The Very Hungry Caterpillars

It's been a very long time since I have written a post and I don't want to wait until January and say that my New Year's resolution is to keep up with my blog. I am going to start now!

Even though this event was earlier this year, it was special and I thought I would share some pictures of my twin nephews' 1^st birthday party. My sister wanted to do a theme of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle since it is the boys' favorite book. I was very excited to help with the party and decided to bake a caterpillar cake. It was my first time using fondant and although the cake turned out cute, the fondant did not taste very good.



We decorated the walls with images from the book and my sister made a caterpillar out of paper lanterns which hung from the ceiling and brought delight to the kiddos.

When it came time for the birthday cake...the boys were a little hesitant and resistant. After a few pokes, pats and inspection, it was a hit.
All in all, it was a fun time with family and friends!

If you are interested in checking out what life is like with the twins, go check out Tristan's blog (twins' dad), and YouTube videos. Since he is also a musician with his band, Country Rockin' Rebels, his blog and YouTube videos are appropriately titled Rockstardaddydaycare.

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

Fog

I have a love/hate relationship with fog. I hate when fog affects my job as a flight attendant. If it is too foggy, at times we cannot take off. On the other hand, as a photographer, I love it! There is something magical and mystical about it.

My friend and I decided to go shooting early in the morning in the foothills.  We were keeping our fingers crossed that the area where we wanted to shoot had fog.  It did!  We hiked down to the river, set up our cameras and started taking pictures. I loved the way the water was flowing around the rocks and wanted to experiment with getting the "soft" effect combined with the feel of cold environment .  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.

Bottling Fine Wine

I have a few loves...amongst them are photography and wine.
I recently was lucky enough to help friends bottle wine at one of my favorite wineries, Mount Aukum Winery in Somerset, California. The winemaker, Michel Prod'hon, and the rest of the Mount Aukum Winery family are very hands-on and involved with the entire process from the grapes to the bottle.
They created completely new labels and it was cool to see wine bottled with these new designs.
If you have never had a chance to go wine tasting in El Dorado County, this coming weekend, January 28th and 29th, would be the perfect time to check out what the wineries have to offer.  There is an annual event going on called Bring out the Barrel and $35 covers both days at all of the participating wineries.  Be sure and stop by Mount Aukum Winery  where the views are breath-taking, the service is excellent and the wines are delicious!
Please be sure to check out more of my photography at www.DigitalWonderlandPhotography.com or like my page on Facebook.

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.

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.

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!