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noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:08:00 +0000

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Petroglyphs at Albuqureque, New Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:41:00 +0000

Brandon and Brittany - Yuma, AZ

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:32:00 +0000

I was thrilled when Missi asked me to second shoot with her for a wedding in Yuma, Arizona. We met the guys downtown and the groom new exactly where he wanted his photographs taken...
Red's Birdcage

The groom and groomsmen relaxing at Red's.

The bride and bridesmaids standing tall and proud before the ceremony.

The wedding and reception were held at the gorgeous Peare residence.

And a Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:38:00 +0000

Along the Eastern Sierras

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Lake Tahoe

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Sometimes it's fun to visit the same place again.

Winter '09

Autumn '08

Winter Vacation 2009 - Clovis to Just Outside Yosemite

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:11:00 +0000

In true Lorenz fashion, we set off on our vacation - spontaneously, unexpectedly and without any true destination. Amen, for the iPhone and google maps. We headed north toward Fresno.
Our friends Greg and Rebekah told us about the locals-only, best-breakfast-in-Clovis spot - the Rodeo Coffee Shop.

Deefor was a big hit at Greg and Rebeka's house. Their 2 kids (plus an entire neighborhood full of kids) ran around their house yelling, "DeeforDeeforDeefor! BrookieBrookieBrookie!" Deefor slid across the tile floor while trying to escape being hit on the nose by a ball again and again and again. (And, no, I don't know how Deefor's name turned into Brookie, but it sure was hilarious!)

Clovis - Gateway to the Sierras. LOVE IT! 49er country, here we come.

We headed toward the Sierras and decided that since we were "so close" it would be fun to visit Yosemite in the winter time.
An interesting idea...
We did what any tourist would do and stopped at the local hardware store once we encountered the sign that said, CHAINS REQUIRED, in blinking yellow letters on the side of the highway. With our newly purchased chains, we got in the truck
and continued on our way.
We answered all questions correctly when stopped by the official with the bright lights (see exhibit "f" above with the red and blue lights)
and continued on our way.
We tested out the skid-i-ness of our truck on varying patches of snow
and continued on our way.
My heart fluttered as we reached Fish Camp (what we thought was the highest point of our trip) and the local told us the road gets worse up ahead. And higher. And messier. But,
we continued on our way.
Until
We got to the entrance of Yosemite and when the road into the park looked remarkably worse than the one we just came from, we did what any intelligent tourist would do
and continued on our way...
by making a gigantic U-turn and heading back down the road we just came from.
All part of the adventure, friends.

Give Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite meal of the year and
if we could have Thanksgiving at "our" place,
I think I'd like it to look a little something like this.

I keep dreaming of haunted houses

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:53:00 +0000

maybe this is why

Lake Elsinore Grand Prix

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:44:00 +0000

1.5 laps and I lost a rear tire to end my race. I ran 85-90% for the first lap, Motor bogged off the line and was 4th for 3 minutes. Chris@Benchmarkperformance.us has the carb issue handled before the next race. It's nice having the motor builder call you after a race to follow up on his handy work. We had 2nd place back under our belt before the water crossing 1/4 of a lap into it. That 840 motor was the fastest motor out there today by a long shot. I was pulling everybody in the straights.

For the first 9 minutes of the race I was sucking dust and couldn't see, couldn't really pick my lines trying to stay with the leader. By lap 1.5 I took a small swap off of some whoops on a tight part of the trail, and stuffed the drivers side rear wheel sidways into 3 foot wall. It wasn't that big of a hit and was suprized I lost the tire?...

I parked it and hear a kid running up to me, "You're tire hit my house and my dad is bringing it back up here."

"Thanks little guy, how's the house."

"It's OK."

What a good time. $150 to run down a city street at 60+MPH wide open, passing a 25mph speed limit sign in a residential area was well worth the entry fee. My anti-social lawless side was grinning ear to ear.

I had 2 practice sessions in the car before the start of the race today. The first one was when I pulled it into the trailer last night, and the second practice session was pulling it out of the trailer to the starting line today. Todd had the Flying Banana dialed in from the CORR Races in '08, and had it back together for me by today. Chris built a ridiculous motor this week, and I got to break it in... Thanks for getting the Banana done for the Lake Elsinore GP guys, I had a blast.

I'm sorry to report she will have a different paint scheme before next race, but she will still bleed Banana Yellow.

Oh, the things we'll do for publicity

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:54:00 +0000

a visitor at our window

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:21:00 +0000

I think this guy is posing for the camera, but he got a little shy when I tried to snap a shot of him grooming himself.
Luckily, the dog has not seen this yet or else she would be going ballistic right now!

Scavenger

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:58:00 +0000

When your husband tells you he needs you to go to the beach,
you must always listen.
You see, the boys are on this silly lobster-hunting kick. This tradition has been going on for quite a few years now, and well, let's just say, I've never seen any lobster come home to my house! I was teasing Sean last night that maybe he needs lobster-hunting lessons. Hah! Joke's, on me. He tells me he has already had lobster hunting lessons! So, obviously, it must be the equipment's fault. And so, I was sent on a mission to scavenge along sunset cliffs to see if I could find any lobster buoys that had washed up on the shore. I too, came back empty handed, except for these few pictures to capture the day.

Autumn sounds better than Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Dear Autumn,

You already know I don't like you very much.
I can't go swim in the ocean; I can only watch while the dog darts through the waves like a seal and comes back to me shaking due to the short hair, begging to let me under the towel.
My internal body temperature does flip flops at night; too hot when I'm covered up all the way and too freezing when part of my body gets exposed due to someone stealing the covers.
My vast array of tanktops must now be overlayed with some sort of covering; Scarves, hats and big sweaters make me feel like I'm suffocating.
Fresh scents are best; Cinnamon & spices and warm & cozy are not my thing.
Your colors do not seduce me like those of summer and spring.
However, I must admit, you produce a lot of important crops and I do like pumpkin pie.
The man at the pumpkin patch told me my solo little pumpkin would make a perfect pie. Hmmm, didn't think of that when I picked it out. I just loved the variegated-ness of it. And those hybrid pumpkin / gourd / squash things provide a bit of comic relief every time I look at them. See, Autumn, I can find some good in you. I hope you'll stick around for a while. You sure have a lot of things to discover.

S

Testing out my special effect skillz

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:51:00 +0000

The Men in Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Sean) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:53:00 +0000

A mellow Sunday evening stroll.

Apple Pickin

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:27:00 +0000

My nephew, Robby, a Nascar-lovin', roller-coaster-ridin' 6 year old decided that he wanted to go apple picking for his birthday (over Sea World, I might add).
We arrived in Julian to find it about a bazillion degrees cooler than it was yesterday down the hill. And boy, was it breezy up there. After a quick trip to the candy store in town, we headed down to Calico Ranch in Wynola to do some apple picking. I suppose after studying apples in school for 2 weeks, you either learn to hate them or embrace them. Robby chose the latter. I kid you not, he was jumping up and down with excitement while picking apples! And since we had an extra visitor on the trip ("Birthday Bear") it just made it all that much more exciting. In Robby's kindergarten class, each child takes the bear home with them on their birthday to have a birthday adventure. Once the adventure is completed, a journal entry is made into a notebook (accompanied by a picture or 2, of course). The next child to have a birthday gets the bear and notebook passed on to them for a new adventure. Not only did this bear get to pick some apples, he also got to meet some goats, pick a pumpkin, climb a rock, jump in a bounce house, and my favorite, prospect in a sluice box at Julian Mining Company.
At the end of the day Robby proclaimed, "I want to do this every year!" I'm thinking his tastes will probably change by then, but I'm all for it. I love this place!

Buggn'

noreply@blogger.com (Sean) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:23:00 +0000

1 Floatable Boat, 4 Goons, 5.5 hours, 7 Hoop Nets on the season opener last night.

Sleeves are Necessary

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:58:00 +0000

I changed my mind.
I don't think the dog is chasing rabbits.
Every time I've seen a rabbit, cross my path, it's waited until the dog has crossed its path. She's not even close.
I think it's the wind. The wind plays tricks on her. Anything that the wind touches - well, she thinks it's a critter she must either point at or chase around. I couldn't even photograph her today she was so wild. Like, in circles kind of wild. Or maybe it's the cool weather that makes her go bonkers.

Feeling less like summer

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:26:00 +0000

As much as I love summer,
I have to admit I'm loving the recent weather.

Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Coffee:
It's great for long days at the computer
and creative artistic endeavors.
Not so good for sleeping at night.

...and before you ask,
"no."
The dog did not get any coffee.
She doesn't need it

Detour

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Dear Residents of Old Carousel Ranch Road,

I want to apologize for the excessive yelling at my dog today. You see, this is her favorite time of day - when all the rabbits come out. She was zig-zagging back & forth in her usual, "I-gotta-get-that-fuzzy-thing" chase pattern. It seems every time I picked up my camera, she would disappear on me. She doesn't usually stray far from Air Mail Lane, so I tend to stand in one spot and yell in different directions until I see her coming towards me. I had already seen her hopping around on 3 legs in front of Chancy's house from the sticker patch, and sure enough, when I found her down by the mail boxes, she was pleading at me to let her pull the stickers out of her paws before making the jaunt back towards me. She looked out-of-breath, so I caved and waited patiently before she got the stickers out so I could yell her name one more time so we could make the trip back home.
Tomorrow is another day, and I will try not to yell so much!

Sincerely,
Suzy - the one with the little brown dog

Rain?

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:06:00 +0000

The weatherman has told me there are cells of yellow down south, which translates into downpours. Supposedly, it's headed my way, but after so many hot days up here, I find it a little hard to believe. I also find it hard to believe that we are under a tsunami warning. Well, ok, if Ramona was under a tsunami warning, we'd all be in big trouble, but I am a little curious to see what the coastline looks like.

Good bokeh, if I do say so myself!

When the weather turns nice (aka not-so-hot) little brown dog goes crazy! I walked through the whole neighborhood shouting her name because I would stop for one little second to take a pic and, "poof," she was gone!

"Good girl, Deefor."
"Good come."
"Good, good come."
"Good stay."
"SQUIRRELS"

Ooof! That is one heck of a serious face.
I heard that if you practice at something for 10,000 hours, you will be really good at it.
Not only do I want to practice my photography more, but maybe if I put in some good time and practice at my smiling (especially in front of the camera) I'll get really good at it!

Laughing at myself after looking at the "serious" picture.

A Fish Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Suzy ~ lorenzstudio) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:38:00 +0000

We haven't had this kind of fishing down here since 2004, and before that it was on like Donkey Kong in 1998, the summer just after my senior year. Every El Nino, the water warms up locally, and the Tuna come within striking distance. The local stuff off La Jolla isn't as hot as 90-100 miles down south into Mexican waters. Rather than take a day off work, and run my little skiff out to the Local Kelp beds, I decided to take the $300 plunge and go on a day and a half boat out of Seaforth Sport Fishing.

I left Tuesday night around 9p, slept in my bunk aboard the Aztec, over night and woke up to the captain on the bull horn. I hadn't slept nor dreamed like that in years. Being Rocked to sleep on the sea is a great experience. Frankly, I can't remember the last time I had a dream. Tuesday night I dreamt of fish and whales...

"Were comming up on our first paddy boys, maybe a couple minutes out." I've never been so awake at 5:30am from a dead sleep. You know how a toddlers wakes up, it's part of our fight our flight, survival instinct that God indwelled in us as kids. They open their eyes, ready to go, and coherent in less than 3 minutes, grumpy, but ready to go. It takes me 45 minutes for me to role out of bed these days... Today was a little different, I liked being excited like a kid again.

We fished a group of 3 paddies all day going back and forth between them when the fish would no longer bite. I limited out on Yellowfin Tuna, had a couple of Yellowtales, a couple of Dorados, and a handful of Skipjack.

The toad of a YellowFin in the picture gave me the best fight of my life! I don't say exaggerated things like that unless they're true. It was the best fight of my life that Wednesday.

It was a little late into the bite, meaning the fish come on good when the boat initially slides up to a paddy. The bitters are taken, and then the fishing slows down. Out comes the lighter tackle to pick off a few more fish that are finicky. The set up I was using when the toad bit, was a trusty bass rig. I was using 20# test on this rod, with a top shot of 20# Florocarbon, and frankly I'm surprised I got this big boy to the boat. The standard combo for such a fish would've been a 35-40# ocean rig that has twice the girth of my tiny bass rod.

When I set the hook on this fish my real immediately started zinging. The rod doubled over and my line was being pealed off the my bait caster faster than I could have ever imagined. My heart sank as I watched my spool puke more than half of it's content into the ocean.

"This is the real deal and I'm fishing my light tackle." I gave my star drag a half turn. It slowed the fish down a little, but line was still pealing off.

It took about 4 minutes to get down to the last row of line on my reel. "This fish will spool me in about 15 seconds."

I didn't have a choice but to give my drag a full turn and lock down the spool. I have never had a fish take all 280 yard of line off of a reel until today. I got down to the knot I had tied onto the spool, and by golly what do you know, I didn't snap the fish off. I was able to get 5 cranks on my real and took a half turn out of my drag as a comprimise. The Tuna promptly took my 5 cranks of line back, and I was back down to my knot again. It was a battle of tug-o-war and it looked like I had lost.

I was 5-7 minutes into the fight at this point. One quick run by the fish and he would've been a free fish... Well, a "free" fish with 280 yards of 20# mono tailing him around for a couple of days before the hook rusted away or worked itself out of his lips. This Tuna was tired, and I was able to gain a little bit on him every 5 minutes or so. The fight lasted 45 minutes that afternoon, and I'm happy to say, I won...sucker.

I've never been spooled before. Most guys never have this pleasure, and the guys that do get worked over by a strong fish, usually don't have a picture to tell the rest of the story. I got lucky on Wednesday being spooled by this tuna, AND landing what would be the best fight of my life.

Want some Tuna?... Come and get it, there's a freezer full that we'll never finish all of it.

-Sean