Ali Update

I haven't done too well on the blog updates recently but I wanted to let everyone know that Alison made it to Switzerland and she is having a great time.
She is living with a family in the small town of Neuchatel, which she said is incredibly beautiful. Ali said the people are very friendly and she seems to have a new adventure each day.
Things have been busy on the photography front as well as we've been getting many inquiries for 2008 and we had several client meetings this week. We also did another shoot for Davidson College last week and I've got two portraits shoots to do for a magazine.
We survived the heat of August and are now gearing up for a very busy fall wedding season. We have upcoming weddings in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Dunn (near Raleigh) and another in Charlotte. We'll also work two bridal portraits in there somewhere.
Alison will be sending photos from time to time and we'll keep you updated on her travels.

Ali at the former hotel (built in 1830) where she lives with her Swiss family

Quick Vacation

We just got back from a quick family trip to Seabrook Island near Charleston.
And while we picked one of the hottest weather stretches in recent history, everyone had a good time as we kicked back for a few days.
I had a chance to play some golf at Kiawah Island with friends Mic Smith and Jim Gund. Mic's friend Steve rounded out our foursome as we took on Osprey Point on a smoking hot afternoon.
Kiawah and Seabrook are next to each other so we all ventured over to Kiawah one day to look around a bit. We also went to Charleston, took every opportunity to eat great seafood and got in some beach time.
It was nice for everyone to spend some time together before Ali heads off to Switzerland this week.
(These photos were all taken with Betsy's Nikon point-and-shoot.)

The sun slowly sets over the clubhouse at Seabrook Island

The Sanctuary is an amazing hotel on Kiawah Island

The view from our front deck

It's not unusual to see all types of wildlife on Seabrook Island

Sean, Ali and Betsy enjoy the beach

We all had a nice walk on the beach one night

Golf Lesson

I had one of my golfing dreams come true Wednesday as I got a private lesson at the Dana Rader Golf School.
Dana Rader, an amazing businessperson and one of the top teaching golf pros in the country, has a golf school in south Charlotte at the Ballantyne Resort.
I've been golfing for a long time but I've never really had any expert instruction. Betsy and the kids knew I've wanted to do this for some time and they gave me the lesson as a present.
Thanks to Jason Sutton, an accomplished teacher in his own right, for being patient and giving me some great pointers. It was also cool to see my swing on videotape.
Now I've got a lot of work to do!

Gotta love a pyramid of golf balls

Instructor Jason Sutton and me