Spring in Flagstaff ?

There is a sweet smell of rain here in Flagstaff that I adore. It is enveloping my office right now making it hard to focus and easy to drift into spring fever. The clouds outside look gloomy and the tempreture drops and then it fills the air with its sweet mix of dirt, pine, fresh leaves blooming and the moisture taking hold of our dry mountain desert air. Spring isn't a *given* here, you have to earn it. The weather tosses and turns thowing you snow and sun and freezing nights all through April, only to finally settle down into what I would now call spring. It's a time where I can finally turn the thermastat from "heat" to it's only other position, "off." We need not condition this crisp mountain air.

The point and shoot is back in business! Captions: Kaibee on a neighborhood snowy walk last Thursday, April 26, Kristina getting a serious shin dagger on yesterday's mtb ride (5 stiches--I don't go that fast). Oh and those close ups are photos of my trashed steel custom bike frame build by coconino cycles. I managed to drive my car with the roof rack on INTO the garage. Apparently everyone has done this once or twice... this will be my first and last. My new bike frame won't be ready for several long months so as a replacement, I'll be experiencing baptism by fire: AKA riding a single speed. Kristina has a single speed Surly frame she'll sell me. Can you hear the excitment in my voice about having one gear to ride all the trails with? One gear. This may not last long or I'll be pushing it uphill a lot.

Sharon & Van

Sharon and Van flew all the way from their home in Paris, France to get married on a the lovely hillside at L'Auberge de Sedona last weekend. It was windy late afternoon affair with an intimate and personal ceremony which included Sharon and Van exchanging their promises to one another. Margaret Van Damme coordinated this gorgeous event and Showstoppers transformed L'Auberge's ballroom. A 7-piece band put together by Artists in Rhythm whispered jazz tunes to the guests during dinner and kicked it up a noch and the guests danced the night away. The slideshow will post when Sharon and Van return from their honeymoon...

Grant & Melissa

What a mighty fine occasion it was...a Flagstaff wedding-- I get to shoot so few of these so it's always a pleasure to work with local couples. There isn't a prettier grassy knoll than the one behind the Elk's Lodge. View slideshow here.

Bisbee, Arizona

This past Friday Matt and I picked up Matt's mom Sarah, who flew in from Georgia to spend a week with us. We went on an adventure to Bisbee, an eclectic town south of Tucson, just a skip away from Mexico. Bisbee was a booming town of 20,000 back in 1910 with the Copper Queen Mine boosting all of the town's economy. Now it's a quaint weekend destination with a nice climate (it's sits at 4,780 ft) and great Antique shopping. There was a Bisbee local who had three animals trained to co-exhist together: a dog, a cat and a rat-- you have to see it to believe it. We ate at a great restaurant called Café Roka (with the woman singing in the window) and we stayed at an RV park called the Shady Dell, in the Spartan Mansion trailor. Shady Dell has restored vintage trailers from the 1950's. As you can see from the images, the trailers are outfitted with the original stoves, tv's and record players. Some are buses, some are yachts and all are distinct. We ate breakfast at Dot's Diner, a 1957 Valentine Diner, which is also on the property. I had the Bisbeeberry pie (to go) and it was delicious. I recommend this destination to anyone coming to Arizona

Save the Date

Rebeca, Ruthi and Ruben are 14. Myself and the Hays triplets have the same birthday: October 16th which will be a landmark year for all of us as I turn 30 and they turn 15. In a traditional Mexican right of passage ceremony/party, the girls will celebrate their 'Quinceañera' (15th birthday). They will throw a huge party and I will photograph it, just as I do weddings. More interesting info to come as I photograph the girls this summer and the event in October. I did a save the date postcard image for the girls yesterday at Heritage square. This one is my favorite because of Ruben's expression in the background.

Sudeck-Krum Wedding

Ah to have a wedding with perfect light. Every photographer's dream... which came true on March 3, 2007. Jacqui and Mark had a rather perfect event if I do say so myself. Jacqui waltzed down the aisle with the poise and presence of a greek goddess, her Chanel ensamble (hello jealousy) catching a bit of the breeze. Her lovely bridesmaids donned a chic flirty dress and watched as their best friend made a promise to an outstanding man. It was a joy to capture Jacqui's bubbly personality and Mark's secret smiling moments. Both bride and groom were glowing during the ceremony and exchanged vows they wrote themselves. As always, I had to hold back the tears while shooting and preparing these images for the slideshow. That's a sure sign that of a job well done. I finally snuck a taste of the legendary Mark-a-rita shortly before packing up. I have to report it was bold yet sweet, just like the two of you. I do love a wedding with a signature drink. My husband, Matt Clark, was the second shooter (he shot the white shoes in the grass AND the dancing image featured here--nice work, honey).