Goin' to the Chapel...

This is my last scheduled post until I return from Oregon around the 8th of September. MY DAUGHTER IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God truly blessed me with Autumn. She is the perfect daughter, always carrying herself with grace and dignity. She has her father's blue eyes and intelligence, and my mother's gracious personality. I thought I couldn't be prouder when she graduated Cum Laude from college in 2004. Now, I find myself marveling at her life choices and achievements, feeling incredibly proud, and happier than I could've imagined. She simply excels at everything she does. Jason is a warm, loving person and has fit in beautifully with our family. It's a beautiful thing, man.

Hope you enjoy these engagement photos from the talented Haley Lovett. Location is Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens in Portland.

See you all in a few weeks with lots of Portland/wedding photos to share!

A Joyous Vacajun

Autumn (my daughter) thought Jason said he was looking forward to their "vacajun" in Louisiana. She misheard him, but a new word was created and we love it!

Oh, y'all...I am drained. In a good way. The visit with my daughter and her fiance could not have been more perfect. This is what Autumn wrote on Twitter on the third day: "Amazing visit so far with @gailadixon. We saw a guitar god [Gregg Wright], found my wedding dress, kayaked and saw lots of family." 

Jason and Autumn both LOVED kayaking. My daughter kept saying she could see why we love it so much. And that was after paddling pretty close to an 8'-10' gator resting on a log.

Every moment was special. Bridal shopping was a priority, and by gosh, she said Yes to a Dress!

This dress was a contender. Of course I can't post the real dress just in case Jason decides to get nosy. :)

Here are snippets of the real thing. A deeply discounted Lazaro gown. She looks like a princess in it. When she stepped out of the dressing room I cried. 

After the kids left I had some problems getting my blood pressure under control. When one of the readings was 171/111 I admit I was a little scared. Double D wanted to at least call the doctor, but I am stubborn. I rested a lot and resumed taking my b/p pills and that is helping. I guess I had too much fun with the kids. 

Thanks for sticking with me. I promise to get to everyone's blogs today, though it might take a few days to get through them. I looked at my Feedly roll and y'all have been busy! Hope everyone has a great week.

Ennis

Ever since my daughter moved to Portland I've been lost. After she graduated college and subsequently moved back to Dallas, she and I spent many weekends together. We took up photography at the same time, though she got a Nikon and I went with Canon. We've been on many, many photography outings together, usually with our friend, Jay. One of our more memorable trips was traveling the bluebonnet trails in Ennis, Texas. These are some candid shots of Autumn and Jay trying to capture the perfect bluebonnet shot in April, 2009. As you can see, I still had a lot to learn, but the memories of these photos are the most important thing to me.

Just like her mama. On the ground, not afraid to get dirty.

The sky is blown, but I still like the composition of this photo.

Autumn, if you're reading this, I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip. I know you're happy in Oregon and that makes me happy. But I still miss you so much!!

 Linking to TexWisGirl's Good Fences meme. Thank you Tex!!

Tricolored Tuesday #1 and a Birthday Blessing

Thanks to TexWisGirl for helping me come up with a way to continue sharing my tricolored heron images. I present to you: Tricolored Tuesday, part one! Click here for the first post in case you missed it.

This post is scheduled to go live at 7:46AM in honor of my daughter's birth minute. She has been a blessing to me from the moment I knew of her existence. Below is a card I purchased for her this summer. Sadly, it got covered with a stack of papers and I never mailed it. So here it is, darling girl.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday. Thank you to the very generous hosts of this meme!

*Card reprinted from Blue Mountain Arts, purchased from Cracker Barrel store in Baton Rouge.

Rocking Sunset

On our second trip to Madisonville my sole purpose was to photograph the gulls, pelicans, and terns. Countless times I have gone out with my camera for a specific purpose and ended up with something completely different and unexpected. Being a "go with the flow" type person comes in handy in these situations.

We didn't plan to stay long this day, but as the sun lowered, we sensed something special on the horizon. It started off subtly and continued to build in intensity like a good rock song—think Stairway To Heaven. Pointing my lens in different directions at different times produced an array of results and displays of color. It was a magical afternoon for a photographer. I'll never forget this day as long as I live. My camera and current skill set don't do it justice.

This post is dedicated to my loving daughter, Autumn, who GOT ENGAGED LAST NIGHT! Her ring is stunning, but the best part is she has an amazing man that treats her like a queen. Congratulations my dear, sweet girl! You and Jason are perfect for one another. I can't wait to help plan your special day. Love with all my heart, Mom.

Linking to Weekend Reflections and Skywatch Friday.

A birthday blessing

Today is my daughter's special birthday, 31 on the 31st. She's the best daughter a mother could hope for: loving, bright, caring, humble, creative, forgiving, graceful, kind, and so much more. Autumn, you fill my heart with joy. I'm so proud to call you my daughter. And amazed that something so beautiful could come from me. May your dreams soar and your life be filled to the brim with blessings. I love you, darling girl.

Autumn's Coming!

I was thrilled to see so much color at LSU Lakes. Hope it lasts for my daughter's visit this week! I will be immersed in everything AUTUMN (and Jason, her boyfriend) from Wednesday through Monday. Autumn is my daughter's name, btw. Just wanted to clear that up. :)

In other news, I am so frustrated with my Canon 5D Mark II. While I love shooting with a high ISO and a full frame sensor that lets in a ton of light, what good does that do if the camera is so slow to focus or the focus is off completely? I googled, and unfortunately, these are known issues with this camera. I miss out on so many shots because Bertha can't get her act together. Yep, I named her Bertha. Just now.

Breathe, Gail, breathe. You could have worse problems. Oh, yeah, you do. :/ Bertha does manage to take nice landscape shots. But that's not what I love to shoot. I now have to decide whether to trade her in on the 7D which is more suited for the action shots I love or give Bertha more time. Sigh. Any ideas or suggestions?

Sharing with

Our World Tuesday

Sunday afternoon

My sweet friend went with me today to Hoo Shoo Too Rd. It was a beautiful day, much too gorgeous to remain indoors. She needed practice with Mabel (my old 50D) and I needed to spend time with my new baby, who has yet to be named. We've had a bit of wind lately and I was afraid that all the leaves might have blown away since my last visit. There were a few less leaves, yes, but the orange tones were deeper, making up for the loss. Come see what I mean.

Minimal editing, just a very, very slight increase in saturation and levels adjustment in PS, but that's pretty much it.
Not meant to brag, but the 5D Mark II has made editing so much easier.

Mabel and Michelle 

I couldn't decide on the color or b&w version, so you get both.
Personally, I prefer the b&w.

An old A&P sign tucked behind one of the campsites.
Chained up dobermans growled and barked while I quickly took this shot which I missed on the previous visit.
While I hate seeing any dog chained up, I was praying that these particular chains would hold.

I also missed this old houseboat last time. 

I kept coming back to this scene. I couldn't help it.

Meet Kevin. He was very pleased with his catch and happily posed for us.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. As for me, I've been feeling very drained, physically and mentally. I forced myself to decorate the house on Friday, finding a few things that were damaged during the move, and a favorite harp ornament that I broke while decorating the tree. Probably should have waited until I felt better. On Saturday, I shopped 'til I dropped, with a blister on my foot to prove it. We are now off to eat at our favorite restaurant, The Chimes, so I will be back later tonight to see what you all have been up to. Laissez les bon temp, rouler!

Sharing with Our World Tuesday