Givin' Away Money - Wheeeee!

FREE MONEY--sort of. Tonight I'm thrilled and honored to help give away a total of $20,000 to a variety of charities who provide services in the fight against breast cancer.

My dear friend Karen started a non-profit organization called "Focused on a Cure" (yep, you guessed it, Karen is a photographer, hence the name) a couple of years ago and I've been able to contribute in a small way by helping to photograph their major fund raising event each year. It's always great fun, and raises a lot of money for the cause.

This year I was asked to serve on the committee that reviews the requests for funding by various organizations. What an eye-opener! I have never been involved in the world of non-profit grants, and it's much more involved than I imagined. Tough but rewarding, through this process the committee decided how to distribute the $20,000 that Focused on a Cure has raised. Tonight the recipients will gather for a small reception and receive their checks.

One thing I'm sure of, it's going to be a wonderful evening.

If you know a cancer survivor, or an active fighter...give him or her a hug. Special people, that's what they are, very special indeed.

Taste of the Town - Hospice Fundraiser

Headin' out to enjoy the Taste of the Town event at Showplace in High Point. Great food, huge silent auction (I've donated a $400 gift certificate) and beautiful surroundings. This is a wonderful fundraiser for Hospice, and they provide such a compassionate service to families in their greatest need. I'm honored to help them out!

Bestest Buddies

Every little boy needs a dog during his childhood, don't you think? It's the perfect friend, one who will love you, protect you, teach you how to stick your tongue out. Yep, the perfect friend.

If you've been around me much, you already know how much I love photographing babies. And you might know that as far as I'm concerned dogs are just children with four legs, and of course they are always welcome here at the studio. But even at that, I'll have to admit, when we got ready to for this part of the session, I wasn't sure how it was going to go.

You see, Cora's an active dog, and a big active dog at that. I had no idea how she was going to act when we put little Alfred up next to her. Well, she showed me a thing or two. She was amazing! Completely docile and sweet. What a great pup. Looks like the start of a great friendship.

Photo of the Day - July 31, 2010 - Mast General Store

The beautiful Mast General Store in Valle Crucis-built in 1883, and still in operation today. If you haven't been, you outta. They're bound to have something you need.

Photo of the Day - July 30, 2010 - Watch Your Step

Sometimes you just have to laugh. The carefully painted words on this flight of stairs warns "Watch your step, it hurts to get hurt." Just too funny!

Photo of the Day - July 29, 2010 - Let's Go For a Ride

Back to the bike shop--summertime and bikes just go together.

Photo of the Day - July 28, 2010 - Window Shopping

If you live in High Point, you're gonna recognize this. It's is the front window of Bicycle Toy and Hobby on Main St. at night. I always love driving by there at night and seeing all the bikes on display. And I don't even ride!

I took a little creative liberty with the colors--to add a little drama. http://www.bicycletoyandhobby.com/