Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I have moved on to a new blog called Salt v. Sweet. Please, check it out!

Thanks for stopping by.

Pancakes and Changes

I know it's been quiet around here, but it hasn't been for lack of thought. I have been busy, busy putting together a wedding photography website for Stephen and myself, where I started blogging about wedding photography this week. I have known for a while that this blog isn't really what I want it to be. There has been no specific focus, just whatever it is I have shot--kids, food, places, the mundane. But, one thing that has come from this blogging experience is that I happened to try on a hat that I really enjoy-- food blogging!

It's funny to me that a little over two years out of school and my two main photography focuses, weddings and food, are types of photography I didn't even consider an option then. We definitely didn't discuss wedding photography in the journalism department, and when we had a guest food photographer I was mildly but not overly enthused. I knew I wouldn't be the kind of news photographer that my courses were preparing me for, but nothing else stuck in my mind as a possibility. I was told enough times in classes that hardly anyone kept a staff photographer anymore and that jobs were scarce. I figured I would just work and figure out what I wanted to do.

Through the discovery of blogs, starting with wedding blogs and creeping over to the infinite black hole that is food blogs, I found myself thinking, "I could do this." And then could turned into want. So, moving forward, you will find me in two blogging venues: at 43rd Ave. Photography on Mondays and at my new blog, to be titled Salt v. Sweet, on Wednesdays. Thank you to everyone who read this blog. And I hope you will join me at 43rd Ave. when the time comes for you, and at Salt v. Sweet when you get hungry. I'm working on the new blog now and hope to have it up by the end of this year, depending on how fast these months go, which is usually quite fast. I will let everyone know when the new blog is up! Thanks!

If you made it this far and still don't know what the pancakes have to do with anything, well, they don't. They are just strategically placed pictures to break up the text-heavy post. I'm just gonna be honest.

Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars

I bookmarked this recipe from Orangette a while back but for some reason always made something else instead. These things are delicious, way more delectable than they are attractive, and fairly easy to make. In fact, I made adjustments to the recipe according to what I had and what I like, ergo walnuts over pecans, and they were still fantastic. I had a nice dark chocolate bar on hand, so I used that and I didn't add all the honey that was called for because it sounded too sweet to my teeth. Whether you follow the recipe or use it as a jumping off point, I hardly think you would be disappointed.

I Don't Speak Freaky-Deaky Dutch

Never mind the odd austin powers reference, there's nothing either one of us can do about it now. We used the berries we picked to try out Always With Butter's blueberry dutch baby recipe, which I bookmarked a few months ago. Our pan was a little too small for the recipe, but while it did not turn out to be as attractive as hers, it still passed the taste test. I liked it with a little drizzle of good maple syrup as it's not as sweet as it looks. Glad we caught the last of the decent booberies.

Lovely Lake Michigan

If you have never been to Lake Michigan, pictures cannot do justice to how mighty this looks in person. I look at it and can't believe it's not ocean because that's the only thing I can compare it with. Vast is an understatement. This day was the windiest I have ever seen it there. The sand hurled at my exposed skin, pins and needles all over. I had so much sand in my hair days it was three days until I could scratch my head without feeling and hearing the tiny rocks. We had a glorious swim in the windy waves and picnicked on sandwiches, pumpkin and carrot bread and cheese with crackers. Then we stopped off at grocer's daughter for some delectable chocolate bars and truffles on our way home.

Got left behind hanging out with a monarch for a few minutes.

Searching for treasures.

I asked my grandma to pull over on the way home so I could get these two.

Walking Miss Daisy

My grandma is very devoted to taking the very best care of the pups and she takes them on walks through the woods daily. My grandma is in charge of driving, and Daisy is in charge of making sure everyone stays together and otherwise being the bossiest little dog possible.

Blueberrie Picking

My grandma casually mentioned that she had gone blueberry picking in an email and I instantly knew that was something I wanted to do on my trip. It was a very close call as the season was drawing to a close and many of the bushes at had been picked over, but we each picked a substantial amount of berries. As soon as we got to our designated rows, she took off. I seriously had to marco, polo her to figure out where the hell she was. I thought she was avoiding the inevitable photo opt, but she said she has some kind of food harvesting in her blood and just goes crazy-- I think it was both. Good thing I'm nimble enough myself.