Dunes Day

"We're going to the Dunes this weekend."

"You guys are? That's one of the very few places in Oregon I actually haven't seen yet."

"Do you want to come?"

"Really? Can I?!?!"

"Absolutely!"

And so it was that I ended up at the Oregon Dunes with the Americans for their annual mission, which just so happened to fall on the second weekend of my visit. This place is like nothing I've ever seen: like the PEI dunes on steroids except here you're not only permitted to walk/run/ride/play on them, it's ENCOURAGED.

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages...

START

YOUR

ENGINES.

Not only did I get to see a new and unique part of Oregon...

I got to meet some really fantastic new people...

... and their dogs!

Also, there was a celebrity among us.

Just a few sites over at the park: Jonathan from Deadliest Catch was the talk of the town, with some of the guys whispering like schoolgirls about how to engage him in conversation. I didn't need conversation: I just snapped a picture. :D

And then it was back to the sand, where I snapped a few more!

The weekend was not without some minor setbacks - read: ME, completely unprepared to drive the foot-shifting manual transmission quad I was offered to try.

Unfortunately there are videos of my continuous stalls, but fortunately I don't have them handy so you're not going to get to revel in my frustration. Instead, here is one of  the kids (who, at 7 years old, completely one hundred percent showed me up when it came to riding skills) who buried her back wheels in the sand. :D

Meanwhile.... 

'MERICA.

And, you know, just racing along the Pacific Ocean in a RAZR.

No big deal.

I had such an incredible time that weekend, and it was such a cool spot to take photos. I'm so grateful to Teresa and Clete for having me, and to all the crew for accepting me into their family vacation like I belonged... and for making me feel as though I did. I would really like to get back there again (as a photographer and passenger only!) and explore a bit more of all this area of Oregon has to offer.

A Dance With Dragons

In some cultures, dragonflies represent luck. They're not super rare, but photographing them is tricky; even when you spot one, even if you happen to have a camera with a decent zoom lens handy, good luck in getting them to hold still long enough to shoot properly.

But on this day, there were dragonflies a-plenty, of bright and glorious colours and luck was with me that day, as they all seemed to be as curious about me as I was about them!

The Kidnapping

I've often used the term "stealing" of children when I ask my friends if I can take their kids for a photo session. I didn't realize how much I said it, though, until I was visiting with Marcus's family one day and he straight up came out with, "Auntie Terri, can you steal me?"

Yes, indeed.

A bit of black and white set the mood with this brooding old man soul in a seven year old body.

But it didn't take long before this tough guy in pink was hamming it up

A couple of smiles,

a bit of play,

and all three personalities...

Officially stolen!