Skylaure

high school reunion

2011-10-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited about going home to California for my 30th high school reunion with Schyler! I can't believe it's been 30 years that I graduated from high school. I have so many fun memories with my friend Mara, my moped, and the B52's concert before they became a hit. can't wait to see everyone and show Schyler where I am from!

We got out of the fishbowl!

2011-08-15T15:31:00.001-04:00

Woo Hoo! It has so great being up at Fair Point Marina with Blue 30 and great friends, old and new. A couple of weeks ago the marina had it's annual Summer Bash and we were so excited to be there. I was beyond excited that my wedding was the night before and I could be a pirate and have fun with Schyler and everyone else. Here's a few photos I took of the party that was super fun. We LOVE being up there, and I love that I can just walk up to the boat and not row out to it in a dinghy.

And here is photo of us taken by Arline! I also included the photos of where the boat is now.

Blue 30's big splash!

2011-08-08T18:36:00.002-04:00

Finally, after all of Schyler's hard work, Blue 30 is in the water and on Lake Ontario snuggled in her own slip! Here's a peek at her "splash" with our very good friend Jon guiding her in. It was so exciting to see this finally happen, and to start enjoying the summer.

More photos of the first weekend at Fair Point Marina to come soon!

california fun | part one

2011-08-03T17:45:00.001-04:00

I just got back from taking Kinsey and Keefe to California for vacation. Being that this will be the last summer Kinsey will spend at home, I thought it was time to take a vacation and really show them where I am from.

We started in the Bay Area where I showed them where I grew up, where I went to school, and where I used to play as a child. I really do love San Mateo. It felt good to be back home, and it was so special to be with my kids. I really did have a wonderful childhood with all my friends from Susie, Lori, Bobby, Angie, Joe, Mara and countless others.

Here are a few photos from our second day. After we visited Palo Alto, we drove to Half Moon Bay and walked along Dunes Beach. A favorite high school hang out...

More to follow!

mamma's garden

2011-07-22T12:12:00.000-04:00

When Schyler and I bought our little house last March, I thought it would be nice to bring something of his childhood home to him. A few weeks ago, I stopped by Mamma's house and left a note for the new owners about possibly pulling some of the wild blackberry's and rhubard from the garden to give to Schyler as a surprise to plant in our own backyard. I was so happy when when Robyn called me back and loved the idea. So, a couple of weeks ago I spent the afternoon with Robyn and her daughter pulling the plants for Schyler. They love the house and Robyn's daughter has made the backyard her little wonderland complete with a teepee, birdhouses all over the place, and a new vegetable garden. The house is adorable and well loved by them.

We now have a little of Mamma's garden in ours. I love you Schyler.

blue 30 | a makeover

2011-07-17T08:44:00.000-04:00

On a warm spring day when I found Schyler under Blue 30 grinding all the old surface off the bottom, I asked him how much all this work he was doing would cost a customer if it was a client's boat. He stopped grinding, looked up, and simply told me through his mask "I would tell them to buy a new boat". Oh, I thought, and continued up the ladder to do my little part of sanding wood for new varnish. I was later stung by a wasp on my rear end for asking such a stupid question.

When Schyler starting working on Blue 30 back in April when we became the proud sole owners, I had absolutely NO IDEA the amount of work involved in giving her a facelift. He has been working endlessly almost every night after work, and every Sunday to get her ready for her big splash in Lake Ontario at Fairpoint Marina, her new home. Me, being the newbie at all of this, I simply thought we would just sand the bottom, fix what ever little holes we found and slap a new coat of paint on her. Please, just give me the dunce hat and send me to the corner. Schyler is amazing in all that he has done so far on her. Granted, she may still look a little rough to you in the photos, but she is beautiful to us.

Just a little list of what he has done so far:

Tore out the cockpit floor and replaced the rotting balsa wood. Re-glassed the floor.
Fixed the end of the keel that broke off a few years ago when Blue 30 broke loose from her mooring during a bad October storm.
Grinded the entire bottom to get off all the old tar so that we could paint the bottom.
Drilled holes into the keel once we realized it was leaking. :-( It took him several weeks to dry the keel out.
Re-glassed all the holes in the keel and a new one we found in the hull most likely from a lightning strike. That's a little scary.
Faired all the small imperfections with epoxy fairing.

This has been, and still is an overwhelming project, but it also has been very rewarding at the same time. Friends who stop by to say hello find some sort of tool in their hands to help out. The beer at the end is their reward. No "just watching" allowed. We even got Miller to sand!

Here are a few shots!

Left,cockpit floor without all the rotten balsa, Right, with new balsa sandwiched between seven layers of fiberglass mat

Here she is in the north bay. We are about to start sanding off the old waterline.

The first coat of epoxy primer.

The waterline all gone after 2 days, and now Schyler is taping the hull for the new waterline.

Pulling off the tape after the new waterline is done!

Yes, Miller sanding. He was allowed to have a beer while doing this. It kept him quiet

Schyler says I did a nice job on the teak cockpit coamings

More to come...

2004 | kinsey

2011-05-14T18:09:00.000-04:00

My personal mission the past several months has been to organize all of my personal photographs into one location. Going back to 2003 when I first went digital with my Nikon D100, I am amazed at how many photographs I have taken over the years. I’m also shocked at how many remain tucked away in folders either on my studio hard drives, laptop, or my G4 tower at home. They are all waiting to say hello again.

2004 brings me to a folder titled Shamrock B/W Series. Inside I find the series of studio light portraits I did with my children when I lived on Shamrock Road here in Skaneateles. Kinsey was only 12 when we took these, and now at 20 I still see these emotions in her.

Kinsey will be coming home next week after finishing her second year of college. I think I will try to convince her to do a second series of black and white photographs. I’m sure she’ll agree it’s time.

I love you McGrew, and I can’t wait to see that little beat up Saab come flying into the driveway.

newport | part three

2011-05-03T18:11:00.000-04:00

Just a little continuation of my graveyard stroll. What completed amazed me was this little abandoned church within the cemetery that is obviously abandoned and something out of a Tim Burton movie. What a perfect place for the wedding of his Corpse Bride! This is so up my alley!

my little nieces | sophie | part two

2011-05-03T17:28:00.000-04:00

And then there is Sophie. I'm not quite sure where to start with Miss Sophie other than to say that everytime I turned around, there she was. She also kept a keen eye on Keefe as well. I think she liked having us there. I cannot imagine what she would have done if Kinsey had been there too. I can't wait to see them again!!!

my little nieces | part one | claire

2011-05-02T19:28:00.000-04:00

This past Thanksgiving we made the big trip the Charlotte to spend the holiday with my brother and his family. I honestly cannot remember the last time we all had Thanksgiving together. I guess if you can't remember it means it was a long time ago. So, I just went through the edited images from that weekend and decided to do it's own little series. I will start with Claire who is my brother's first born and who looks alot like him, and in the far right photo reallys looks alot like Kinsey when she was that age. Same hair, same color. I hope to see more of Claire and her peeps in Charlotte.

I love you Claire.....and your father. He is the best dad ever. Love you too Alain.

newport | part two

2011-05-02T18:44:00.000-04:00

Part two of my little afternoon alone in Newport turned out to be the best. I don’t know about you, but I love old cemeteries. This fascination dates back to my high school days when my friends and I use to hop the fence of a classmate’s backyard that backed up to an old cemetery. You could find us way up by the Parrott Mausoleum on any given weekend night. Anyway, as you drive into Newport you pass by these really old cemeteries, and for the past few years I have always wanted to walk through them. This time I found the time. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was in Heaven just wandering around aimlessly amongst the rows of crooked tombstones. Most of the stones in the oldest part date back to 1773, and were almost unreadable depending on what direction they were facing. Time and weather have taken their toll. Walking quietly amongst the abandoned souls from the 1700′s was actually quite beautiful and peaceful. Next time I will plan better and wander amongst the slanted rows at night and see if I see something! That would be beyond my wildest dreams. I’ll make sure the Bug is running and ready to roll!

Hope I don’t freak anyone out.

random newport | part one

2011-04-24T11:24:00.001-04:00

Last week was great because I got 2 mini vacations! A wonderful weekend in Saratoga Springs with Schyler, then a great few days in Newport with Keefe and Kinsey. I still have to download the Saratoga shots from my phone, but thought I would post a few shots from my afternoon alone in Newport. Keefe was too tired to go anywhere since he had spent the previous night with Kinsey and her friends at their dorm. So, with a small window of opportunity I decided to grab my camera and see what I could capture on a very foggy day in Newport! What a fun afternoon for me and a it ended with an awesome dinner and time with Keefe, Kinsey, Courtney, Jan and Heather at our favorite Mexican joint in Newport.

Keefe's 15th

2011-04-23T14:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, I am really trying to keep on top of all my personal photos so I have created a little storyboard from Keefe's 15th birthday that was last month. Great time was had by all, and it was so nice to have Kinsey home for some of it!

Momma's 90th

2011-04-04T16:38:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday we all gathered to celebrate Schyler's grandmother's 90th birthday. I think she was a little caught off guard since it was a surprise, but she recovered very quickly and enjoyed having everyone around her. She is so darn cute!

Happy Birthday Momma. You look awesome!

Alice in Vegas

2011-03-27T12:55:00.001-04:00

Alice went to Vegas for this year's WPPI show back in February. Learned lots of new cool things, saw and held the camera I hope to buy this year, and had fun with my friend Erica who came out with me since Schyler has his own show to do at the same time. :-(

Had a great time and loved going to the Louis Vuitton store and drooling over these amazing boots. I at least touched them! Maybe someday!!!

Summer Fun with the Pahal boys

2011-03-20T17:43:00.001-04:00

This past winter I bought a new system for the studio and was able to bring the old one home and set up a little "studio" space in the basement. With this being done, it forced me to go through all my back up drives and collect all of our personal photos and put them all in one place! An amazing thing for me since I never seem to have time to edit and organize all my own stuff. That being said, I am now looking at a hard drive with 8 years worth of photos and about 3 years of those files that I have yet to edit and share, let alone print and put in the photo album. Sort of embarrassing. Anyway, today I decided that once a week I will go through this massive hard drive and randomly pull a shoot and edit, share and send off to print.

Since it is soooooo ugly outside I decided to pull July 2010. The boys spent a weekend with Uncle Schyler on the Pearson and later found me shooting the Sail School's Pirate Day and joined in. Ryan was a fearless mate. Argh.

I can't wait for summer again.

Is it summer yet??

2011-03-01T20:56:00.002-05:00

Okay, just click on the link below.....

http://laurelillie.com/blog/?p=1720

CNY Boat Show

2011-02-17T23:39:00.001-05:00

this is the boat half

all the dock and hoist is on the other half

boat show

mid-winter reflections

2011-02-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

sitting here on my nice warm couch, checking out the blogs that I follow , I realize that my own blog is way past due for a post. It's not that I don't care about posting as it is just laziness. I check my friends blogs, web sites, spots and now facebook posts daily. And, I admit that I also check this blog to see if there are any new response posts.
I don't blame you for not leaving a comment
I can only hope to someday generate enough Skylaure interest to get that first fresh comment!
This is my new goal...

I leave you with a few pics of this past summer on the lake. I won't even bother with last winters pics, this winters are much more depressing and I can't bring myself to post them now. I will save them for this summer.

H2uh0 - Bonehead Moves on the Water: Underwater Freefall

2010-06-22T21:28:00.000-04:00

Had to post this!!!
One of the coolest videos I have seen in a long time, with great music as well.

Enjoy

H2uh0 - Bonehead Moves on the Water: Underwater Freefall

Memorial Day & Mamma

2010-06-02T11:50:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend we visited Mamma who was sweeping her little porch when we arrived. We sat and visited for awhile, listened to some stories, and then went in the yard to pick some flowers for our trip to the cemetery afterwards.

We hope everyone had a beautiful Memorial Day!

H2uh0 - Bonehead Moves on the Water: Give her a try before you buy!

2010-05-23T14:25:00.000-04:00

H2uh0 - Bonehead Moves on the Water: Give her a try before you buy!

Distracted. Dreaming. Wishing

2010-05-05T19:05:00.001-04:00

Okay, I want my Bug to turn into my Maserati dream car at midnight tonight.

Do you think if I wish really, really hard it will come true?

Tune in tomorrow.

My ever faithful Bug

my ultimate dream car

I've wanted one for sooooo long.

The Big Boys

2010-04-26T19:01:00.000-04:00

Finally a few favorites from Easter this year! Can we tell whose really into the camera?

The photos are on their way to you Kerry!

Montana Wade

2010-03-25T13:45:00.000-04:00

A little sneak peak at some photos I took of Wade yesterday in Cazenovia. Kristen, Wade and I braved the chilly spring winds and ran around Lorenzo and then the Village for some fun shots of Mr. Wade. A pocket full of M&M's helped things moving along!

Here's a few to peek at.

Gotta love the boots. Montana style.

Little Man's Birthday!

2010-03-22T15:06:00.001-04:00

It was Keefe's 14th birthday Saturday and we all celebrated this occasion at his dad's house with family and friends......and March Madness basketball.

Thought I would share the card I made for him. I just love it, as did he. I will remember this card when he is a senior in high school.

Happy Birthday Keefe.

I love you.

Vegas, Baby!

2010-03-10T23:10:00.002-05:00

We have been here since Saturday for the WPPI photo show and having a great time. The show ended today and now we can have fun. Here are a couple of shots we took with my phone of the new City Center which is simply AMAZING. Like the Grand Canyon, you just simply have to see it to take it all in.

Tomorrow we are taking a little road trip to Lake Mead and Boulder City before we hop on our red eye flight outta here!

Also, here is a video of the snow falling at moms' house in Las Vegas.

Yes, snow.

In Las Vegas.

Which is in the desert.

Desert Snow

A wee bit of snow!

2010-03-01T11:49:00.000-05:00

whoa. we got alot of snow. I'm so over winter. I want summer. A few pics to share.

yikes

mighty whitey covered

Where in the world is the Saab & Bug?

This was after Schyler plowed through the wall of snow to get the tractor

Hahaha....

patiently waiting for summer.

Schyler's Adventures with "The Crew"

2010-02-02T21:02:00.004-05:00

After 5 days of sailing Kasidah from South Carolina to Florida with Jon and Chris, Schyler finally made it home with lots of stories. From breaking ice on the water in South Carolina as they left the marina, curious dolphins swimming along with them at the bow, and sailing with absolutely no wind.

Since I cannot find his photos I am linking the videos he uploaded to YouTube....okay, I only found one. I will have to ask him where he posted the rest.

This video is leaving Osprey Marina, entering the ICW to head south. First time the marina has had ice like this...Go figure

Ice Breaker

Back later with more once I find them!

Schyler sailing the atlantic!

2010-01-15T21:21:00.003-05:00

It's been very quiet here since Schyler left last Sunday with our friends Jon and Arline Libby to help sail their boat Kasidah from Mrytle Beach to Stuart, Florida. They reached the marina Monday morning to find Chris Beardsley who is also part of the crew, waiting for them on the boat. Jon, Schyler and Chris left Tuesday morning cutting through the ice, yes, ice on the water in order to get to the Atlantic. Apparently, we are experiencing an unusual cold snap. Hmmm, what was the thing that went on in Copenhagen?

The coolest thing is that I have been able to track their progress through this link. Kasidah has what they call a "findmespot" in which you can track the boat. We are one of the "spot" friends. Check it out!

Findmespot

I haven't spoken with Schyler much since reception is rare when you're out in the ocean, but they are expected to reach Stuart sometime tomorrow night I think. From there Schyler will then drive all the way home.

He will sleep for days.

Will post some photos when he's home and I can download his camera.

Keep you posted!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:48:00.004-05:00

Wishing all a Happy 2010!

I've been busy!

2009-11-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

I promise I will post a flurry of posts when I catch up at work! In the meantime here is a quick shot from when we were in Annapolis with Jon and Arline.

More to come.

I promise.

Skype Tuesdays

2009-09-20T09:54:00.004-04:00

I have always heard of Skype and thought it was a cool idea, but never thought about getting until I heard Kinsey say "Mom, get Skype and we can talk and see each other". Well, I immediately downloaded it and love when I get the text message from Kinsey saying, "I'll skype you tonight."

Hence, the beginnning of Tuesday night Skype night. I look forward to it as well as Keefe and Schyler.

It all begins with me getting home from the studio, placing the laptop on the dining room table and starting dinner. Then all of the sudden I hear her calling. Keefe and Schyler laugh as I run to the laptop and pick up the "phone". From there Kinsey watches me make dinner and the goings on of the house while we talk and catch up. She "sits" with us at the dinner table and tells us what is going on at school and we tell her what's happening here and what we are all up to. It's alot of fun and it's a cool way to stay in touch.

I love seeing her and what her and her roommate have done with their room. I love the comings and goings of all her new friends at school while we are chatting. They all look so comfortable and at ease in their new environment. It's neat meeting them and saying hello as they fly in the room and fly out as fast as they came in. I'm still amazed that I have a child in college and that she has adapted so well from what I can see. She is exactly where she belongs. It is a great fit.

Well, today is Sunday. I am sitting here with my coffee after a long crazy wedding last night and I am counting the days until our now weekly Skype Tuesday chat.

A Quick Post

2009-09-16T22:04:00.001-04:00

Apparently, Laure is not the only one who can post new Posts!!
I hope you all can bear with me as I have No idea what I am doing.

First, Kinsey is doing Great. She loves her school, roommate, classes and living the life of a college student.
Second, Jon and Arline cut the line and are now officially liveaboard cruisers on their boat Kasidah without a dock to call home. Laure and I went to Fulton to visit them in the evening while they were on the way through the canal system to get to the Hudson river and points south. We hope to meet up with and bunk on their boat in Annapolis for the US Boat Show.
Third, We are pleased to have a soccer player in the family in Keefe. He is in 8th grade this year. Go Lakers.

Fourth and finally, because I could go all night, a pic of Laure and I from this spring at Kinsey's graduation party. A rare event to get the two of us in front of the lens...

Convocation 2009

2009-08-27T17:58:00.007-04:00

After Kinsey was all moved in, the University had a celebration welcoming the incoming class of 2013 on Saturday. In all, there are 1000 new students to the University this year. It was so exciting, and why is it that those darn bag pipes always get the tears flowing???? I was fine until I heard the damn bag pipes!

After the ceremony Schyler, Keefe, I went to Newport for dinner. We showed Keefe the Titan 15 and then headed back to the hotel. Sunday Schyler and I picked up Kinsey and took her to breakfast in Bristol before her whole class went to Providence for the day. We said out goodbyes and then headed back to Newport for the day before going back to New York.

All in all, it was a great weekend and we left a young girl who was excited about the year ahead of her, her roommate and other dorm mates. We did make one more stop to get Kinsey and her roommate a little frig and filled it with her favorites drinks and left it at her dorm room door with a red bow. A little parting gift.

It's all good. I am so, so proud of her.

I miss her though.

She's all moved in!

2009-08-21T19:22:00.004-04:00

Eeek! She's all moved in!

We arrived at RW around 1:30 after a great lunch (and Bloody Mary's for the adults) at the Thames Waterside Grill in Bristol. Kinsey checked in and then we got all her stuff moved in and somewhat organized. Her roommate and the girl across the hall both seem really nice. They were all excited.

All of us, with the exception of Kinsey then headed back to Bristol for cocktails and are now back at the hotel relaxing. Tomorrow we all have to go back to RW for a convocation at 2 and then hopefully we can grab Kinsey and take her to dinner in Newport before we all leave Sunday.

Here's a few photos I quickly took with the point and shoot.

Holy Titan!

2009-08-20T20:30:00.011-04:00

Today was an exciting day for all three of us. We got into town about 12:30 this morning and had to be at the Newport Shipyard by 10:30 so that Kinsey and Schyler could sail with Peter Isler and the rest of the race team on Titan 15. A 75' race boat. Whoa! Today was practice day for the team as the Ida Lewis Distance race starts tomorrow at 3:00.

As I watched them leave the dock I grabbed my cameras and hopped back in the car to try to find them and take some photos. Unfortunately, there was not a chase boat, so I had to do my best from the shore. No biggy, until the fog rolled in and made it really hard to 1) find them, 2) photograph them from that far and get anything good. Regardless, it was great to watch them while they were in front of me and to listen to the groaning of the boat as they tacked. Yes, these boats groan. It is so cool.
After a full day of sailing for them and a full day of driving all over Newport trying to find them for me, we are all back in the hotel wiped out.

Here are a few to peek at. I will have to work on the others on my computer in the studio.

Thank you Peter for a great day! Also, we would like to thank Tom & Dotty Hill for inviting Kinsey on their race boat and later for dinner and cocktails on Titan XIV.

Taking my baby to college

2009-08-19T13:14:00.003-04:00

Well, the day has finally come to take Kinsey to college. It has been a very crazy week or so getting ready for this day. We have spent the last week getting everything she needs for her dorm room and organizing what she will be bringing to school. Saturday she bought her own laptop with money she earned over the summer. It's the cutest little thing and she was so proud she bought it on her own.

Anyway, we are sort of relaxing now waiting for the last of the laundry to dry. We initially were going to leave tomorrow but a friend of Schyler's has invited Kinsey to come sail on this incredible 90' sailboat that he will be racing this weekend in Newport called the Titan 15. What an adventure, so we're leaving tonight to be at the boat by 11 tomorrow morning as per Peter's instructions. I can't wait to see this and take photos. After that I'm not sure what we'll do. We'll just let Kinsey let us know. She can't move into the dorms until Friday at noon. Her dad and Keefe will be meeting us there Friday.

Well, I think I am going to stop here because I have somehow maintained my composure so far these past couple of weeks and in reality I am not quite ready for this. So with that, I will sign off with a little photo I love of Kinsey and me taken many moons ago at Stinson Beach in California.

SCC Sailing Interclub Racing!

2009-08-05T17:54:00.014-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful windy day and the SCC Sail School was the host for this week's Interclub Regatta. So, I grabbed my cameras and played hooky from work to grab some great shots.

I love my life. However, I am really behind in editing all my shoots. I need a rainy day!

Just waiting for Schyler to come home so we can go and once again, work on the boat! This is exciting work though! We are putting in a pressure water hose so that we no longer have to pump fresh water out. We can simply turn a knob. Sweeeeet. Also, our friends Corey and Dave will be joining us for dinner on the boat.

Blue:30

2009-08-03T11:56:00.006-04:00

At last! She is ready to rock and roll. Yesterday Schyler and I headed out to the mooring field with all our supplies to finally put the boat back in commission. The weather was awful at the beginning, but knew it would eventually clear up. We motored out to the middle of the lake and just drifted while Schyler fixed a few new leaks and I scrubbed the deck. We put the galley together and cleaned the head and floors. It was such a great feeling to to finally be able to really use her and relax for a day after a busy weekend for both Schyler and I.

As we were drifting, our friend Dave and a friend of his Thom came by and tied up for a couple of hours to swim and just relax. It was a great afternoon, and also the first time I actually jumped and swam in the lake this summer.

Around 5ish I think we sailed to the club to pick up Corey and we grilled steaks and other yummy stuff at the cove. Great day!

Looking forward to next weekend when Schyler and I are planning an entire weekend on the boat. As always, we love when our friends find us and tie up.

Our new friend Thom flying by with a friend!

Woo Hoo! Kinsey passed her road test!

2009-07-29T14:13:00.004-04:00

Finally! Kinsey and I drove out to Onieda for her road test and she passed! She was so excited that she asked me to drive home?! Anyway, we drove to the Sailboat Shop to pick up the Bug so that she could finally drive herself to work!

I am so excited it's done! The stress involved is too much!

Congrats Kinsey!

An Afternoon at Mamma's with Caden

2009-07-28T15:39:00.012-04:00

On Sunday we all met at Mamma's house to see the newest edition to the family. Little Caden weighing in at a whopping 25lbs! Christina and Craig are in town from Charlotte visiting family and friends for a bit and it was great to see them. Caden is just theee cutest baby and is always smiling and loved being passed from relative to relative. Everyone just loved their turn holding him. It was really precious to see all the generations together.
Schyler picking berries and rhubarb with with Sam and Ryan.

Margie with her grandson, Caden.

The four generations. Mamma, Margie, Craig and Caden.

Caden
The other fourth generation group.

Ooh, this might be the end of the shoot!

Caden with mommy and daddy.

Thank you everyone. It was real nice and I will get the rest of these photos done and send the cd's out to all of you!

SCC Sailing!

2009-07-23T14:29:00.002-04:00

Finally summer came for a couple of days and I was able to get out to SCC Sail School to shoot Open House and Pirate Day. I haven't really gone through the shots, but I just love this one of Kinsey, Christina and Pat in the Whaler off to rescue someone and having a good time while at it. This shot just says "summer" to me.

Progress is happening on the Pearson. More photos to follow on that project!

Boat Work...the endless task

2009-07-12T21:10:00.016-04:00

Today we spent the day working on the boat trying to get it all back together. Jack had the new counter which looks awesome and we were all excited about installing it. The weather was beautiful but windy, causing the lake to be quite unsettled. We got some stuff accomplished but were unable to finish the counter or fill the water tank due to the restlessness of the lake. So, we just decided to wait until another day when the lake is calm. Hopefully, it will be sometime this week, but everyone is so busy right now that we'll have to play it by ear. But, she's getting there.

After Jack and Schyler decided it was too rough to continue with the counter we all decided to take advantage of the great wind and go sailing. What a great afternoon.....until all the ice melted and the beer and wine were gone. The disadvantages of a torn up galley with no sink, running water, stove or ice chest! We did manage to cook some hot dogs on the grill though!

Until the next time! It was a great weekend.

Snoopy

2009-07-10T15:54:00.004-04:00

Snoopy.

I have had Snoopy since I was little girl and he's still my favorite. I remember when I got him. I was off at Wilderness Camp that my mother would send my brother Alain and I off to every summer for a week. I can tell you stories about those times. Anyway, I had seen Snoopy at a department store earlier that summer if I recall and when I got home from camp he was there waiting for me. To this day he still waits for me every morning when I get to the studio.

Snoopy has been everywhere with me and even spent some years in France until my mom took him back and brought him home to me. He has been hugged beyond capacity. I have had to sew his poor little neck up a few times and I cannot tell you how many times he has wiped my tears away. I love my Snoopy and now he is my Little Assistant in the studio. Whenever I try new lighting methods he is the subject. Whenever I need to bitch about something in the studio or I'm ready to throw the computer out the window when it's decided to give me the finger and freeze, he's there in his little chair listening to me or watching the tantrum in front of him. Be it that I was 10 or now 46, the tantrums are the same. Nothing new to Snoopy.

So, today's post is about my Snoopy. I think I will design a coffee table book with all the photos I have of him as my Little Assistant. Perhaps even do a road trip with him and let him see the outside world for a bit.

Have a great weekend everyone. I think I will take Snoopy with me.

Finally, summer has begun for us!

2009-07-06T12:17:00.003-04:00

Finally, we were able to go and enjoy an afternoon of sailing on Blue 30. Now that Schyler's busy launch season is over and all of Kinsey's graduation festivities are through, we are now able to breathe a little and start enjoying our summer, lake and boat.

I had an event to shoot at the Country Club at 4:30 so the 3 of us decided to go sailing beforehand and drop me off at the club. What a great way to go to work and be picked up. The wind was not good first starting out, but as we got closer to the village it picked and objects went flying. I forgot to put some things on the ground so I got that look we all know from Schyler. I am always a little rusty at the beginning of sailing season....

The event at the Club was beautiful and it was alot of fun having Schyler pick me up with a Lightning all ready and waiting for me and sail (motor) off into the sunset.

It was a great day. I can't wait until next weekend when we can really spend time on the boat and clean her up a bit.

Graduation Day!!

2009-06-29T17:18:00.009-04:00

Graduation day. What an event. Things to know about Graduation Day in Skaneateles. One, you have to get there by at least 6am to reserve a spot on the lawn for a great view. Two, you pray the thunderstorms stay away and three, just pray your graduate shows up on time. This show is a well oiled machine and I now know when and where to be for the next one in 5 years for Keefe.

Also learned in this process. PRINT ALL YOUR PHOTOS RIGHT AWAY and put them in albums! As I was doing Kinsey's board, I had so many to choose from at my finger tips when I was shooting film. When I went digital.....hmmmm. All on the computer. I will from this moment on send all my photos I take in my personal life to the lab and faithfully put them in little albums. I have also decided to start keefe's storyboard tomorrow.

Anyway, after all the chaos of getting chairs for us to sit in I had a few moments to walk around the park before everyone showed up. I walked the rows of seats and looked at all the names of the graduates taped on their assigned seating. Most of them I have known since preschool and they all looked like the little tags they had on their little hospital beds when they were first born. It was a quiet and private moment when I found Kinsey Lorraine Janke. I took a picture. :-)

Well, it was soon approaching the 1pm time and then the event just took over. I never once sat down. I walked around with the camera and tried to capture as much as I could while trying to absorb the whole thing. Schyler also had a camera and grabbed as much as he could. It was fun, it was beautiful weather, it was amazing. She did it. She is a graduate.

Kinsey with Cmoore and then coming down to their seats.

Kinsey getting her diploma and hugging Mike.

The tradition of jumping in the lake after the commencement! My friends father was able to get these great shots from his boat! Thank you 95!

The graduates enjoying the plunge.

Her cap and diploma.

What is Kinsey doing the day after graduation? She is sailing and is as happy as a clam at high tide!

Kinsey's Graduation Party!

2009-06-29T16:37:00.009-04:00

June 27th was the day of Kinsey's graduation party at Kirby's house where friends and family gathered to celebrate. The day before and morning of was a little crazy with all the things we had to do. Schyler took my mom and Bob sailing while I frosted the 50 cupcakes he had baked the night before while I was frantically putting together the photo board. Susie Homemaker I am not, but they were cute!

Anyway, lots of people stopped by and enjoyed the weather and great food from Dinosaur BBQ. It was great to see everyone and watched them look over the photo board we made for Kinsey. Kinsey was awesome!

Kinsey's first pair of shoes and a hug from Uncle Otto

Kinsey with Tori and family.

Some of her friends that were there!

Next stop: Graduation at Clift Park

Roger Williams University Freshman/Family Orientation

2009-06-22T11:12:00.020-04:00

I don't know where to start with this post because it's very emotional for me to see my first born go off to college. And for those who know me well, a very bittersweet time. I may be all over the place for this posting, so be patient. And for those who are also sending their child off, you will so get what I am going through.

Kinsey was born August 28th, 1991 in San Jose, California. She came into the world screaming, pink and weighing a whopping 8lbs, 10oz. She was so beautiful, little cleft and all. Her blue eyes piercing our hearts and her personality so strong yet delicate. She is our first born and our first "project" I guess. Through the years she has challenged us, charmed us, surprised us, angered us, frustrated us, amazed us, awed us, and most important captured our hearts. In these years she has had to face many obstacles from her family life, to her cleft palate, all her little and big surgeries, having braces on since 5th grade. All of these being none of her choices, but cards that were dealt to her anyway. What I see now and at the orientation is a beautiful young woman that has dealt with all these obstacles with an inner strength that I cannot put into words. Yes, she can be difficult. Who isn't? Yes, she is very opinionated. You always know where you stand with this child, and I must say most of the time it is well deserved. However with all this said, she will always have your back if you are a true friend. She is loyal. She is strong. She is fragile. She is quick to smile, as she is very quick to growl like an injured animal when cornered. She is Kinsey Lorraine Janke. My child. My first born. My first true love. And after getting her back after so many years of confusion, I must let go of her little hand once again for her to begin this very exciting and wonderful journey into adulthood. Kinsey, I may be letting go of that hand physically, but I will always be guarding that hand with my life and love. I will never let it go.

So, with that said here are a few shots from our 2 day orientation at Roger Willams University. What a beautiful campus. I really enjoyed the time there meeting other parents and RW's staff. The campus is located in Bristol, Rhode Island right on the bay, and smells so good with the ocean breeze. Anyway, the first thing they do after the orientation's beginning is separate your "student" from you. They went off in their groups and we never saw them again that first day until after dinner where you then got to briefly say good night to them before they spent the night in the dorms. The beginning of the separation. They no longer call your child "your child". They are now referred to as students. I enjoyed the fact the Dean and all the staff members made it diplomatically clear that they are now students and are solely responsible for their choices from this point on, regardless of who is paying the private school tuition. I swear I heard groans in the crowd. They let us know it was time to let go and allow them to make their own decisions, and to allow those decisions to define their first year and then eventually their futures. These people were honest, sincere and really drove home how important it is that we let our "students" grow up and learn to deal on their own with whatever situations may arise. And that we as parents must always be there to simply listen when they call us with any fears, concerns, home sickness and so forth. Also, to not expect a daily phone call from your "student". You may not hear from them for a week or so, and that's okay. In fact, it's normal! Honestly, wasn't it like this when we went to college???? I rarely called home. However, my punishment was that my mother would tell her visiting French friends they were more than welcome to stay at my little studio in Santa Barbara and show up unannounced. They would knock at the door and say, "Allo, Laure. Your mothzer said we could stay weez you while weez visited Santa Barbara." My roommate was always just thrilled. Sort cramped our style.

Now, the first day was filled with sessions about campus life and so forth. I didn't get back to the hotel until about 9:30 that night. Day 2 wasn't that bad. Some more sessions and then I had a 3 hour break where I went into Bristol and walked around, had lunch and a little glass of wine before going back to the campus for another session starting at 1pm. I had brought my camera in hopes of capturing the whole time we were there, but it was cold, gray and rainy all day. Also, I NEVER saw the "student", so I left the camera alone the first day. Day 2 was a little better. Even though it was overcast and the light was flat as a pancake, it wasn't raining. I grabbed the camera and walked the campus and took some shots. Luck happens that I was in a place where I spotted my elusive "student" and grabbed a shot from afar. Like a little cheetah, she was gone again. My version of a safari. The day ended around 4pm where they checked out of the dorms and we headed home to New York. Lots of chatting and comparing notes for the first hour or so and then just quiet thoughtful time the rest of the way until about Albany where we got antsy and played the music loud and giggled.

Enjoy some of the shots. I still have to learn the meaning behind some of them. This building is the brand new one where Kinsey will be taking most of her classes for Communications. It's due open in August. Sweet, isn't it? I love the architecture on this campus.

This is a statue of Roger Williams. Apparently, all the students shake his hand before exams for good luck. The bottom photo is just a walkway along the library leading to The Commons and the Recreational Center.

A view from the Recreational Center and a beautiful bench.

The Commons is where the cafeteria is located and let me tell you, it is beautiful and the food is amazing and healthy! The bookstore is also inside as well as a hanging out spot for the students.

Elusive "student" sighting! I was sitting on the steps of the Recreational Center actually talking with a client when out of nowhere she appeared! Quick shot.

This is a walkway by the Library with bricks that have many names. I'm not sure what they are but will find out in August when we go to drop off Kinsey.

At the end of Day 2 with Kinsey looking for shorts to put on before we drive home.

Mom, enough already! Let's go home!!

Give me that hand to hold ever so tightly while I can. You are still my child until August 21st.

I love you McGrew.

mom

My Baby is no longer a High Schooler

2009-06-10T16:11:00.003-04:00

OMG! Today was Kinsey's last day of high school! She graduates on Sunday, June 28th down by the lake. This is wild.

This morning as I was making their lunches, I realized that this would be the last lunch I pack for her. I've been making her lunch for 13 years. I also realized it would be the last time I dropped her off at "the circle". As she climbed out of the car, I sat there for a few moments and watched as she walked towards the doors, smiling at a friend who was coming up next to her. I can still remember the FIRST day of high school. She was so nervous and crept to the doors, whereas this morning I watched a beautiful confident young woman cruise through those doors ready to finish another chapter of her life. It was really a cool sight.

Well, the school day has ended. She is out with her girlfriends, all of them wearing the same blue t-shirt that says SENIORS '09 proudly on them. They are free and I'm sure a little dazed. It brings back my own memories with my best friend Mara. With that said, I just want to say to my beautiful daughter that I am proud of you and love you. Through all the tough times in your life you always, always stayed true to yourself.

Next stop. Graduation!

Senior Ball '09

2009-06-08T15:30:00.003-04:00

A week or so ago was the Senior Ball for Kinsey's class and I'm finally getting around to posting a few shots from the annual lake shoot. Everyone was there taking photos and seeing their kids off to the club for the ball. The collage below shows Kinsey with her friend Keith and then Megan. They have known one another since they were little. Please, remind me of something. Wasn't she just born the other day? Really???

Next on the agenda? At 17, she is finally going to take her driver's test on Friday. Wish us luck.

My baby. I love her.

Getting Closer...

2009-05-26T17:42:00.010-04:00

Wow! Schyler and I along with Kinsey went to the mooring field yesterday to see what we could do to help with Blue:30 and we were blown away with all the work Jack and Libby did while Schyler was taking an easy from his leg injury. When the boat went in last week, it did not have the following:

1) all the stantions
2) bow pulpit
3) all the deck hardware on
4) countertop in the galley
5) mast
6) woodwork back on

A sorry sight indeed.

Fast forward to yesterday. Jack and Libby drilled all new holes for the stantions and put them all in along with the safety lines. Jack made the bow pulpit "work" as he said. The bow pulpit, which was horribly bent was sent to Com-Pac Yachts in Clearwater, Fl to be fixed, and even though it looked fabluous when we got it back, there were some issues with lining it up with where it was before. Libby put all the woodwork back on as well as helped Jack with the stantions. It truly was a great sight to see when we got there. There is no way this all would have been done if it were not for them. THANK YOU! In fact, had Jack and Libby not been there, I highly doubt Blue:30 would have been launched at all this summer. I may want to add that all this work was done while the boat was in THE WATER and not in her cradle as it's supposed to be done!

Since we were there, Libby had Kinsey take all the tape off the boat and Schyler helped with the anchor. Honestly, everything was pretty much done by the time we got there. All that needs to be done now is the new countertop for the galley and some major housecleaning once that is in. Hopefully there will be a nice strong thunderstorm with rain and wind tonight to take all the crap on the deck off. All the other stuff can wait!

Almost there....

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T09:19:00.007-04:00

Growing up as a child my brother Alain and I spent our summers in France with our mother's family. We spent half that time at our Grandmere's house outside of Paris and the other half at our family's summer home in Arromanches, a little town in Normandy and where the British and Canadians landed and was chosen as the location for the an artificial harbor to bring in equipment, weapons and ammunition on D Day, June 6th, 1944. Arromanches is otherwise known as Gold Beach. My brother and I grew up learning about D Day. My mother goes back every anniversary with her family to remember those who liberated the French in the campaign. There are only a few veterans left, so this upcoming anniversary will most likely be the last with any of them.
As children my brother and I along with our cousin Fabrice and miscellaneous french friends who would visit us for a weekend or so played on the beaches and climbed the remnants of the war. If you google Arromanches you will see what we played on when the tide was low. We were members of Club Mickey and would build sand castles, look for jellyfish and swim in the water. We were happy kids, running around town in our little bathing suits, buying candy from the candy store and getting fresh milk from the farm a couple of houses down from ours. It was Heaven for us. Carefree and fun, the best way to grow up. I love Arromanches. It is my favorite place in the world. My Grandpere Roger, Uncle Mario and my Grandmere are all buried there together in one grave in a little cemetery overlooking the beaches. I may have been born in Paris, grew up in San Mateo, but I am from Arromanches. I am both French and American, the best of both worlds in my opinion.

So, on this Memorial Day let's remember all those whose lives were taken so that we could all be where we are today. Free.

Thank you et Merci.

Memorial at Omaha Beach

Schyler at Omaha Beach - April 2007

In April 2007, I took Schyler to meet my family in France and show him Normandy. It was a beautiful trip. We drove from my Aunt Alyette's house in Sevres to Arromanches and spent a couple of days with my Aunt Evelyne at the house. It was really neat for me to show Schyler where I came from and for him to meet my family. I hope to go back again soon with my children.

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

A Baptism....he did it!

2009-05-24T23:06:00.008-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Keefe decided to get baptized at St. James Church here in Skaneateles by Pastor Rob Dewitter. I also mentioned that the actual baptism would be in the lake and it WAS! Thank goodness it was really warm here today so that everyone that went into the lake at least came out of the water to warm air.

I have to be honest...I am not a church going person. I never have been nor will I ever be. That is just who I am. However, I do respect those who do have their Faith. It must be a powerful thing....it just never caught on with me. Saying this, I would like to say it was a very touching moment as I watched my son get baptized. It was his decision to make and he went through with it. I am very proud of him. He did look cold though afterwards!

Memorial Day...the beginning of summer!

2009-05-21T22:20:00.014-04:00

Yay! Summer is almost here and it sure felt like it today with close to 90 degree weather!! Since I don't have any new pics to post I thought I would throw a few from last year's sailing season. I can't wait to take new ones to see the changes in my children in a year.

A few updates:

Schyler is getting better, but his legs are still hurting. It will be 6-8 weeks before he is back to normal. I cannot tell you how fortunate we are he did not break both legs!

Kinsey received her US Sailing Dinghy Instructor Certification last weekend. This will be her last summer as an instructor at the sail school before she goes off to college. I'm sure she will be back in Skaneateles for the summers instructing all the little ones coming up the pike. That is until she realizes that is just way cooler to stay in Rhode Island and really sail!

Keefe has decided to get baptized this Sunday. Still processing the whole thing, but he wants to do it and I'm sure I will capture it on film. Did I mention he will be baptized in the lake??? Has anyone mentioned to him the lake is really, really cold this time of year?

I have two weddings to photograph this weekend. One tomorrow and another Saturday. I was so hoping to be a couch potato on Sunday since I will be EXHAUSTED, but it seems I will find myself in yet another church.

I hope Monday is calmer and I can finally be that couch potato watching mindless shows that everyone in my house hates.

Have I mentioned I am really looking forward to Monday!?

I'm tired. I am going to bed.

I can't believe my son is getting baptized in the lake.

Crane Day '09

2009-05-20T12:28:00.006-04:00

Well, even though Schyler could not be there to see Blue 30 go in, Libby and I did what we could do.

Checklist: Is the insurance paid up? Yes.

Okay, let's get her up and in!

We do have a few critical things left to do before we sail her to the mooring field. We have to drill new holes for the stantions and put them in, fix the bow pulpit and fasten that on, replace the counter in the galley, and put in that new HEAD! We lost some time yesterday with Schyler's accident, but she's in, she floats and her engine started...all key things Libby and I were relieved about this morning. However, with Schyler out of commission it made us realize how key he is to getting things done. He just knows how to do everything.

Here's a peek at Blue 30 going in. Please excuse the quality...the photos were taken with my Blackberry.

Can't wait for that first real sail! WOO HOO!

The Day Before Crane Day...

2009-05-20T12:20:00.004-04:00

there was a little accident....

Schyler was pinned between a steel cradle and the CMF trailer yesterday while getting boats ready for crane day today. We were terrified that he broke both of his legs, but somehow he did not! He still hurt himself very badly by crushing his calf muscles and needed a few stitches. He is at home resting with his feet up in the air. Poor guy, he is uncomfortable and his legs really hurt, but at least he's not in a body cast! Can you imagine????

He did miss crane day. A first ever.

You Wiggle, I'll Screw

2009-05-18T10:05:00.007-04:00

Was the quote of the day yesterday up at the Boat Barn while Schyler, Jack, Libby, Owen, Annie and myself worked on the Pearson trying to get her ready for Crane Day this Wednesday. Libby and Jack were trying to do put on the handrails and obviously something wasn't moving. Then from the cabin, we heard "You wiggle, I'll screw". We laughed so hard.

Anyway, who said that owning a sailboat is romantic? Yes, I agree, it is a romantic notion to step on board a beautiful sailboat and sail into the sunset. However, in order for the boat to continue to sail into that sunset we are all searching for, you must maintain the beast. Fix leaks, sails, keels, maintain the woodwork, and the most dreaded part, at least for me, is the head and holding tank. Thank goodness Jack and Libby handled that one. What a nasty job.

The exciting part of the day is that the Pearson now has an official name: Blue 30, which has been beautifully painted on by Rob Hazard. We were all thrilled to see it yesterday for the first time. Once we all screamed with excitement it was time to get busy and start getting the Blue 30 ready for her 2009 Splash. Here are some shots of where we are at, and yes, Crane Day is the day after tomorrow!

We will all be back tonight working on our beautiful Blue.

One LAST post and then I'm out of here!

2009-05-11T19:12:00.007-04:00

While going through the hard drive finding old photos I came across some miscellaneous ones of our animals and other things. I promise, I'm shutting down after this! The polo pony is NOT ours...but the black horse was mine and his name is Bugsy.

Okay, I REALLY don't feel like working on the Pearson tonight!

2009-05-11T19:09:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's 7:09pm, Schyler and Libby are at the barn working on the Pearson and I am still at work playing. I really don't feel like sanding wood or varnishing but if I want memories like this photo I better get my arse in the Bug and head up toute de suite!

My Bug

2009-05-11T19:07:00.001-04:00

Thought I would at least show a shot of my roadtrip friend! Believe me, we got stuck many a times! I may add....PreSchyler.

Old Trucks & Tractors

2009-05-11T18:35:00.006-04:00

Well, I was going through some old files on my computer and found some cool images I forgot all about. I can't remember the year, but it was probably in 2004 and 2005 when I would go on solo roadtrips in the Bug just to get out in those long winter months. I think I had just gotten a new camera and wanted to see how it worked along with this little funky lens called a lensbaby. I honestly forgot how cool these were and long for those little roadtrips. When did I become too busy or preoccupied to no longer take these? I miss them.

Anyhow, here is a little bit of what I found.

Oswego Road Trip

2009-05-06T18:32:00.005-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I had to go out to Oswego to check out a church and Fort Ontario for a wedding I did just last weekend. I was unfamiliar with the area and wanted to see what the light was like for when I would be there with the bride and groom. I brought Kinsey, Keefe and Victoria along with me for subjects. We had a great time and it was really neat for me to take photos of Kinsey and Victoria again. I haven't had the opportunity to do so in quite some time so I took advantage of the moment. Kinsey and Victoria have known each other since they were about a year old. Through the years they have remained best friends and I cannot even tell you how many beautiful photographs I have of them together as they grew up. There are hundreds and many of my favorites are ones of them near the water. Victoria's family has a camp on Skaneateles Lake where we spent many summer days swimming and playing on the shore. Memories that have been captured on film (yes, film as in Kodak) to be cherished for years to come. They were so little then and now they are strong and independent young women. I love them and will always cherish the photos I have of them, as well as all the photos of Keefe.

Time does fly by. Grab it while you're in flight and hold on tight.

Catching Up....Key West 2009

2009-05-06T17:54:00.014-04:00

Well, as usual it's been awhile since the last post. Things have been a little off with everyone getting sick and now it's my turn. I'm on the couch feeling the inevitable coming on so I might as well update our blog. I thought I would post some photos of our trip to Key West with our friends Jon and Arline Libby back in February. They flew, we drove. Long drive but it was so worth it. We stayed in this great little place called The Duval House right on Duval Street in the middle of everything. We also rented mopeds to scoot around. We really hope to go back next year and maybe Jon and Arline will be down there with their boat Kasidah this time.

My Baby's Finally Behind the Wheel

2009-02-01T19:32:00.003-05:00

Well, after having her permit for 3 to 4 months collecting dust, Kinsey finally got behind the wheel and drove today. About a year ago we began driving the Bug on an airstrip where she did great and had handled the clutch like a champ. Then the Bug began having issues, summer came and she began walking all around again and grabbing rides with friends. Fast forward to today. I needed to go to Staples to get ink for the printer so that I could print the FAFSA form. For anyone who has a child going to college, you are quite familiar with the thing. Kinsey wanted to come with me as did Schyler. As we're all getting coats on Schyler said that Kinsey had to drive. She gets in the car, I get in and then Schyler gets in. Kinsey freaks. "I'm not driving with Schyler in the car" and storms out. Schyler then gets out and there I am in the passenger side, car idling and wondering WHO is going to drive. After about 5 mins sitting there like a moron, I get out and ask who is coming with me. After some negotiating, Kinsey is back behind the wheel and Schyler is on the couch. She was nervous, but once she started to go she did great and we drove around for about an hour finally pulling into the driveway with Schyler waiting with a camera and Kinsey smiling.

Life is good here at the Barnes/Lillie Pad.

Alice's New Toy

2009-01-20T22:19:00.005-05:00

Well, there is nothing more exciting for me than to go to my one and only camera store, MQ Camera and BUY something! And, that I did. Alice got herself a new lens and I have just started to play with it. This weekend Schyler took me on an incredible birthday weekend to the Melody Lodge in Speculator. The Lodge is this beautiful cozy place in the Adirondacks at the top of a mountain with adorable rooms, a 5 star restaurant, and the best little bar where all the locals and snowmobilers come to eat and relax between trails. We just love the place. So, while Schyler was playing with his little virtual boat on the laptop, I took my new lens and played a little. I can't wait to get my kids out in the snow and do some new portraits with this awesome lens!

There are more photos of us at a little ski resort, but Schyler has that camera somewhere and I can't find it. Will upload those when I find it.

Change of Seasons

2008-11-03T21:48:00.016-05:00

As October ends and November blows in, thought we might end the month with some photos taken in October. One being the senior portrait of Kinsey. These are some of her favorite with the first one being the choice for the yearbook. Her first choice was the middle one but they would not allow it...something about the hat she was wearing. Here are a few great ones of her.

Other photos are of Schyler's family. We spent an afternoon in Rome with the Pahal family and grabbed a few great shots.

That's about it for tonight.

Good night!

2008-10-28T21:35:00.007-04:00

Well, it's been a busy month for us here. We started off the month by going to the Annapolis Boat Show where we decided that we really want the 49' Hylas (last year the 46 was it).....just need about $750,000. Maybe we could find a used Hylas 49 or a Stephens 47(same hull) either way, here's a shot of one. Please note, if I had had one of my big cameras we would have been able to get a better photo. Lesson learned...big boat, big camera.

From Annapolis we went onto Boston where I had to shoot a wedding in Watertown at Commander's Mansion. Two words about Boston....'Obama Nation'! The wedding was great though!

Soon after coming home from our weeklong trip we took the Pearson on it's last sail of the season up to the club for crane day. It was an absolutely beautiful day.

Last, but not least, Kinsey & I spent a few days in Newport, Rhode Island to visit Roger Williams University where she would like to go in the Fall for college. We stayed at this great little place in Newport called the Jailhouse Inn. We had cell block 16. It was great spending time alone with my daughter. We had a blast. I hope she ends up at Roger Williams. Both Schyler and I would be there ALOT!

Well, it's late, I'm tired and I will post again soon!!!!

Hello, again!

2008-10-04T15:18:00.011-04:00

Well it's been a crazy summer and I apologize for not keeping this blog up to date but I will hopefully from now on! Just a few pics from this summer after the Lightning Regatta. A week or so after the Regatta Schyler's nephews Sam and Ryan came spent the weekend with us and we all went sailing. Sam and Schyler actually spent the night on the Pearson and had a blast. Ryan came home with me and followed Keefe and his friend Jake everywhere. It was funny.

The summer has been busy this year and unfortunately we weren't able to do many of the things we wanted but still tried to relax. Kinsey and Keefe had another fun year at Sail School at SCC. Kinsey is in her senior year and in the process of doing her college applications and all that stuff. Why does it seem so complicated now? She has also started riding horses again at a stable right up the road. Hopefully next week we can go and get her driving permit! Finally, she has asked! Keefe is starting 7th grade and modified soccer.

Also in July Schyler and I took 5 days off and went on a little vacation to Mary Island in Alexandria Bay. We stayed on the point of this little island and had a completely private campsite which was awesome. We boated around the waters that I had never seen and ate fresh Northern Pike that Schyler caught with his fishing gear from 20 years ago. Ugliest things I ever saw, but so good!

In August, we did one of the Sandbagger Races with Kinsey and Keefe on the Pearson and then relaxed the rest of the day cooking hot dogs at the cove afterwards. As I type all of this I realized we did do alot this summer.....

Until the next blog post!

Priceless

2008-07-07T13:08:00.003-04:00

Need we say more...

Regatta Fun

2008-07-07T13:03:00.007-04:00

Here are some pics of Told Ya!'s crew. They are Schyler Barnes, skipper, Libby Wing, middle and Doug Pope, bow.

July 4th @ 6:10 pm

2008-07-07T12:15:00.011-04:00

And there she is in the water floating! It was a sweet sight to see. What made the moment even better was the fact the previous owner, Dave Penfield, was there to witness it. When he bought the boat some 17 years ago, he was never able to sail it due to the bottom not being in the greatest of shape. It began to sink as soon as he put it in the water. He started the restoration process by having a new bottom put on. He also started working on stripping the hull when the life took over and he could no longer spend the time to work on it. For years it sat in his garage and then in storage at The Sailboat Shop until Schyler bought the boat with the promise to restore it. In fact, Dave gave us the little photo album he put together when he bought No. 39 and there is a photo of the boat in almost the exact spot of where he initially launched her and found himself knee deep in water! I'm sure he was thrilled to see the boat here at the Regatta. Thank you Dave! She's still at the club so take her for that sail you never got! You deserve one! Also, as you wished, the money to buy the boat was donated to The Historical Society for the funds needed to build the Boat Museum on your behalf. They were thrilled!!!

July 4th @ 5:05 pm

2008-07-07T11:54:00.004-04:00

And there she goes!!! Off to the 70th Anniversary Regatta behind the Pope Sails & Rigging van. We made it and could NOT have realized our dream of sailing No. 39 in the Regatta without the help of Doug, Libby and Jack these last 2 days. It was them who worked furiously on getting the rigging and sails up and working. What a beautiful sight.

It was so exciting to follow Doug and Libby with Told Ya! behind them as the American flag flew proudly in the wind on this important day. It was a very moving moment for all of us. If one truly believes in something it will happen. It just takes a vision, determination, passion, a lot of hard work and most importantly, great friends to help you along.

July 3 @ 9:13pm

2008-07-04T10:33:00.010-04:00

Told Ya! rolled out of the our driveway with crooked tail lights and all at 9:13 pm to go to the Sailboat shop for all the finishing touches.

We have been working real hard the past several days with incredible help from all of our friends. Doug Pope, of Pope Sails from Maine and his son Colin, are in town and have been busy helping to get the boat ready. Carolyn Legg who sewed No.39 onto the old sails from 1946 that Libby and I found in the barn, and of course Libby and Jack! Thank you all so, so, very much! We could not have done it without your help and encouragement. We can all honestly admit that at one point or another we had our doubts, but we kept plugging away. Poor Doug, when he first saw the boat on Wednesday, he just shook his head and wasn't quite sure what to think.

It has been a busy week. On Tuesday Jack and Schyler were told by the Village Police to shut down at 11:15pm just when they were on a roll with the deck. We have had to battle with thunderstorms, hail, heavy rains, and missing parts which at times really hampered the the progress of the boat. But little by little, the work got done.

Did I mention the Regatta starts tomorrow???

Into the early morning...

2008-06-30T16:49:00.006-04:00

Oh my God! It's July 1st tomorrow and the Regatta is days away! I'm still at work downloading a wedding I shot Saturday, Libby is at the Sailboat Shop working on sails and I'm sure Schyler is going to be heading home in just a few to hopefully step the mast. My job tonight is cleaning the sails and removing numbers so that we can put on No.39. Not so bad.

Apparently everyone and their uncle stopped by yesterday as Rob was painting the name of the boat on. We were hoping to keep it secret until the boat was launched, but we do live in too small of a town! However, Chris Moore who did stop by, kept his promise not to tell because my daughter Kinsey asked him what it was and he would not tell her. Gotta love it. And Chris, I'm working on getting that little GTI!

A quick photo of Schyler around midnight sitting on a seat IN THE BOAT! She's coming together!!!

PS-I photoshopped the name the boat off. You wanna know what it is, stop by and say hello!

2008-06-29T22:02:00.005-04:00

Well, it's 10pm and Schyler is still out in the little barn working on the boat. Our friend Rob Hazard stopped by today and painted the name of the boat on in gold leaf. It is so beautiful and will really shine once we varnish the transom again. Thank you sooo much Rob! While Rob was painting, Schyler put in the winch pully and mast step and is now putting in all the floor boards. We took photos today and will post them tomorrow when I have a chance to download them. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos to show the difference from when we started and where we were at a couple of weeks ago. I will have to admit the longest and hardest part of this whole restoration, at least for me, was the stripping and sanding. We used all kinds of strippers from the environmentally friendly and very expensive products ($75. a gallon) to the cheap basic stripper from Lowes ($25. a gallon) and to be honest the cheaper ones worked far better and faster. The environmentally friendly version worked best if you slapped on gobs of it and let it sit in a dark, damp garage for a few days and then pull the paint off only to have to reapply in the tough spots.

That's enough for tonight!

More up to date photos tomorrow!

Sails, Jibs & Mains

2008-06-27T21:29:00.002-04:00

Today Libby, Owen and Schyler got the mast out of the barn to make sure all was in order. Hopefully we will be able to step the mast Monday. We also looked through the barn for jibs and mains and found some cotton sails from 1946 that are in incredible shape. The one sail we all decided to use has all these stamps on it from previous Regattas in the 1950's. All they need is some cleaning and soaking in the sun. We were so excited to find these beautiful sails.

We still have a million little things to do.....

Brushes, Primer and Varnish

2008-06-26T13:56:00.011-04:00

Things are getting close, but we are still working toward to the goal of getting the boat in the water for the Regatta! Last night we had quite the crew working. Libby and I were given little itty bitty brushes to paint primer on the hull. I didn't think anything of the size of the brush, however once Libby got there and was given her brush, a comment was made. Apparently we could have used bigger brushes, but we used what we had and giggled all the way. Actually, once we got started and began talking about the Jeep

Libby would like to buy and the VW GTI I test drove that
afternoon, the size of the brushes no longer mattered and the
boat began to take on a whole new look. Jack stopped by and
helped us finish priming and Libby fastened the deck to the
hull.

Curtis, a friend and co-worker from the Sailboat Shop came by and helped Schyler put a second coat of varnish on 75 pieces. It was a busy scene here at the house.

What's next? A million little things....

On another subject....here's the little turbo charged GTI I zipped around in this afternoon. Just LOVE the color! Tornado Red!!!

When's the Regatta??

2008-06-24T18:37:00.009-04:00

Well, the paint stripper/sanding wench has been sent below to update the Blog! I am sure everyone has been curious as to how we are doing with our Lightning No. 39. Well, after an unexpected trip to Colorado for a week, the beginning of Schyler's busy season at the Sailboat Shop, the beginning of my crazy wedding season, a move to a new studio, and the unfortunate ACUTE and extremely painful tendonitis of my right shoulder, (the money arm as Schyler puts it) all progress STALLED. The poor thing sat there all by herself screaming for attention. Scream, baby, scream....my arm is killing me, boats need to be launched, gear needs to be moved, and weddings shot.

After everything calmed down, we got going again. With all the layers of paint dating from 1939 were stripped and sanded, which took FOREVER, we varnished the inside of the hull. We, with the help of Libby, who has been here working under thunderstorms and golf ball size hail sanded and stained all the floor boards and everything not attached to the hull. The framing is all back on, old and new. Libby even admitted last night she saw the a light at the end of the tunnel. We have been working every night until dark, Schyler even later under the lights from The Yacht Club, to get as much as possible done. I love watching him. I've never seen someone so motivated. It's very cool for me. However, as I look out the window I'm not quite sure what he is doing, only to say he has latex gloves on. Perhaps I should supervise.

So, what needs to be done in the last few days? Varnish all the floor boards and miscellaneous parts, which Schyler apparently is doing right now, (I had to check). Put on the deck, place all the floor boards and seats back in, fill in all the dings and screw holes with the fairing mixture, paint the outside of the hull and all the other little things like sails and so forth. Oh yeah, and have the name of the boat painted on by Rob Hazard. Sweet.

I would put up new photos, but I forgot to download them at work and bring them home. Until the next post which will be tomorrow.

The Galley Wench

A Tedious Job!

2008-04-24T16:27:00.013-04:00

As you may well remember, Schyler had me start a project involving screwheads while we waited for more stripper to arrive. He told me, and I quote, "It's a very tedious job. I appreciate that you THINK you can do it, but it's very, very tedious." Knowing this information, I set forth with my screwdriver in hand and prepared for hours of painstaking work. I was done in one hour, not so bad!

After the fairing job, I began scraping paint off around all the little nooks and crannies near the deck framing. I figured I would at least keep working on removing the paint while we waited for more paint stripper to arrive. Now, this job to me was painfully tedious and beyond frustrating. I'm thinking, you've got to be kidding, there must be an easier way to get around all this framing! In the midst of my cursing, Schyler comes home and inspects my fairing work, and then grabs a screwdriver and begins removing all the deck framing, seat cleats and seat supports. I sat there amazed. He couldn't have done this in the beginning, BEFORE I started all the scraping!!! Once they were all off, he turns to me with that Schyler smile and says "Look honey, this will make it much easier to work on!" I thought I was going to slug him.

All and all, the boat is progressing very well and we have been working on it everyday after work and on weekends. Friends are beginning to stop by and check it out. Pete and RePete visited with beer and munchies. Chris Moore stopped by to see how far we were along with ours. He and his father Jim are working on their Lightning for the Regatta as well. The race is on!

Anyway, we will keep you posted and remember, if you drive by and see us working on the boat, STOP by! We love it! Just remember, if you are holding a Blue in one hand, prepare to have a tool in the other helping us!

Day Four - Paint Stripping

2008-04-16T16:09:00.008-04:00

Finally another warm day to start stripping the blue and green paint off the boat. We started with a water based product that ended up leaving a very thick and gooey layer on the bare wood. Impossible to simply scrub away with a scrubbie and warm water which was the intent. What a mess to clean up, so we stopped before going any further. Schyler ordered new stripper and once we get that we'll start the process over. Otherwise it was a learning experience for me since I have never done this before. Just love those mindless tasks...especially when there is a glass of wine waiting for me to enjoy in the sun.

Tonight, Schyler has (wait, I have to call him to find out the correct terminology, whole new language for me here), another project, which is digging out the screw head fairings. I have no idea what I just wrote or what it means. Poor guy, I know he shakes his head while thinking "Oh my God" as I ask these questions, but I am a very willing and eager intern and he knows I will eventually learn all this stuff.

Day Three - Rudder

2008-04-10T10:49:00.009-04:00

Today, Schyler worked on the rudder sanding it all the way down to bare wood. There are some dings that will have to be filled in with epoxy and mahogany dust that Schyler has saved over the years. So, there is a method to his madness of things he collects and saves. After all his hard work, Libby, his team mate for the Regatta, came out to supervise the progress. Needless to say she was pleased. I simply take the photos and do the grunt work I am told to do.

Also, please check out the new Cool Links added!

Day Two!

2008-04-07T14:49:00.008-04:00

The warm weather has arrived...at least for awhile. Being the case, we wheeled the Lightning out and finished scrapping all the old loose paint off. Keefe joined in until I thought better...isn't that paint full of lead? Probably. He was excused from his duties...gleefully! Anyway, we plan on applying the paint stripper this week and and starting the scrapping process again.

Day One....We've started!

2008-03-26T15:12:00.017-04:00

Finally, the restoration of Lightning #39 has begun!! On a very cold Sunday afternoon we removed the shrink wrap , removed all the parts and began scrapping off all the old blue paint. Unfortunately, there was some damage at the bow that bummed Schyler out. It was very exciting to finally see what this boat looked like under all that shrink wrap (since I had no clue!) and a wee scary to see what I got into! We have lots of hard work ahead of us before this summer's 70th Lightning Regatta, but we
will do it! And, thank God someone left a bottle of Blue before shrink wrapping the boat! Is anyone truly surprised???

The next step? Warmer weather so that we can strip off all the remaining paint!