Bullpups are going to playoffs...

my "shot of the day".

the nephew, #77, in position.

yep, he is taking on two little dudes...

proud daddy/coach


fun day. I love my family.
auntie nik

happy easter

meet the fabulous Ms. Jackie O Kelley.
Fresno native.
gospel singer.
beautiful.
stately.
gracious.
regal.
ARTIST.
www.JackieKelley.com


what a pleasure!
the beautiful make-up courtesy of the fun and fabulous
Stacy Francis, Face2Face Makeup Design, Fresno. 559.270.2508

Bruce, the boys and I....are heading up to three rivers today...
to go fishing...
our sunrise service...(:

"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
Praised is the name of Jehovah."
nik

valley goodness.

another signature of our valley...
I mean...Homer was right...it is "liquid gold"...

feeling lots of valley love...in spite of my week...

I have been on the phone to India for 4 days.
no joke.

my brand new Dell computer doesn't want to work
with my beautiful Dell monitor, which i love love...
it works with my old HP computer, but not my new Dell...
go figure.

so now...I am back on my old HP...
until mr. Dell can send someone out to mess with my motherboard...
blah!

THE GOOD news...I got a major tip from agent #214822 who recommended
I travel to India in May...wedding season...
and he is sure I could find plenty of weddings to shoot...
a life long dream of mine, to shoot an Indian wedding.

ok, back to work...4 days behind...
blah!
nik

cutting.

The Tulare County Cattlewomen & Cattlemen Presented
The 10th Annual Jeanne Erickson Memorial Country Round-up
Sunday April 10, 2011
Your local cattlewomen and cattlemen's connection...
www.visalialivestock.com

this was waaay to much fun to watch...I came out to Ritchie Barn to let my boys see real valley cowboys...
unfortunately, I only was able to watch three teams (before the boys were hungry for pizza)...
BUT, it was amazing...I could have stayed shooting this all day...

held at the Clarence Ritchie Barn, Visalia, CA

a beautiful location...

I can completely understand why a country wedding would be so delightful here...

total athletes...horses and riders.

my lil' wanna be cowboy.

thank you TCCW/TCCA...for being so welcoming to these little city boys....
we had a great time...
another reason to love our Valley!
nik

Meet the guys at the skate park.

So, the great part about my "assist"...I mention once...I want a skate park...so, of course,
she found one to drop in on after my morning shoot...
literally I don't think I was there for more than 20 minutes...

but it felt like 5...
I could have stayed all day...

I really wanted to see what I could do with one flash...next time...
I will bring all three.









What a blast...but I'm a Mom, and I just cannot believe these guys
do not wear any padding...I mean I think I skinned my knee
just kneeling in the bowl...

I'm such a baby...
nik

Meet Laura.

Yes, those are her real legs...LOL (:



Laura is fun and witty! a great combo.
nik

Meet Mishka.

One word: Gentleness.

look at Mishka's eyes....beautiful.


there is such strength in gentleness...
"Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone." Proverbs 25:15

It was a pleasure Mishka.
nik

Meet Roxanna.

Such a pleasure meeting and shooting Roxanna. So beautiful and Fit...I mean seriously Fit!


Amy is surrounded by the neatest group of people...
jealous! (:
nik

it's fall...

at Regier-Galpin Farms.

Some grapes are at the end of their season...

others getting ready for harvest...

the last variety of peaches are on their way to market...

and mandarins continue to mature for December...

have I mentioned I LOVE the Valley???

nik.

Fun!

this is thee...Ms. Diva Stacy Francis of Face 2 Face Makeup Design, Fresno.
email: f2face@att.net


oh yes, the picture speaks volumes...Stacy is Fun!

...and beautiful!!

nik.

Meet Bulldog Village. Fresno, CA.

the Lobby...I think it goes without saying...
I'm a fan. www.bulldogvillage.com

nik.

Ravensbrook Bed & Breakfast

Located 3 miles north of Coursegold, CA...surrounded by 100 acres of forest...Welcome to Ravensbrook!

Bruce Loves the mountains...no, I mean he is one of those people who LOVES the mountains. Hence, for his birthday I really wanted to surprise him with a trip to the mountains...

Hmmm...thoughts of me packing the camping gear (Bruce's typical "job") sent cold chills up my spine. Enter Ravensbrook.

!

ahhh, the cool temperatures, the fresh air, the faint chirping of crickets...I slept like a rock...it was so peaceful...

...right before Bruce drifted off...he mumbled, "Now this is camping...." a sure sign that he did, indeed, turn 48 ...

...and then we woke up...YUM! I really should have taken this picture before this poor uno was the only thing left on my plate....but it's an aebleskivers...basically a little Danish pastry for-crying-out-loud...can you really blame me?

nik.

to see more of Ravensbrook Bed & Breakfast click here:
www.ravensbrook-yosemite.com
or call Sherri Smith, who is the PERFECT hostess in every way!! 559-683-4792.

Regier-Galpin Farms

in process...
almost there...

mouth watering...
nik

Meet Regier-Galpin Farms

According to, A Statistical Tour of California's Great Central Valley , Tulare County ranks second (after Fresno) in the most productive agricultural county in California. Several sources estimate that, California's Central Valley produces $13 billion worth of food products annually. Regier-Galpin Farms consider it a privilege to be a part of generations of family farmers, who take pride in producing some of the best fruit in the world.

Table Grapes: Beautiful this time of year. I was simply mesmerized by the almost neon quality of the green and the harmonious blend with the different shades of purple. As the grapes continue to mature, Anthony Galpin, owner/operator of Regier-Galpin Farms swears they have the best table grape "crunch" that you can enjoy from September-December.

"Stone Fruit": Sad to say, born on a Dairy, raised in the Central Valley... still was not familiar with the term. So for all you other ignoramuses like me(really is it an insult if it is a Latin word?) ... here is the nikapedia definition, "Stone fruit has a hard stone or, duh, pit that is surrounded by sweet, some describe "fleshy" fruit around the seed/stone/pit." At Regier-Galpin Farms this consist mostly of different varieties of nectarines and peaches.



Meet the Rieger-Galpin Farms golden goose, or in this case golden fruit, Satsuma Mandarins: a seedless variety, now in it's baby stage, that will mature in mid-December. Mandarins are often canned...and in my opinion are a perfect compliment to the chicken salad at Wendy's. However, they are also growing in popularity as a fresh fruit, simply stated, because they're easy to eat! Side note, did you know that during the celebration of the Chinese New Year, Mandarin oranges are a traditional symbols of abundance and good fortune?


love my Valley Life...
nik