Introducing two new Moosescape ventures. A wildlife gallery and a full service sign company. Moosescapes is a new wildlife gallery that has a combination of my images and my friend, Dans. Go check it out here: www.moosescapes.net. Below is a slideshow of photos from our homepage.
We have also started a full service sign company which is being operated out of my studio, 560 W. Broadway, in Idaho Falls. We can design and install any type of sign or window lettering for your business in Idaho Falls, Teton Valley and Jackon. If you know anyone that needs a sign, please have them give us a call.
Spring has arrived and I am slowly creeping out of hibernation. Me and all my huge brown Grizzly friends. Actually, I have been far from hibernating. I have had a very active fun winter. Thats right. I took on winter in Idaho and I enjoyed it! Don't give me any lip about how mild it was either, it was FREAKING COLD.
I started Cross Country Skiing. This was because my Aunt Cynthia says to me over Thanksgiving, "I have skis, I will ship them to you, a gift". Thanks! So I go rent a pair a couple of times, take on the tundra and wipe out enough to realize it's pretty fun. Then the UPS store wanted a zillion dollars to ship skis and before I know it, I own a brand new pair of XC skis. I made the most of them during March, skiing almost every weekend. As it started warming up and the snow got crusty you could really venture out and see signs of animals, carcasses and tracks oh my!
I am almost sad I wont be able to ski for a while, but it is replaced with hiking and bears. Ill take the trade.
I have also been cooking. Yes, you read that right. No, your computer doesn't have a virus. No, my blog has not been hacked. I have been cooking. Desserts! Pretty funny considering I don't have a sweet tooth. Here is one dessert I made on a challenge. Its a chocolate torte with ganache. I don't even know what that is, nor do I like chocolate, but I worked it out! I have had to buy a lot of kitchen ware. Martha and I are tight now. Besties.
My blog was down and out a while, but I got the technical issues resolved and we should not have a problem now. A lot of other things happened over the winter, like Melissa had her beautiful baby. Caleb. I will post all of his photos this week. I have also been getting busy with babies of my own. No, not MY OWN, but photographing the cuties in town. Simmer down now. I will post several of those sessions in the coming weeks.
I also moved outside of Idaho Falls to a town called Swan Valley. I love it!!! Its a little bit of a drive, but now I am closer to the Tetons and getting used to small town life. I will keep office hours of Mon-Thurs.
One thing I love about living a little further out is my birds. I have bird feeders everywhere and the birdies are right at home! So far I only have Pine Siskins, House Finch and Cassin Finch. I see lots of Mountain Bluebirds among others that are not bird feeder lovers but still beautiful. I also have big picture windows they like to run into. :( So far only one fatality and he is buried in the bird garden. Here is a photo of one who hit the window, but was quickly recovered. I snapped him before he gained his senses. This is a Cassins Finch.
Im also gardening. I know, you can't stand it. I used to be Blonde and Dangerous and now Im HGTV. Its sad. But we adapt to our surroundings, right? I have no Al Biernat's, give me my fresh veggies. It's too cold to plant yet, but I am working on raised beds. I am building three. Here is one that I still need to fix up and it's upside down. I am planting a massive amount of Dahlias in this one. And yes, I did say it's too cold to plant. I am screaming Spring, but we have not had our last freeze. We could possibly get snow this week despite the fact it was 70 today.
To sum it up, I LOVE IT HERE. I am having the time of my life, making great new friends and enjoying the great outdoors. I am staying and Kevin owes me a pair of Manolos. Who wouldn't spend a year in Idaho to get a pair of Manolos? A small price to pay. I may have traded my heels in for THESE, but I will still take THESE KJ.
Stogie loved the snow a little too much. Now that it has melted he hits the grass and just stares at me, not wanting to move. He could not get enough of the snow. I have never seen a dog hate grass so much. Goldie just loves to be outside. Sun, rain, snow, sleet, the dog would be outside 90% of the time if given the chance.
I love my bears. I often post Grizzly and Polar Bear photos and the Black bears get the shaft. Not from lack of love, more from lack of sight! This fall, the black bears have been out searching for and eating berries. Most of the sightings were quick and in the distance. A few times the last month, I was lucky enough to get close to these gorgeous guys for a photo op.
The first shot is my absolute favorite. This little cub spent over an hour climbing in the trees, exploring every little branch and then clung onto this limb for a nap. He hung there for an afternoon snooze and acted completely unaffected by the dozen of photographers gawking from the road.
This mama looks fat and healthy. The berries were so plentiful this year they seemed to have an all you can eat buffet.
This is one of the prettiest black bears I have seen. She is healthy, pretty and mama to one cute cub.
I have a lot more where these came from, next up are MOOSE!
Meet precious Macy. She was the happiest 9 month old I have had in a while. What a great age, no worries in the world. Her only duty was to sit, be cute and giggle, which she handled effortlessly. I love her, she is so happy!
I know I am behind on blogging...I promise to post some photos from fall in the Tetons this week. I had to show off little Macy first, can you blame me???
Laura sent me this photo tonight..from her visit to the Tetons. The dogs love to go camping, they go on many walks and Goldie growls at the Buffalo. She is so tough. I have been working in the studio lately, and will be posting some new sessions soon. My trailer... the color of the UNDEFEATED DALLAS COWBOYS! GO BOYS!
I am proud to show off the portraits of Isabella Desiree Hartley, one of my first Idaho Falls babies. I love newborns and this was my first Idaho Falls newborn! She did not disappoint, we had a great time with this precious little girl. Her parents, Natasha and Jeremy, were great to work with and I can't wait to see her through the next year.
A perfect little angel in the tutu... she really knocked it out of the park here, one shot and we had it.
Natasha reminded me of my Dallas moms. She came in with lots of ideas and open to different things to achieve
the best photos of her baby girl. It paid off, I think we captured this unique time between mother and child in a beautiful way. This is one of my favorite photos from the session.
I love this one too... two beautiful girls.
Jeremy does not stand a chance with this one! She will be giving him this look for years to come. Go ahead and pass over your credit cards now. Put them in the crib. Here, I think she had just peed on him. :)
Born early, Isabella is making up for being small FAST! A little gerber baby...
Thanks Natasha and Jeremy! You have a beautiful family started.
This past weekend I went home to Dallas for my best friends baby shower. It's probably too early to mention how she CHEATED and is having a baby without me. We had this grand scheme to have them at the same time, IF we both decided to have children. Well thanks for letting a sister know! Im sort of in between life plans right now, with picking up and moving across the country BY MYSELF. Should I start taking ads out for a baby daddy? In the Idaho Falls Post Register? I don't think that will go over well here.
The shower was great. It was beautiful! I wish I could have hosted it for her, but it was questionable if I would even be able to go. We played games, talked baby names, ate and spent a great afternoon with friends on a gorgeous Dallas day. It did make me homesick. There is no place like Dallas.
A lot of people tried to convince me to come home. Its comforting to know that people miss you, and I would love nothing more than to be with my friends everyday again. Newly single, Dallas would be a lot of fun. Maybe too much fun for a girl trying to get her business together. I am loving it here in Idaho. No one understands that, but at any given moment I can be in the middle of the park watching a moose walk through my campsite. I gave up Neiman Marcus to watch moose at sunrise!!!! I might need help. I do get extremely homesick and I spend a lot of nights alone talking to the dogs. I am happy with my decision and I am going to work very hard to make things work here. ALTHOUGH I miss my heels and dresses and eating out at the most fabulous places SO MUCH! My heels are very neglected.
My shopping has come to a sudden halt, but I have great friends who fill the void. My birthday present arrived from Dawna, and I LOVE it. Perfect for the wilderness. More apologies for the blackberry photography.
Fall is APPROACHING!!!! That means new TV and FOOOTBALLLLLLLLLLLL. Preseason people!!! It's PRESEASON! It does NOT MATTER! That is what I have to say about that. I can't even watch all the Cowboy games here which is a crime. I think this is OUR YEAR. Romo is stepping up this year and the Cowboys will go far. Just watch. If you get them on TV, which I don't. Please text me Sunday scores. :)
Fall TV... I am behind on Project Runway, one of the best shows on TV. I did catch up online which is not the same. I need to see the nutty diva behavior and hideous fabric ensembles on a big flat screen. I don't see anyone wonderful like letha loving Stella yet, but there are some characters on this season. I started the blog with a pregnancy post and I will end with one. A man designed this. He had visions of eggs and feathers and chicken thighs ( wtp?????) to celebrate pregnancy. This was his egg outfit. For the love of all pregnant women, help HIM. Maybe he is mad at his mother? As he was getting the boot, he said he still has a voice. I hope that voice tells him to NEVER DESIGN MATERNITY CLOTHING AGAIN! EVER! NEVER!
Heidi's insults in a german accent are priceless. "Its one thing to think outside of the box, another to miss it completely." OUCH! And Nina Garcia who doesn't need an accent. Her looks say it all. She is the queen of insultive expression.
I wonder if Fox kits have the same breath as puppies. PUPPY BREATH... ahhhhh... I did not get close enough to find out. Watching these guys run and play and nip... mama busy keeping track of all eight of them.. it was not easy. I could have watched this all day. When mom was out hunting, the babies would peek out and slowly work their way further into the real world.. but she was always close by keeping an eye on them.
I am posting these for Margie who sent me the coolest e-mail with a project she is working on. I hope I can blog about it soon!
What are the payoffs to staying at a campground with no electricity, running water or any luxury whatsoever? Well for one... you get to be close and personal with wonderful animals like these owl babies. I love these owlettes, I can't get enough. I was lucky enough to watch these two guys from when they first peaked out of their heart shaped tree nest, to when they were flying branch to branch.
At one point when they left the nest, they were pretty far apart... a couple of hundred yards maybe and the mom sat and watched one and the dad watched the other. When I woke the next morning, they were side by side on the same tree branch. This was amazing as they could barely fly. They just waddle over to another tree in the middle of the night. By now these guys are flying around and learning to hunt.
Another great reason to rough it: to watch your friends rough it. :) Here is Laura and the smore photo. This was an event. I don't see the allure with smores, maybe its the whole I don't like chocolate thing.
As a professional photographer, I am ashamed to admit that I took this with my Blackberry camera phone. It was after hours.
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