Erin Clausen Photography: April 2012

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

England 2012, Pt. 2

[My apologies in advance for any weird formatting issues with this post. Blogger has made some "upgrades," and until I figure out exactly how they work, things might look a little bit wonky.]

My second day trip with the kids was to Windsor Castle, and I was grateful for the long, peaceful stretch of the M4 in between our pub/hotel in Swindon and the town of Windsor. It allowed me to relax my death-grip on the steering wheel, and we even went so far as to turn on the radio, since I didn't need utter silence to drive in a long, (relatively) straight stretch. Hallelujah!

When we got to Windsor, though, the radio went off, the death-grip returned, and I spazzed as I tried to follow our written directions to the castle. I made a couple of wrong turns and ended up at Legoland instead. My kids were thrilled, and I was just happy to see a big, wide parking lot. So I told them we could stretch our legs by checking out the Lego Hotel and asking for directions inside.

Noah was quick to whip out his new iTouch and snap a few photos of his own.

Then Evan did the same.

Then they goofed it up in Lego heaven.

The wall behind the check-in counter was a solid expanse of mini-figures. When their own gadgets didn't do an adequate job of documenting it, the kids insisted that I do the honors.

The nice staff at the hotel said that we could leave our car in their lot and hop a bus to downtown Windsor, so when I was able to pry my yahoos out of Lego paradise, we did just that. Phew. No more driving for awhile.

We got more audio guides and walked around. The guide helpfully told me that this view is of the royals' private apartments. We also learned from a castle staff member that the queen herself was in residence that very day!

We also stumbled on a great little room featuring art projects for kids who need a break from touring the grounds. Though we were only a few minutes into our visit, the kids decided that they most definitely were up for a break and some art.

They created these lovely Tudor-inspired headpieces. Don't they look thrilled to model?

Then we wandered around the 900-year-old castle's grounds some more and eventually made our way through the staterooms. Unfortunately, photography isn't allowed inside the castle rooms, so no pics of that... But I can tell you that the kids enjoyed a fun Easter egg hunt as they made their way through. There was a fancy jewelled egg hidden in each stateroom, and the kids had a written program providing clues to its exact location... All in all, it was a great (and educational) experience.

Here's look down into town from the castle walls...

At that point we were all hungry, so we made our way outside to find ourselves a late lunch. The town of Windsor, while unfortunately sprinkled with well-known chains, is quite cute.

I liked this brand-spankin' new pub, established in 2011 in honor of the newest member of the royal family:

The kids finally agreed to eat here -- a place called Zizzi. I thought it was a one-of-a-kind spot but found out later that it was a chain as well. Ah, well. The food was incredible, and we all left to tumble back onto the bus with full bellies and happy hearts.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Cousin Love

I have a thing about photographing cousins... It's one of my favorite types of sessions. I always enjoy seeing the relationships they share and witnessing their interactions. So many of the cousins I've been able to photograph enjoy close bonds that are clearly apparent throughout the time we spend together.

Maybe it's because I grew up idolizing my own cousins. Maybe it's because my own kids don't yet have blood cousins of their own (but that will change this fall!). In any case, it's just FUN. This week, I got to meet and photograph some local cousins whose roots are quite deep. Their moms -- sisters-in-law by blood -- have known each other since grade school. That's cool.

That's it for me until next week. Enjoy the weekend!

England 2012, Pt. 1

This was a sad week in our household, as we lost an important family member and a very, very special man. We'll be gethering with family this weekend to remember Papa Sam and say goodbye, and while the focus will most certainly be on him, I'm sure that our extended family will also ask about our recent trip to England.

Since we got back last weekend, friends have asked if I'll post photos from the trip. Because of that and the fact that sharing some of these pictures with family will be easier if I've put them online, I decided to upload a dozen or so shots from our first day of our spring break travels. I'll get back to the project after the weekend and will add some more posts to cover the trip in manageable chunks. It certainly was a memorable experience and a trip worth documenting...

First, a couple of shots from the airport. My intrepid travelers:

The flight to London was smooth and the kids even managed to get a bit of sleep (the girl appears to have her father's gift for plane-sleeping). We got our car and hit the road to Swindon, home of Shopatron's UK office and the reason we'd conceived this trip in the first place.

After a decent dinner in the pub downstairs from our rooms, we finally collapased and slept pretty well. All in all, jumping time zones didn't seem to cause us much trouble.

The next morning, Brian was off to work, and the kids and I enjoyed breakfast downstairs. Then it was time to pile into the car again for the first of our three solo (ie, without dad) day trips. On this day: Stonehenge.

I will save the stories of driving a stick-shift on the wrong side of the road for another time; I don't have the time or mental capacity to relive them right now. Suffice it to say that I am confident I shaved a few years off of my own life with the stress of that effort, and my kids heard a few words that will bring punishment and suspension if they ever utter them themselves.

But Stonehenge. Stonehenge. It was awesome, in the original sense of the word. The kids enjoyed the audio tours that gave us fascinating details and filled us in on the (suspected) history.

Side note: Do you see that my children -- the oldest, in particular -- are COMPLETELY incapable of staying away from the edges of paths (and streets and hiking trails)?? If there is a physical boundary, they will push it.

On the return trip, I pulled off the road and into a parking lot, thinking that we might stop for a snack at this cute pub. But only E was interested in getting out; the others were feeling a bit of jet lag, I think, and were cozily ensconced in the back seat.

Eventually, we made it back to Swindon in one piece -- something I'll forever consider a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT -- and stopped by Dad's office to say hello. One of his coworkers told us about a great park nearby, and despite the threat of rain we headed that way. It did dump and then drizzle for most of our time there, but the kids didn't care one bit. They could play!