The Last Quarter

I'm not talking money here, but time. October through December was very busy. Some of those times I've talked about in previous posts.
October 1, 2011 - Eric, Cory, and Gayle head out for the Weber State vs Eastern Washington football game. It was nice to have Eric here for a week-end visit.

October 7-9 was our trip to the Colville National Forest, which is in a previous post.
October 15 - SVCC Field Trip, led by Jan Hannink. Jan leads a wonderful field trip every year in the fall. I look forward to these trips immensely, when we take a day trip and see places I've never been.

Let Me Out of Here!

Old Schoolhouse will be renovated

Photographer Larry Berreth 

Deserted 

These are only a few of many interesting pictures I took that day.
October 18 - Two photo shoots of infants. It was so much fun.

I purchased 5 yards of fabric and made a hammock-like swing to hold this little one.

She was so attentive and happy during her session. What an angel.

 I love this expression of surprise on big sister's face. You wouldn't know how windy it was if it were not for the pansys.

October 26 - Two photo shoots. Such a beautiful fall day it was! Everything was magic.

Ashley was so much fun to work with. You'll be seeing more of her on my website.
October 29th - This time it was my turn to be in front of the camera. My photographer friend, Ray Ward, took our pictures and let me edit as I desired. I've been a fan of Ray's photography and I owe a good share of my expertise to Ray's workshops and advice.

Nancy and Gayle

November 5th - Baby and Mom photoshoot (pictures posted previously)
November - 26th - Thanksgiving! Such gratitude I have for many things! Lisa, Hung, and the girls came for the week-end. It's been a couple of years since they've had a family portrait. The weather was cold, but they were good sports.

December 2-4 - The Nutcracker! I was asked to take some pictures for the Spokane Symphony's Facebook page. I won't put the pictures here because they are on my Facebook page as well. But a neat result came of a picture I took of Bridget in her soldier costume, which she wore while working during the shows. Bridget is also an artist, and every year she creates a new card for Christmas. This year she said she wasn't going to do one. But after seeing the picture I took of her on Facebook, she was inspired to create a card after all of herself dressed as a soldier in The Nutcracker!

December 2 - 8th, and 21 - I photographed the trees in the Davenport Hotel and Riverpark Square - Christmas Tree Elegance trees, that is. Also the brand new Spokane Symphony banners that adorn the streets surrounding Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.

This concert was completely sold out - Yeah!!!!

December 14th - a new baby boy is born into our family! I cannot wait to see him in three weeks!
December 25th - Christmas Day - quiet, peaceful. No pictures.
December 26th - And last, but not least, Gayle and I went on our annual eagle watch at Wolf Lodge Bay, and Beacon's Bay near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. I will post the pictures next time as the hour is late and I'm exhausted!

September 28-29 Musician Photoshoot

The end of September I was asked to take pictures of Spokane Symphony Orchestra musicians. These pictures will eventually be placed on the Spokane Symphony website in a section called "Meet The Musicians." Here are a few of them:

Chuck Karschney, French Horn

Allison Cregg, First Violin

Bruce Bodden, Principle Flute

Chris Cook, Trumpet

Lynne Feller-Marshall, Principle Bassoon

September 2011 - Silverwood

The Silverwood marketing director, whose name also happens to be Nancy, was super-nice when I asked if I could bring the Spokane Camera Club to Silverwood Theme Park in September. She agreed, and we had about 15 members who photographed on that hot summer-like day. I was very impressed with the landscaping, and variety of flowers in bloom when we visited in July, and hoped to still have some of that in September. Well, it had changed, of course. New flowers were in bloom...point is, no matter when you visit Silverwood, if you look for them, you are in for a floral display of blooms around every corner. It was nice to be able to spend as much time as I wanted to where I wanted to go. When you are with children, you are always racing to the next ride!   Here are a few of my  images that you might have missed had you not looked carefully:

Dahlias - I absolutely adore them. 

This is actually a fountain with water spilling over the edge.  

He was so cute with his stuffed banana pillow he must have won, eating sherbet of the same color.  

Not one bee but two! How could I get so lucky?

...Oops, and then there was one. 

October 2011 - A Trip to the Colville National Forest

In celebration of Gayle's birthday, we decided to go away for the week-end. Our first choice was Leavenworth, Washington, but didn't realize it was Octoberfest and we could not find lodging. Our second choice was Beaver Lodge Resort in the Colville National Forest. Never having been there, I had a picture in my mind of what it looked like based on the descriptions of a friend and co-worker of mine who has been going there for years, as well as Cory who has camped at the same place. The word "Resort" is a HUGE stretch of the imagination as it relates to this place. Even though we rented a cottage, it was more like glorified tent camping. There was no running water or bathroom. It did have a woodstove and a refrigerator. The place needed a good cleaning. We learned that most people who stay there do so to go four-wheeling in the surrounding mountains. Ok, we will not be going back there.

Lonely dock at Beaver Lake Resort
Most people were still slumbering when we arose to frost on the dock and fog above the lake. 

We went on several hikes and took a drive up a scenic highway. Off the highway we took a short hike up to a waterfall. The trip was worth it to see this.  

September 2011 - The Harvest

Gardening takes a lot of time. We grew a variety of tomatoes, yellow crookneck squash, zucchini squash, buttercup squash, butternut squash, carrots, green beans, beets, green pepper, and cucumber. We had a very strange cold wet spring and early summer and we wondered if we would be able to grow anything this year! But everything did grow and we enjoyed a very bountiful harvest. This picture was taken  in early June. I neglected to take pictures of the garden in September.

Nothing fancy to look at, it's amazing that a spot of ground can produce so much. This is one of three vegetable gardens.

Flowers from our Garden - Summer 2011

I love flowers. I love their fragrance, color, and design. I gained a greater appreciation for the flowers that I grew and the display they give that gladdens the heart. Here are a few from my garden(s).

Dakota's Baptism - August 6, 2011

We said good-bye to Jennie, Kevin, and girls. Time for them to get home and think about school starting. A few days later we visited Lisa, Dave, and the girls for the week-end as Dakota was going to be baptized as well as her cousin who is the same age.

Dakota was baptized by her father

Why is baptism important? It is the first step back to our Heavenly Father. It doesn't guarantee eternal life, because in and of itself it is not enough to be "saved". One must live a righteous life as our Savior taught. I am proud of Dakota and her decision to be baptized.