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Taylor, her mom Mary, and I had a fantastic Senior Safari session this past Saturday morning.  I had such a great time with them!  Lucky for me, we met at the Austin Diner which is right next door to my apartment.  We decided to shoot around the Allendale neighborhood because it’s just So.Dang.Cute there.  (I’m a little biased, I love my neighborhood…so much flavor) 

I’ve been wanting to shoot at some of the places we ventured into for months now.  There’s this one road that never knew existed  until I started riding my bike. (That’s one of the great things about biking…new discoveries all the time!)   When I first saw the spot, with the yellow flowers, signs, & stripes,  red & white barracade & it’s very own train, all along a fairly quiet street (which makes laying down in the middle of it to shoot much easier & safer), I was so excited to bring a senior out there. 

We were also thrilled to come across a classic, bright red Thunderbird, just sitting patiently in the sun in an open parking lot, waiting for us to come along.  We quickly found Donnie, the proud owner, who let us have a go with it.  He’s trying to sell it, so if anyone is interested, just shoot me an email! 

Taylor, I can’t wait to show you the rest!  Here’s a few for now.  I would have had them up sooner if Photoshop hadn’t crashed on me when I was nearing the end.

Maari

My first bus stop of the day

Confession:  I’ve lived in Austin 20 years, and I’ve never rode the bus!  Not sure why, but it I never thought it was possible or easy enough.  

I’ve been mistaken!

Since I love a good challenge & I love change, I decided to attempt commuting to work via bus & bike.  Last week was my first week and every day, every single bus ride, is an adventure where I learn something new.  It’s terrific. 

I went into the experience pretty blind since I’ve never rode a bus in the States.  Figuring out the bus system in another country with unfamiliar cities, signs & languages is tricky.  But, it’s been equally eventful trying to do so here, in English!

The bus route map is just a little confusing

I’ve loved every minute of it!  I love that I get to sit down and relax for an hour or so, a couple of times a day).  It’s time to read or think or meditate.  It’s a time to people watch.  It’s a time to be outside & just sit & wait.  It forces you to loose control over every minute of your day….that is very refreshing for me!   It’s saves money & it’s good for the environment!  And, because the last stop is about 2-3 miles from work, I get to ride my bike every day…which is great since I sit behind a computer too much.  I highly recommend trying out Austin’s public transportation system!

Here’s a couple of things I’ve either learned the hard way or just observed this first week that will hopefully be useful to future commuters….

1. There’s actually a right & a wrong way to put a bike on the front stand.  Don’t do it the wrong way, or your bike will bounce off.

   

   It costs $.50 to ride. October prices goes up to $.75

2.  It might be obvious to some people, but apparently there’s a bell/string you are suppose to pull to let the bus driver know you need to get off.  It looks like a curtain hanger to me.  
3. Buses take quarters….& they don’t have change for bills.  Monthly bus passes can be bought for a mere 10 bucks and any neighborhood friendly HEB.  (definitely worth the investment)
4. Some buses are “express”  and buses don’t stop very often.
5. The majority of all drivers I’ve encountered are friendly.  I have so much more respect for them now after seeing a little piece of their day.  stopgostopgostopgostopgostopgo
6. There’s a lot of different ways to get from point A to point B.  
   

   Bus maps are available on the bus.

    

7. Sometimes it feels like you are stranded and they forgot about you….but, rest assured, they always come.
8. Bus stops are allll over the city.  I never really noticed them before.  They are quite convenient really.
9. Bus maps are available on the buses & at HEB
    
10. There are designated “transfer” stops & just the regular stops along the route. 
    

    Bus signs/stops are all over this city!

     

11. If a bus is stopped alongside the road, it doesn’t mean it’s not working or broken down.  They wait there for time to pass so they can stay on schedule.

Happy Commuting, everyone!

Maari

(Maari)  Lucy is one of my sweeeet little neighbors & yesterday she celebrated her 2 year old birthday!  I couldn’t resist not pulling out my camera….just look at this precious face!

Tricia is Lucy’s beautiful mother.  We LOVE having them as our neighbors!  Tricia knows ALL about tea.  SHe always bringing a pot of tea over to the neighbors apartments to share it with.  And if you are ever interested in having a tea party…you NEED to call her! (or email me & I will connect  you)

And then there’s Malcom! (Tricia’s son).  What a bundle of fun this CRAZY little guy is!  He poked his head in our door last week at 7:30am asking if he could have a lolipop. 

As Tricia would say, “This is what daddies are for!”  Bau is such a great father to Lucy.  I can’t wiat to learn some tasty Vietnamese recipes from him one day in exchange for some Photoshop lessons

And meet our other neighbor, Cali.  You might recognize her from a shoot I did several months ago.  Her curly red hair, rosy red lips & soft, light skin….and her sense of adventure….make her quite a catch

A classic Cali face:

My roomie, Becca, & little Lucy.

  … graceful floating fingers, chubby little toes, roles of baby soft skin,  unexpected looks of curiosity…these are just a few of the pleasures of getting to photograph a newborn baby.  Little Pepper, this gorgeous baby ballerina was all of this and more!  Photographing a brand new family is a privilege I never tire of as a photographer.  Each session is unique, as neither I nor mom and dad can anticipate what their 2 week old will do next!                                          Cindy

     Early Monday morning, before the temperatures of another heat index Austin day arrived, I met  this delightful family down at my favorite spot on Bull Creek.  Maximus is a fence-climbing, rock-skipping, running-for-the-sheer-fun-of-it kind of  guy … definitely the energy core of the group and a ball to photograph.   For me, discovering through the eyes of a 4 year old,  new things about a favorite place is always interesting.  Dressed in boots, relaxed jeans and ready to play, mom and dad came prepared to really enjoy a morning with Max – what a great family!                                                cindy

So I’ve found some spare minutes to work on some more of my images from the trip in Mexico, as you will see below.  I’ll post the rest on the new website whenever we get it out there!  coming soooooooon!

A dam outside of San Miguel de Allende

baths are nice

playful plaza life.

more playful plaza life.

Mexicans like to people watch, too.

They spend a lot of time just hanging out & with friends & strangers.  I appreciate this & wish I made more time for this in my life.

Why are doors such a popular thing to photograph when you travel?  I shot waaay too many doors on this trip.  I think it was because I get shy at times. 

toasted peanuts in a pepper can

Tania in the best little Tamale Place in San Miguel.  And where would we be without my favorite span-engl dictionary.  Electronic is DEFINITELY the way to go.

Taken standing in our backyard.  Can you imagine the color of the place during the day!

another shot from our crazy roadtrip.  or is that even a road?

Here a handful (or two or three) of some of my favorites.
More to come soon!

Maari

yours truly.  (trying to quickly learn cannon)

sleepy @ market day.

market day.

can you tell they are family?  oh, I love that smile!

Happy to have survived 5000 muddy potholes in the rental car.

Thrilled to be back on pavement again.  Oh, the long lost pavement!

shopping @ market day.

yummy  yogurt.

The 15 minute flood. I found refuge in a art store. This was take out the front door.

on the way home from school.

also on the way home from school.

Good Morning, beautiful.

just an itty bitty part of the 1.5 hours of fun. lost in Mexico.

hey neighbor!

Mexican wedding (this was not at all the wedding I was there to help shoot)

Wow, it’s been forever since I blogged the posters we do around here.  Last year I think we did about 20 of these and I didn’t post-a-one!  What can I say?  They kept me busssssy.  I will do better this year.  And, I’ll go ahead and add last years to our NEW website whose launch date is around the corner!!! (yippee)

We started early this year with the volleyball posters.  Each year it seems the girls are getting more and more excited about and creative with their themes, which usuall leads to killer posters. It’s some crazy & fun days with the different piled into our studio for these CRAZY sesssions.  Just imagine…10-40 players & their bags, dresses, uniforms, curling irons, balls, props, etc.  The music roars & laughter flies out the door.

Here’s the first 3.  Round Rock’s is on it’s way!

Another shoot where I got to meet & shoot her family as well as spend some quality time with her!   The shoot started at a whopping 8 AM (hey…that’s early for me) and they were FIFTEEN minutes early…and chipper, alert, and hilarious….all at 7:45am!! I was SO impressed with this group of eary risers.   Way to go guys!  It’s easy to tell that this family genuinely LIKE each other and enjoy spending time together!  They’re a pleasure to be around and a pleasure to photograph

Kayla is comfortable, confident & carefree.  She’s relaxed & always giggling   & a tree-climber at heart.