A Day Out With Grandpa

My kids and I took a drive up to Mansfield on Tuesday (1 1/2 hours NW of Toronto) to visit my Dad (their Grandpa). The big plan for the day was a visit to the Humber Springs Trout Club and Hatchery where Sue Tiffin and Arlene Ladds gave us a fantastic tour and let Grandpa and the kids catch a couple of trout to bring home. I was completely impressed by these two women who are so passionate about the land, the water, and the care of the fish themselves (avoiding certain chemicals and other less-than-ideal processes that other operations may commonly use to breed their fish). All in all, it was definitely a day to be stored away permanently in the good memory banks :-). Thanks for looking!

Niels netting a fish that Grandpa had caught for him...

Helping Arlene net some fish for Grandpa to take home to stock his pond...

All eyes transfixed on Arlene...

Grandpa's smaller trout ready for transport...

Finishing the day at their Uncle Niels' farm...

Lisa Kelly - Looks like you all had a wonderful day.

Sweet Siblings

These three kids provided for a very active and entertaining morning. I had previously photographed the two boys and was back again to photograph them again with their baby sister who will be turning 1 year in August. The boys were clearly proud to show off their sweet sister, who was so pleased with herself and giddy for much of the shoot. The kids showed me their many sides – a few of which I’m sharing below. Thanks so much for looking.

A more serious moment for this little peach...

Sharing a sweet thought...

... his strength of character shining through.

There is Somethin’ About…

… 3 year old little girls that is just so lovely. This gal was no exception. I could tell from the sparkle in her eye upon first meeting her that we were in for a great session. She ran the gamut from mischievous to serious which made for some sweet expressions. I have no doubt that the parents of this princess might end up having a tough time choosing their favorite images :-). Thanks for looking!

A beauty bathed in beautiful light...

Just me and my Flopsy...

Karen MEG - Gorgeous!!! I’m a biased auntie but still, you’ve captured her just beautifully.

‘He Might Be a Little Bit Shy’…

… or not! This little monkey was full of zip and enthusiasm. He was ready for anything, and soon after my arrival, he was ready to show me the ropes. We played inside and outside and stopped moving only for moments at a time. This young lad had personality to spare as this picture fully demonstrates. Thanks for the fun little man – and thanks to everyone else for looking!

Full of personality... and then some.

20 Things You May Not Know About Me :-)

Brandy Anderson, a fellow photographer out West in Calgary, wrote a blog post recently – mirroring US Weekly Magazine’s ’25 Things…’. She challenged other photographers to do the same. Thus – although many of my close friends and family are familiar with this list – I know many others are not. I was hard pressed to come up with 25. Thus, here is my list of 20 Things That You May Not Know About Me.

  1. I used to have serious crushes on Donny Osmond and Shaun Cassidy.
  2. I put ice cubes in my milk when I have cereal.
  3. I like to toast Stone Wheat Thins – in the toaster (and have forgotten them and burnt them to a crisp on occasion).
  4. In Grade 8, I would wear a ski hat in the middle of summer for a couple of hours each morning to straighten my curly hair.
  5. I have four tattoos.
  6. I was a little trouble maker in Grade 8 – vandalizing gardens, letting air out of car tires, stealing (and getting caught for it), and setting off the alarm at night at my elementary school (to wait for Garda Security to show up).
  7. I worked tuning up skis for one winter.
  8. I sent Michael Keaton a small piece of artwork (not done by me), as well as a photograph of myself (embarrassing but true) because I had a serious crush on him.
  9. I learned to drive around the age of 12 – an old Land Rover with standard shift – at our farm up North.
  10. During my many years working as a waitress, I had the opportunity to serve Don Johnson, Brian Dennehy, Richie Sambora, Kelly McGillis, and the dude who played ‘Victor’ on the Young and the Restless.
  11. I worked as a personal trainer for a rather eccentric young man – for an entire summer in Monaco, and lived in a condo overlooking the Mediterranean.
  12. I have the same thing for breakfast every day (except when traveling).
  13. I have read the Globe and Mail almost every morning since high school – even when traveling if possible.
  14. I used to have a cat name ‘Poo’.
  15. I was crushed to hear that Natasha Richardson had died, as I always thought of her and Liam Neeson as true loves.
  16. I put a pearl up my nose as a toddler, and was rushed to the hospital to have it removed.
  17. I have walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and gone to an after party for the movie Stealing Beauty with Liv Tyler, at Bernardo Bertolucci’s Villa.

    That's me - just before the red carpet...

  18. I am a TV Series addict – loved (or love) Six Feet Under, Sopranos, Dexter, Damages, Weeds, Californication, Lost (before it jumped the shark in Season 5), Gossip Girl (yup, I said it) – and am currently enjoying the first season of Alias with Jennifer Garner!
  19. I used to fly fish with my Dad when I was a youngster – and learned to make flies, and catch, clean and smoke fish.
  20. When I visited Japan with my father for a conference (him, not me) – I spoke French with a Japanese man that was there – because I couldn’t speak Japanese and he couldn’t speak English – but we could both speak French!
  21. (Bonus one!) – My friend and I, who were driving back from Washington, DC after moving her in down there – were driving back to Toronto in an empty cube van – and accidentally ended up taking a wrong turn – and through miscommunication ended up in the parking lot of CIA Headquarters – surrounded by multiple police cruisers and officers with their guns drawn.

Wow… that was exhausting! Hope someone out there finds this all mildly entertaining :-). Thanks for reading!

Brandy - These are AWESOME Jenny! I can’t believe all the cool things you’ve done!