Happy Birthday Mom!

  Last time we talked I was just getting over a cold, we just finished a duathlon, we were prepping for engagement pictures, Carrie was just getting started with the aforementioned cold, Animal Kingdom had just won the derby and everyone was seemingly obsessed with the royal wedding.

  Our engagement session with Penny Sylvia was phenomenal. She is an amazing photographer, I am far from the naturally photogenic type. I don't have a "go to pose" that always works for me in every picture. I often look intoxicated when I'm not, I have an uncanny tendency to cross my eyes and give a faint tooth smile like I'm breaking wind when photographed so I was a little apprehensive about the engagement photo session. Penny shot Carrie and I primarily in two different locations, both locations each had a half dozen different environments, we had six different wardrobe changes and pretty much felt like a celebrity couple as people gawked, pointed and snapped away with their cell phones like we were Brad and Angelina strolling along the cobble alleyways of Venice. The first location is super secret squirrel, for Penny's sake, I just can't release it online, otherwise every weekend the place will be overrun by weekend warriors with their brand new digital rebel EOS DSLR who claim to be the next Ansel Adams.

  My profile picture on this blog is a photo of me in front of the Ballycarbery Castle in County Kerry, Ireland. Change the spelling and it's pretty ironic, really. When Carrie and I were trying to think of locations for our engagement pictures, I envisioned bright sunshine with rays and beams of light dancing through the lens into a photograph (clearly, Penny saw my vision and made that happen) with light winds blowing nature's otherwise invisible wind pattern onto tall blades of grass on lush green rolling hills... I was thinking of Ireland. The next best thing is over 3000 acres of hilly land that sits north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
   Marin Headlands played an active role in defending our country from foreign invaders from the 1890's well into the 1970's. I personally find irony in the fact that some of the most destructive missiles mankind ever created sat idle for so many years, only a stone's throw away from the most liberal city in the country, but I digress. Today, the military sites have all been decomissioned, while some of have been preserved for historical purposes, most have been thrown to the elements, fallen into disrepair and stand as a reminder of days gone by, surpassed by politics and technology. The masonry and stone at Battery Mendell was built before the first world war, it still stands, it has passed the test of time and it provided the gritty, palpable texture that was just right for some of our pictures.
   After a full day, exhausted by kissing, strolling and smiling together, Carrie, Penny and I enjoyed a glass of champagne in the bitter cold wind, but bright sun on Rodeo Beach. When all was said and done, Penny had roughly 2500 photographs. These four are just the teaser, I know Carrie and I both can't wait to see the rest in the near future.
 P.S. ...Yes, today is my Mom's birthday, so she get's a shameless happy birthday plug on the blog.