Friday, April 20, 2012

Soft Shell Crab Festival @ Port Royal

The last few weeks have been long. Really long. After speaking with my supervisor about weekend plans he mentioned this festival near Beaufort, SC. Soft shell crabs, antique car show, rides and games for kids and the weather was shaping up to be beautiful - sunny and warm. What's not to like about that?

El and I have been itching to take a short day trip somewhere to blow off some steam. We've both been having some pretty hectic schedules these last few weeks with getting the kids to adjusted to daycare, treating runny noses and coughing, working non-stop at home and work. This seems like the perfect opportunity to get some local seafood, be outside, shoot some photography and generally decompress.

Hopefully, we will all feel better by tomorrow morning to make the excursion to Port Royal, SC (right by Beaufort). Fingers crossed. I guess this means getting clothes and food ready for the trip and getting the kids to bed at a reasonable hour so we can start bright and early the next morning.

I'd love to get more shots for my upcoming book. Beaufort is also a very photogenic town and I hope to make it back out to the Tree Graveyard to reshoot if the tides are low enough. I should check on that now...

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Happy Easter!

Dad and the kids by erickpineda527
Dad and the kids, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

Earlier part of the week would have scared most into thinking the weekend was going to be a wipe. Cold and rainy. Nope this weekend shaped up to be pretty killer.

Easter Sunday we were up early and cooked (appropriately enough) Eggs in a Basket for breakfast. Afterwards we rolled into Easter Mass and then headed over to Triangle Char & Bar nearby for lunch.

Seeing this place REALLY makes me want to open my restaurant. It;s exactly what I would want. Simple, fresh, well cooked food with the right ambience of being outdoors, but not. Temp was just right with a slight breeze and the place was packed.

After lunch I decided to do a quick shoot with El and the kids, but Nico Boy passed out before we got home. I decided to photograph El and Isa and wait until later for the little guy.

When he did I got them cleaned up and got a great (rare) shot of me with them compliments of Ellen. Anyways, Happy Easter everyone! I'd love to hang out with the family doing gardening, but freelance work calls today (and tonight)...

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Hurting

alarm-clock by erickpineda527
alarm-clock, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

Maybe I'm out of practice or maybe my body just handle the regimented schedule as well as it used to. Monday thru Friday is basically the same. El and I are up right around 5am to get showered and dressed quickly and take turns rousing the kids up to get ready for daycare. We stopped making breakfast for the most part since the daycare makes a simple and quick one for the kids - it literally saves us 30 minutes off our time. We have to be on the road no later than 6:30am to beat daycare traffic and back on the road no later than 6:45am to beat bridge traffic downtown to get to MUSC. Since we carpool we walk to our buildings to get in by 7:15-7:30am.

We meet for a fast 30 minute lunch in the horseshoe if workload doesn't slow one of us down. By 5:30ish we are back fighting our way thru traffic to pick up the kids. We fight the rest of the way to get home before Bailey uses the bathroom on our floors. Kids are washed up and sometimes bathed before dinner (which may or may not be prepared already - depends on how we feel the day before).

By 7:30pm we have had dinner and usually followed by chores (if we have energy). By 8 the kids should already be bathed and in bed no later than 9pm.By 10 pm we are in bed ourselves if we are lucky.

Usually thru the night one or both kids have found their way to our bed to wake us up momentarily. Then the cycle starts all over again. Note that thru the day I find myself TRYING to stay awake and usually have to step outside to get some air or a drink.

El has only 4 day work weeks so that last day I'm on my own, but at least I don't have to wake up the kids so early, Still at the end of the day my body feels like tapioca.