Life in Art Photography

NEW NAME

2010-01-23T14:02:00.001-08:00

So before I get too far into the business...we've decided to change our name. We are now located at...

www.leifbrandtphotography.com

and

www.leifbrandt.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to a couple of my favorite girls...

2010-01-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated the birthdays of two of my favorite girls...my nieces Emma & Julia. Nothing amazing with the pix...I just love my nieces.

Here's the awesome cakes Alyssa made for them...

Emma...

Julia...

Mike & Niki

2010-01-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

So Saturday we got to hang with Mike & Niki. My wife and I got married at 19 & 18 so we never got plugged into the college group at our church. However, I do remember my friends talking about this girl that everyone liked. That was Niki...and Mike was the one that won her. haha.

Mike & Niki are a super sweet couple. Both super nice. Both super fun. Both super Christians. Both good looking. That's a recipe for an awesome shoot. Here are some of the pictures...

Mike is practically ninja status when it comes to martial arts...but Niki definitely looks more ninja here...

Niki being goofy...

Mike with his Blue Steel face...

The Incredibly Adorable Lily...

2009-11-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

Lily is cute. Lily is adorable. Lily makes me a little afraid to have kids because I'm not sure that my own kids will be as cute as she is. I know they say that every parent thinks their child is the cutest, but each time one my sisters has a kid they keep getting cuter and cuter and I worry more and more about our future kids. haha.

Here are a few pictures of Lily from yesterday morning.

Thanksgiving Day Wrap Up

2009-11-27T22:26:00.000-08:00

This year I definitely feel more thankful. Not that God has been more amazing than in other years or that He wasn't amazing before. He's always been and always will be. I think I've just hit a maturity where I appreciate it more. You younger peeps might just consider it getting older. Well, as my last Thanksgiving in my 20's, I definitely realized how incredibly blessed we are with a great family and friends and jobs and even just great stuff. now I just have to remember to take this gratitude and do more with it.

Holidays are awesome. They also make for long days visiting multiple familys. We started with my mom and grandma, headed to Erica's mom's side, and ended up at Erica's grandpa's house. Here are some photos from the day...

Grandma Brandt...

One of my favorite photo subjects...Julia

Lily ruling over the "kids" table...

The boys...

Synchronized pie eating performed in near perfection by Papa & Karen...

Hazel taking advantage of Papa's relaxed rules.

Nicole...

And of course...it wouldn't be the holidays without Chuck taking a nap on the couch....

San Diego Family Photography: The Williams

2009-11-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had the chance to hang out with Josh, Chrissie, and Matthew. They are super cool peeps. I've known Chrissie since the days we were on high school worship teams and my first memory of Josh was shredding on the guitar to some Satriani or Eric Johnson song. I still can't get my fingers to play that stuff. Although you can barely tell, they are pregnant with their second. Chrissie is super tiny so we'll have to do another shoot if her belly gets bigger. I had a hard time just putting a few up...so here are a bunch.

Oh...and if you love a sweetly made guitar...check out Josh Williams Guitars.

First attempt at doing a slideshow so we'll see if it works...

Williams Family from Leif Ramos on Vimeo.

Teaser.

2009-11-20T23:35:00.000-08:00

Two from todays shoot with Josh and Chrissie. While you wait for more check out Josh's guitar site.

Josh Williams Guitars.

Goodness in a bottle...

2009-11-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Some things in life just make your day better. Here is something that makes mine better. This is seriously goodness in a bottle. I must admit I don't mind fruity smelling body washes. I swear the last one I had was very manly smelling. This one, however, smells like a delicious orange cream-sicle. It makes showering that much more enjoyable. However, it could also make it more dangerous as you might be so distracted by the delicious smell that you might either drink the body wash (bad) or start chewing on a limb (also bad). After assessing the risks, I am still in favor of using this stuff...and you get 25% more free!!!

This is also an excuse to play with my Honl Grids I got for my flash. NOTE...Due to my sis-in-laws filthy mind I feel like I need to clarify that the Honl Grids are flash accessories that narrow the beam of light of my flash. That is what I'm playing with. Does that sound better Alyssa? haha

Josh Williams Guitars: San Diego Product Photography

2009-11-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a friend from church enlisted me to to take some pictures of a couple of guitars he recently built. If you are in need of a guitar...check him out. I present to you Josh Williams Guitars

Here are a few shots of the most recent guitar he built...

The Stubblefields: Poway Family Photographer

2009-10-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well...I'm definitely going through some changes. I'm only 29, but I think I am going on 40. Soar knees, soar back...I catch myself driving under the speed limit...I'm tired a lot (although my day job forces me to wake up early a lot so I'm blaming that). One thing I've noticed more as I get older...I feel ready for a kid. Sure, I still cringe a little when one shrieks in a restaurant, but there is something cute about it now. When shooting a past family portrait one of the kids had some slobber on her face. Without even thinking about it I just wiped it off...with my BARE HAND! You're probably thinking, "Gross!" I know! I normally would too but I think that's how you know you're ready for children. Haha.

Thankfully, this past Sunday we had the privilege of shooting the Stubblefields...and...my sleeve was not needed at all to wipe anything...so that was good. The Stubblefields have been friends with Erica's family for a long time...so long that Erica can't remember how long. I will add that Erica's memory is not very good. On Monday she couldn't remember what we did on Sunday. :) Anyways, we went out to a sweet park in Poway a friend photog told me about. There were a ton of places to shoot there and I'm looking forward to the next time I'm out there. Here are a few from Sunday...

Love this first one. I love the look on Preston's face as he's swinging...

It's that time of year!!!

2009-10-16T16:26:00.001-07:00

Yep...Christmas is just around the corner. Seems crazy to say that before we even hit Halloween...but it will be here fast. If you need some pictures give me a call or shoot me an email to schedule a shoot. I'll shoot, edit, and put your beautiful pictures on a custom card of your choosing. We have 10 designs to choose from which are fully customizable (color, text, fonts) ...5 5x7 flat cards with the front and back printed on and 5 designs to choose from using a 5x7 folded card. Here are a few samples...but there are still 5 more designs to choose from. Check them out...

Front

Back

Front

Inside (5x7 folded)

Front

Front

Back

Front

Sedona: A little family getaway

2009-10-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we got to go on a little family getaway as my sister and her husband invited us and my mom out to a timeshare in Sedona. These pictures are not amazing nor are the supposed to be. It was just nice to get together and hang with family.

This was a sweet chapel built into the rocks of Sedona. This picture was taken as we were leaving with the camera hanging out the window. I had no idea if I even had it in the frame...just pointed and shot...

The inside of the chapel was pretty cool...

A few quick shots at the Grand Canyon...can you believe that this is my real mother and my real sister? I promise you that I am not adopted. This is my proof that I am part Norwegian.

Self Timer Fun: Oceanside Photography

2009-10-11T17:14:00.001-07:00

I love taking pictures. Not surprising. However, for as many pictures as I take...we don't have any of them hanging up in our house. We also have zero pictures of us. So, a few weeks back we were bored so we headed out to mess around and have some fun with the self timer and maybe get some pictures of us...after all...we've been married over 10 years so we should have some before we get too old.

Some things we learned...

-Timing a jump with the self timer is trickier than we thought...
-Timing a jump with a self timer with someone else is even trickier...
-I can jump higher than my wife.
-My wife cannot jump very high at all...but I still love her
-I make funny faces when I am concentrating on jumping

enjoy...

BTW...even though it looks like night...it was not. I love flash photography

This one looks a little silly. I think we were gonna try jump and bump butts in the air but instead she giggled and tried to get away...Kinda looks like shes dancing...but she doesn't dance so shes not :)

No timer used on these...I just love how these came out...

The Johansen Clan: San Diego Family Portraits

2009-10-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've had the great opportunity to take pictures for JJ & Krissa and their super cute little boy, Kale. A few weeks ago it so happened that JJ's family was in town...coming from Michigan, Arizona, and Santa Clarita. One of the siblings was about to move their family to Lithuania for a couple of years, so this would be the best shot at getting some family pictures done. I love shooting families and this family was no exception. Everyone was soooo nice and I can't believe how well behaved the kids were. If we have kids we might have to get tips from them. :)

They were staying in Oceanside and with all the kids we needed to be quick. We decided to shoot just outside the condo. We were rebels and got up on the lifeguard tower even though Anika, the oldest of the kids, kept informing us that the signs said keep off. Luckily her parents somehow were able to explain that some rules are breakable. :)

Oceanside, CA Wedding Photography: Michael & Chelsea

2009-08-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

I few months ago we got to meet Michael & Chelsea. We met up in Carlsbad to shoot their engagement shoot and all I can say is...what an awesome couple they are. The whole time they we just making each other laugh and you could really see how much love there is between the two of them...and they have a secret handshake...which is pretty rad too.
This past weekend was their big day. It was sort of an odd weekend weather wise for us San Diego residents as all week long it was clear blue skies, then Friday it rains a bit and Saturday was overcast, hot & muggy. However, their wedding was beautiful. They got married just off the beach at the North Coast Village in Oceanside. Things ran behind schedule so we didn't have much time for portraits of just the two of them, but the day was still awesome. Here are a few pictures from the day...

Here's the location a few hours before the ceremony...and before the marine layer came in...

Vista, CA Wedding Photography...A few from a past wedding...

2009-08-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

I got to shoot second for a buddy of mine a while back. Here's a few shots from then...

San Diego Family Portraits

2009-08-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Michael - "What have I always said is the most important thing?"
George Michael - "Breakfast?"
Michael - "Family"
George Michael - "I thought you meant of the things we eat"

If you don't know that reference you should do yourself a favor and netflix Arrested Development. It was an awesome show.

Lately I've had a few family shoots. I was busy with finishing up the website and whatnot so I haven't posted them...so here are a few from the month.

First up are the Campbells. They were out visiting from Texas and thought it'd be a good time to get some pictures..since it's hard to beat the weather and scenery out here. They are an awesome family and it was fun to hang out with them.

Next up...The Reids.

If they look familiar thats because they have made a few appearances in photos prior to this. Lauren is Erica's sister, Ross is her hubby, and Lily is their adorable 1 year old whose style is inspired in part by Punky Brewster...although she wasn't rockin' the leg warmers that day. We have a lot of candids of Lily and a handful of goofy shots of Ross that can be used as blackmail, but no family shots. So, at our 4th of July get together we snapped a few. I was bummed because we had missed the extra juicy light by just a few minutes...but when you have a good looking family it doesn't really make a huge difference. :)

And Finally...the Enyarts.

We know the Joel and Christy from a few churches. yep...a few. We first knew them from North Coast Church in Vista where at one point we were all on staff in different ministries. They moved to northern CA and we eventually moved to Simi Valley. Towards the end of our time in Simi Valley, Joel was hired at that church to take over the college ministry. Unfortunately, we moved back down to Oceanside right as they were moving down to Simi...so we didn't get the chance to work with them. However, they still have family down this way so one morning while they were down we went over to Carlsbad for a few quick pictures. The lighting wasn't great and Indy was so hyper we couldn't even really bribe her...but we still managed to get some good shots in there. Here are a couple of my favorites.

San Diego Family Portraits: Kale @ 4 Months

2009-06-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we met up with our friends JJ & Krissa. I took some pics of them back when they were pregnant and then again when Kale was a newborn. On Saturday they came back for some more photo goodness to help document the first year of Kale. They wanted some simple indoor shots against the white background and then we took a few outside at the park. Kale is a cute little guy who doesn't seem to like to smile a ton for me but he definitely has the serious look down. :) Here's a few.

I swear I'm not gay...

2009-06-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

yes we did some art crafts this morning...but purely for business purposes. (although it wasn't NOT fun).

Presenting one of our custom DVD holders. Pretty freakin' cool imo!

Since my wife is not up on these codes...IMO=In My Opinion.

San Diego Wedding Photography: Michael & Chelsea: E-Session

2009-06-08T16:47:00.001-07:00

This weekend we had the privilege of shooting some engagement pictures for Michael & Chelsea. We hadn't met them prior to the shoot so we didn't really know what to expect...but we were pleasantly surprised. What an awesome couple. Aside from being super nice, they were a ton of fun to be around. The love they have for each other is crazy obvious by how much they enjoy each other. They were cracking up pretty much the entire time and it was a blast. Looking forward to the wedding in August. Here are a few...

A Few From Easter Weekend...

2009-04-12T22:11:00.001-07:00

Busy weekend. Saturday we had Jacob's 9th birthday party...then Easter on Sunday. Here's a few from this weekend. No time to type much coz' I'm tired. Alyssa...that means you are off the hook...you know what we're talking about. Hope Jacob recovers okay. :)

Love the face Josh has as he concentrates...

Life In Art

2009-04-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have a logo. Thanks to my friend Drew who whipped this up in a few minutes.

Here's how it looks on a few pictures...

San Diego Family Portraits: Hello Kale...Warning! Post Contains Nudity! :)

2009-03-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

So if you remember a while back, our friends JJ and Krissa had me take some pictures to document their first pregnancy. It was a beautiful sky, but super cold and windy. JJ, Krissa, and Cubby braved the weather and it turned out great. They weren't telling people the name they chose...but I tricked them into telling us. I used the old "write the name of the baby in sand" trick and before they realized it...I had them tricked. We swore to secrecy which wasn't that difficult since we don't know anyone in their family. Well...Today we met Kale...aka...KJ.

I don't think we got off to a great start as he will now think of me as strictly paparazzi. He wasn't too into the whole picture thing. I also learned that when he's diaper-less and getting a breeze down there...it makes him go pee. First on the background paper...then all over JJ. Anyways, I don't do much newborn stuff. I definitely give mad props to those that specialize in newborn photography because it's super difficult...and sweaty. Yes...sweaty. We have heard it's good to keep it toasty while shooting newborns so we had the heat cranked...it felt like a sauna. Anyways, here's a few.

She said YES!

2009-02-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

I can see it now. Despite not having any new posts for over a month you decide to check my blog today on a whim thinking maybe there will be something new. It's Valentines Day weekend...Then you see it. "SHE SAID YES!" You explode with joy running around your house yelling "she said yes...she said yes!" About half way through the second lap around the living room it dawns on you...wait a minute...they are already married. You get this horrible heaviness in your stomach as if someone just socked you there...or you ate your califonia burrito too fast and now your tummy hurts...either way...your joy and jubilance that you were experiencing just moments earlier has been replaced with a sinking feeling (or bowel movement if you really did just eat a burrito too fast). What in the world is he talking about? Before you turn that embarrassment into rage read on. So sorry to get you all excited. I am already married and no, i did not propose over the weekend. So what then did she say yes to?

So I like taking pictures...my wife hates having her picture taken. Sounds like a perfect match. :) Well, after being rejected many many times...this weekend I wanted to play around with some lighting stuff and she finally agreed to letting me use her as my model. No alcohol was used to trick her into it...nor bribes of Norstrom. Not really sure why she said yes...maybe the excitement of the new season of America's Next Top Model put her in the mood. Whatever it was...it was fun to go out and play around with the camera.

So I wanted to play around using a flash in broad daylight. I didn't really care much about composure of these shots...just wanted to play with the lighting. Usually you stay away from shooting in the middle of the day if possible, but I wanted to this time cause I figured if I can get it down during the middle of the day, I should be able to get better results when the natural light is mo betta. We started around noon...finished around 2:30. I never really thought of using a flash in the middle of the day for anything but fill lighting, but when my model is not modeling I like to read stuff on this cool thing called the internet. Read about it...wanted to try it. anyways, here are a few shots from saturday...

So we thought it would be fun to try some jumping shots. On America's Next Top Model they always do awkward shots and Tyra yells at them to make sure they keep posing the entire time. It's actually pretty difficult to think about keeping your hands in a beautiful position as you are thinking about tripping and falling face first into the pavement. Ca (Erica for non family members) did the modeling part pretty well...not so good on the jumping. Does a two inch vertical leap really count as a jump?

here I am...no model pose here...but a slightly improved vertical. I am sure it's just the camera and shadow angle that is giving me this false sense of leaping ability. I was probably only about 4 inches off the ground...but it sure looks like more. If only I was taller I could have been a baller...

Finally we messed around with taking some shots against the backdrop. Here is one of Ca's favorites. This explains why she fell in love with me so many years ago. I look so darn sexy rockin' a guitar...

ps...in case you are wondering I learned how to make that sweet guitar face from our youth pastor B. Wilson. You gotta make it look painful!

Julia's birthday...

2009-01-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

Since Disneyland is being soooo gracious to it's customers this year and allowing a get in free pass on your birthday...we decided to finally cash in on the year passes we received for Christmas back in '07 so we could take our nieces and nephews. On Tuesday we took Julia for her birthday. She was awesome all day long. She didn't complain at all and caused us to debate if we were gonna return her or just keep her since we don't have any kids yet. The fun thing about Julia is that she has already started her training for America's Next Top Model. When the camera comes out...she automatically turns on the posing. Anyways...here's a few from the day...

ps...They now charge $69 for an adult. Disneyland may seem like the happiest place on earth...but it sure isn't for the parents that have to refinance their house just to take their kids there for a day.

San Diego Wedding Photography: Shannon and Crystal

2009-01-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

Shooting weddings can be extremely stressful...but I love it. It was a ton of fun. Thanks to Shannon and Crystal for allowing me to shoot the wedding. Here's a few...

San Diego Maternity Photography: Storm Watch 2008 with JJ & Krissa

2008-12-14T00:59:00.001-08:00

In San Diego we are usually in the 70's or 80's with sunshine. However, if you watch the news this week you might think that the end is near based on the over dramatic weather people on our newscasts. Watch out...brace yourself...board up your windows...stay inside...we're looking at getting a full 2" of rain. No...not 2 inches per hour...that is 2 inches over 6 days. I know...we have it rough here.

Well, in the midst of Storm Watch 2008 we decided we wouldn't let this horrific weather paralyze us. Today we had planned on shooting some pix of our friends JJ and Krissa. They are pregnant with their first child and wanted some casual pictures and they allowed me to practice on them. Fortunately, they are both not originally from California so they were able to persevere through the very chilly, windy weather we had today. Yes it was cold...yes the wind was blowing Krissa's hair all over...but in the end we were able to survive the weather and a fun time. Here are few pix from the day...

Lilly...

2008-12-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

getting cuter and cuter...

And one of my favorite pictures I have so far. I just like the way this one turned out...

Fun with a new item...

2008-10-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

I tried using a white sheet but it was unable to un-wrinkle...so I just bought an actual backdrop. What a novel idea...buying things that are actually designed to do what I am trying to do. Maybe I'll actually get some real lighting as I'm just using an off camera flash which takes forever to recycle it's charge. anyways...Monday we went over and took some pictures w/ some family...

I think crap is a word...

2008-09-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Title a little confusing??? Well, it has to do with where we are tonight. A little over two years ago we traveled up to Oregon with my mom and grandma for my cousins wedding. On the way back we were doing a little road sign scrabble. We see a word on a sign and using those letters you see how many words you can spell from that particular word. Well, we played for a while. Exhausted all the options for that word...and since we're all introverts...we enjoyed about 30 minutes of silence. So 30 minutes had passed since the game was over and Grandma chimes in, "I think CRAP is a work". We were all a little confused at that point.
yes, crap is a word but where did that question come from you may ask?? Apparently grandma was still playing the game...and while crap is a word...it didn't quite work with the word we had last played with. So what is this word? Well, it's where we happen to be tonight.

Petaluma

Yes, if you are observant, there is no C or R in that word. :)

anyways, since our last update we have traveled from Bozeman, MT to Boise, Idaho to visit my sister Kristen and her hubby Peter. Just so you know...it is pronounced BOY-SEE. There we enjoyed a tour of the historic Boise Prison, ate a bunch of food, and went to the best dollar theater we've been too. While it's not actually a dollar a ticket, it was $3 and for an extra $1 you get two food items.

From there we traveled to Seattle where you'd think our hotel would give us free internet, however, Sheraton Hotels will steal your money in any way they can. They wanted $10 a day for internet access...not to mention $38 a day to park there and $8 for gummi bears. Anyways, Seattle was pretty cool except there was a constant aroma of urine.

Our first morning we were there we were excited to go to the Crumpet Shoppe our friends the Stoners recomended. With Nutella on our minds...we got there and they were closed. It was Labor Day. Surprisingly, a lot of things were closed that day. Don't worry...we went back and got crumpets the following morning...although they were out of Nutella. :) While in Seattle we went to the aquarium, took the underground city tour, and ate a lot of food.

Tuesday we drove down the Oregon Coast...today through the redwood forest and some of the CA coast...tomorrow...not sure yet. Here's a few less than great pictures...

Boise Prison

The "every tourist takes a picture of this" Pike Market sign. The other sign had a stinkin banner in the way!

Underground tour pic

Yumm...Crumpets

Oregon Coast as the sun sets...

Montana Family Portraits: The Stoner Family Pix...

2008-08-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

So it was my first attempt at this sort of thing aside from the candids I usually have. It was windy and chilly and my decision to go with a cheaper off camera flash set up came back to hurt me for a while...so as soon as I can sell a guitar I'm going wireless! The Stoners were good sports...especially Jefferson who was hating every moment he had to wear his uniform...but we wanted to make his mom happy (i guess she LOVES pictures of him in his uniform). Anyways...the flash started to work later and it was a fun experience and hopefully I will improve from here...

Montana

2008-08-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and Today we are in Montana visiting our friends the Stoners. Despite their suspicious last name, we actually met Jeff and Jenny in one of our Growth Groups years ago. We shared the same silly humor and have been laughing and quoting arrested development and (more recently) flight of the conchords ever since. A little over two years ago they moved just outside Bozeman and we finally have gotten out here to visit. Check out the sweet view they have from their yard...

And their dog Buster...named after an Arrested Development character...

AND...saving the best for last...Eliana Stoner...about 4 weeks old and super cute. I think later today we're gonna do a photo shoot...but here are a few unofficial ones for now...

Days 4 and 5...

2008-08-27T01:07:00.000-07:00

Our roadtrip continues to be super busy. In the last two days we have done our best to cover not one...but two national parks...Teton National Park and Yellowstone. We didn't get too crazy at either one...just trying to hit the main things. After a while things start looking the same so we felt we could skip a lot of things. You can only see so many waterfalls and pine trees. The tetons were cool...they'd probably look way better in the winter...but here are a few pictures from day 4. There are a bunch more but it's 2:30 am so this is what you get. :)

They are actually very small...

Monday night we slept in the element. Erica was freaking out about bears so we weren't quite sure where to sleep. She was convinced that the bears would smell something they liked and rip our car (and us) to shreds to get it. Finally, I convinced her we'd be fine...and we made it through the night...

So today was busy trying to cram Yellowstone into one full day. We started off at Old Faithful. This is the famous geyser that is so faithful with it's eruptions. Well, it was a dud this morning. It only went about 5 feet up for maybe 30 seconds. It was right on time though...which was nice because it was FREEZING!! After that disappointment we walked around and looked at a bunch of other nasty smelling geysers and sulfur pools. They smelled extremely foul, but the colors were beautiful. We also did some hiking to some of the famous waterfalls (more at a later time for that) Okay...time for bed...here are a couple more pix...

some older couples waiting for round two of Old Faithful.

Farts are Funny

2008-08-27T01:05:00.001-07:00

Saw this sticker while walking around Jackson Hole. I agree with it...

Road Trip...days 1-3

2008-08-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

On Friday we left planning on driving through Utah to Arches National Park. I've never driven through Utah but I don't imagine it pretty. After driving through the desert towards Las Vegas I had enough of desert and decided I wanted to see Colorado. SO we made a detour. However, our GPS took us through Arizona to get there...so there was a lot of ugly desert to endure. It worked out well because we stopped at the Grand Canyon which was cool. Neither of us had been there and it's nice to finally say that we have. It's crazy how many European tourists there are there...and most of them like to smoke. :( We stayed the night there testing out our elements versatility and from there we drove towards colorado. It took a little while, but we finally hit some pretty mountains...and my favorite thing...really nice clouds. We rarely have clouds this good in So Cal so I got excited. They just make pictures look better. Our second night we just parked in a hotel parking lot and slept.

Day 3...we drove from Colorado and into parts of Utah and are currently in Wyoming. In Utah there was the Flaming Gorge. Not too impressive, but it was a nice drive and they had some cool clouds. Wyoming is pretty...but probably not on the top of our list of places to move. Not sure we could handle being in towns that have less than a thousand people.

Last night we stayed in Jackson. It's a nice little town right by the Grand Tetons. Again, a lot of European tourist. While out we found some sweet hats but resisted the urge to buy.

Okay...gotta go. We're gonna do some hiking in the Grand Tetons and then make our way into Yellowstone.

In Jackson they had some great hats...