NPR - Walter's Dogs - Not Photography Related

                                        © 2005 www.waltershotdogs.com


My husband and I get along so well because we have lots of things in common. We have similar views on many hot topics and even hot dogs. If you've ever had a Walter's Hot Dog you'll understand the importance of the latter. Oh sure, there are tons of hot dog stands out there. But, I've never had a dog like a Walter's Dog. I could go for one right now. One? At this hour of the night? You're right, that's crazy! Make it four.

It's not just me craving this dog at all hours of the night. When you stand in line to get your fare (yes, since many others feel the same way about Walter's Dogs there inevitably is a line) you'll see postcards from all over the world. It must really stink to be floating along Semuc Champey and crave a Walter's Dog. What else can you do other than send a postcard? (well, yes, one could write a blog post as well...)

It takes me about 40 minutes to get there from Fairfield and it's worth every minute!

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APPEARING IN BORDERS - JANUARY 2006

From January 1-31 my work will be on display in the downtown Fairfield location of Borders. Be sure to stop by and take a look!

Ho Ho Ho!

Yes, Jack really did open his presents that quickly.

I hope everyone had and is having a fantastic Holiday!

If the Holidays aren't busy enough...

...then try web sudoku.






Thanks to this game I have not wrapped presents. There's still shopping to be done, cookies to be baked, children to be fed. Okay, I fed the kids! But watch out, Sudoku is addictive.

If you haven't read about it in your local newspaper, or seen it on CBS or even FOX's tv series House then you might want to click here to learn more about Sudoku.

Hey, even if you know a little about Sudoku you might want to click on that link anyway. It takes you to Wikipedia where there's tons of information about the history, mathematics and the popularity of Sudoku.

I love that every puzzle has a logical solution so there's no guessing. And I love that it involves numbers! Have fun playing!

What are we going to do with out Mr. Scribbles for the next three weeks??

                                                          image © 2005 Creative Castle

By the time my first born (and only) son was 20 months old I had two children. There were lots of diapers, bottles and sleepless nights in those early weeks. When the kids got older there were also lots of baby-and-me classes... yoga, art, swimming, music and gymnastics to name a few. I came to realize they were all a different variation of the same theme.

Not too long ago I was driving down the Post Road. I saw a bright yellow sign that read, Creative Castle.  I drove by that canary colored sign for weeks before I finally decided to drop in. A primary colored staircase led me up to the second floor where I was greeted by the founder Holly. Everywhere I looked I could see framed works of art from not-yet-famous little artists. After a short and pleasant conversation with Holly, I signed Sophia up for a semester at the Creative Castle.

                                                    image © 2005 Hadley Spagna Photography

I expected the standard mommy-and-me fare. A couple of choreographed songs, some sort of motor skill building activity and that would be the end of class. After the first class at the Creative Castle I was sorry I didn't sign Jack up too. The classes there are actually different. It's obvious that heart, soul and lots of thought, time and energy has been invested in the program. Every detail from the snacks to the moldings around the doors has been scrutinized. In one class Sophia has the opportunity to paint, glue, cut, mold, sing, dance, play, color or whatever (within reason) her heart desires. All without being rushed, with no pressure and no "right" way to do things.

I'm sure Holly, Martin and Amy all need a break. It's obvious they work hard. I understand. But, still, what am I going to do for the next three weeks? EVERY DAY (no kidding) Sophia talks about the Castle. She wants to go there and see Ms. Amy and Mr. Scribbles. She's talked so much about it that Jack is now asks to go to the Creative Castle (and he's never been inside the front door!)

To tide us over for the next three weeks I suppose I'll have to conduct the Artistic Abode.
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PS Don't worry about Jack. He's signed up for the winter semester too.

The cobbler's children have no shoes

Lots of my Holiday shopping has been online. As a result my house is filled with boxes. Before we clear them out of the house I give the kids crayons and let them decorate their boxes. We talk about what they are making (sometimes it's a house or a rocket ship and sometimes things get really wild and we make a pizza restaurant or a grocery store). It's really fun to watch the kids decorate their boxes. They can do it for what seems like hours!

Recently, Jack and Sophia were decorating a box. It was half rocket ship and half princess castle. We laughed about all the princesses in space wondering what happened to their castle. Sophia jumped in the box and I raced for my camera. That's when I took this picture.

Thank goodness I did. It's been ages since I took pictures of my own kids. You know what they say about the cobbler!

Yes, I photograph adults too

A question I've been asked a lot recently is if I photograph adults. Yes, I do photograph adults. I do lots of maternity portraits and sometimes I even photograph a couple like the two you see here.

These two were so much fun to work with. We had lots of beautiful light on our session which made it even more fun for me!

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Do you still have holiday shopping to do? How about checking out what the Oppenheims view as the seasons best toys? Joanne and Stephianie Oppenheim have been reviewing toys since 1989. Toys are played with, opened, assembled and tested with all different kinds of people and child experts. There is no entry fee to submit a toy for review and they don't accept ads from manufacturers. You can't buy a good rating from these guys! That's why when I see the Oppenheim's seal of approval I know it's a toy worth purchasing. Best of all they review toys all year long! The Oppenheims even have an ad free newsletter.



My favorite Oppenheim award winning toy is the Plasma-car. My mother discovered this car months ago and even managed to score Sophia a rare PINK one!

I've got the coolest job

I love my job. Everyday I wake up I either have a new concept for a photograph or am thinking about creative ways to work on photographs in post-production. It's borderline obsessive. Well, maybe not exactly borderline. Probably more like slightly over the line. Sometimes it's obtrusive because I should be thinking about what to make for dinner, or that I have library books to return.

Recently, a client told me that this picture of his son will "define his childhood" when he's older.

That is the kind of moment I live for. It makes the $27.00 late fees that I've incurred totally worth it.

I love this picture

One of my all time favorites.