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    Fresh Powder is a marvelous thing.  Ask any skier, they'll tell you it's the stuff they all dream of!

    I say "they" because if you saw me ski, you'd see what I mean...  It's been 11 years of "beginner classes" and then some.

    But hey, I love my family, so I keep going!  One of these days I'll get it right yet!

     

    So, anyway, back to my fresh powder story... We get to Steamboat for our annual ski holiday, and there's NO powder, anywhere!!!  The grass is green, people are walking around in T-Shirts and we're thinking: Good thing there's a pool!  

     

    It's a little disappointing to go all that way, spend all that money and end up sitting at the pool all week, but hey, it's family time.  I won't complain (see second paragraph!)

    However, as we're getting dinner ready for 35 PEOPLE (!!!) we look outside and its snowing... it's not just snowing, it's SNOWING!  Falling by the FEET, not inches!  So I put on my skis - Jascha say they'll eventually expire for the lack of use, just like my golf clubs, but hey, maybe then I'll be able to trade them for a snowboard - and off I go!

     There's no way that I'll take my expensive professional camera on the hill, so I go with my little trusty iPhone and here's the shots.

    All skiers, prepare to drool...

     

    There were times my boots were completely buried in the snow!

     

    Here's the ski village shortly after.  On the bottom left you see grumpy pants, Sabrina (from the back), not impressed to have to walk in ski boots.

     

     

    That one day was the "funnest" day I've ever had skiing!  Thank you Hans Jr and kids for skiing with me and being so patient waiting for "Tante Patty".

     

    I really think that maybe I need to give up the two planks and just go for one... (ie Snowboard).  What do you think?  Is it waaaaay harder?

     Oh, and on getting stuck... One of the prices you pay for all this beautiful "fresh powder" is that you just can't drive on it!  So, because every trip needs a good story, we ended up spending 24 hours stuck in Laramie, WY, in quite the "horror flick" motel, until the roads opened up.  

     

    All in all though, great trip, awesome company, great family and friends and hey, FRESH POWDER! 

     


    Well, it just so happens that what happens in Vegas follows you home in digital form!  Then it gets posted on facebook and all over people's blogs, so you better behave!

    And I did, believe it or not.  I went to several classes, thoroughly enjoyed the tradeshow,  networked beyond belief and even got a little partying in here an there...  I still behaved myself though, believe it or not!

    It's actually the networking that makes this trip all that!  Imagine 13,000 of your closest photographer friends all in one place with the goal of sharing information and helping you better your practices while trying to sell you stuff!  It's a party waiting to happen!

    And my friends (Joel Ross & Tonya - who works with Joel, Trevor Brucki, Manny Sousa and Jeremy Dueck and his wife Heather - who absolutely loves geek talk!) joined me for this big Photography Adventure which made it even better.  On the very first day we all got a new little lens that should add an element of artsy fun to every event.  It's called a Lensbaby.   The Lensbaby is designed to have one sweet spot of focus while distorting and blurring the surrounding areas.  I had the very first lensbaby that came out - (1.0) but it was great to be able to try The Composer.  That's what I settled on in the end.

    One great Vegas afternoon, some us went out to do a test shoot and learn a thing or two... 

     Here are the shots.

     

     Joel:

     

     Here's the Vegas skyline from the MGM.

     Trevor

     That's me!  Joel took this shot.

     Planet Holliwood Hotel.

     

     Joel.

     

     Joel's hand.

     Joel getting ready for a jump.

     

    A very out of focus (I call it artsy) Joel jumping through the air.

     Joel with... I can't decide... Jazz hands?  or Monster hands?

     

     

     You almost felt like you were in Paris... The crepes here were out of this world!

     

     An evening shot through the palm trees with Caesar's Palace in the background.

     

     From the Venetian.

     

     Joel got this shot of me...

     Then he did this one of himself.

     I think Joel took this one too...

     The Three Amigos going down the escalator.  Tonya took this shot.

     Here's me and Tonya looking Metropolitan.

     More three amigos... Tonya, Trevor and Myself.

     

    Good times.  I'm definitely going again next year.  It's a fabulous event and a great chance to connect with friends.

     

    Stay tuned to see what changes happen around here!

     


     

     

     


    The time of the year is slowly approaching where I can hook you up with some stuff that isn't Wedding Photography, or Portrait Photography...  It's way too cold in Winnipeg for all that stuff, so even though we don't really stop photographing, we get a little break and get to finish albums, do print orders and post some images from my travels!

    So I thought I'd share some with you today and  announce the Grand Opening of my online Art Store. In it you'll be able to order some of my travel photography from Europe, Canada and the USA.

    Pre-register here and get U$10.00 off your order.  You'll also be notified when the Grand Opening actually happens.

    Click here!

     Anyhoo, here's some of our images from our recent trip to Arizona.  

    Our friend Matthew organized  a Desert Storm Hummer excursion to the Senora Desert, and though skeptical of these "tours", we went and were pleasantly suprised!  Steve was our guide and he was fun and super knowledgeable.  Warning: this tour is not for people who have frequent trips to the Chiropractor or serious back problems! This Hummer travelled over any terrain imaginable to man!

    Here's some images for you!

    Here's me looking dorky, and no this image will NOT be for sale!

    Our guide Steve surprised us with a Tarantula that was hiding in his Hummer the whole time.  Maybe that's why they warn you to only use closed toe shoes on the tour.

     

    Roberto had to try holding it too!  Tarantulas are actually not poisonous.  Their sting hurts like a bee sting, but it won't kill ya!  STILL, no thanks!

     

     This here is a Tomatillo (some kind of desert tomato):

    And then the Saguaros!  They are hundreds of years old!  They have to be at least 85 years old to sprout their first arm, so you can just imagine how old this guy is!  They are the most protected cacti in the United States.  You can go to jail for harming one of these!

     

    Some more cacti:

     

     

     

    A couple of days after our friends left, we went to Sedona to spend the day... The drive was absolutely stunning!  It's amazing how as you get higher up in Altitude, the climate changes and so does the vegetation.  No more Saguaros and a lot of red dirt! I should say soil or clay or something eh?

    The sights in Sedona are very popular, and I'm sure you've seen these mountains on postcards before:

    I was just blown away at the Blue Skies everywhere. 

    Then just a little further North on the way to Oak Creek Canyon, you see this:

     

     

    Back in Sedona, we went to the Chapel on the Rock.  Yes, an actual church! Designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright student, Marguerite Brunswig Staude, the chapel was built in 1956 and rises 200 feet from the ground between two large red rock formations.

     

    Once you climb up there, this is what you see.  (oh, when I say climb I mean drive.  You didnt' think I was actually going to climb that, did you?)

    And this is the view of the Chapel from the top:

     

     The inside is magestic.

     

     

    And here is the most Photographed spot in the United States.  Cathedral Rock at Sunset.

     

    And here is me and my husband on holidays!!!  You won't see it very often, so enjoy!  Yes, I still look like a dork, but there was red dirt everywhere, you just coudn't wear your Jimmy Choos to this place!

     

    Hope you enjoyed it!

     

    Please comment!!