David and Jennilyn

Jenni encouraged me to take day off in the middle of the week so we could go on a date. With the kids in school, we enjoyed staying at each exhibit for as long as we wanted, or at least until the animal did something photogenic.

The weather was a cool autumn temperature. None of the animals were active but the smaller crowds also helped us stay with them without blocking other patrons.

My parents were my ride to a wedding that I was the photographer. None of us had visited Astoria Column before, so we arrived early to enjoy the tourist attraction.

My dad surprised me by climbing the 164 steps to the top of the column, happy to take on the challenge. Though I managed to snap photos of the view, my palms were sweaty looking over the edge.

The winding staircase was dizzying on the descent but had a beautiful symmetry to it. Every 20-30 steps, there was a plaque naming people who reached that point.

I’m glad they were able to ride with me to the coast. We don’t often get to travel together so I treasure each opportunity I get.

A coworker invited me to photograph her wedding in Astoria. She had enjoyed my photographic style for company events and I’m grateful she thought of me. Their wedding was low-key and casual but I could feel the warmth of the friends and family gathered to celebrate. The weather was windy, but the blue skies gave a beautiful backdrop at the Astoria Column.

We received our season 3 Marvel United Kickstarter package in late July. I waited for perfect conditions before I could prime the miniatures, but it also encouraged me to finish the season 1 core box we got a duplicate of last June (with the Spider-Man box).