You may have noticed the new look to the blog…well, it was designed to coordinate with my new website!  Take a peek by clicking on the image above and leave a comment to let me know what you think! Coming soon: video~

September 20 • October 20 • November 12

Do you need a little fill-in session for holiday gifts and cards and maybe even some current artworks for your home? Well, now is the time to book one of three mini session dates for the rest of 2010.

Here’s the scoop: Mini Sessions are $295, for 1-3 children only and last about 15-20 minutes. We will work on loction, all around the CityPlace studio, using beautiful, natural light. Each session includes one 8×12 portrait, an online slideshow gallery with at least 10 great images, and in-studio order session. All studio products are available for purchase a la carte, including holiday cards and card ornaments, prints, gallery wrap canvases, albums, and more.

We think you will LOVE our new round holiday greeting cards this year that become tree ornaments!

* Because of limited availability, sessions will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis.

Please email the studio with your preferred date and time to reserve your space. We look forward to seeing you!

I had the pleasure of working with the sweetest family and their feisty little newborn, Miss Paisley, last week just two days after returning from California. Paisley is lucky to have her sweet dog, Delphine, making sure all is well in the home too.  I hope I will get lots of visits from them soon…my new studio is just a few floors below, right at the street level of their building!

I’m ending the summer blog feature with a few images from the edge of San Francisco, at Fort Point and a cave near the Sutro Baths. I cannot tell you how cold it feels here by the Pacific…I was simply frozen with numb fingers gripping my point & shoot. We had a fantastic six weeks together as a family and the time flew by as it does each year. We have so many sweet memories…I can’t wait to look at all the images and create our 2010 summer album!

Goodbye, San Francisco. I will probably be longing for your winter-like summer in a few days…

I saw this altar at a Burmese restaurant after a wonderful lunch…how lovely is it? (Shot with the iPhone in some serious dark lighting.)

I’ll admit I was not super excited to go see the Giants; I am just not a  fan of sitting around watching sports for hours on end….*I* would rather be the one doing something! But, that said, watching the Giants play the Chicago Cubs was indeed a great day. I didn’t watch too much of the game but the people watching was spectacular! The stadium has lots of entertainment and probably about 300 concessions…everything from sushi to full-on bars with mixed drinks. (I would expect no less from SF). Our highlight was watching the Giants hit 3 home runs, one right out of the park and caught by a guy in a kayak in the bay. Check out my iPhone pic of all the kayakers waiting for balls to be hit out of the park~ The Giants won in a close game, right at the last minute. That was pretty cool too!

Delfina is one of the yummiest restaurants in San Francisco and now they have a restaurant that is all about their fabulously creative pizzas: Pizzeria Delfina! I could eat these fresh locally grown salads, thin crust pizettes every day. The fresh strawberry-basil soda was the best soda I have ever had….deeeeeelish~

(iPhone Pizza Cam)

We have been waiting for about 20 years to get a ride on this streetcar boat…seems it only comes out for special occasions and holidays in weather that deemed “just right”. We have caught a glimpse of it many times, but never were at the right spot at the right time. Well, today was the day. My boys all rode “the boat.” And, they rode it for free all the way from the Castro to Fisherman’s Warf, plus were given a free transfer by the kind driver. I was not there, but luckily my husband was in possession of the point & shoot cam. One day, my time will come…

More historic muni streetcars are here. They have quite a collection~

Visited some of my favorite places in San Francisco our first few days here:

Union Square, with it’s Heart’s of San Francisco sculptures

Samovar Tea Lounge in Yerba Buena Gardens is always a first stop for me. I love the “Ocean of Wisdom” blend, which was created for the Dali Lama. The cookie plate is also a perfect end to a light meal here.

I have always loved this Frank Lloyd Wright building at 140 Maiden Lane, which is said to be a model for the Guggenheim Museum and has been an art gallery ever since I can remember. The second image in this set is the ceiling of the Orpheum Theater, where we enjoyed seeing the fantastic musical, Wicked.

The Ferry Building is one of our favorite places to go for a variety of fresh, local, and beautiful foods. I also like the Food Emporium at the Westfield Center, which is right under the old dome of the old Emporium store…it is no typical food court though, Out the Door is here. Shopping in Union Square is always world class….I just loved this glass building with windows of wedding dresses. The SF MOMA is another absolute must-see.

We have arrived in our beloved San Francisco…it feels like home. (But really, really cold!) I may be neglecting the blog a bit since we only have two weeks here and lots to do and many friends to see. It’s just SO good to be here~

My hands literally froze while getting this shot of a lone windsurfer under the Golden Gate bridge; it was about 45 degrees with crazy wind. Not sure how that could be fun for someone…but wow, what a sight!