Mac Gyver

In a moment of crazy I ordered a Nikon D750 thinking that I would jump ship from Canon.  Yes, I lost my mind just a little bit.  I was so unhappy with the copy of my 5D MKiii that I just thought I'll sell it all and switch systems. Thankfully I have this adorable baby to test out the new equipment. I mean come on ... those baby blues! Perfect little round cheeks?! 

Well, after shooting for 30 minutes I decided the learning curve of the user interface would just frustrate me so I sent it back.  I was happy with the quality of images I got - no question it's a great camera, but it seemed (coming from Canon) that I had to do two to three things to get into menus I needed and could never figure out how to change AI focus when in the field with it. Canon 5D MK IV here I come. 

La Jolla

San Diego has become a bit of a second home for me in the last few years.  With friends that live there and a lot of work that has taken me to the west coast my love of this city has really grown. This last trip I was in La Jolla and really loved this area.  The beach really is becoming my photo muse. [ Leica DLux 109 SOOC ]

airplants

I love air plants but sadly have a black thumb. I figured that maybe I could keep one of these lovelies alive and found this wild gem at West Elm. Here's hoping! 

blue beauties

Ran over to the Chicago Botanic Garden to take in some fall goodness with the Morharts. I just had to snap some photos of their cute family. 

Vermont

In a continuing effort to visit states I've not been .. I added Vermont in August.  We flew into Burlington - hung out downtown had a great meal and some boutique shopping then it was a drive to Lake Champlain Island where we wandered through antique shops and along the rocky beaches. Day two took us through Montpelier - gorgeous capital building and downtown. Took a quick hike in Quechee Gorge and back to town for shipping and cheese tasting! Found a great sugar mill and learned about maple syrup, what it's like to tap 900 trees in knee high snow, found as many covered bridges as we could and spent a few bucks a Simon Pierce on some beautiful glass vases.

Then on to Woodstock staying at the amazing Woodstock Inn and taking in great food and shopping in downtown Woodstock. Absolutely adorable little town. Last stop was Stowe - probably my favorite of all.  I'm not a skier but I completely understand the draw to charming town and lovely lodges.  

Oh Lucy

My beautiful girl is getting old - 12 years old this year. She's still my lap cat. Has to be sitting on or next to me at all times. On a lazy Sunday morning these are the faces I get. How can you resist? 

wild horses

While we were chasing sunsets we came upon a pack of horses - they live on the land Emily's family owns, but belong to the neighbors on the adjacent farm. Emily said we could pet them and boy was she right.  Was an amazing experience! 

Reed Point

While we loved our time at the cabin, we did venture out to a couple of little towns nearby - the closest Reed Point population 96! The sign says it's 'the sheep drive capital of the world' .. funny thing I only saw one farm that had a few sheep.  Wonder if this title still rings true?  We grabbed a dink at the Waterhole Saloon and loved every second of it. to only were the people that worked at the Saloon friendly and curious about our girl group, so were some of the patrons. One guy even bought us a round of drinks to help us celebrate our reunion.  How damn sweet is that - you'd not find that here in Chicago. Even better, on our way out to explore the tiny town, the owners of the bar thanked our friend who lived in MT for bringing us in.  ❤️ Upon walking in you notice there are hundreds of coins stuck in the logs that line the bar - we asked what the deal was and the bartender handed us a hammer and a sharpie and said leave your mark! How fun is that? 

chasing sunsets

Montana?  Really? That was the typical response from everyone I told that I would be traveling to Big Sky Country.  I pretty much never go on vacations where I just sit in the same place and relax for multiple days.  I told the girls that I had to have at least one good photo op - so we went chasing the sunset on the four wheeler through pastures of sage.  By the end we were covered in dust, but found such beauty! 

Bozeman

First stop in Montana : Bozeman.  We absolutely loved this little town!  Felt very much like our college town - bit of a younger party vibe at night, lots of cute little shops to cruise during the day.  And we happened to be there for a huge sidewalk sale - spent the better part of the day just wandering up and down Main Street after a delicious breakfast at Stuffed (hello delicious crepes!). Stayed at The Lark Hotel and loved every single thing about it.  Beautifully designed - industrial modern. Hotel staff was so friendly and helpful - with our giant truck, coolers, luggage, directions, food recommendations, and beyond! Highly recommend a stay if you find yourself in beautiful Bozeman.