Happy Friday!!

It's Friday, my favorite day because it's the day Mark gets out of work at noon and heads home early! Now that summer is here (well...kind of...it's still pretty gray) we've been heading out for lunch and a wee cocktail to start the weekend off right! So we head down to Ocean Beach to try to get into South Beach Bar and Grille. Now this is no easy task...they have the best fish tacos in all of San Diego and a great selection of beer on tap! It's right at the end of Newport ~ the staff is always awesome and friendly ~ and I love to get in and get me my Mahi Tacos! That said, there's no waiting list and it's always packed which means you're pretty much out of luck if there are some enterprising peeps scouting tables and you're not up to task! Mark and I got lucky and grabbed a couple of stools at the back counter and counted the minutes until lunch arrived! Here is my pear cider and two mahi tacos...they were delicious! Look at all that white sauce! Love it!

While I'm mentioning OB eateries I have a few favs and Hodad's (ho-dads) is the best for burgers..but get a load of this line today! After lunch we headed next door to the Lighthouse ice cream shop for a little sweet ice cream! Blueberry Cheesecake for me...not sure what amazing Italian concoction Mark had but I loved my taste and thought it looked fantastic so here it is!!!

Last but not least, everyone likes sprinkles don't they?

Tomorrow I'm shooting Lorie and her family so I'll post more on Sunday ~ in the meantime ~ have a great weekend everyone! ~back to camera

Last Year it was Greece!

Sitting here in San Diego, with gray clouds surrounding the beach, I pulled out my journal from last year's trip Mark and I took. For four months we roamed through London, Paris, Italy, Greece and Egypt with our backpacks and my camera! It was an awesome experience and I highly suggest taking to the open road ~ it just changes you! This time last year, Mark and I were in Greece...Corfu to be exact. We had traveled over 24 hours, across Italy via 3 trains, a ferry from Bari and then another overnight ferry to Corfu, an island in western Greece. We found a campground and staked our tent for one week before finding Pelekas Beach on the other side of the island ~ or as we call it...Nirvana! I can't begin to explain how pristine the beaches were, or how charming our hosts, Ira and Themis, were at the Rolling Stone in Pelekas Beach. It was a dream! I mean really, we never wanted to leave! Pelekas Beach is an old hippie hangout from the 80's and as the Lonely Planet reviewer wrote "the only thing moving at the Rolling Stone are the windchimes!" We were one block away from the ocean ~ an amazing view from the outdoor patio area where everyone would sit and relax ~ pure bliss! We spent almost three weeks in Corfu (almost 2 of them at the Rolling Stone) and could have stayed longer. So my pictures for today are all from Corfu! Here is Mark at the beach: And this one is from Mark's little Sony camera as we walked down from the hill town of Pelekas Village back to our humble and charming room at the beach. I love this photo of the kitchen/bar area at night! Ah...Pelekas...we will never forget how you welcomed us weary travelers with open arms, our spirits replenished we set upon the road for two more months ~ hitting many Greek Islands and Egypt! Thank you for helping us recover from the crazy travels through 3 countries and more museums than I can count...you helped us get back on the road for more adventures!!! ~back to camera!

More From Ken and Betty

I'm loving going through Ken and Betty's photos! I wanted to add another one today because it's exactly what I wanted to shoot from the beginning! When I first spied the bamboo gardens I fell in love with the trees and the light ~ my head was spinning with all the options! Dianna and I came up with different locations that we would be shooting at that day and I got the Bamboo Gardens...I guess being quarter Japanese has something to do with my love of bamboo...but get this...my middle name is Midori ~ it means "green" in Japanese...so I'm pretty much thinking that I had to shoot the bamboo forest or die! Now back to the shoot....I like to have a loose shot list for the day ~ that's the creative planning side of me! I come up with a bunch of ideas, write them down so I remember ~ and then on the day of the photo shoot I go ahead and work them into the shoot. I'm all for spontaneity but I also like an outline! I had this visual of Ken and Betty standing in the middle of the bamboo but it just wasn't coming out right ~ I was fighting the light and the location wasn't cooperating ~ it just didn't feel right in the end ~ though I did get the ring shot I wanted with the trees and light working beautifully for me! Happily, Dianna moved them into the middle of the forest and I shot with my wide angle lens to get this amazing photo! Love love love it!!! This is why having a partner is so incredible!!! Well, I have an old friend in town so I need to head on out to Downtown and meet up with her! Cheers!

Ken and Betty

Ken and Betty are a fabulous couple getting married in July at Quail Gardens in Encinitas. Today Dianna and I shot their engagement photos and I've got to say ~ such a beautiful site and so much fun!!! We shot around the bamboo gardens and the walled gardens as well as other locations ~ there are so many beautiful places to choose from that time goes by quickly!! Too quickly! I've just started editing but wanted to get something up for you all. I love this shot ~ it was one of the first photos I took and I knew I captured something special I think it's easy to see the love they have for each other and am inspired! ~back to camera