Summer 2013: A Beautiful Mess

Took a little summer vacation from blogging. But the good news is I'm back! So far, summer 2013 has lived up to what I was wishing, hoping and praying for!
Pictures are the best way to catch us up on the time that has slipped away.And it just so happens I found a new photo app, it's your lucky day! We've all seen the photos with fun fonts and graphics, where are people pulling these out of? A few nights ago my instagram friend, kmclaflin, had a knock out photo so I bit the bullet and asked, because that's the only way you're going to find out. And you know, people love to share this type of information so next time you're wondering about the latest social media tool, just ask the person, no need to sit and wonder.
kmclaflin responded within minutes and this latest app is my newest addiction and the cheapest ($.99) entertainment I've had since I got a Facebook account in the spring of 2006. Plus is has a fun name, we've all been known to be this from time to time, no not a hot mess but... A Beautiful Mess. Search for it and download it, you won't regret it!

The photo editing portion is like instagram, but on steroids. Once you're done playing art director and by that I mean dolling up your photo with doodles, boarders and text; it's time to share with the world.
Since getting home from kicking butt in my workout class, boot camp, I've been glued to my phone having fun with my summer photos. As you can see the past couple months have been full of travel, sunshine and weddings. Looking forward to August!

 

  There are a ton of photo apps out there, which do you live by for giving followers a sneak peak into your life? Please share.
N.Starr

Take me back to summer 2012

Escaping the winter blues

Yesterday was a very special person's birthday, my great Aunt Jo. My Aunt Jo is quite the lady and we're very lucky to have her in our lives. In terms of the family tree, she is my Grandma Lindsay's (my mom's mom) sister. Did you get all that? I consider myself lucky because not a lot of people are close with their great aunts, uncles, second cousins etc. However, I am close with these people. And when the we get together we love every minute of it whether it be... to talk, laugh, cook or shop. God bless the men currently in and yet to come into our lives that have to put up with all these women! Anyways, my Aunt Jo is something else. Remember when we went to the National Western Stock Show? Well she traveled with us and spent the trip in Denver to see her son and daughter in-law. She was a good travel companion and made the long direct flight to Denver more entertaining.

Since Wisconsin is in a winter storm warning, I'd give anything for warm weather. So yesterday during the winter blizzard I drifted off to the summer of 2012 and recalled a weekend that Aunt Jo spent with us. She let me in on one of her talents. She passed down the tradition of making strawberry jam to the next generation. Me being the next generation:) It was a blast and boy is that strawberry jam a treat to enjoy year round. If you missed the post, you should really check it out. And if I remember right it was my Aunt Jo that convinced me to go car shopping and she also cheered  me on at Lambeau Field during the Packer 5K run. We packed a lot in just 48 hours.

Since I won't be taking a spring break or tropical island vacation to escape winter, I'll settle for the good summer memories made with family and friends when the weather was warm. And to be honest, I don't need to escape anywhere when everything I need is right here.  

Happy Birthday to Aunt Jo!

Jamin' with Aunt Jo.
Learning to make strawberry jam from a pro!
I've never had to follow directions so exact.
Timing is everything with jam making:)

 N.Starr

Wisconsin State Fair

Going to the WI State Fair has been a family tradition of ours for many years, in fact my parents even met at the State Fair. My dad was ask to fit cattle for my mom's family and the rest was history! In fact, my parents are even celebrating their anniversary tomorrow. This state fair however was like unlike any of the other I've attended, there was lots of excitement happening in the Hereford stalls on Friday.

My long time friend (and when I say long time I mean our parents showed together, the kids showed together as kids and now we're adults) proposed to his girlfriend of 5 years on the Sky Glide. It's been there tradition to ride this every year! Talk about having a good story to tell about how you got engaged! Friday was such a long day, several of us knew about it! Those secrets are had to keep!

And this is how engagement parties happen when you're at a cattle show! Look at that rock!

My Kansas City sister was home and got to show her heifer, the real reason we were at the fair! We did OK, this year we were going just to have fun! Mission accomplished.

You're never too old to ride a slide at the state fair! Best (and only) thing you can do for $2. And yes, that's my dad in the lead!

Last weekend we got to know a new family that shows Angus cattle from IL, the Brooks from IL. They were stalled across from us in the barn. We had lots of fun getting to know their two girls. We also spent alot of time drinking sweet tea vodka. And Facebook doesn't lie...Starr Sisters were voted for having the best state fair drink, what an accomplishment!

Jamin' with my Aunt Jo

Strawberry Jam Time

What's summer without strawberries? Luckily even with the drought we're still able to enjoy them. I wanted to put some of the strawberries that I cut up and froze back in June to good use. You can read more about that time consuming project here. So I did the most resourceful thing and called my Great Aunt Jo, the strawberry jam expert and now teacher! Last Saturday she passed down the jam-making techniques to the next generation. We had so much fun and much to my surprise making jam isn't really that hard. The biggest take away: EVERYTHING measurements and timing must be EXACT.   

Mash 2 cups of strawberries, add to that 4 cups of sugar. Stir for 3 minutes.

We make quite a team...And there wasn't any crying or fighting! The strawberries and sugar has to sit and merry for 10 minutes. 3 minutes before the 10 minutes is up boil 3/4 cup of water with 1 packet of Sure Jel (this is what Aunt Jo, on right, is doing), mixture must boil for EXACTLY 1 minute. Remove from heat and slowly pour and stir (Yes at the same time, that's why jam making is a team effort) into strawberry/sugar combo. Stir for 3 minutes, then pour into sanitized jam jars. (what I'm doing on the left).  

Sure Jell is the key ingredient. This is what the box looks like in case you're a jam-rookie like me.

TaDa! So pretty! And I think they'll taste even better come February after a cold day of feeding cows.

 What family tradition has been passed down to you?

Summer Olympics

Go Team U.S.A.

Tonight's kicks off the summer Olympics is London. Whenever the Olympics - summer or winter - are on I always think of the movie Cool Runnings. And that brings back childhood memories of the annual long weekend at Grandma's that my sisters and I did every summer in her hotter then heck, no air conditioned Oshkosh apartment. Grandma didn't have a wide selection of VHS Disney movies and us country kids didn't know what to do with ourselves in the city. So the three of us always settled on the movie Cool Runnings (it was that or Lawrence Welk); imagine three little girls lined up on the couch watching this and sweating because of the scorching heat and humidity trapped in Grandpa's townhouse. We thought it was funny and can now recite it at any given scene. Maybe watching a winter type movie messed with our minds just enough to cool us off mentally!

What Olympic sport will you be watching over the next two weeks? Who are you cheering on?

N.Starr

Body Boot Camp

On a fitness note.

A year ago I started becoming a "runner"; in college it was something I always wanted to do, but just didn't have time for. My parents got me the Nike + Shoes and app for my birthday so I was good to go, no excuses. So far with Nike + and Couch 2 5K I've ran in a few races: Kraut Run, Susan G. Komen and the Iola Trail Run.
Over 2 months ago I also started doing a boot camp through my office (I know how cool is my job?!!). Our trainer, aka army boy, comes in from Body by Design and is our drill sergeant for the quickest exercise hour I've ever had. I love it and am becoming addicted! It's amazing to me how much you can push yourself to do that extra pushup, situp or burpee when you have someone motivating you. We're in the midst of session II and am working toward good results (after session I I was down 4% body fat).
I've learned that working out is only half of a healthy lifestyle. The second half is diet. I've always tried to eat a balanced diet (but I'll admit I have a sweet tooth). But I've been trying extra hard to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grain and lean BEEF! Yes I said it and I'll say it again lean BEEF! Beef is what I use to recharge my body. There are 29 lean cuts of beef with a total fat content that falls between a skinless chicken breast and skinless chicken thigh. By choosing a lean cut of beef I'm efficiently recharging my body with several vitamins and minerals; critical after an intense workout. My new thing to do is broil a tenderloin, cut it up and lay it over a crisp lettuce salad with fresh veggies and fruit (raspberries are my favorite fruit to put on a salad). What lean beef recipes do you like in the summer?

Song of Summer 2012

SPRINGSTEEN

Doesn't seem that every year when the heat starts to crank up there seems to be the "song of summer"? Then in the cold miserable winter when that particular song comes on the radio in the car you start jamming out and it instantly takes you back to those fun, long summer days? For me, when old summer tunes come on it takes me back to a time when summer consisted on rinsing show heifers and blowing them dry under the fans. Can I please go back to being young, just for the summers?!

This year I have officially named Springsteen by Eric Church the "Song of Summer 2012". And winters from now when it comes on the radio I'll think back to the summer of 2012. Memories of working in an office cube jamming out to good ole' Eric Church and cramming in a week's worth of outdoor work and fun on the weekends.

I'll also think back to the summer of 2012 day spent at Ho-Dag in Rhinelander and getting to sing along to Springsteen, Homeboy and Drink in my Hand with Eric Church.

Guaranteed good people watching at HoDag, there were ALL kinds:)
Have you ever seen 80 acres of land with row after row of campers? I did!
A fun day spent with old and new friends:) Singing with Eric Church was a highlight, and his sunglasses and hat... so classic:)

What your "Song of Summer 2012"?
N.Starr

The Drought of 2012

I love summer, but this is getting a little outta hand. Who has green grass? I'm jealous, this past weekend the only thing I mowed was a lawn full of weeds. But who cares about the grass... our poor crops are looking soo rough!
I blame the heat on my lack of blogness! That's not completely true, but it sounds like a good excuse so I'll run with it.
The past two weeks of heat have been filled with lots of summer fun despite the heat index....

• The 4th of July--- attending the Manawa Rodeo
• A visit with a good college friend
• A trip to paradise see my Kansas City sister and lots of cattle friends(definitely wasn't paradise, but this is my blog so I can say whatever I want:)
• Lots of swimming at a family friend's outdoor pool (I tell ya if you're looking for friends, buy a pool your "friends" will flock)
• A mini trip to Rhinelander for a little concert

Hope you're all having a great summer! What's been your highlight thus far?

N.Starr

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

We have a Winner!

Thanks to all of you who played along in my first giveaway!! Thanks to the random generator site; I can announce a winner... Lucky # 5.
Congrats to Brooklyn! Her response was:


"Well, I would definitely fit in the follower category. As for wine, I'm not a huge fan, but I do love my mom's Hippie Juice which uses Dandelion Wine I believe"

Brooklyn-- message me at starrnic@msu.edu with your address so I can send out your wine glasses next week! I think we'd all love your mom's Hippie Juice recipe! I've never have Dandelion wine, I'll have to look into that!

For those that don't know, Brooklyn is an Iowa State student and recently started a blog, Boots, Class and a 'lil Sass. Check it out.

N.Starr

Stawberry Pickin'

Ripe strawberries = Official start of summer. 

Last weekend Glendale Farms in Clintonville was the hoppin' place on Saturday at 9:30am. I cruised in after getting my hair cut and couldn't believe the crowd. Strawberries were at their prime and so were the old ladies of Clintonville; bustin' asses and elbows trying to get the ripest flats to be made for homemade jams, pies and whatever else they use strawberries for in hopes of earning the "Best dish to Pass" Award at the next church potluck, funeral dinner or fundraising event.
Well this "country-girl-that-moved-to-the-city" bombshell wasn't going to let a few local ladies get in her way of some delicious, juicy strawberries!

What's neat about Glendale is the fact you can pick your own strawberries out in the patch.
Then the nice ladies at the counter weigh your flats and tell you what you owe. Good thing they didn't weigh me before and after I went out to the patch!

 Strawberry farmers plant their patches in late fall or early spring and require about 6 hours of sunlight. They also like dry soil. Once planted these plants produce berries for years.

This is was a strawberry field patch looks like.
Did you know one plant produces approximately 1 quart of strawberries? 

    
Glendale Farms has become a huge attraction for families across the county. It's a great way for kids to see where their food comes from and gives them a taste of farm life and how much time and effort it takes to put food on the table. It's not easy standing out in the blazing heat for days picking berries.

Kids of all ages can enjoy Glendale! Even big kids like me!
Anyone would give a quarter to feed these entertaining goats.

 After spending all my change on the goats it was time to head home to top off all these berries and put them in the freezer. Hopefully Mom & I can make jam later this fall when things slow down.

Word to the wise: 3 flats of strawberries is a lot of work, how do the ole' pros do it?

Don't forget to enter in the wine glass giveaway... enter here. Maybe if you were the winner you'd fill those glasses with strawberry wine?!

N.Starr

Official Start of Summer 2012

Well if the 90 + degree temperatures isn't enough of a sign of summer today's calendar date is! June 20th-- not only my dad's birthday, but also the first day of summer-- my favorite season.
To kick things off right, I'm having my first blog giveaway! In my opinion with the high temperatures predicted across the country, we're headed into prime wine-drinking time on the patio.  After a hot, sticky Saturday of farm work, I'm ready for evening of drinking my favorite bottle of Kunde wine outside while grilling up a tasty steak. Or maybe colorful kabobs similar to what Cows, Corn and Country Girls posted. PS-I'm jealous of all of you who get to patio drink in the country during the week! :)
So let's celebrate! Here are two chalkboard wine glasses painted by yours truly. This idea is inspired by my Certified Hereford Beef sister. I had fun making them and I'm sure they'll bring lots of fun to your patio drinking!

Win Me!! Use chalk to write your name of your glass.
Your favorite summer wine is sure to taste better in a fun glass!

To enter all you have to do is:

• Be a follower of the Nicole Starr blog, leave a comment saying you do
• Comment below with your favorite summer wine

Easy peasy, right? I can't wait to give these two glasses to one lucky winner! The winner will be announced Friday at Noon.
Good Luck!
N.Starr

Cookin' with Crown

I love to eat meat, especially the 29 cuts of lean beef. But I also have a sweet spot for chicken wings and when it's smothered in barbecue sauce, even better. But what's better then BBQ chicken wings is when it's made with whiskey. Like every other livestock person I love to drink whisky, Crown Royal is my whiskey of choice.  This weekend while I was at my parents, looking at my new Pioneer Women Cookbook I saw this recipe and couldn't resist. Grabbed my purse, put Rex in his kennel and told my dad I was headed to our fine local grocery store.
There's a little story behind my new cookbook. It's from our great family friends, The Geodderz, and they gave this to me for my 24th Birthday. How sweet right? So I thought it was only appropriate that the first meal made go to them to enjoy. Some may say they were my guinea pigs. But when a recipe calls for Crown Royal how bad can it be?
When making something with Crown Royal, why not double the batch right? That's what I thought too. Making enough for my parents and I to enjoy during the week. So tonight I had 2 CR BBQ chicken wings, and let me just say it's dangerously good! Can't wait to hear the reviews from my taste-testers. Never tasted such a sweet, tangy sauce, I'm guessing you could use the sauce in other recipes... baked beans, ribs, chicken breast.
I've now found my go-to BBQ sauce recipe, but what is yours?

Photo courtesy of the PW Blog. Make sure you enter in her turquoise pot giveaway. All you have to do is comment saying which color you'd like to be for the rest of your life! Click here to register.

N.Starr

Sweet tooth edition: UPside Down Cake

Who likes Rhubarb?


Some do, some don't. I however, love it and in my opinion it's a true sign of summer. I'm sure many of you have wonderful pie and bar recipes that your family has been making for generations. If you do, feel free to share the recipe in the comment section below. I'll let you in on my family's favorite rhubarb treat. Most of yours are probably elaborate and take hours to prepare and bake, this however is simple and sweet (just like my life!). 

Rhubarb grows out of the ground, when ripe has big green leaves and green to pinkish stems.
Cut off the leaves and bottom inch of the stalk and throw away.

Chop up about 3 cups of the good stuff (green to pinkish stems), place in a
mixing bowl and stir in 1 1/4 cups of sugar. Let sit while you prepare the cake.

In going with the "Simple and Sweet" theme, we use a yellow box cake mix and follow the instructions on the box. But if you make everything from scratch (more power to ya) go ahead and follow that recipe. Before putting in the oven to bake pour over the rhubarb/sugar mixture from step 2. The fun thing about this recipe while in the oven is the rhubarb bakes down to the bottom. When serving flip it up so the rhubarb and sweetness is on top! Unfortunately it was eaten before I could get a final product shot! Best with ice cream, perfect combo of sour & sweetness! Enjoy!



Starr Report #2: The corn is in

Planting 2012 is complete.

Last weekend concluded planting 2012 at the Starr Farm. My dad was out in the tractor a majority of the weekend and evening during the previous week to get the corn in and growing. You probably think we are a little behind, and well yes, maybe, sort of. But you have to remember my family lives in a northern where the temperatures are still getting down pretty low during the nights. Farmers have to adapt to the climate they are planting in. If everyone planted and harvested at the same time we all wouldn't have the same success. Excited to see it grow this summer. Depending on how our fall is, harvest will come sometime in November. Cross your fingers for a good summer 2012 of growing!

The corn is being planted. My dad makes rounds and rounds until the entire field is planted.

Farmer Joe needed to eat, so I set out to the field in my trusty Grand Prix and delivered Subway sandwich, chips and a cookie for dessert. Bonus points for being the favorite:)

We live in a small rural town, Subway is the only fast food joint. We live to far away for Domino's to deliver to the corn field. Maybe it's something they should consider? Remember to thank Domino's for supporting animal agriculture.

N.Starr

I Smelled Minnesota Today!

Minnesota Forest Fires

Today started out like any other Tuesday, grabbed my daily cup of brew, checked my email, glazed at my to-do list to see what I was going to tackle in the day ahead. Late morning when elbow deep into a PowerPoint I was creating for the upcoming AABP Convention I smelled an odd smoky leaf smell; figuring it was nothing I charged on. But then it got real distinct and my cubicle buddies even noticed. Come to find out there wasn't fire in the building, city, or even county; rather in our neighboring state, Minnesota!
This is an unfortunate incident and thoughts & prayers go out to the Gopher state. The news reported a haze drifting as far as the Chicago and Milwaukee area, people noticed difficulty breathing and burning eyes. Apparently lightning struck in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on Aug. 18th but began spreading this week due to the high winds and dry conditions. They saw it could take up to a few days for the fire to be under control.
Here in Milwaukee we acted fast: They closed the roof on the Brewers stadium to prevent the smoke from distracting the players from hitting the ball and to make sure their was a clear path for the spectators to get in line for a beer!
Hope the best for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It sounds like it's a popular place for canoe trips and known for its' beauty. I'm sad for the 120 campers that had to end their vacation trip due to this disaster, but happy to know everyone is safe.

What a pretty area for taking in a little wildlife.

For all you visual learners who need to look at a map:)

 N.Starr

Get the grill out and wear your white pants one last time

Labor Day weekend........

Ok this is just HUGE, I wouldn't eat
this but had to show it's massiveness:)

I love long weekends and I love paid holidays!! Not going to lie I look forward to having a long weekend where I have one extra do to do whatever it is I want! No big plans but still, I will get one extra day to be at home, work with Miley, help my mom sell fall mums at a farm market and get the grill out one last cookout! However September is still grilling season, but it starts to get cold and darker earlier. So what will your family be cooking up? Labor Day means having an extra day to test my cooking skills on the parentals. At work I receieved a '101 things to do with ground beef' cookbook. Ground beef is the most versatile products, packed with the essential daily vitamins and minerals; especially high protein, iron and vitamin B12. Here's one I wanted to share in case you're looking for more then just an average burger. I hope you love guacamole....
Guacamole Burgers
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 container (12 ounces) guacamole (I hope to learn to make my own someday)
4 burger buns
Directions
In a bowl, combine ground beef, egg, salt, and pepper. Shape meat mixture into 8 thin patties. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of guacamole on center of 4 patties. Top with remaining patties, and seal edges. Grill until meat temperature reaches 165 degees. Serve on buns with your extra favorite toppings. I envision shredded taco cheese, sour cream and salsa as an excellent compliament to this burgaliciousness!
For more grilling recipes that features beef I ecourage you to check out the newly launch Certified Hereford Beef facebook page. CHB is dedicated to educating consumers on the cuts of beef available at the meat counter, proper cooking & handling techniques and providing their customers with practical recipes to whip up for families with hectic school schedules (it's also back to school season!)
Lastly, I'm sure all you fashion police caught my white pants line....As you know it's a "fashion rule" that white pants are only allowed to be worn from Memorial Day to Labor Day. So I will be having one last outing with the white capris to Sunday mass and then packing away till May 2012.

N.Starr

Better then Saturday Cartoons!

Cali Sea Lions!

As a last minute note I wanted to share with you that the Cali Sea Lions were celebrating their 21st birthday while I was visiting. By the looks of the picture you could tell they were quite the ball of fire!

The docks are specially reserved for sea lions to come up out
of the water and entertain tourists (like us!)

I have a hularious video but can't figure out how to upload video from my phone to You Tube:( So I'll continue to work at it and will surprise you one day once I finally figure it out! Until there there's one I found on You Tube from Sea World!

N.Starr

Friday Flare: Kunde Estate

Cheers to it being Friday!

It's very fitting that I end my fun filled trip details by featuring Kunde Estate on this week's Friday Flare. Jim & Marcia Mickelson, Kunde Estates, were gracious enough to host The Harvest last weekend, which ended up being a summer highlight for my family and other Hereford enthusiasts throughout the country. After a two day excursion of viewing cattle, wine tasting, and socializing with friends (old & new) we gathered on top of the famous Kunde Estate Boothill cliff overlooking the Sonoma valley. The wine country weekend ended with breeders bidding on prominent donors, flushes and pregnancies. The one-of-a kind auction also featured historical painting, specially bottled wine and destination package vacations. The 360 view on top of Kunde Estate and being surrounded by individuals supporting Hereford youth made be appreciate how fortunate I am to be apart of this fine breed.

Specially bottled wine for
The Harvest.

The Mickelson's operate over 1,800 acres of wine growing land, where they are able to produce their own wine from the grapes grown. The unique (to me) climate of sunny days and moderate cool coastal fog allow them to be capable to producing a well balanced fruit suitable for wine making. The Mickelsons strive to be good stewards of the land by promoting healthy vineyards, walking every row and hand picking grapes.

While us Midwesterners are picking corn, those on the west coast are harvesting grapes. In the cool early fall mornings the grapes are hand harvested and then gently crushed and de-stemmed at the winery.

A big thank you to the Mickelson Family (Jim, Marcia, Bobby & Jamie) for welcoming us to the Kunde Estate and being such excellent role models & supporters of the Hereford Youth Foundation of America.

PS- The wine is AMAZING:) I went home with purple teeth & will be having more shipped home:) 

The scenery was amazing!

A great girls vacation:) Highlight of our summer!

N.Starr

Herefords & Vineyards

My Two Best Friends.

The vineyard.
Photo by: Keepsake's by Katlin

One of the many highlights of the trip was learning about California's wine industry. It was very interesting to listen to Jim Mickelson, Kunde Estate,  explain how the the land is worked and the tedious work that goes into owning a vineyard operation. Did you know that a lot of the work is done by hand? Each year vines are planted as replacements for the older vines that no longer produce grapes. Just like people and cows they are not able to produce forever! While visiting I noticed how cool, damp and foggy it was in the morning and then warmed right up in the 80*'s by Noon. I was told that damp climate is needed for prime grape growing.

Almost ready for harvest.
Photo by: Keepsake's by
Katlin 

Barrels storing the wine in the
cave. Photo by:
Keepsake's by Katlin

Our visit fell right before the harvest season so the grapes were mighty plump. Remember the Keepsakes by Katlin pictures in yesterday's post? Soon life for the Kunde Estate will get rather hectic fairly quickly, they will be harvesting their grapes now through October. The Estate has quite a few employees on hand to get through the harvest season successfully. At Kunde Estate they not only have enough land to grow the grapes but also convert those grapes into wine and keep the barrels in caves. The caves were amazing! After harvesting the wine needs to be stored in a rather damp and cool environment. 

Cattle & Wine: I couldn't have picked a
better vaca!

And what better compliment to wine then looking at Hereford cattle?? That's right the morning was spent touring by bus the Estate's vineyards and seeing their prospects for their upcoming Hereford bull sale. Thanks again Mickelson's & Kunde Estates for hosting us!

Danielle, Mom & I after enjoying a picnic
on a cliff @ Kunde Estate

My Beauteous Mom! We had so much fun!
A trip we won't forget!

Thanks for visiting:)

N.Starr                   

Thoughtless Thursday: California Style

Get ready to be amazed!!

Some have wordless Wednesday, I have thoughtless Thursday because really it's almost the weekend and it's a gorgous day, who want to think! Today's post is to just let your browse a few of my favorite pictures to San Francisco and Sonoma Valley. Also there are a few in here from a good Hereford friend & past fellow board member: Katlin Mulvaney. If you need a photographer for any event or in the market for senior or family pictures, Keepsakes by Katlin is who you should look up! She may even be featured in a Friday Flare, who knows! Noted below the ones she snapped and posted on facebook. As of right now she does not have a website so feel free to let me know if you're interested and I can put you in contact with her. Enjoy like they always say the pictures are worth a 1,000 words!!



To Fisherman's Wharf we go!





Photo by: Keepsakes by Katlin

Look at those grapes!

Photo by: Keepsakes by Katlin



Lunch overlooking the vineyard



Photo by: Keepsakes by Katlin






I did not pinch, just tasted:)



Have I mentioned I love wine?

Watch for a later post featuring two of my best friends.......

N.Starr