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Street Photography in Paris

One of my favorite all-time cities is also one of the best for street photography.  I was lucky enough to be in Paris for a few days last spring.  From the entertainers in Montmartre, to artists on the banks of the Seine, to quiet moments of people going on about their lives, the city is abuzz with image possibilities.  I feel like a voyeur, but I'm never stalking; the camera is in plain view.  Some may be curious as to why I'm photographing them, but I have yet to be turned away, except for some con artists in Montmartre, who did not appreciate me photographing their little scam in action!  I try to be deliberate in my composition, which is sometimes difficult when a scene is unfolding quickly before me, but intention is so important in making images.  Yes, there are spontaneous moments, but I always try to determine what story I'm trying to tell with the image while shooting.  La vie est belle.  Enjoy!  View more Paris images here.

The Loss of a Visionary

Solitude on an early autumn morning.

I still can't believe how the loss of Steve Jobs has affected me, has affected our culture, the world.  Like millions of other people around the world, I can't live without my iPhone, iPod and iMac computer.  There are days when I can barely pry the iPad out of my daughter's hands.  As a budding creative writer, she not only uses it for email, reading books, games and internet searches, but mainly to write stories - the 21st century's version of a paper notebook and pencil.

I can't help but connect Jobs with a video I just watched this week of Saul Bass, where he states, "I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares."  Steve Jobs created beauty out of the ugly, shaping technology so that it appealed to creatives, school kids, and luddites alike.  I never thought I would look at a piece of technology and compare it to art.  He took the intimidating world of computers and made it fun for people like me.  Unlike Saul Bass, however, I think Jobs did care.  He did want the world to see his vision, use it, and make it a part of their lives.  I love his Stanford commencement speech, in which he describes how he audited a class in calligraphy after dropping out of college, and how that class inspired the design of the Macintosh computer a decade later.  Just goes to show you that you never know where your next inspiration for beauty will come from.

In that same speech, Steve Jobs also offers this inspirational quote, which now hangs on my cork board:

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Read more here.

Stay hungry.  Stay foolish.

And, Think Different.

Thank you, Mr. Jobs, for creating beauty and useful technology in our lives.  We are grateful that you were and continue to be a part of our lives.  You will be missed.

Riding the Waves

“When you get in the Impact Zone, get back up because you never know what’s over the next wave.” 


You can have your own opinions about Soul Surfer, but I loved it and I love this quote.  2011 has been quite a year for people I know, a year of struggle, transition, change.  There have been times I have felt so overwhelmed, personally and professionally, that it seemed impossible to breathe.  This ocean of life is a tempestuous beast, a peaceful oasis, a joyful, thrilling ride.  I am imperfect.  I try, I fail, I try again, I learn (I hope).  I'm getting back up and preparing for the next adventure. I am ready to embark on a new personal project.  It is exciting, it's frightening, but I have to try, if only to see what's over the next wave... 

End of Summer Pie!

The final clouds of fog have broken up over the mountains this morning after a cold, rainy yesterday, reminding us of the autumn that is just around the corner.  The sun is back out again today, proclaiming that "Summer is not over yet!"  School may be in session, but temperatures are still warm and lovely, and summer fruits and veggies are in abundance.  Life is good!  

I love summer, especially the fresh fruits that we have available to us right now.  It's time to take advantage of this time and celebrate with one of my favorite pies ever, a fabulous Cream Cheese Pie with Peaches and Blackberries.  This pie is affectionately known as "Crack Pie" in our house, because it's so addictive that we can't stop eating it!

This pie is super easy to make, looks spectacular and tastes divine.  I'm still trying to figure out a way to make this gluten-free for my friends with allergies (really - no one should be denied a piece of this pie!).  If anyone out there has a suggestion, please pass it on.  In the meantime, enjoy the last bites of summer!

Cream Cheese Pie with Peaches and Blackberries

Crust:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 1/2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs (10 oz. package of Lorna Doones)

Filling and Topping:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

1 pint fresh blackberries

1/4 cup peach jam, melted

For crust:  Preheat oven to 325°F.  Butter 10" diameter glass pie dish.  Blend butter and extract in medium bowl.  Mix in crumbs.  Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of prepared dish.  Bake crust until just golden, about 8 minutes.  Cool crust completely.

For filling and topping:  Blend cream cheese in processor until smooth.  Add sugar, cream, vanilla and almond extracts, and blend until very smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.  Spread filling in prepared crust.  Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Arrange peach slices around edge of pie.  Arrange blackberries in center.  Brush warm jam lightly over fruit to glaze.  Refrigerate pie up to 3 hours.

Chocolate + Moose = Winter Park

Last Saturday we decided to head up to the Winter Park Chocolate Festival for some serious chocolate tasting. The weather was perfect, the views were stunning, and the food was fantastic. We started out with a lovely Shrimp and Bruschetta Salad on the patio at The Cheeky Monk in Winter Park Village.

Cocoa beans from Costa Rica

Ritual Chocolate, a new company based in Boulder, introduces their very pure chocolate at the Winter Park Chocolate Festival.

Competition was fierce at the Hershey Kiss Chocolate Eating Contest.

Chocolate Amaretto Spread from Satchi Ananda Fudge.

Julie Pech, the Chocolate Therapist, gives the crowd a chocolate/whiskey tasting lesson. We decided that a fine whiskey tastes best with a dark chocolate covered ginger - great flavor!

After filling up on chocolate, we had to hike it off. After hiking for two miles, we finally spotted our moose, walking across the parking lot next to our car! We finished off our day by stopping at The Peck House in Empire for a lovely dinner before heading home.

London Calling

London is always a surprise to me. I've been there several times and it always exceeds my expectations, and this time was no exception. It's a city steeped in history and tradition, as evidenced by the usual sites of the Tower of London, Westminster and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. But it's also an incredibly diverse, international, dynamic, modern city. Who knew that a major anti-government protest would take place during our stay (and that it was completely cleaned up by the next day)? Or that I would taste an amazing pasta dish at a gastro-pub run by Polish restaurateurs while meeting Scottish football fans wearing kilts?

Of course the entire city is buzzing about the upcoming royal wedding: scaffolding set up outside of Buckingham Palace for the international media, Will & Kate souvenirs galore, and everyone, from royals to housewives to taxi drivers ready to party on April 29.

London is a great place to bring kids for their first European adventure. Make sure you don't do too much in a day (one major site per day), visit a lot of parks and keep them well fed.

To see more images of London, click here.

Tower of London

The clocktower, Big Ben & Parliament

250,000 people participated in the March for the Alternative on March 26.

Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park

Royal Mail truck

St. James Park