Christmas Snow in Florida ?!?

Our family spent last week visiting my Mom and Step-Dad in sunny Florida. They live in Naples, but their yacht, the Grand Fromage, is in Ft. Lauderdale, so we spent a day cruising along the canals there. Mom said they call Ft. Lauderdale the Venice of Florida and it was really fun peeking into these fabulous backyards along the waterways. We were all cracking up about the elaborate Christmas scenes with snow made from piles of cottony stuff.

My parents are about to embark on a very cool boat trip called America’s Great Loop, which is the continuous waterway that circumnavigates the eastern portion of North America — along the Atlantic Seaboard, across the Great Lakes, through the inland rivers, and around the Gulf of Mexico. Amazingly enough, they will be hanging out in Lake Champlain, right here in Vermont. That will be tres cool!

Enjoy some of my fav photos from our fun trip:


Andy and Summer bagging rays on the bow

Summer, Mom and Baxter being "bow babes"

Captain Robert!

Shrek and friends get in the spirit of the holiday

Andy and Baxter

Ahoy Mom!

Summer gobbles up Harry Potter 4

My sweet girl

My sweet and silly boy

Baxter called Ft. Lauderdale "Iguana-ville"

Loading up one of the scooters for the trip. They are named Curds & Whey. How cute is that?

The Grand Fromage master stateroom suite is sweet

Captain Robert and Mom

Me and Mom in our funky tops

Mom and Robert's pool--I am wicked jealous!

Winter Wonderland

The music, the lights, the sweets, and the anticipation of the big day are all extremely exciting around our household recently. And the questions about Santa have been overwhelming too. It’s a full time job trying to answer those. Questions like: “What about the kids who don’t celebrate Christmas, do they feel left out if Santa doesn’t visit them?” I’ll tell you what, I was never that smart! A few days ago, the kids were arguing about something and after trying all other methods of making peace I warned, “I have Santa’s number and I’m not afraid to use it.” We all ended up getting a good giggle over that one.

We will be visiting family in Florida until just before Christmas, so I might not get a chance to post again til after Christmas. I hope you are safe and warm and surrounded with love and laughter through the holidays!

Peace and Joy!


Baxter and Summer play a Christmas duet on Grandma Abbie's beautiful grand piano that arrived recently from Tucson.


Summer gives Lucky a little love
Lucky has had enough love now :-)
Is that the happiest snowflake ever?
Baxter finishes up his homework so he can get back to playing.
Here is one of three advent calendars the kids are working on to count down the days til Christmas Eve.
Summer shows me her "Mad Eye Moody" impression (we just finished up Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire)

Living Legend

Monte Zucker is a living legend in photography. His gift is in classical and beautiful portraiture and is an absolute master at posing his subjects. He is full of passion and has a great sense of humor, which makes him an incredible teacher. I watched him at WPPI in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and more recently near Boston and I left both classes wanting more. While my specialty is more photojournalist, I can certainly appreciate this more traditional art.

During the Boston class he tearfully announced that he has pancreatic cancer and his days on earth are numbered. I felt honored that he would share some of his precious time with all of us! I also knew that if I wanted to learn more, I’d better seize the moment. I signed up for the world’s coolest workshop in early February: a week cruising around the Caribbean with Monte instructing en route. There were only 10 spots and I nabbed one of them. He had posted on his website that this cruise would be one of things he looked forward to the most. I have been counting down the days.

Unfortunately, today I received word that Monte has had to cancel all of his plans indefinitely to focus on his treatments. Crushing news! So, think positive thoughts for this gem of a man! Monte continues to pass along his wisdom: we should all be thankful for our health and enjoy each day!

A Breath of Fresh Eyre

I met the Eyre family during the summer when I photographed their family and beautiful home for the Burlington Free Press special section called House & Home. I was immediately smitten with them. Melissa and I stayed in touch and I was honored when she asked if I would come back and photograph their family in the fall. My single most favorite part of being a photographer is meeting amazing people!

Enjoy some of my favorite images from our day together!