The Old West

I recently took a walk back in time when I visited a property on the outskirts of Fiddletown, California.  The place is the Red Mule Ranch and the cowboy in charge is Ron Scofield.  As soon as I pulled into the drive, I saw a number of buildings that looked like they were from the late 1800s.  I knew I was going to get some good pictures.

	I spoke with Mr. Scofield and learned that he and his wife had moved to the property almost 40 years ago and at that time, it was bare land.  He himself constructed all of the buildings and the house on his property.  When he was asked about the horse-drawn carriages parked in a few of the buildings, I learned that he restores them and even makes wagon wheels.  He is truly a craftsman.
As I took pictures of him, it was so interesting just to hear him speak of his life.  Mr. Scofield also talked about an event that he has every summer called the Scofield's Cowboy Campfire. While dining on a chuck wagon dinner, one can listen to a band playing old west music and listen to cowboy poetry being recited.
	I was so intrigued by Mr. Scofield that when I returned home, I researched his name on the internet. I found out that not only is he a craftsman and a poet, but also an artist who works in mediums such as oil and pen and ink.
Here is a link to an article with a little more about Scofield's Red Mule Ranch.  I am definitely going to Scofield's Cowboy Campfire next year!

Please be sure to check out more of my photography at www.DigitalWonderlandPhotography.com or like my page on Facebook.

Introducing the Dog/Cat Tree!

I was sitting at my dining room table editing photos when I looked over at Pumpkin's cat tree and knew I had to grab my camera.  Moving very slowly and quietly, I made my way to my camera without drawing too much attention from the two cutest animals in the world!  Okay, maybe that is going overboard, but they are the two cutest animals to me.

My dog Sophie, often thinks she is a cat.  She jumps from the floor to the back of the couch where she will nap and lately has made her way to the cat tower.  At times, Pumpkin enjoys Sophie's company and did not seem to mind that Sophie was joining her on her tower.

Please be sure to check out more of my photography at www.DigitalWonderlandPhotography.com or like my page on Facebook.

Pumpkins, Apple Hill and Mio, oh my!

Fall is one of my favorite times of year and Apple Hill is one of my favorite places.  I recently had a chance to visit the area with family and friends and with it being Mio's first time going there, it was exciting.  I knew it would be a great time especially since she recently learned to walk and is enjoying discovering new things. 

She loved the pumpkin patch and tried her best to lift the biggest pumpkins.   It was only when she realized that they wouldn't budge that she would move onto the little ones.  In addition to the pumpkin patch, one of her favorite places was the petting zoo.  When the baby goat nibbled on her hand to take food, she showed delight with the most precious giggle.

Of course, with it being Halloween, we had to dress her up in her chicken costume.

Please be sure to check out more of my photography at www.DigitalWonderlandPhotography.com or like my page on Facebook.

Mio waiting...

Happiness is mommy returning home from her morning jog.

"What Would Molly Do?" -- (an unsolicited compliment by a fellow flight attendant)

This is not a post about photography but about excellent customer service.  Most people are quick to complain when they receive bad service, but what if someone provides excellent service?  Do you write a letter or note, tell their manager or boss, compliment the person or say anything at all?  I always make it a point to tell a manager and compliment the person who has helped me if he or she has given excellent service.  This is a story about one of my closest friends with whom I worked on a 3-day trip last week.

Her name is Molly, and she was recognized in the top 1% of Delta Airlines' employees for excellent customer service.  When she told me this some time ago, I wanted to know what her secret was.  She was constantly receiving customer comment cards or letters from passengers telling her what a great job she did.  She told me that among other things, she uses the passengers names and recognizes their status as premium passengers.  I started trying what she suggested and am always asking myself, "What Would Molly Do?".

So, back to our trip.  In over 11 years with Delta, I have never seen anyone go above and beyond like Molly did.  Actually, I don't know whether I have ever seen such service in any situation.  She was incredible!  She greeted every passenger with a smile, knew every passenger's name in first class and addressed them by name throughout the flight.  She was very sincere and had such positive energy that one could not help but smile.  At one point, during a boarding process, it was pouring rain and the overhead cover from the jetway did not quite reach the plane.  There was about a 24 inch gap and water was coming into the plane.  She stood next to the doorway with an umbrella keeping each passenger dry while she got wet.  

I definitely learned a lot from her during those three days and decided to try using her skills.  The more that I practiced, the better I got.  I actually memorized first class passengers names on almost every flight.  At the end of one of my flights, a passenger came up to me and told me that I did an excellent job.  He gave me five excellent service customer comment cards!  The reason that is such a huge deal to me is that the premium passengers only get five per year and he gave them all to me!

Especially during these financial times and not so positive news, it is so refreshing to see something positive.  Molly helped me remember one of the reasons why I wanted to become a flight attendant.  She really inspires me to be my best at my job even if it is only for a 45 minute flight.  I am so happy that I had the opportunity to fly with her.  Why not try the "Molly" attitude and see what happens?

Fall Colors in Hope Valley

I decided to take a drive up to Hope Valley to check out what remained of the fall color.  The weather was supposed to be around 70 degrees and it was a beautiful day.  I had a goal in mind and it was to find the "cabin" that many photographers have captured as the subject of their images. I know, it seems so cliché, but I just had to find it. 


It was such a beautiful drive the entire way.  As I turned off of highway 50 onto 89, I started seeing Aspens with their golden leaves dancing in the slight breeze.  I had to get out of my car just to feel the warmth of the sun and the fresh mountain air on my face.  The sky was different shades of blue with wisps of white clouds painted throughout.  I felt so at peace as I often do when I am in nature.  


As much as I wanted to stay in the spot I had found, I had to get back in the car to find that cabin.  I turned onto highway 88 and Hope Valley opened up.  There were a few trees that had already lost their leaves but what remained were clusters of vibrant yellow amongst the evergreens.  I got out and took a few shots but I had to move on.  I drove a few more miles and there it was...the cabin!  The sun raked across the scenery and brought a feeling of warmth to the landscape.  While I was photographing, I envisioned this in a sepia tone as well as color so I have included both.  Let me know what you think!


Please be sure to check out more of my photography at www.DigitalWonderlandPhotography.com or like my page on Facebook.

Fleet Week

I have always loved planes...airshows, fighter jets, vintage planes, anything that has to do with flying, so when my sister invited me to San Francisco for Fleet Week, I was totally excited! Not only did I get to see my family, I was going to see the Blue Angels in one of my favorite cities. My family was staying at Cavallo Point, a former military base known as Fort Baker which is located in Sausalito.

The views from Cavallo Point were incredible. The city was spread out before us just across the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge was off to our right. The Blue Angels played and danced gracefully above the water and I thought that it must be such a rush being able to pilot an F/A-18 Hornet.  It was such an incredible site watching them stay together as a unit, split off and then come back together...what precision!  Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a fighter pilot and imagined what it must feel like having power and control over such a beautiful piece of machinery.

I was talking about the show and my love of the Angels with a fellow crew member this week when he casually said that his father used to be Blue Angel #5 in the 90s for a couple of years. "Wait, what?" was my response, followed by "That is sooooo freaking awesome!"  I asked him about a billion questions after that. 

I know I will never pilot a fighter jet, but someday, I will have command of a small plane. Watching them makes me want to hurry and finish getting my private pilot's certificate!

Please be sure to check out more of my photography at www.DigitalWonderlandPhotography.com.

Double the Fun!

A couple of weeks ago, my sister Marie and brother-in-law Tristan wanted to attend a friend's wedding in San Francisco and needed babysitters for their 6 1/2 month old twin boys in San Diego.  My sister asked my mom and I if we could come down and we jumped right on it!  We love our little twins!  My dad also wanted to go so he could see these cutie pies.

My mom and I had helped out when the twins were born, but at that time, Marie and Tristan were home.  This was going to be different, we were on our own.  Now, I have always had an appreciation for how they handle taking care of their precious boys but my appreciation has gone to a whole new level!

Double diapers, barf, feedings, playtime, baths and tons of laundry.   I must have washed at least 8 loads of baby items and 100 bottles in just a 24-hour period!  The boys, Evan and Isaac, have two very different personalities and are not on the same schedule.  Evan is the night owl and wanted to hang out with me all night.  When they were finally down for a nap or bed, I would take the 5 minutes of opportunity that I had and wash the dishes or tidy up a bit.  Right on cue, one or both would wake up.  I now see why Marie doesn't have a chance to return phone calls or emails sometimes. With us taking care of them like this, I have a glimpse of what Tristan does on a daily basis and what Marie does when she gets home from work.  Tristan has a full-time job at home!

Of course, with Auntie Lisa being a photographer, you know there were tons of pictures!  If you are interested in checking out what life is like with the twins, go check out Tristan's blog and YouTube videos.   Since he is also a musician with his band, Country Rockin' Rebels, his blog and YouTube videos are appropriately titled Rockstardaddydaycare.

These two boys are so lucky to have wonderful parents and I am so happy to be a part of their lives!

Remembering September 11th

World Trade Center - 2000

World Trade Center Plaza 2000

View from a plane a few days after the attacks - September 2001

This date brings back fresh memories for me as I am sure it does for most of the world. It really hit close to home as I was living in New York and working as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. 

I had just called in sick on the night of the 10th and was sleeping in when I was awakened by a phone call to turn on the TV.  I was disoriented and thought I was watching a horror movie. What was happening? I couldn't grasp how or why someone could do this to us! I found out one of the flights was United Airlines flight 93. My mother is a flight attendant for United and has worked trips from the west coast to NY on a few occasions. Where was she? Was she working? I started panicking and called my mother. She didn't answer her phone. I then called my father who let me know that my mom was in Japan. My sister was in Ireland and tried for 8 hours to get through to the U.S. to find out if my mom and I were okay. The lines were jammed up for hours all over New York.

A few of my close friends came over and we just sat in silence while watching the television and the horrors that were shown. We could not stop the flowing of the tears. I wanted to help in some way...try to find survivors...do something...anything. The news reports just kept telling everyone to stay at home. One of my friends and neighbors at the time came over late in the evening and was covered in ash from head to toe. He worked at the WTC and had walked a lot of the way and across the Brooklyn Bridge. I was extremely happy that he had made it out okay.

The next day, I tried to go down to Manhattan but could only get as far as Greenwich Village. The Red Cross could not take any volunteers because there was no one to help. The sky was still filled with smoke. Everywhere I went, subways, walls, sidewalks, billboards, storefront windows, had missing posters and people begging for their loved ones to be found. The usually bustling city was quiet. Everyone was somber.

When I could finally get down to Ground Zero, it was such an eerie sight. I had been there many times, shopped in the WTC mall and eaten at the restaurant, Windows on the World. I had even video-taped the view from the restaurant out of the windows because you could see 5 states from up there. I had just been to the towers a few days prior.  Now, looking where the great towers once stood, were just skeletal remains. Twisted metal, broken glass, and piles of debris were all that were left. Windows in surrounding buildings were broken.  It was heart-wrenching and I had a difficult time trying to understand why someone would do this.

I went down to the site several times and on one occasion, had taken my camera. As I was taking pictures, a person behind me started talking about how disgusting I was to be taking pictures of Ground Zero. I ignored her and thought, this is history, this is my way of dealing with this tragedy.

Now, 10 years later, a beautiful memorial is opening at the site and a new building is in construction.  I am proud that we are rebuilding, but I will never forget September 11, 2001.

Purple People Eaters

"Annie" Playbill

Wow, it's so funny what one will run across when going through paperwork. Somehow, a piece of paper from my childhood got mixed in with current bills and magazines. I picked up the piece of paper and could not stop laughing as it brought back a flood of childhood memories. Why on earth was I "Annie"? I can't carry a tune at all. The Mathes sisters were the ones that could sing. I guess that is why we put the age as 7 and under for admission. (We wouldn't want any of the older kids or adults to suffer the pain of having to listen to me sing.)

When I was a little girl, my siblings and I lived on Keswick Way in Sacramento. We were in a club or several clubs with pretty much everyone on the block. We had homemade doughnut sales, haunted houses, roller-skating shows, plays and many other things to raise money. I can't remember exactly what we used our money for, probably something like candy or ice cream from the Thrifty's or Lucky's up the street. Back then, Thrifty's ice cream was only $.10 a scoop.

Ah, the gang...Melissa, Melanie, Cheryl, Angie, Marie, Amy and me. We had different names for our clubs, one of which was Purple People Eaters. I think that Melissa was the one that came up with that one. To this day, some 35 years later, I am still friends with all of the gals listed on this "playbill".

Good times, good times!

A New Start

Well, I have finally gotten up the courage to start a blog.  I have always been a little hesitant since I really wasn't comfortable with putting my thoughts out on the web.  I recently have been reading fellow photographers' blogs and came to realize that I really enjoy reading them so maybe people will enjoy mine as well.  Here goes...

There are many things that I enjoy in life but my top three are family, photography and travel.  I am at a point in my life where I am at my happiest that I have ever been.  Why shouldn't I be?  I am engaged to the love of my life, have a job as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and am based in NYC, have an incredible family and a photography business, Digital Wonderland Photography, in the Northern California region.

I have loved photography ever since I was a little girl, and have always had a camera around my neck.  This love goes hand in hand with my travels and family so stay tuned for adventures to come!