Every Third Year

is the Dole Family reunion... for those of you not in the know, Enna's originally a Dole. And next week is our family reunion!

There are three things that most Doles can't live without: chocolate, red wine, and mountain air. So for our family reunions we try to find a place where we can enjoy all of those things in copious amounts. We've had reunions at Point Reyes, Chaco Canyon, the Eaglecap Wilderness, Mammoth, a near-abandoned gold mining town in the Sierras called Sheep Ranch, and Lake Tahoe, to name a few...

This year, the East Coast cousins are hosting the reunion in North Conway, New Hampshire... we know, it's not going to be exactly "rugged", but the older folks are getting older, and the younger folks have babies, so we're going for a few more creature comforts this year.

Enna's grandparents, Helen & Al Dole

(Enna Grazier is named after Al's mom... G.G. Enna Dole started a lasting tradition of taking her kids on backcountry trips for a few weeks at a time in the Sierra Nevada, and that habit became a family tradition... )

We'll be gone for a whole week!!! Krista and Dana will be here to hold down the fort ~ but some of our emails and calls will have to wait for us to return. So please know that we'll be back in the office on Tuesday August 21 and will be catching up on emails and stuff at that time.

Mount Washington here we come!!!

Meridith & Jeff: Summer Love

What gorgeous skies we had for Meridith and Jeff's engagement session - these two practically glowed in the warm summer light. When Meridith and Jeff told me they wanted to do their engagement shoot at Plum Island, and that they like to kayak, I asked them to bring the kayaks along. So we loaded the SUV and set out for a beautiful sunset shoot. Rain clouds were in the distance, the soft sand was warm, and Meridith and Jeff were awesome to photograph. As the sun set we loaded the truck and headed for dinner. We were making our way off the island when I noticed the scene above. Meridith and Jeff quickly jumped out and I snapped a series of shots as they faced the setting sun. This photograph looks like a painting, and there is almost no post-production editing work done to it. Even more amazing was that as we turned around to get in the truck, we saw a huge rainbow stretching over us!

Listen here Mother Nature: you have a lot to live up to on the wedding day!!!

Christina & John

Christina and John are such a playful couple!

During our engagement shoot they really loved using different environments, so much so that they went into the fountain at the Christian Science Center in downtown Boston!

Let's hope there is a fountain nearby during their wedding formals;)

Check out their slide show to see more photos.

~Matt

Nothing But Blue Skies...

for Adena and Andrew - we got a gorgeous sky for their engagement photos, and I'm counting on the same for their wedding day, which is scheduled on the day of the year that usually has the most gorgeous autumn leaves.

These two are total sweethearts and we can't wait to photograph their wedding day!

I'd Like to Buy the World a...

If you haven't tried Virgil's Root Beer I am afraid you are REALLY missing out! It reminds me of the homemade root beer of my childhood, and also of the big jug of root beer that my friend Jen and I bought from an Amish family's farm stand in the Pennsylvania Dutch country years ago.

Virgil's is made from all natural ingredients and flavors (though some of these flavors such as Pimento Berry Oil and Sweet Birch may not be very familiar). It's creamy and smooth, not too sweet, not bitter, not overly effervescent... good chilled, but also not chilled.

Matt has the boys at the beach today and I'm sitting here editing and drinking a nice chilled bottle... it's going to be hard not to open another one but I don't want to get a sugar headache!

Yum yum - go out and find some before summer's over!!!

Sarah & Dan

These two were so much fun at their engagement shoot! I took them to the old fort on Georges Island in the Boston Harbor - taking the ferry is always fun because it really feels like we're getting a mini-vacation from the city.

Here is the slide show from their engagement session - just click on the little shopping icon if you want to register to view their wedding photos when they're ready.

Enjoy!

Susan & Brian

Susan and Brian are such a cute couple!

Here is their slide show.


:)

Boston PUG meeting coming up!

It's that time again! The next Pictage PUG meeting is on Tuesday, August 7 at 7 pm... RSVP here!



We hope to see you there!!!