Luna Restaurant: Private Wine Cellar Tour

When my friend Rachelle and I lunched at the fabulous Luna Restaurant in Spokane, WA back in October, we were invited by the staff to take a private tour of their wine cellar. It was completely unexpected, but we delighted in the opportunity to see the work going on underneath the lovely decor of the dining room.

This is Dave, our knowledgeable guide, underlining the many varieties of wine that Luna serves.



The photo below is from a wall covered in corks depicting a wine bottle.
If I remember correctly, it was the handiwork of a manager with far too much time on their hands....and a shot of the beautiful Luna Restaurant. If you're wondering why it looks empty, it's because all the lunch diners have already left.
Love this whimsical display! It's the kind of thing my brain dreams of at night yet rarely designs in real life.

I love the decor. I'd love to own a home outfitted in Luna style.

Sweet Funkylicious

I love it when I happen upon a completely funky home interior. While this may not be the funkiest of funkies, I have to give it kudos for that sweet collection of real paintings hung all over the wall. Definitely the focal point. Who knew I would happen upon such a treasure of a room? All I wanted to find was the bathroom and yet I found so much more...

A walk in Nine Mile Falls

Brody the Golden Retriever, Nine Mile Falls, WA

Jeremy Camp: The Response Video

Ha! I posted a video a few days ago where we recorded singer Jeremy Camp wishing our friends a Happy Thanksgiving. Turns out those same friends went to his concert two days after we recorded the video and they got Jeremy to record a video for us. That's awesome. Too funny.


Jeremy Camp from Donald Hughes on Vimeo.

Portfolio Trip: Walking in Walla Walla

An impromtu portrait before we ventured out into beautiful Walla Walla, WA.


It was the perfect time of year (October) to be walking around Walla Walla. The leaves were in full color and the sun was bright. I felt like I was walking around the set of Anne of Green Gables. A completely gorgeous fall day.

Tyler

My nephew Tyler. If ever there was a good kid, this would be one of them. Well-behaved, intelligent and sweet as can be. He's got a good heart.

Jeremy Camp

Singer Jeremy Camp and I at DFW Airport

On our flight into DFW for Thanksgiving, Jeremy Camp and his band were on our plane sitting all over coach with the rest of us common folk. Jon stepped out of the airplane toilet closet only to come face to face with a very familiar looking man waiting for the next vacant bathroom. Taken aback, Jon stopped and stared the stranger down thinking, "Is that?..." before going back to his seat.

Meanwhile, I'm in the bathroom opposite with no idea that there's a SUPER STAR right there. As I'm headed back to our seats, there's Jon standing up next to his seat, looking down the aisle toward me. I get closer and he goes, "I think Jeremy Camp is on our plane."

"Nuh Uh. Where?!!" We're in the second row of coach and I start peering down at all the seats behind us, both of us still standing while tons of people stare back at us.

"I ran into him coming out of the bathroom," Jon said. "You'll see him. He's got the big muscles and everything. --There he is!"

We banter back and forth, all the while speaking in hushed tones, as this trendy looking guy comes down the aisle from the back of the plane.

"No it isn't!" I say, scrutinizing the guy's face.

"That's him, " Jon says.

"No it isn't." I maintain. His hair is darker than I remember and he's wearing glasses. Two things he didn't have the last time we saw him in concert. "That's not him," I say.

"Yes it is. That's him." Jon's totally confident now. Nodding his head.

"No it's not," I continue to say, but then the guy gets closer, "--OH! Maybe it IS him!" Suddenly, I'm sure of it, too. WHOA, I think to myself, THAT'S JEREMY CAMP!

As soon as the plane lands, we hurriedly get off and wait for him like a bunch of stalkers.

I must say. Jeremy Camp is so nice and genuine. He was about to get on his phone when we accosted him, but he stopped and took the time to talk and tell all about why he was in town and what he was up to for the next few days. Truly such a kind individual.

He and his band create music that is worshipful and from the heart. Jon and I were greatly impressed with his depth of character, but listening to his lyrics and his life story told us that already. It's a great thing, though, when you actually meet the person behind the music and find out that the genuine & kind person on stage and the person in real life are one and the same. Awesome.

The video below was Jon's idea. We have friends who are super-fans of Jeremy Camp, so we had him record a Thanksgiving message for them. Wasn't that sweet of Jon? What a thoughtful guy. I do wish I was in the video though...just for selfish reasons. But I'm happy I got a photo with him.

UPDATE: See the video response our friends got Jeremy to record for us after attending his concert 2 nights after we recorded the video above for them.

Porfolio Trip: "Daddy & Me"

The following photos were taken during a trip to eastern Washington to visit some friends:

The little munchkin on the swing.

No, that is not a wig. Yes, that is her real hair.

I love how their legs are following the same line.Tickles & Giggles

Little munchkin hand.

Portfolio Trip: "Mommy & Me"

My wonderful friend and accomplished artist, Rachelle Tiner, took me to this beautiful Japanese Garden back in October when the leaves were in full color. It was absolutely stunning. And the garden was free! I couldn't believe it. Such a nice garden and they let any 'ole person saunter in. Unbelievable.
Of course, with such a pretty place around us, I had to snap some pics:

Rachelle is such a natural in front of the camera. I just love photographing her!

Evangeline's a beautiful little baby girl. But, geez, look at her mother. I guess it's no surprise!

Look at these delicious boots Rachelle was sporting. Had to get a photo of those.

Evangeline's little boots were adorable, too!

Heidi + Ukulele

Love ukuleles. They're such happy instruments.

Styling Pasta: Round 2

Whole grain pasta with asparagus, zucchini, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Ever since I saw a cover this summer from Real Simple magazine featuring spaghetti on a red background, I've been on a semi-mission to learn how to style spaghetti. I say semi-mission because I only try my hand at styling spaghetti when I make it for dinner. And, pasta's not the easiest thing to style as far as I'm concerned, so I actually didn't attempt it until last month. Needless to say, my first attempt was...well, not so good. The above photo is my second attempt. I've got a ways to go before I figure out how to wrestle spaghetti, but the good news is that at least it looked a lot better than my first try. And, it tasted a heck of a lot better than the other spaghetti dish I made. ;)

Lone Tree

Beautimus.

Yesterday the weather wasn't just rainy, it was rainy, blustery and awful. Just miserable weather. The kind of weather you don't want to go out in.

But today. Well today was a new day. Surprisingly bright with sunlight--still cold--but sunny and wonderful. The kind of sunshine where everything looks good and happy, even this gnarled old tree.

The Ramer House

Ramer House, October 20, 2008, Walla Walla, WA

I've mentioned in the past that I'm a big fan of Joel Meyerowitz's work. His images are timeless and take me back to peaceful and idyllic times. It was 2004 when I had my first "Meyerowitz Experience" at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, TX. I was there for my photo professor's grand Artist's Talk regarding his exhibit Brent Phelps: Photographing the Lewis and Clark Trail. Unfortunately, I drove around too long trying to find a parking space and they ran out of seats and wouldn't allow any extra people in. So, alas, I never did get to hear him talk about his experiences photographing along the trail. What a stinker. But--the flip side is that while I was milling around the museum waiting for Brent to finish his talk, I happened upon a beautiful color photograph hanging among several other pieces on one of the smaller walls. The photograph was Hartwig House by a certain Joel Meyerowitz. I made a mental note to look him up when I got home. Hartwig House is a photo of a home interior looking down a hallway full of doors which ends with a screened door filled with shrubs beyond. It's hard to describe adequately, but this I do know: As I stood there with that photograph an inch from my nose, just a youth in my early twenties, absorbing the creamy colors of the print, I stepped into another time: calm, peaceful. I became part of that photograph, walking down that hallway, floating through that print. I know that sounds artsy and fanciful, but the experience was so incredible. Meyerowitz's Hartwig House changed the way I looked at photography. His books A Summer's Day and Cape Light changed the way I viewed the world and shaped the way I shot for the next couple of years.

Meyerowitz's work is way beyond the photo above, but as I stood in the Ramer home that day, I couldn't help but remember and be inspired all over again when I saw that hallway and those doors.

Judy's Place

I do believe I've found myself a new prop stylist: Judy Thompson. She has such a great sense of color and balance. Her home is deliciously Crate & Barrel-esque complete with closets full of linens, a fully stocked kitchen, a garden...and on and on and on. I was giddy with all her "props". They were so fun and scrumptious in detail, variety, texture...Oh! I loved it! Can't wait to work with her again. Thanks Judy!

Above: The cookies are from a new recipe I've been trying. Rosemary Shortbread Cookies. Sounds kinda weird but they're completely great. They taste best before they start to brown--but...pale cookies aren't always so good for photos. 'Course, I shouldn't have put them on a white plate... Ah well. Live and learn.

Applesauce

Jon made the best applesauce I've ever tasted. Like....ever. While I was out of town on my portfolio trip (of which I still need to post photos...arrgh), he decided to use up the rest of the apples we picked a few weeks back. I'm so proud of his fabulous applesauce-making skills: Boiling the apples and putting them through the, uh....an apple grinder thingy.

I hear it took a really long time, was quite cumbersome, and was the first and last time he'll ever make applesauce.

Well.
In that case, I will have to savor this last bowl and then lick it out when I'm finished.

Festive

I don't know about you, but I looove the Christmas season. It's not about gifts for me, that's for sure. I just love the colors, smells, lights, sparkles... all the desserts, all the ribbons! Oo la la! I freakin' LOVE ribbons. I'm a ribbon fanatic. Well, okay, maybe not a fanatic, but I can definitely spend at least an hour in the ribbon aisle. If you gave me an empty box wrapped with tons of fancy ribbon for Christmas, I'd be really stoked and excited. Ribbons are just so pretty. I recognize that they're totally unnecessary and entirely lavish...but if I could justify it, I'd have an entire closet full of ribbon.

Above: My friend Rachelle sent me these chewy and moist gingerbread cookies and I must say they are wickedly good!

Update: Apparently, these are "molasses sugar cookies" and not gingerbread cookies as I previously thought. That makes sense, actually, because they do have a different consistency than gingerbread cookies. ;)

Angel Hair Pasta

Our dinner last night: Angel hair pasta with garlic, parsley, capers and sun-dried tomatoes. Really good stuff.

Wow-o: October Leaves

Took this two days ago while on a walk. Gorgeous.

Portfolio Trip

Got back from my roadtrip yesterday. Traveled to Spokane and Walla Walla, WA to visit my fantastic friends, Travis and Rachelle, and meet Rachelle's family. Saw some beautiful fall foliage and had lots of fun. Drove approx 900 miles and took thousands of photos in 7 days. The shots included food, flowers, home interiors, landscapes, portraits and some funky artsy stuff mixed in. Just shooting, shooting, shooting, having fun and eating really well.

Here's a shot to get you started. This is from the fabulous Luna restaurant in Spokane, WA. I'll post more later.

The best crispy tofu with vegetables I've ever had.

Memories that double as dreams

My computer desktop tends to get cluttered with folders full of images. I was cleaning it all off and backing it up when I came across this photo I took of my friend, Vickie, this past May 08. She and I often go for walks, rambling about whatever comes to mind as we meander through the woods and dirt paths. I forgot I took this photo. Vickie and I love the sun and are transplants to the Northwest from much sunnier states. I remember the woods looked particulary enchanting that morning with the sunlight filtering through all the greenery. I'll have to amend this post sometime and post more "tree & sunlight" photos from this past summer. I really got on a sunny tree kick for a bit there, but I never posted those photos.

I often shoot as I go along in life and then the photos never get posted for anyone to see. Like Garry Winogrand, many of my photos may never be seen by anyone else but me. Not even my own immediate family sees all the photos I take. Kind of sad really.

Anyway, I like the feel of this photo. Something nostalgic and dreamy about it.

Worst Case Scenario

UPDATE: It turns out the UPS driver delivered my equipment to my neighbor two doors down. My neighbor showed up on my doorstep the morning after my gear was delivered holding an open box saying, "Sorry, I opened it. I thought it was my sales materials." As much as I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, I can't help but wonder. I mean, really. Does he get so many packages that he doesn't even look at the label to see whom it's addressed to? ...I dunno....It's a darn good thing I didn't order my dream camera worth the price of a good used car. Otherwise, that neighbor might've been tempted to gift himself with a new camera or make some cash selling it on eBay. Yikes.
----
1) Worst case scenario: You order some needed equipment for a shoot and it doesn't arrive on time.

2) Better yet: You order some needed equipment for a shoot and it arrives on time but gets delivered to somebody else.

3) Even better: You order some needed equipment for a shoot and it arrives on time but gets delivered to someone else and they pretend like they don't have it all the while they're gleefully playing with your couple hundred dollars worth of gear.

So the winner goes to #2 and the scary thought of #3 is playing in my head.

Great. Just great. I won't say the exact carrier of the package but let's just say they've been known to wear the color brown.

I ordered a couple things from B&H Photo (I highly recommend them. Fantastic business.) Not the biggest purchase ever. But hey, a few hundred bucks is still a few hundred bucks. And it's never fun to have money disappear.
Anyway, I ordered 4 different items to take along on a roadtrip to Eastern Washington tomorrow to photograph a couple of awesome home interiors/exteriors and also several tablescapes and food shots at the homes of an artist and an interior designer.

It was supposed to arrive at my doorstep today and, according to the tracking page online, it was delivered to a "Front Door." Well, that's great. Good. Wonderful. Now here's what I'd like to know: Who's front door was it delivered to?

It sure wasn't delivered to my front door.

Time will tell. I hope this all resolves itself tomorrow morning. The good news is that it's only a portfolio shoot to bulk up my portfolio and get some fresh work going, plus I only really needed one of the items I ordered. The other 3 items would've made the shoot easier but I wouldn't have suffered too badly without them. Ah well. I'll just have to regroup and make the most of what I have...and pray that there isn't some evil person out there playing with my hard earned money. If I'd have gotten someone's package, no matter how expensive, I would've returned it to them--that's the absolute truth.

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate with fresh whipped cream, cinnamon & red sugar sprinkles, and red hot cinnamon candies.

More Pizza

Yet another pizza picture. Been making a lot of pizza lately. If I had a last meal, pizza would be it. I love pizza. Well, I take that back. I'd have pizza and Pei Wei's Thai Dynamite. I love Pei Wei. I love pizza and Pei Wei.

Cuckoo for Coconuts

There's nothing like cold, fresh coconut. My parents picked these beauties up from the asian food store. Mom is a whiz at hacking these things open with a butcher knife. I LOVE these things. You just hack a hole in the top (easier said than done), insert a straw and drink away. That cold, fresh and sweet coconut juice is so indescribably wonderful. Praise God for the creation of coconuts. And then the meat of the coconut is such a treat afterwards...Oh, how I want one right now.
















Deee-lish...

Alette & Ian's Wedding

Was in Mississippi last weekend for a wedding. Just a quick snapshot as they were about to take off to the reception. One of my favorites. Top left corner bugs me. I dunno what that is. Part of the limo door? Anywho...just one of the reasons I'm not a wedding photographer! ;)

Anybody need a toothbrush and some paste?

My father.

He never ceases to crack me up with his antics. I was home this past week when he excitedly busted out a hard black suitcase full of dental fun and threw it on the bed. I repeat...a suitcase full. Too funny.

"Where'd you get all this?!!" I exclaimed.

"Albertsons! The store was closing. They were having a clearance!" He was so excited.

There are conflicting reports as to the exact amount he spent on all the toothbrushes and paste. He says he spent $75 while mom says the number changes each time he shares his treasure trove of dental supplies. Sometimes it's $100 sometimes less.

They were nice toothbrushes though. Not just a stick with bristles. They were actually the "fancy" technologically advanced ones with the rubber cups and rubber wavy lines going through the bristles and whatnot. They're the toothbrushes that I look at when I'm in the toothbrush aisle contemplating how well they brush and admiring them while also knowing that I'd never spend the extra money on a "fancy" stick toothbrush. Now the Sonicare ones...that's a different story.

All I know is, Dad is so silly when it comes to sales. There's, like, eight DVD players at the house because they were all on sale. So silly. Dad cracks me up.

I just shake my head and get a good laugh.

P.S. Love that funky flowery bedspread next to the crazy suitcase full of brushes and paste.

Dried Cranberries

So I went to Crate & Barrel for the first time in my life.
I know...what took me so long. Nevertheless, I have been exposed to the wonder that is Crate & Barrel...and I will never be the same. And though I wanted to, I didn't go into a buying frenzy. But I must say they have kitchen and tableware that I have not seen anywhere else. And then the furniture upstairs...Oh, if I had money to throw away I'd completely give myself over to the likes of Crate & Barrel furniture....so magnificent.

But instead, I managed to walk away with none other than this little white bowl and spoon. Pretty generic and nothing that screams, "I'm fabulous and I look like I came from Crate & Barrel!!" but I really think it's going to be a useful prop. ...funny how I buy things not for social gatherings and meals, but only as quiet models.

Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies

How yummy is this. I recently went prop shopping and whoo-whee am I ever having fun! I found this fabulous wood cutting board at Bed Bath & Beyond and the napkins were on clearance at Target. You know what I love more than pretty kitchen items?
Pretty kitchen items on clearance. WHOOOOO YEAHHH! I loooove me some clearance.