• Little Matthew and Family, Nantucket Portrait Session.

I took Matthew and his family to one of my very favorite portrait session locations, Steps Beach. The little cutie just wanted to go swimming. No one could blame him, it's finally gorgeous out here!

Enjoy!

• Katie + Danny's Wine Country Wedding.

Katie and Danny were married in Pleasanton, California at the Palm Event Center in the Mitchell Katz Winery. Their wedding was full of love and emotion. It was my honor and pleasure to be sent 3000 miles west to photograph their fun and fabulous event.

Venue and Caterer: Palm Event Center at the Mitchell Katz Winery, Pleasanton, CA
Katie's Gown: Yolanda's Bridal
Florist: Anne Mendenhall Flowers
Cake: Sue Faina Cakes
DJ: Amos Productions
Limo Service: Diablo Limo

Ceremony Guitarist: Eric Jarmie

• California Part 2, Yosemite.

Day 4, Yosemite. We checked in to our surprisingly comfy B&B in the middle of no where, the Yosemite Springs in Greeley Hills. Jim and his daughter Whitney were more than accommodating and resourceful. I highly recommend it. Just be sure not to listen to any stories about the surrounding areas or the home until the morning AFTER you spend the night there. Let's just say you won't sleep. At all. You've been warned.

Yosemite was as beautiful as I remember it. I hadn't been there in over 5 years when I hadn't taken any photographs. I obviously overcompensated on this trip. I can only describe the scope of the scenery like this : Envision the tallest, sheerest cliff, then imagine that you're an ant looking up at it. That comes close.

My friend, Gilroy portrait photographer Rosemary Rideout and her husband Bruce joined us. We made the hike up to Sentinel Dome, where the very famous Jeffrey Pine, that Ansel Adams photographed, once stood and now lays.

I even got a glimpse of my beloved snow covered Sierras in the distance.

The green in the valley was electric. This is straight out of camera.

The sunset was magical.

After a much needed good night's sleep, on Day 5 we took a walk with Jim around his property. There's some serious history in them hills, and other scarier stuff...

Next, we were off to the old mining/semi-ghost towns of Columbia and Murphys.

We stopped at the adorable Columbia Kate's Tearoom. I need one of these much closer to home.

Many windy roads later, and we were back to Oakland for our redeye to Boston. We had a great time and are already planning what's next.

Enjoy!

• California Part 1, San Francisco and Wine Country.

Last week I flew to California for a working vacation. I went out west for Katie and Danny's wedding in Pleasanton, and since my best friend was a guest, we made a girls trip of it. Kirian and I have been friends for %@ years, since junior high. ;) We've been all over Europe, to Mexico, Montreal, South America, the Caribbean, but never together! The closest we've ever come to traveling together is on a road trip from Denver to Boston, but that's not exactly the most exciting part of the country (no offense). Sure, she's come to visit me for snowboard trips in the various mountain towns I lived in. She's beached it with me on Nantucket. We've driven up to see the Dalai Lama in Buffalo. This was finally a girls only vaca, and we survived!

Wednesday, we flew into Oakland (yawn) and drove to San Francisco in a rented Ford Focus, which proved to be awesome on this trip.

We stayed at the foot of the crooked part of Lombard, in a gorgeous, old world style apartment hosted by our generous friend Suzanne. I've never been so scared as when I parked on her street, which was sickeningly steep. I was literally shaking, sure sign of a tourist.

I fell in love with San Fran immediately. I could never live in a city, (small fish, big pond syndrome) but I do appreciate a good one. It's now on my top 5 list, alongside Barcelona, Chicago, Portland and Paris. Day 1, we had lunch at La Boulange de Polk. Insane mimosas and the perfect Napoleon.

We spent the day touristing about a bit at the Golden Gate Park and Fisherman's Wharf.

I thought I was the only Zofia Roman, turns out this is the scientific name for Queen Palm. Awesome.

"I wish I were BIG."

Next, we went to the Mission District. Our friend Jon was throwing a roof-deck BBQ and hot tub party, where we met up with one of my former grooms, Nick. The view of downtown was amazing. Good times.

Day 2, we headed over the fogged in (surprise) Golden Gate Bridge, making a pit stop at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Sonoma and Napa were next, but we really needed a week or two to hit up all the vineyards we wanted. Instead, we hit up just two. Oops. The perfect oysters at the Domaine Chandon winery made up for it.

That evening, we finally made it to Pleasanton for Katie and Danny's pre-wedding meet and greet. Shopping, pampering and laying out by the pool were on the agenda the next day. The fabulous and fun wedding was Friday night. More on that later.

Enjoy!