The Pixel's Press

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We took a mini vacation!

We spent an unusual Sunday driving over 300 miles with my sister, Lynn and brother-in-law Bob just so we could have breakfast at historic Polly's Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH! If you have never been, I have to tell you that they really do have the best pancakes I've ever had, and the view from the dining room is beautiful! You have to hurry, though - they are only open until October 26 then they close for the winter. This restaurant has been open since around 1830 and, amazingly, ownership has remained in the hands of the same family, generation to generation. It's quite an operation. If you do plan to try them out, plan on a wait (we waited an hour) or you can call ahead up to an hour to reserve your spot.

First picture is Dom clowning around on the little horse in front of Polly's Pancake Parlor. The next picture was taken from the restaurant grounds, all from my iphone.   

We then spent a little time at the Mount Washington Hotel, one of the few remaining grand hotels in the state, another location with a lot of history! We had drinks on the veranda and took a nature walk along the river that runs through the grounds. There's much to do at this incredible resort - we were just sorry that we didn't have time to stay longer than a few hours! Attached are images from my iphone - the first a view of the hotel from one of the driveways, the second a view of one of the verandas and the third of the river from one of the bridges on the nature walk.

A sidetrip to Conway, a trip over the Kancamagus highway where the views never disappoint and then we were on our way home again, all in the same day! Finally dinner at La Caretta's to end the day (and if you haven't been there and you like Mexican food they have the best food and best service we've EVER seen!).

What a day! And the weather even cooperated - it was positively gorgeous the entire day We felt like we took a mini vacation by the time we were done! Not to worry - we're already back home and back in the office. We're going to have to take a little longer 'vacation' next time, though!

Rain, rain go away

Has it been raining where you are? It seems like it's been raining almost every afternoon, and in deluges! We've begun calling it 'biblical' weather. It's just crazy. Here's a view from our front porch in Nashua, NH - this was taken Sunday, August 10. It rained like crazy for over an hour, there was even hail! Just north and west of us the sun was shiny. Crazy, crazy weather!

Shortly after, we went shopping on 101A and there was a puddle that we almost couldn't get through!

Let's hope we get a little more sunshine for the rest of the summer (and maybe a little less crazy weather!)

Another visit to the Cape

We visited the Cape last weekend to see how our brother-in-law Bob (of the separated shoulder) was doing and to lend moral support. While we were there we visited Gray's Beach and took a walk on the boardwalk. The tide was low, the sun was out, the day was gorgeous. Here's a few images, taken from my iphone (the only camera I had with me!). I played with some of these a little, gee I don't get to do a whole lot of that these days! Enjoy!

The view from the boardwalk, first is walking out toward the ocean and the second is looking back at the beach.

The view of the marsh from the boardwalk...

The view from the end of the boardwalk. The sun wasn't really setting quite this much, it's pretty much how the iphone interpreted the light...

The happy crew...

And, of course, Roxy - Lynn's little min-pin, now the baby in the family.

Wear your (biking) helmets!

Most of our friends and clients know that Dom is a big bicycling fan. He and our brother-in-law, Bob, can be seen around town most weekends (and Dom oftentime during the week) bicycling around town. Dom has a trike (a 3 wheeled affair, easier on almost all your body parts!) and Bob rides a traditional upright. They both really enjoy getting out in the fresh air and exercising.

Well, we received a call late Tuesday night from my sister, Bob's wife, that Bob had been in a bike accident and was en-route to Cape Code Hospital via ambulance. We rushed down to make sure both Bob and Lynn were OK. We arrived to find Bob in pretty rough shape - all around bumps and bruises, some damage - still to be determined - to his ribs and, worst of all a separated shoulder. Earlier that night he had been riding on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, pretty much alone so he was moving right along when he was hit by a dog that was off its leash. He and the dog went end-over-end, with the dog's collar getting caught in the spoke of his bike. The dog was hurt as well (we're still not sure how badly).

Here's the moral of the story - Bob was wearing his helmet. He and Dom ALWAYS wear their helmets, no matter where they ride or for how long. They have both had too many close calls (and a couple, like this one, that were too close for comfort) and learned their lessons a long time ago. Because they did, though, Bob is alive to tell the tale, with no head injuries at all.

So, if you or your kids ride bikes - street or off-road - please be sure to wear your helmets. It can literally save a life!

(by the way I do have a picture of Bob but will refrain from posting it - I'll take one when he's feeling a little better!)

Wow! We got to take some time off...

For those who know us, this is a rare occurrence! We spent the 4th of July at the Cape where my sister lives. She also owns and operates the Barnstable General Store in Barnstable, MA. So if you happen to vacationing at the Cape this summer and you find yourself in Barnstable Center make sure you stop in to say hello to Bob & Lynn! They have the best little grocery store you've ever seen, with anything you could want and the best deli around!

Anyway, we had a great time. Enjoyed the weather, which was a little iffy at times. We stopped by on the way to the Cape to pick up my mom and her husband, Bob, who live in Worcester so they could spend time with all of us. It was my mom's birthday on July 5 so she was happy to spend it with us. Happy Birthday again, Mom!

And can you believe, not a lot of pictures from this trip. The camera stayed home, resting. I did have my iphone with me - here's a picture of my sister's cute, cute little min pin, Roxy. She's keeping an eye on me while she poses. Hope you all had a great 4th!

Please welcome...

We want to welcome two members to our team --

Kristen Schueler is our new Photoshop Goddess - she's been with us a couple of months, we're a little delayed in announcing her! And, she's so good at what she does and learns so quickly that she may even replace me in our little Photoshop world (that's the plan, folks - at least regarding the digital imaging end of things - not to worry, I'm not leaving the camera room anytime soon!). Kristen already came to us with a wealth of knowledge but she's picking up our methods and all the little nuances incredibly quickly. We're expecting that within a month or two we should be able to cut our turnaround time significantly. Some of you may even have begun to see it but for the majority it's going to take just a bit longer.

Amanda Pelletier is our new Administrative Assistant, and she's rapidly becoming an indispensible member of our little group. You may have heard from Amanda since she's the one confirming appointments and calling you for order pickups these days. She's also doing a million other little things and just all around making our lives more efficient. We're just loving having her, and we're a little bummed that she's only here for the summer but we'll be making a new hire before she leaves and Amanda's going to get the new person trained before she goes off to Ohio State in September.

So please welcome both of them if you see them around the studio!