Justine and Adam

Wow! We are really looking forward to Justine and Adam's August wedding! We met at R.H. Phillips Winery, where they will be married, and took some fun "engagement" shots. It was a rather blustery day, and we were afraid we would have to cancel, but, luckily, everyone was waiting for us when we arrived. We had the whole area to ourselves (no one else would have ventured out in the gale-force winds!) But look at the great photos we got! This is just a sampling! It was a lot of fun. While we were photographing out in the vineyards, all the parents were sitting at the picnic tables enjoying a bottle of wine and probably talking about their two great kids!
(don't you think that was what they were talking about?)

CIF Championship

CIF Championship
Originally uploaded by Todd & Barbara

Here is what I do during the off-season. Sort of. Actually, Cy does most of the recruiting and I just visit some of the local events and meet with the players when they come to Davis on visits. In this photo we are at Richmond CC following a few players and wondering why it is so cold! The day before it was over 100 in Davis and then 55 degrees in Richmond - 50 miles away. There are a few more photos from this event on flickr.

Mother's Day

(Todd took this shot with Davy's new Blackberry phone.)

I had such a fun Mother's day! Davy drove home from the bay area. He joined Todd and me for church in the morning, then later took us out for Mother's Day lunch at the restaurant of my choice. Not to be too normal, I chose Murder Burger (now named "Redrum" burger because the real name offended someone). We all had great big burgers and fries, and best of all, real milkshakes! That was fun. Then I watched a few episodes of Battlestar Gallactica while Todd and Davy went to Whole Earth Day on campus. When they returned, Davy made his famous Oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies. It was fun baking together, as we have done for so many years.
Then, in the evening, Michael called me from Boston to wish me a Happy Mother's day and to tell me all about his first night at his new job, Bar-tending! He had a very successful evening and mixed all the drinks just right...except for one little mistake, which no one seemed to notice. So all in all, it was a wonderful Mother's Day. Thanks, Boys!!! I love you!

The pups are 9 weeks old, 25 pounds!

Just try to catch these three boys holding still!




Oh dear! I am getting behind on my pup blogs! Here they are at 9 weeks--and that was last week! I can't imagine how big they are this week! The little girl pup has gone to a very good home. She was such a sweet little puppy. The three boys are also very dear. I can't wait to see them again.

Cpl. Chester Nez, 1st Original 29, 1942-1945

Albert Smith, Navajo Code Consultant for "Wind Talker"

Samuel Smith, 4th Marine Division

These men were doing the book-signing to earn money for education for their grandchildren and the other children of the Navajo Nation.

A thrill of a lifetime

While in New Mexico attending the PowWow, Connie and I took a break and drove down to Old Town, Albuquerque to go to dinner. We pulled into the only parking spot left on the street and right beside us was a table under a canopy with 14 of the Original Navajo Code Talkers! They were doing a book signing for the latest book out about their lives. We were so excited because they have always been heros to both Connie and me! We were enthralled with these beautiful Navajo men, who so graciously and patiently signed Connie's 40 books and my 3! We knelt down beside them and they told us their individual stories about WWII. Samuel Tsu told us about being the first one on Iwo Jima! He and his group of Marines were doing recon and were sent ahead of the troops..3 days ahead to scout the beaches for obstacles. They found no obstacles, but started getting fire from the Japanese. They dove into the ocean to try to get back to the submarine, but the current was too strong. The sub sent out a patrol boat, but it got shot down. A second boat was sent, but it had to turn back. Finally, they sent a speedboat with innertubes tied to ropes behind the boat. The Marines grabbed ahold of the innertubes and the boat sped back to the sub.
They even explained how they made the code. It was an awesome experience!!

to see more photos of the Code Talkers, go to: our Flickr page

The Gathering of Nations

Be sure to click on the pictures to get the full view!
One Little
Two Little
Three Little Indians

Once I landed in New Mexico, I was very happy to see my best friend from college, Connie.
We headed out Saturday morning to the University of New Mexico's "The Pit", the sports stadium, where we spent most of the day watching the dance competitions and shopping for beautiful jewelry and native crafts. It was very hard taking the kind of photos I had planned on taking because it was incredibly crowded wherever we walked. The stadium was packed and there was standing room only! It was the most colorful gathering I had ever seen! There were thousands of American Indians from all over the states. Competitions were going on all day. From the tiny tot's to the elders, there was dancing, drumming and singing and later in the evening the competition for the Miss American Indian title. We stayed as long as we could, but after 11:30 p.m., we decided that was all we could handle for the day. I don't think the Indians had even gotten to the Hoop Dancers yet! But, like Connie said, "we are on Indian time", so they probably kept performing all night long.
It was frustrating trying to photograph a single dancer because it was sooo crowded! If I had a chance at a good shot, someone would walk right in front of me. This happened over and over, so i finally just went up into the stands and watched from far away.

Do you want to see more pictures? click here to go to our Flickr page

Nate

My New Best Friends

On April 25, I, Barbara, headed off on a trip to visit my friend, Connie, in New Mexico. The flight involved having to take off and land twice to get to Abuquerque. Most of my friends know how terrified I am of flying, so here I go all by myself (I didn't have Todd's arm to squeeze on take-offs and landings). Well, God is good, and I ended up with the best seat-mates ever. Marcel and Jason.
We had so much fun talking and laughing, that I almost forgot I was on a plane! Well, Marcel and Jason, this blog is for you, because you two made me promise to sit by the window on my next flight. I didn't quite work up the courage on the next leg of the journey, so , to be honest, I sat back on the aisle. But you will see, I brought back proof of my "Baby Steps". And you will see the pictures here!
But, guys, I DID IT! From El Paso, to L.A. is where you see my picture I call "baby steps", and I sat in the middle seat. (both flights I had the row to myself!) I sat by the window from L.A. to Sacramento. I have to admit, after looking out the window and shooting lots of pictures of the clouds, etc, towards the end (landing in Sacramento), I looked straight down, and got so scared, I had to lean towards the middle seat and close my eyes and pretend I was on the aisle!