(A la Natalie Dee)

First, shingles suck.
Yes, I have an "old person's disease."
And IT HURTS.
Don't worry, it's not contagious.

Second, the pain is somewhat mitigated by my love for my new camera.
Test shot on my favorite test subject:

Tiny house at dawn:
Today's we're emptying the restaurant. After 6 months or so (plus Nov.-Dec. of '09), my parents are quitting the restaurant. It boils down to, mostly, the economy here. It was a struggle the entire time, they sunk a bunch of money into it, and they just couldn't afford to keep losing money. So Adine's is closed. (Sad trombone sound.)

It's sad for everyone, of course. But it's kind of a relief. Today my mom turns 58. She says she'll be glad to have her life back after working 15+ hour days, 6-7 days a week. Since Keith and I had pulled back all the stress was on her (and my dad, but she was in charge of daily operations).

They should have everything wrapped up by the first of next week and she says their packing up their camper and heading to the woods for a week or so to decompress. Can't say I blame them. It was an unsustainable pace.

Harpster bend:
I went on the first (chronologically speaking) wedding consult yesterday. After multiple bouts of rescheduling, we finally met at the site just over a week from the big day. Nice couple. Gorgeous location. It's been raining cats and dogs forever and so everything is super green. Hopefully the sun will be out next weekend for them. The shot above was on the way home. The river is high and wide at Harpster! And everywhere else.