Baby chicks

Meet the girls....

These are our baby chicks.  At the time of this photo shoot they were about 4 days old and crazy cute!!

Ameraucana--This one is lighter with cleopatra eyeliner and will lay blue and green eggs

Ameraucana--a darker version that looks like a chipmunk from the back

A Buff Orpington-- will end up being kind of yellow/peachy color and will lay brown eggs

Another Buff Orpington--they look like the chicks you always imagine.  

A Black Australorp--a calm friendly Australian breed that will lay brown eggs.

Black Sex Link--This is our smallest girl.  She's going to lay brown eggs.

Plymouth Barred Rock--a friendly breed that will be a traditional black and white speckled hen.

Fall in Charlotte

Fall in the south is simply amazing.  I don't think I fully appreciated the idea of fall color until we moved here to Charlotte.  This is truly my favorite season!!!

At the farm

My family and I had the most amazing day at my friend's farm.  This is a new friend that I met at bible study (side note: if you haven't found a bible study you love really consider looking for one.  It's so neat to find fellow sisters-in-Christ!!!).  The very first day I met Miriam she shared about having chickens and graciously invited us to come and see her coop.  Have I mentioned that my son and I are building a coop ourselves?  Little did I realize what an amazing place Miriam calls home.  Here are just a few images from my visit with Miriam and her sweet husband, Bill....

Fall 2017

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Trumpet

Anyone that knows my boy knows his great love for the trumpet.  It's crazy how perfect music, this instrument and all the hard work of band suits him.  It's fun to see someone find their passion and get to work together with friends toward a common goal.  

Visitors in our neck of the woods

So today I'm stuck at home while my girly recovers from a surgery.   And what does a photographer due with some extra time on her hands.... she spends it on the floor snapping pics of the little guys that constantly visit the hummingbird feeders we have here in our yard.  Can you believe these cuties are readying themselves for their trip to South America?!?!?  This has been a really experiment with feeding the birds.  We've never used a hummingbird feeder before and we've had so much success this year I bought another one to add to the yard.

Did I mention I love fall?!?!?!

Here are just a few from the woods behind our house.  Seriously, I don't think there is a prettier time of the year!!

Fallin' for Fall

I think I might not be able to express how much I truly love the fall in Charlotte.  Being a native Southern Californian I really appreciate the dramatic change we get to see here each season, with fall being my hands-down favorite.  

The babies are growing!

These sweet little babies are growing so quickly.  My neighbor graciously allowed us to visit her deck this week and we saw these two cuties!  They are so cautious and really never venture out of one corner of the yard.  They did, however, venture out just enough for me to get them together.  The mother pops back every now and again to visit her babies.  Too cute!

Oh Dear, I mean deer

I happened upon this little wonder in my neighbor's yard today.  It was truly by accident.  I scared the poor thing as I was spraying my yard with a hose.  Just on the other side of the fence this teeny baby deer was curled up.  The water spray startled this little deer into a sprint across the yard. My son and I explored just a bit to find this little guy curled up behind a tree.  We left him alone so his mama would find him when she returns.  What a little miracle.

Mackinac Island

So, I'm finally getting to editing my pictures from beautiful Michigan.  I'm starting with one of my favorite spots on earth.... Mackinac Island.   This little magical island is only accessible by ferry in late spring, summer and early fall.  The rest of the year Lake Huron freezes over, making passage to the island available to few that are willing to drive across the ice.  When you arrive on the island you soon realize the charm of a world without motor vehicles with transportation options being limited to walking, bicycles or horse drawn carriages.  Here are a few of my favorites from our time on Mackinac Island...

The Grand Hotel from the romantic movie Somewhere In Time

Summer Swim

I've never been a big fan of summer.  It's too hot for far too long.  However, all that changed three years ago.  I love swim team.  And while I still hate the heat it means that the kids will be out swimming their hearts out.  Here's a few from this season...
To see some fun shots to some "over the top" music check out the slideshow at:  https://youtu.be/zwTZ8ioic8Y