I surprised my wife with a trip to Maui for her birthday and caught the whole thing on camera.
I surprised my wife with a trip to Maui for her birthday and caught the whole thing on camera.
I was excited for my first ski tour on Mount Rainier this past Saturday. My friend Jaclyn was celebrating a birthday snowshoeing on the mountain, and I decide to try out my skin set-up. I just put Marker Baron bindings on my Salmon Rocker 2 122s. I got new Scarpa Maelstre RS boots and G3 skins. For snow safety, I picked up a Black Diamond/Pieps set-up and BCA Float 22 backpack. I really didn't need all of that gear, but it was nice to put it all on and figure things out in a low-risk environment.
All that gear made for a slower climb due to the weight of the skis and loaded backpack, but I obviously had a faster descent than snowshoeing! The snow was nice and powdery, which made for some tasty turns.
I loved the work-out, and it was a great way to get on skis for the first time this season.
This post is sponsored by Swanson's Nursery. Swanson's Nursery in Seattle, WA, invited me to help kick off their "Pick the Perfect Tree" program for the Holiday season.
For those of you who want to save time on your Christmas tree shopping, or just want someone to pick the best tree for you, this is your ticket. All you have to do is tweet #HeySwansons (my choice) or post on Swanson's Facebook page requesting the type of tree you want, and the good folks at Swanson's will pick your tree out for you and have it ready for pick up Monday-Thursday. Get all the details on at www.picktheperfecttree.com.
I tweeted #HeySwansons requesting a 6-foot "Burton Blue" Noble Fir. The next day, Amanda, Greta and I went out to Swanson's and sure enough our tree was ready for us to pick up. Robin at Swanson's helped us out and made everything easy, from finding our reserved tree to installing the stand to loading it on top of our car.
On top of the great service, Swanson's has an awesome Holiday vibe. It's a one-stop shop for wreaths, poinsettias, visiting Santa and seeing a camel and reindeer. Sorry, Santa, but the reindeer really stole the show for me.
Thanks for the great tree, Swanson's! We'll be back.
(Most) Photos by Amanda Mottola.
Great couple. Great location. Great light. Couldn't ask for a better setting to shoot a wedding in the Pacific Northwest. The best part was, I had the privilege of shooting the wedding with my talented wife. It's always more fun to shoot as a pair.
Doe Bay is truly a world-class location and a great flavor of the San Juan islands. If you haven't been there, you're missing out.
Thanks to Phil and Julia for letting us document their day. Julia was a knock-out bride, and I was impressed by Phil climbing Mt. Constitution by bike the morning of the wedding. Exercise on my wedding day consisted of laps to and from the buffet. OK, photo time!
