Milk Anyone?

Dairy friends, outside of Zierikzee. I've seen so many cow pictures, kitchens turned into cow theme, bathrooms, a dairy cow sofa? Even received a corporate invitation for a stampede party with cows on it and never understood the obsession - til now! I saw these guys during a bike ride and it was love at first sight! Don't know how it happened or why, it just was... They seem so innocent and gentle, and the wee bit of drool was not at all disturbing... enjoy!

Oktoberfest in Germany!

Ah, there is nothing like Germany. Having lived there for a couple of years, I feel familiar there, almost like going home in a sense. It was especially wonderful to visit a good friend Andrea, whom I might add is expecting!

Andrea invited a few friends over for a real "Oktoberfest" complete with decorations, of course bier, potatoes, Weissworst and honey mustard! My favourite!

Danke Andrea & Markus!

Friends & Family

As much as everyone dreads family pictures, they need be taken every now and again. Prime example is here with Sacha's Oma Baas. As we only visit every other year or so, we need to remind ourselves that it may be the last... which is a sad thought, but very real. This year I asked if everyone could get together for the van As family pic. One picture with everyone on it - for the family album. Here 4 generations are shown which not every family has the privilege. We made a nice day out of it by going out for Chinese food afterwards. Looking forward to next time!

The newest van As additons, Gideon 4 and Nathan 2. Super cute and glad we got to spend some time to get to know them - even just a little bit! :) Big sis Celine, below, contemplating modeling or traveling to New York for her Birthday??

Home in Holland - Zierikzee

As some of you may know, Sacha my husband is from Holland (aka my "European Import" as apparently, some women need to cross continents to find a good husband) :) Anyhow, every year or two we go back to visit family and friends. Sacha's hometown is one of the oldest villages in Holland, with it's gates dating back to about 900 AD receiving it's "city" rights in 1248. Now that's old! It's a beautiful place with a long history and proud, yet friendly people. Here's a few pics from around Zierikzee.

Maggie & Jane - the Sister Session

Who could say no to these two super sweet, super cute, little girls! A friend asked for their yearly portrait session and I almost didn't recognize them. How much they've grown in a year! Blonde curls, big brown eyes. We mixed it up this time and took it out of the studio and into the playground. Sacha, my husband, played the part of the second shooter as I didn't want to miss a thing, and they are so fast! Running around, happy faces - it was a great day!

Engagement Session

Someone is getting Married!

A colleague of mine from work asked if I could take some family pics and then a few extra special pictures of her and her fiancee as they were planning a Christmas wedding. Of course! I needed some "real" people to try out my new camera on, and what better than a great looking couple on a beautiful fall day. The leaves were colourful and changing and she had selected a great location by a waterfall in a community park. Our only challenge was the sun was setting quickly, and we had to work fast near the end - but looks to me like they were happy with it! :)

Wishing you two all the best!

Floresta Ridge Portrait Session

Floresta Ridge, the name of my sister's playground east of the city,is a beautiful spot with a heritage home, lots of trees, a couple of rolling hills, a stream, and a few resident cats. It's not a surprise that the family likes to spend their spare time out there. This year's family shoot was destined to be with their new friends, Cinnamon and Maggie, out in the corral. The girls wore matching denim dresses, and personally, I found the little ponies actually liked being the centre of attention and allowed me to capture a few great shots.

A little bit of fun in wheel barrow just to mix things up a bit, and then of course I had to convert the pics to sepia to give that old-time, farm like feeling.