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Anna, San Francisco, November.

That is one of her favorite shirts, and it is too small for her as you can see. I didn’t know when I packed it for the trip. The cat’s name on that shirt is Spike, and she appreciates the humor in that. The bag is one we found at a garage sale. She got it for a quarter. (She gets everything for quarters at garage sales. No one can resist her. She doesn’t even have to TRY to haggle them, they fall at her feet! It is the best thing ever. She is my secret weapon.) Inside the purse were certainly found treasures like a bus receipt, a penny, or the swizzle stick from my drink at dinner the night before. Also a camera and lip gloss, and maybe a pen. The hat – I’m not sure you can really tell what it looks like in the picture, but it is one of those puffy hunting type hats with the flaps that hang down over your ears. It’s hot pink plaid with black furry lining.

I had left that morning to meet clients before she was awake. This is how she showed up to meet me after my photo shoot was complete. I saw her and just took her in…smiled to myself, because I am the lucky one that gets to watch her grow up. I asked her if she would stand in front of this wall, but she didn’t want to, was too excited to look at the albino alligator. I told her that was okay, I could wait until she was ready. She came to me a few minutes later, after I had followed her around for awhile. Grabbed my hand and said, “Okay Mom, take the picture now,” in her grown up woman voice, the one she uses when she wants to believe she is, in fact, nineteen years old. I told her where I would like her to stand. She stood, and looked at me like this, and I took two shots, and then she ran off.

I look at this and I see her.

Out of the hundreds of photos I took while we were on vacation in San Francisco, this one, taken at the California Academy of Sciences, is my absolute favorite.

xo

Tara

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35 Comments

  1. yes! i had this moment today with Luke, covered head to toe in mud. he was so in character. he just waited for me to shoot. no words needed.
    our kids are amazing. i am so glad i can give mine the gift of photos.

  2. I love your work! Every post about your children brings tears to my eyes, because you get “it”, and for that you are so very lucky. Some never really do…you are blessed.

  3. you know what’s my absolute favorite? the love, and appreciation you have for anna. that she wears a hot pink plaid furlined cool ass hat. that she wears a shirt with a cat named spike, and gets the humor in it. that she is who she is. and lives it. THAT is awesome. oh yeah…and that bag too. i. love. that. bag.

  4. I have a very similar photo of me standing in front of the wall design at the Academy of Sciences. I was there in October for one of their weeknight adult parties with wine, and accessed both the planetarium and terrarium with as much joy as a 9 year old have. I would recommend that everyone go there! :)

    I like your blog – Happy New Year!

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