NOLA

Well, I have made it home safely from New Orleans and roughly a week later, I have fully recovered from the barrage of fried food, sweet concoctions and lack of sleep. What a city though. It was like being on a visual roller coaster; everywhere I turned, there were photo opps and rich, southern culture surrounding me.

Rachel's apartment, where we stayed, is located in a quaint neighborhood within walking distance to a coffee shop (thank god), convenience store, and several restaurants. Upon landing Friday night, we quickly dropped our bags and headed over to the Frenchmen area for some local cuisine (delicious fried mushrooms, gumbo- and of course, beer), followed by a few stops in the area's bars to check out the music scene, before heading back to crash and start fresh Saturday morning.

We spent our first morning strolling Magazine Street eating french pastries and window shopping. After that, it was over to the French Quarter. It was a sunny, fairly warm afternoon, so we sat outside at the Gumbo House for lunch (blackened redfish for me, cheeseburger po'boy for Matt and seafood gumbo for Rachel). The architecture of the French Quarter fascinated me- such vivid colors, ornate rod iron scroll work and huge walk-through windows to the famous balconies.

That night we dined at the pizza place near Rachel's house that served amazing food, as well as a to-die-for Ginger Lemonade cocktail. After that, it was back to the French Quarter to check out Bourbon Street. I don't know if I could have prepared myself for the madness that lives on this street. We grabbed Hurricanes at Pat O'Briens and took them to the street with us as we strolled and people watched, stopping in a few other places to grab a refill and dance to a few tunes. It wasn't long before we had our fill of Bourbon and headed back to the Frenchmen area to finish the night dancing to a fabulous, fun brass band.

Sunday was our last full day in NOLA (as I learned to call it). We slept late, waited nearly an hour for breakfast at The Ruby Slipper (which was totally worth the wait) and then headed to the open air market for some souvenir shopping. Later, we managed to make it to the cemetery just before to dark to see the large, ominous and intricate above ground tombs (we also just barely managed to sneak out as the guard was locking things up for the night). Sunday evening was casual po'boys at Dominilise's before hitting the hay for our early flight out the next day.

All in all, it was a whirlwind adventure like none I have I ever had.

This past Spring, I received a peeping box from the mailman with four tiny black ducklings inside. Each fit in the palm of my hand and were very close to being the cutest thing I have ever seen (second to my beautiful Lilah, of course). And even though they laid eyes on me first, it was Lilah that they imprinted to- following her around, peeping as she entered the room and protectively slept in front of their cage. Now, they live in the back yard and touch nose to beak through the fencing, or desperately waddle, try to keep up with her cantering around the yard when they escape.
Sadly, one afternoon this past fall, our one male duck simply disappeared, leaving behind his three ladies. They have been quieter since he left, not leaving the coop often. But it was this afternoon when I gave them their second scoop of feed, that I found it unusual for them to not even come out of their little house to peck a few bites. And as Matt opened up the roof, we saw why. Nestled in the straw, were three beautiful speckled eggs. When Matt reached in to pick them up, the girls stepped aside. And as he carried them over to show Lilah and I, that was when they sauntered down the ramp, ate a few bites and hopped in the pond, almost relieved.
I felt a little guilty however when we scrambled them up tonight. But they tasted delicious.

Bring it on

2010 was my busiest wedding season yet. I met so many amazing people and got to share in quite possibly the happiest day of their lives. It was also one the hardest years for my friends are family. We lost several remarkable people from this world and faced some major adversities. I, as a person and a photographer, have learned so much.
2011 is shaping up to be another busy year already. In addition to shooting another batch of weddings for some beautiful people, I will be fortunate to witness several dear friends of mine tie the knot- as a guest for once!
Bring it on, 2011, I know we can do better than 2010...