Celebrating 95 // Week 40

We’re starting out on Wednesday this time. No more than a few days have passed since landing and I’m already on my way to the airport. This time to pick up my aunt from North Dahkoootah. I love going to the airport to pick up family. There is no better feeling than seeing some one you love, curbside, toes to the edge awaiting your arrival. Cue opening scene of Love Actually or the end, people dropping bags and running arms outreached tears streaming down their face. Ohhh man passs the Kleenex. Everyone is flying in for my grandmother, GiGi’s 95th birthday on Sunday, including my mom (yey!)

I take the day off to spend some time with my aunt. This is her and a I with her younger sister Laura.

We head down to my favorite spot to take my out-of-towners, Crystal Cove. Its a small strip of beach, north of Laguna developed in the late 1800’s and sold in 2000 to a land developer who had plans to turn it into a luxury resort, one person successfully fought and came up with a proposal to preserve the cottages and rent them out and she won. Today you can visit that beach, have lunch at the Beachcomber (on the beach) or rent a cottage. I always meet the nicest families visiting there (see impromptu photo shoot // Week 30)

Fresh off my contact high from developing first rolls of film, I decided to bring a couple more rolls to the beach.

These scans were my first from The Find Lab. I will say one thing they definitely have a certain ‘Canlas’ look to them. I’m not sure if its the settings, the film or the scanning but I’m seeing a lot of pink in comparison to the Colorado scans, which by the way came in this week so I’ve been all but consumed with 12 rolls that I need to figure out what worked best. If I’m quiet on social media now you know what I’m doing. That and exercising because what I don’t realize this week (spoiler alert) is that next week while standing in line at Panda Express I’m going to send a panic text to my husband that reads: I feel like I am going to pass out.

My aunt hand carries eggs from her farm. You cant believe how fresh they taste.

Sunday is my Grandmothers’ 95th birthday. We’re heading south to my sisters place where I get to hug my mom and meet their newly adopted Boston Terrier, Jersey, who turns out, does not like tall graying men. The husband is heartbroken, he loves dogs. We will have to give him more time, they have only had him for a week.

Les and our friend Heather, whom we refer to as our third sister.

Meet Jersey. Do you like his Angels tag? Ironically our beloved MLB team lost that afternoon in the playoffs. How is it the team with the BEST record in the league gets eliminated in the first round. We are all a bit shell shocked and turn off the game before its even over. I predict the Royals will take the World Series, they remind me of the Angels Cinderella team of 2002.

I realize by the time the sun is setting I don’t have any good photos to share of my grandmother, I’m kicking myself. I know she would have my hide if I posted anything less than flattering. GiGi all class, all the time. Last year I shot the photo below on her 94th birthday. I loved how she was showing a little leg underneath her flowy hot pink number and her canary yellow sandals. This woman knows her way around a sewing machine, so don’t even think of trying to sell her a garment with unfinished seams, I mean really! how uncouth. When her vision was strong she was the finest of seamstresses and loved her needlepoint. She now has a very small window of vision, but still insists on making her Homemade Fudge Sauce sauce every year.