News flash!

The Burlington Free Press has been keeping me very busy lately. I thought it would be fun to share some highlights from recent assignments.

Let me know if you have a favorite!

The father-daughter Valentine’s Day Dance in South Burlington was too sweet for words!



A large group of folks with disabilities met up for an adaptive ski clinic at the Catamount Outdoor Family Center recently. Most of them had never cross-country skied before and everyone seemed to enjoy the challenge. Click here to read about it.

When I’m 88 years old I would like to be healthy enough to be teaching yoga classes. Carol is my hero! You can read about her here.




In Vermont we specialize in winter sports, so here is a small collection from various assignments from the Cochran’s Ski Area and Catamount Outdoor Family Center.





I was photographing the Williston recreation 3rd and 4th grader’s basketball league and they were so awesome. I kind of forgot how little they were until I captured the coach tying the shoes of one of his players. Bright red Converse high-tops nonetheless.

For the cover of the weekend section I was sent out to photograph some ice skaters. How cool it was to find a toddler with her dad and a few minutes later capture her skating on her own for the very first time.


The Essex children’s choir performed in the chapel at St. Michael’s College and their voices were so beautiful it gave me goose bumps.


Would you jump into 32 degree water for a good cause? Hundreds of crazy people in Burlington don costumes and swimsuits each year to participate in the Penguin Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics. It is an absolute blast to watch, but I was chilly enough laying on the ice snapping photographs without needing to experience that type of torture.





And finally, the funniest assignment I have ever covered...

A group of brave individuals went under the hypnotic spell of Marko the Magician in front of an auditorium packed with an appreciative audience. I wouldn’t have believed it to be true unless I witnessed it for myself. It was so funny that at times I couldn’t hold my camera still due to the giggles!
My neighbor, Kathy, thinks she is playing her favorite instrument for martians.
This woman thinks she is her favorite zoo animal. I'm guessing it's a monkey.

SNOW DAY!!

While most people in the country were getting flowers and chocolates for Valentine’s Day we received the biggest Vermont snowstorm in 24 hours…ever!

Over 30 inches of snow fell in our area and, boy oh boy, are we excited! The monster storm has been dubbed “The Valentine’s Day Blizzard”. The preoccupation has been removing snow from roads, driveways and sidewalks. Most people in our neighborhood still hadn’t been plowed out of their driveways until this morning. It’s been wild! The kids have had 3 snow days in a row and they are loving life!

This weekend’s agenda: SKIING!!

Here is our unplowed driveway on Thursday morning...
The snow piles were too big for the regular plows, so they had to bring in the heavy artillery...
Our mailbox...
Bayberry Lane is finally cleared...
Andy is the shoveling champion of the universe!
One for the records! Clockwise from top: Mia, Will, Max, Summer and Baxter by our 9 foot tall lane post.
Max runs up Bayberry Lane.
"Kip" and my pal Patty's legs...
Summer with her "BFF", Mia (best friend forever)
Jumping off the mountain of snow at the end of our lane. Wheeeee!...

Sweethearts!!

Leah and Peter will be married in the city of Burlington this August, so they decided it would be nice to meet up at Shelburne Farms for their engagement session. I found them inside the visitor’s center doing a little wine tasting. We could have just hung out in that warm cozy place sipping wine all afternoon, but there were a couple horses and a sleigh waiting outside for us and many sweet moments to be captured, so we braved the elements.

Leah and Peter couldn’t be more adorable and can’t wait to photograph their wedding…when it is warm outside!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!!
xoxo

Bowling for Bike Trails!

At the 4th annual Fellowship of the Wheel Bowling Fund Raiser, 130 fun-lovin’ folks filled 20 lanes and raised nearly $2400 at Yankee Lanes in Colchester to benefit local trail networks for mountain bikers and other non-motorized trail enthusiasts.
I was photographing for the local daily, but when my duties were done, my friends from Local Motion made me swap my camera for a ball for a few turns. I don’t think I’ll be signing up for any bowling leagues because I am REALLY bad; however, it was a total blast!






Bowling extraordinaire, Karin Ward, was our daughter's awesome 1st grade teacher!

Tracey Campbell Pearson

I just photographed February’s featured home for the Burlington Free Press and I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with one of my very favorite children’s book authors and illustrators, Tracey Campbell Pearson. She is truly as nice as she is talented and by the end of the afternoon I felt like a good old friend.

If you have some spare time I definitely recommend spending some time looking around her super fun website! I love the Q & A section. Tracey told me the questions came from kids she visited in schools.

I made fast friends with Tracey’s giant Bernese mountain dog, “Dylan”. He is named after Bob Dylan and has his very own book called Hector the Protector.

Tracey in her sunny studio...
Dylan hangs out in Tracey's studio...
a few illustrations from Dylan's book...