Yearly Archives: 2011

Around 3 pm I got up from my computer to take a quick break from editing and think about a little mid afternoon snack.  Moseyed out into the kitchen to open all the drawers in the pantry and stand in front of the fridge for a while, just to close it and walk away with no snack.  As I walked away I thought it was very odd that the light in the refrigerator had been off but naturally assumed it was Brett’s fault.  Walked into our room to find my computer along with every piece of electronic equipment void of power.  Thanks to Facebook and Twitter we quickly found out that everyone in San Diego was without power.

The greatest thing about the power outage was that in the afternoon families were out in the front yard together. Neighbors were hanging out and chatting, Families were out on bike rides. Brett was out front working on our new scooters when the power went out and a few neighbors came by, brought beer, and offered to help. Normally it would have just been us out there alone!  There was a great feel of camaraderie in the community. Folks were walking to the homes of the elderly to see if they needed anything, and the mood was generally great.  Once night fell we cooked an amazing dinner via hand lit gas stove and outdoor BBQ, eating things that would have perished in the fridge. Cheese and crackers for appetizers, with sides of fruit. Then began dinner, a lone New York strip and Rib eye that we had been seasoning in the fridge for a later date. No time like the present I suppose.  Sides consisted of our favorite five grain mix from Trader Joes, Asparagus that would have gone bad and green beans sautéed with Shallots, a little butter and some agave nectar. All by candlelight and headlamps.  Once we finished our feast with friends, Brett took off into the night with a camera and tripod in hand.  First stop was Kate Sessions park.  There he found droves of people laying in the grass on blankets, motorhomes with generators buzzing as people lounged and watched for the lights to come back on. However, because of the dew it was not ideal for pictures so he moved on to downtown to see the city in the dark under an almost full moon.  Taking a few shots there he continued on to Coronado Island to catch a view from the other side.  It was a magnificent sight and one not soon to be forgotten. Once safely home Brett reflected on the evenings events and came to the conclusion we should plan one of these once a month just to get people out of their houses and away from their tv’s.  There is a whole missed community in California and its time to get to know your neighbors again.

We meet again!  Jeff and Kelsey met one night 4 years ago while partying with mutual friends.  They shared a cab ride home with Kelsey sitting on Jeff’s lap.  She thought, at the time, that Jeff was cute.  It ended with that and they both went about their live. One night, three years later, Jeff and Kelsey met again when their friends gathered in 2010 for a New Year’s soiree.  Again at the end of the night Jeff ad Kelsey piled into a cab with all of their friends and headed home.  Kelsey a second time ended up sitting on Jeff’s lap in the cab and she still thought he was cute.  Jeff at this point had also taken a shine to Kelsey.

After their second chance meeting Jeff decided that this time he would not let Kelsey go so easily. For the first three weeks Jeff called Kelsey every night in the hopes they could hang out.  At the same time, Kelsey was looking for ways to get together with him. When Valentine’s Day came around, Jeff showed up with a huge bouquet of red roses and a charming card for Kelsey.  His hand written card told her how much he enjoyed all they time the spent together and that she always made him smile.  What a romantic!

After that they found new things to do each week, building their friendship and falling in love.  He took her to ball games and concerts.  They would ride bike together around Houston and go to see movies.  Jeff made a point of remembering the things Kelsey liked so that when they went to sushi restaurants he knew exactly what to order for her.  Their first trip together in July  was to Kelsey’s home state of Mississippi to meet her family.  She took him to the Casinos on the gulf in Biloxi.  The trip only made clearer their feelings for each other and they decided in August to get married.  Both are looking forward to their new and wonderful life together.

Gruene Texas engagement shootGruene Texas engagement shoot old barn

We LOVE old cameras and our Polaroid is no exception.  A few months back we came across a couple of old Polaroid land cameras.  I did a little research and discovered some film that would still work in them.  Then it was Brett’s job to McGyver the vintage cameras back into working order.   Some Googling, inspecting, battery cleaning and 30 miles of driving for film later we had a working camera.  The focus and the cropping are not particularly accurate but that’s just part of the fun.  We dragged our Polaroid around San Fran with us and had a blast.  There are lots of actions and brushes and fun Photoshop effects to create Polaroids digitally,  theses are not photoshop digital creations.  We shot them, stood around for a minute and half watching our clocks as the polaroid developed  before pealing it apart and hoping for the correct exposure. We look forward to posting more of our Polaroids. Enjoy!

Alamo Square.

The view from Tank Park.