Puppy Dog Eyes

Look who I met today!




Sasha is so beautiful and she has the most perfect 'puppy dog eyes' I have ever seen... and I've seen my share of canines!

Samantha and Devin

Samantha and Devin are getting married this fall and were traveling through yesterday. We had a few hours scheduled for an engagement shoot. The weather wasn't what we hoped it would be but there was no chance to reschedule so we gave it a try... I LOVE the result! It looks like the Scottish Highlands to me. It's not very often that I get the opportunity to shoot in warm fog here in Melville.

Enjoy!!

Marie || montana children's photographer

Introducing Marie...









and her loving big sis...





















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Early Spring

Another recent favorite to share with you...

It's been awhile!

                                      

Please forgive the blog silence... sometimes life gets in the way of blogging!  (As it well should).

I have been busy mothering, wifing (is that a word??) and working on fine art projects.  Not to mention that my dog got sprayed by a skunk and it takes a lot or work to get rid of that nostril burning stench!  Any suggestions?

This spring I started something new.  It is called the 365 project.  The idea is to post a photo a day to the site thereby creating a pictorial journal.  It's been great!  I love the freedom of shooting and it's really gotten me 'out there' with my camera.  You can view my work here.

Let me know if you start your own project.  I'd love to check it out.

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We can do better

Medical Ward room at Provincial Hospital, Tagbilaran.

We can do better.  Near the end of my Philippine trip I had the opportunity to visit and photograph 2 hospitals and 1 clinic in Bohol.  One hospital was privately owned, the other a government hospital and a government clinic.  It was quite an experience!  The hallways were dark and stifling, their equipment, where it existed was antiquated and crumbling.  Rooms and hallways were crowded with patients, beyond what we would ever consider acceptable.  In places patients shared a crusty and torn old hospital bed.


Hallway crowded with patients and family.

We were allowed to enter the "ICU" in one facility, which consisted of a lit room with two beds.  Each bed had only one patient and it was by far the nicest room I saw that day.  In one bed was a man who appeared to have been in a serious accident of some kind.  In the other was a man, probably between the ages of 50 and 60, that had undergone some type of surgery, presumably open-heart, judging from his incision.  This man was surrounded by a few family members that were there to monitor his progress and deliver oxygen to his lungs.  Can you imagine?  They were responsible for "bagging" him around the clock for as long as it might take!  These family members were not trained medical professionals, but it was up to them to keep pumping away at 20 breaths per minute.  If they didn't?  Their father would certainly die.  The bag valve mask they had to use was cracking and taped to minimize the leaks.  I was stunned!  I had never imagined anything like that taking place.  It is unbelievable that in this world filled with all kinds of technology and amazing medical advancements that these types of things occur and are the norm in some areas.


Family members bag a patient at Provincial Hospital

Montana on a Mission has developed a relationship with the privately owned hospital in Tagbilaran where in exchange for donated equipment and supplies the hospital will in turn discount services for the citizens of the barrios that MOM works with, up to the total value of the items donated.  This results in a win-win situation... all patients at the hospital benefit from the donations and the barrio residents additionally benefit in receiving medical care at a discount, which they could not otherwise afford.  To date, medical equipment and supplies have been donated by St. Vincent's (Billings, MT) and Billings Clinic and several other hospitals in Montana and Washington and distributed to hospitals and clinics in Bohol.


The Emergency Room at Provincial Hospital


Hospital maintainance workers "freshen up" hospital beds with a coat of paint



Operating Room



If this moves you, tugs at your heart, makes you think, "what if that were me?" please consider helping through prayer, a monetary donation or if you know of medical equipment that a facility may be willing to donate please leave a comment or contact me directly through my website.

We can do better, they deserve better.

The sights of Loboc

On our last evening in Bohol we took a trip down the road about 20 minutes to the town of Loboc. We spent about an hour looking around taking in the sights.

Of course, photo ops abound!


Loboc River



The tiny Tarsier Monkey, native to Bohol


,
Fresh food market


A favorite mode of transportation




street food



the squiggly ones... mmm hmmm, yep they're chicken intestines







The Church of San Pedro Apostol origanlly built by the Spanish 400 over years ago

























Clock tower in town center


Loboc sunset