finally come.

For your viewing pleasure - my intimate moments with the cows.

I love the attitude of this hunched over black cow watching the others graze:

Long grass, blackberry, rusty barbed wire, fence post, barn, cows, blue sky. If this isn't rural life, I don't know what is:

Blurred cow:

I loved watching the cows just ignore everything but their stomachs:

What a beauty:

Bessie (or Bob?) giving me the sweet eye and playing shy:

Wedding Photography

Good friends Ashley and Dave - I'm so happy for them! I just love the way he looks at her...and love the way her veil falls down her back.