Tradition!

Castle Builders Jigsaw Puzzle
It's come to my attention that I have fallen behind posting my puzzles. Please forgive me as my recent travels have disrupted my connection to the world-wide web. So tonight, I have internet, but not my computer. However, I brought a DVD of beach pics to give to Amy, so I did find something to share along the theme of our beach week traditions, which after 24 years, there has been some evolution, but some things never change.
LIKE . . . .
Building sand castles. (photo thanks to Vicki McPherson}

The family photo.

Going to the sound for the sunset. (photo by Amy Mac Renzulli)

Somebody's flesh being stitched back together by Dr. David. (Thankfully, this isn't an every year occurance, though he ususally ends up doing some kind of doctoring before the week is finished.)

Kite flying.

Showering outside. (photo by her mom, Vicki)

Riding the ferry to Ocrcoke,

and feeding the seagulls.

Going to see the lighthouses (photo by Vicki McPherson)
The Trivial Pursuit war between the genders.


Reading.


Creative arts. (In years past, I planned the craft activitiy for all the cousins; now they are creative on their own.

Other traditions not pictured:
The Seafood Feast!
The Curry Dinner!
Sailing (Oh, the stories I could tell!)
Brave attempts by the Coast Guard to Rescue us (stories I really should tell. These are rich!!)
Long walks on the beach.
Boogie-boarding.
Bobbing.
And this year, a new tradition to add to the list: Letterboxing. (photo by Agape)

From Coast to Coast

The Atlantic last week, The Pacific this week!! Does that make me a multicultural mermaid? I am in Los Angeles for the Pictage Partnercon soaking up the wisdom so freely shared by some of the absolute best in the wedding photography industry. What I have learned so far:
1.I am not in the photography business, I am in the photographer business.
2.I need to outsource every task in this business that does not absolutely require my presence. So, as my roomate Tracy said, I want to shoot more and click less. "Shoot.Dot.Edit;" I will be banging your door down!!
3.Photographers are very serious people. See below:

Chris and Christina, The Show!

This also could be titled, "Lost in Blogger Cyberspace." I know I wrote an entry late Sunday night about Chris and Christina with a link to their slideshow. I even remember what I wrote, though it was about 3:00 am! But now, I can't find it anywhere. So, will somebody help me out here, and tell me if you ever read it here, Under the C., or am I just delirious from being hauled away from the sea?

If it's true that "All you need is love," then Chris and Christina are the richest 2 people around. We did their engagement shoot one sultry night a couple of weeks ago, and he was sweatng buckets and dabbing at a self-inflicte flesh wound (clean shave, off the scale!) but NEVER WHINED!! His only desire all evening was to please his beloved and make her wishes come true. It's always inspiring to be with them and I am so blessed and honored that they have invited me into their lives and their love. Watch their slideshow, and you will see what I mean!
Chris and Christina.

Message from another McPherson

Dear All,
Greetings. I'm Charlotte's sister-in-law/friend, Lilless, the oldest living member of the McPherson clan. Charlotte has been busy being on vacation, chronicling our vacation (some of her photos are on the blog), and doing a slide show for an engaged couple. Today she leaves for a photography conference in California and asked if I would be a guest blogger, something I've never done but I do know how to write on the computer since I'm a college professor and teach an online writing course.
As many of you know, Charlotte is extremely intelligent and creative. Her photographs have won numerous awards and although she donates much of the time she spends on photography, she is also earning money with her skill now. For example, she sells her work online and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina among other places. You can see I'm a fan and since Charlotte is modest, she might not put all this information on her blog. She takes her cameras and a computer everywhere she goes except when she's actually in the ocean, tubing down the New River, water skiing, jumping off the bridge in Manteo, NC, into the water, or playing in some other body of water (as befits a mermaid).
Since I recently retired (although I'm still teaching some), I've come to stay a couple of days at what people refer to as Camp McPherson, whose proprietors are Miss Charlotte and Doctor Dave. Their home in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a refuge for many.
I'm now reading "The Mitford Bedside Companion" by Jan Karon and recommend it to anyone who has read any of the Mitford Years series and to others who just want a peaceful book to read. The series is about Father Tim, an Episcopal priest, and his family and friends in a fictional town in the mountains of North Carolina. I've read all the other books in the series with my ears (Books on Tape).
Hope you are having a wonderful day. Thank you for reading my first blog entry.
Lilless McPherson Shilling

Home, Sweet Wi-Fi

At last! I am rolling down the information highway again. Goodness, I didn't realize how dependent I have become.

So, the 2007 McPherson beach week is now history. sniff, sniff. . . but there are lots of lovely photos waiting, when I have some time. We had perfect weather the whole week and left just in time for Gabriella to move in. I've been watching news clips of the storm on the weather channel site today. It's a little surreal to be watching surf on the very same beach we just left. It was vigorous swimming on Friday with some swells in the 5 to 6 foot range and a little rip current action going on: just the kind of stuff a mermaid needs to satisfy the soul.

Thanks to Amy, I will have some lovely portraits for my website's bio page; no mean feat, I might add, considering the model she had to work with!






It was a nerve-wracking ride home in the party wagon. (Always an adventure lurking, huh?) We were 20 minutes late out of the starting gate, but not to worry because I had padded our departure time by an hour so we wouldn't have to stress over making Amy's 3:00 pm flight from Raleigh. Well, 3 stops later we had whittled all of our bonus time away and were on course to arrive at the airport 1 hour before her flight time, when the van started swaying like a leaf in the wind. I slowed down and took note that the trees were not dancing with the wind like we were. Hmmmmm . . .no wind, so what could it be???? We were pulling off to assess the situation ( it felt like the van would topple at any moment), when we heard the rumble of a tire going flat. Uggghhhh!!!!!!! Of course, all the tire-changing gear was buried in the depths under the back seat, barricaded by a week's worth of beach life support gear. We looked like the Keystone Cops unpacking, ripping that tire off, and shoveling it all back in, then rolling pell-mell the last 50 miles to the airport, even though, by now, the prospects of Amy catching that plane looked hopeless. We screeched to the curb at 2:35pm, Amy bolted out, and was miraculously seated on the plane before I could get parked and come inside!! Who would have imagined in this day and time that you could arrive 25 minutes prior to departure and both your body and your luggage would make it onto your flight!!

McPherson Beach Week

Sending the Sunset Jigsaw Puzzle

It's finally here! We are having perfect weather and fun family times.

Day 1: On Friday, we finally put mother's ashes to rest in the family cemetery at Nixonton, NC. The graveyard was completely overgrown and difficult to find, but since it took all the cats about 3 hours to assemble, we had the place spruced up and a pathway made for the queen (Kylie) and King (Kade) when the last of them arrived.



Day 2: we spent in Manteo waiting until we could check into our beach house. Some shopped, some went sight-seeing, some played at the Festival Park with the King and Queen, and some (not mentioning any names!) jumped off the bridge!






Day 3: Let the good times roll . . .







Day 4: Only one injury to report: Uncle Jimmy cut his foot on oyster shells while sailing in the sound.

The Perfect Son, Amos

His Beloved, Cara

My zany, fun nephew, Ian

The lovely, talented, Amy (behind my lovely, talented Canon 5D

Amy sending live video of the sunset to her beloved, Johnny


OK, I AM a sucker for sunsets, and they don't get any better than over Pamlico Sound ... except, maybe Currituck Sound!

The Mermaid Has Returned to the Sea

I am alive and well in Hatteras . . .without internet. Stay tuned, and when I find a good connection, There will be lots of pics.