Each day there will be a new Christmas song, a photo, and maybe another surprise here and there.  If you follow the links, by the 25th you should have the best Christmas album around. We hope you enjoy!

Day One: December 1, 2011
Miss Sarajevo by The Passengers. The Passengers was a “Super Group” composed Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, U2, and guests like Luciano Pavarotti.

Bonus: watch Millions. Probably one of the best Christmas movies you might not have seen or heard of before now.

And, yes I had a perm.  It was the eighties!

Thanks to the incredibly talented Viridian Design Studio for showing us once again the power of good design.  Delicious chocolates by Delysia.

I love the sneaky Wendi in the corner out of focus! oh yeah the pink hat was a impulse buy on the way to the market. I didn’t pack a hat and my ears were cold!

Before I go I wanted to share a Christmas story that always makes me smile. A few years ago I went to a midnight candlelight Christmas Eve service. I go to a candlelight service ever year but never at midnight. It was really cool but what struck me came from a 2 year old sitting behind me. During the lighting of the candles at the end of the service as everyone started singing Silent Night I heard a little voice singing Happy Birthday. Turning around with a chuckle I saw her with her parents singing her own song. Her parents, who seemed slightly embarrassed and humored at the same time, made it a point to say that she sings Happy Birthday whenever someone lights candles. To me it was beautiful and prefect.

I hope your Christmas is full of love, joy and maybe some snow!

I love how all the BBQ guys wear the hard hats. It’s a tough job.

I love this sign. The smoke has colored it over the years and it just makes me smile.

Todd Spoth knows the secret of a good Texas BBQ experience, Big Red. I wish I had a tally of how many Big Reds people drank on this trip.

Sausage Sandwich at Luling. I so want one now.

The crowd at my favorite place, Luling City Market.

Waiting at Smitty’s. Mmmmm…pork chops.

Dave Einsel’s Meat order.

Dave’s tower of meat, yes he finished it.

And so Dave thought he’d do a little exercise.

To cap off the day of meat we stopped at Black’s for dessert. There are two great things here, peach cobbler and the BBQ turkey. Probably the best turkey I have ever had. yum yum yum.

Also, I’ll share in closing a great quote I saw today. “Stressed? Spell it backwards for the cure. Desserts,” author unknown.

I also love digital cameras. They have added a new dimension to photography — one more tool for the toolbox.   I think each has a very distinctive place and use. When you have good light and want a more organic look,  film is the way to go.   When light is low, even if it is nice or you have mixed light sources inside, digital can be better. I also love digital for capturing those quick moments.

Which is best?  Ask a group of photographers that question and you’re likely to start a heated debate.  Here’s my take.  Asking which is best is like asking what’s the best pair of shoes to wear.  It really all depends on what situation you’re going to face that day.  I’d hate to wear tennis shoes with a formal dress to the Oscars but I’d also never wear 3 inch heels on a hiking trip.

Lately I have been playing with my old Hasselblad 500C Medium Format film camera. It started as a fun diversion from my everyday digital work and has evolved into what I shoot with outside of work all the time now. Thanks to Richard Photo Lab I can get great post-shoot services and products which make shooting film even more enjoyable.

A few film images I’d like to share with you…

These sets are from my personal work I have been doing exploring Brazos Bend State Park. My mini photo safari in Texas. Also I am dying to do some portraits here so if you’re up for it let me know.  The gorgeous tree was recently featured on Dog ‘n Bird Artful Wedding.

Quick portraits from the Houston Art Car Parade.  So many fun characters and the cars are simply amazing.  And now,  onto the Houston Rodeo.

You know I can’t resist including a couple rodeo food shots!

I’ll end with the most bizarre set. these were from the Round Top, Texas antiques festival. Crazy place! On the left, old knives and on the right,  molds for making baby doll heads.  Slightly creepy, but I love it.

Later this week I’ll show you how the Hasselblad translates to weddings.

Our little guy was delivered via emergency c-section.  Due to the side effects of anesthesia I have a very foggy memory of the first time I held my son, but that moment was perfectly preserved by Wendi.  Here’s a glimpse of the day it all began…as seen by Wendi.

L to R: College graduation then fast forward 4 years to the engagement

Scanned directly from my old-school matted wedding album. Does that huge cascading bouquet make you cringe? But, oh how I loved it and the scent was heavenly — peonies, roses and freesia. Wedding images by Barbie Vallot.

Our best contributions to this world. L to R: 2004 welcome baby boy; big boy eagerly awaits the arrival of lil sis; 2005 welcome baby girl. All baby images by Wendi Poole.

I grew-up in the small town of Pensacola, FL, home of the Pensacola Naval Air Station and the Blue Angels flight team.  In true small-town fashion I knew most everyone in town, attended a small church and my Sunday School classmates became friends for life.  Suzie McDaniel is one those special friends.  From growing up in the church together to now almost 30 years later we have the kind of friendship that time and distance can’t touch.   So, when my mom called with the news of Mr. McDaniel’s death my heart broke. Mr. McDaniel loved his daughters more than words can express and Suzie and her sisters loved him back just the same.

From hundreds of miles away I feel helpless, but I know the McDaniels can feel the power of my prayers. The memorial service is this Friday and because of wedding commitments I won’t be able to attend so this is my tribute to Mr. McDaniel and his family. The pictures here are from last summer when two of the McDaniel daughters, Caroline and Ali were married.  I attended their weddings as a guest, but I couldn’t help but bring my camera along and now I’m so glad I did.

Charlie McDaniel was an awesome dad of five wonderful women. I remember how great he was with his girls. He was a gem and just an awesome guy. He loved each girl so much and at the weddings I got an even clearer picture of that. Growing up I loved to go over to their house, walk in the side door and say hello to Mr. McD as he watched sports in the den. It was his man cave, a way to get away from the estrogen in the house. He would always come in for dinner, sit down at the table and say something in his quiet tone that would make me laugh.

I could always count on him to make me smile.

To the McDaniels: I am so sorry.  I love you always and I am sending you a hug through the internet from many miles away. My prayers will be with you today, Friday and for the months ahead.

Rick has a funny story about his first U2 concert. It was the long awaited teenage rite-of-passage, his first live concert and his friend’s brother was taking him and his friend to see the J. Geils Band. They arrived late and only caught the last couple songs of the opening act – the Irish foursome, U2. He was hooked and I think he’s seen every tour since!

The concerts were simply awesome. In Dallas we had special tickets and got rail side floor spots, without the all-day wait in line. In my opinion, Houston was a better show. You could tell they were having a lot of fun and just jamming on stage which made for a really cool show.

Take a peek at some photos I snapped.

Dallas

Rick and me before the Dallas show. I won’t show the Houston before photos. We look a little scary after waiting all day in the sun.

Houston. I include this because of all the media photographers shooting Bono. I was able to shoot the whole show and still party while they only got a couple songs and then were kicked out. I love relaxed camera restrictions!

The Edge in Houston. If you like music or storytelling you must see It Might Get Loud – a great documentary featuring The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White.

Adam Clayton in Houston.

Houston. I loved the Second encore when Bono came out in a LED jacket and swung around on a microphone hanging from the center of the stage. Oh how I was longing for my long lens!

Until next Tour!

Wendi