Last month, I took advantage of the slower photography season to sneak up to Washington state for a week to visit my family. I'm a native Texan, but my parents and my sister all migrated up to Washington over the last 8 years. My parents have a spare bedroom, a large supply of tea, a scrabble board, and plenty of chairs for reading and relaxing, so it was exactly my kind of vacation. They have a serious lack of Blue Bell ice cream, but somehow I survived.
On one of my first days in town, my parents and I ventured up to Mount Rainier National Park, and of course my camera came along.
In between visits to coffee shops, restaurants, and antique stores, I walked the Rails to Trails path in Puyallup with my parents, and got a few photos of the happy couple. They're celebrating their 39th anniversary this week!
The backyard is a beautiful haven at every home my parents have owned in my lifetime. Their cat Allister sure enjoys exploring the yard. [Side note: Allister is my cat Calypso's brother. They both started life as stray kittens born in my sister's carport in Washington.] I enjoyed the unseasonably beautiful weather while Texas was being hit with sleet and snow.
I arranged a portrait session with my sister's beautiful family on one of my last days in town. We tromped around an abandoned dairy farm, working around several other photographers with the same great idea.
I've still got quite a bit of family in Texas, but I sure do miss these Washington transplants!
