And people wonder why Pennsylvania roads are so terrible... nice arts and crafts, PennDOT!

I think it's pretty cool, but imagine what they could do if they actually decided to work on our roads?!

To make this even better, I took these photos right after we stopped at Dairy Queen and I had the best M&M/Oreo Blizzard of my life.

PennDOT and Allegheny College Road Sign Art/Meadville, PA/7.17.11

Canadohta Lake, PA - 7.16.11

It had been a while since I had been to Canadohta Lake, probably about four summers. Heck, it had been a while since I last saw any of the Larotondas. Moving from city to city with various shows doesn't generally allow for weekend getaways, so I wasn't quite sure when one of my favorite weekends in summer would ever happen again.

As luck would have it, I decided to nix one of my mid-July shoots in favor of spending a weekend in Pittsburgh and instead of Pittsburgh, I ended up at the Larotonda's cottage at Canadohta. Total impromptu trip and one of the prettiest weekends I can remember. Sunshine, boats, campfires, fishing, marshmallows, sausages, swimming, family and some of our oldest friends. Nothing could have been better.

The man, the myth, the legend, ladies and gentlemen... the Captain.

One of my dad's best friends since junior high, Dave Larotonda absolutely makes it onto most everyone's Apocalypse Survival Team. My dad and I've decided that of all the close family friends and family members, the lawyer and the photographer who knows how to load in and load out rock shows are probably not high on anyone's list - although... we do make a great management team. Keep that in mind, people.

There are stories for days about the Captain, most of which are best told with a beer in hand 'round a campfire.

7.16.11

And the keeper of the fishing licenses said, "Let there be light!"

Jharv lighting (legal) fireworks/Canadohta Lake, PA/7.16.11

The eagle hasssss landed! Our national symbol and his family reside in the tree-tops above the Larotonda lake cottage. Naturally, the family nest makes for a new tourist attraction on the lake - a.k.a a lot of new boat traffic at the south end.

The one I photographed is either a young male or a female. I'm only a connoisseur of Flamingos, so I wouldn't know.

7.16.11

One of my oldest friends in the world Ms. Kira Larotonda and her beagle Sandy. Both passed out on the boat on a stunning Saturday afternoon on Canadohta Lake, PA.

7.16.11

Something has happened in Pittsburgh that has not happened for the better part of 20 years. The Pirates are fighting for first place in the National League Central Division and PNC Park is selling out. To put this all in perspective, July 10th, 2011 marked the first time I went to this park with the intention to watch good baseball and not just great pierogi races.

And wouldn't you know it! The entry-gate give-away was wind-up pierogi racers! Oh how appropriately fun!*

But honestly, Pittsburgh is going berserk for their Buccos and it is absolutely amazing. Want some more perspective? The following weekend, my family and some of our oldest family friends went up to Canadohta Lake, just south of Erie, PA and listened to the Sunday Pirate game on the radio of a neighbor's old pick-up while we fished off the boat. That lake is somewhat of a time warp to begin with, but it was quite easy to imagine that it was 1960, the Pirates were fantastic and that those baseball games, at the park or on the radio, were something everyone fancied.

As a little girl playing ball in the back yard with her dad, I'd always pretend I was Andy Van Slyke. Never too much of a social butterfly, neighborhood baseball games were one of the only social activities about which I wasn't shy. Sadly, it was probably somewhere around 1996 that I stopped caring. Stopped caring to the point that I didn't think I liked the game anymore. However, I always had crushes on the baseball players through both high school and college (haha, did I just use the past tense?) - and come on, you can't date a baseball player and not like the game!**

Honestly, I think I was angry at the Pirates, but something was still there. It took 2011 to resurrect that feeling. It isn't as much about being a fair-weather fan as it is about a city's pending redemption in the world of baseball, or about the absolute adrenaline that this Pirate team has brought back for the 'Burgh... or about feeling like I'm a kid again.

The crack of the bat, the trajectory of the ball, the eruption of the park. Frankly, it is a glorious thing to hear one of summer's sweetest sounds return to Pittsburgh after a two-decade vacation. And with that, all we hope to say is, "Welcome back, Buccos."

Pirates vs. Cubs/PNC Park/Pittsburgh, PA/7.10.11

*We don't have to mention how upset I got when they wouldn't give me one at the gate because it was "Kids' Day" and apparently they didn't feel I looked 14.

**For the record, I'm pretty sure I told all of them I didn't like it... typical.

So I fly into Manchester, New Hampshire the Sunday morning after Jim and Jo's wedding to spend the 4th of July with another giant group of friends. Three days at a beautiful lake house on Lake Winnipesaukee and what is the only thing I photograph? A few of my friends shoving Kyle into a photo booth. I can't for the life of me remember the town's name, but it was about 30 minutes away from the lake house and one of the silliest little towns I've ever been to. It will come to me eventually...

Arcade/Somewheresville, NH/7.4.11

It truly is a beautiful thing when two of your closest friends wed. Jim and I were friends before he met Jo, but when I got to know Jo and the size of her heart, I knew we'd be close for a long time.

In any case, because summer is my busiest season, I often end up missing a handful of weddings, so to make this work, I flew into Charlotte at 10:20 a.m. on 7/2 and flew straight to Manchester, New Hampshire at 9:30 a.m. on 7/3, only having booked the ticket on 6/30. I can tell you one thing, it's certainly not a cheap way to travel, but it's always worth it.

Classic Jim and Johanna photo - at the alter, haha!

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hyland/Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden/Belmont, NC/7.2.11

The day we had all been waiting for happened on July 2nd, 2011. Jim Hyland weds Ms. Johanna Kingson.

Once again, it has been confirmed that I would make a terrible wedding photographer.

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hyland/Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden/Belmont, NC/7.2.11

I will always be a sucker for gorgeous hands. Gorgeous hands on a great man? Forget about it.

And with that, I shall end my Caravan segment. On June 28th, after a month out, I finally made my way back to New York - only staying, however, for a little under 72 hours.

Dave Matthews/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.26.11

Two dudes who are generally difficult to photograph, based on their stage positions.

Violinist Boyd Tinsley (top) and drummer Carter Beauford (bottom) of DMB/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.26.11

Dave Matthews/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.26.11

"Kids, your mother has eyes in the back of her... back..."

I cannot believe I didn't ask this girl about her tattoos.

DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.26.11

Let go your heart,

Let go your head

And feel it now...

David Gray/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.26.11

I know Garth Brooks sang about his friends in low places, but there's a lot to be said for friends in high places as well. Quite literally, the boys with the boom lift keys.

It's tough to see with such tiny photos on this blog, but this is the whole festival grounds with AC in the distance. If I had my druthers, I would have driven that lift about 100 feet from stage left, just to get a better sense of the crowd. In this case, what would have been a great photo would have been a terrible idea.

Speaking of terrible ideas, did I mention that we almost fell out of the basket on our way down?

DMB Caravan/Bader Field/Atlantic City, NJ/6.25.11

Not usually a fan of the tilted frame, but it fits this photo. When you are working in a photo pit in front of a 6'4 stage, sometimes you've gotta break out of your norm.

Dave Matthews Band/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.25.11

I dunno about that sign, Lady...

DMB crowd/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.25.11

This is a photo of Wayne Coyne waving goodbye to Dave Matthews' money (see below).

Juuusst kidding. He's waving goodbye to fans prior to his exit.

Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips/Atlantic Stage/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.24.11

Whoooo doesn't like giant balloons full of money??

As a collaborative effort between Dave Matthews and Wayne Coyne, during the Flaming Lips' Dark Side of the Moon tribute set, giant balloons were filled with cash and tossed out over the crowd as a theatric accompaniment to the song "Money."

Great idea, boys! That is... until the wind kicks up and sends the balloons over the fence and into the water.

All Wayne said was, "Welp, there goes ten grand of Dave Matthews' money!"

The Flaming Lips/Atlantic Stage/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ

Another day, another show, another pretty (pollution-fueled) sunset.

DMB Caravan/Bader Field/Atlantic City, NJ/6.24.11

My next destination was just a hop, skip and a jump from Philadelphia. Dirty, dirty Atlantic City, New Jersey for the first of four Dave Matthews Band Caravans.

While the line-up was delightfully solid, Bader Field as a festival site was a little less than ideal. Not to mention (one of) the inherent flaw(s) in Coran Capshaw's plan: Most DMB fans aren't so much music fans as they are Dave Matthews fans.

I will say, however, that that single flaw was great for the rest of the staff, as we could just walk up to any stage we wanted and have a pretty sweet spot - like we did for the Head and the Heart's set. These guys have been one of my favorites since Bilec's "Songs for Snow" mix CD last winter and it was a delight to finally hear them live. Highly recommended.

Jonathan Russell (top) and Charity Rose Thielen (bottom) of the Head and the Heart/Atlantic Stage/DMB Caravan/Atlantic City, NJ/6.24.11

No trip to Philly is ever complete without a visit with one of my closest friends, Mrs. Cait Fling. Planned well in advance, the Philadelphia Zoo was very high on our list of things to do. Cait's little sis, Maria, came along as well!

Anyway, when I went through my zoo edits, I couldn't help clicking back and forth between these two frames. I most certainly got a kick out of it!

If I didn't have to shoot through glass, this photo would be one of my favorite zoo photos.

Philadelphia Zoo/Philadelphia, PA/6.21.11

Penguin dinner time!

Philadelphia Zoo/Philadelphia, PA/6.21.11

Kenny Chesney/Lincoln Financial Field/Philadelphia, PA/6.18.11

Two hours after the Bonnaroo staff party ended, I found myself passed out in a van on my way back to the Nashville International Airport. Don't worry, this time I knew who was driving the van. But yes, I was so assuredly passed out that the driver had to kindly shake me awake when we arrived at the terminal.

Next stop? Philadelphia for the Kenny Chesney build at Lincoln Financial Field. Got right off the plane and headed straight to the venue. Always fun!

While I didn't shoot much at all, I have a few photos that will make their way to the blog.

Zac Brown/Lincoln Financial Field/Philadelphia, PA/6.18.11

When you have $2,000 worth of fireworks, usually the best idea is to just set them all off yourself.

Bonnaroo staff party/Manchester, TN/6.13.11

Crawfish boil at the Bonnaroo staff party. Deeeelish. 6.13.11

A little roaming around the grounds, post-Bonnaroo, pre-staff fiesta on 6.13.11.

Top photo: The giant cuckoo clock that I never actually saw go off. Supposedly it was loud as can be, but I never heard it.

Bottom photo: Cole's reflection in Dr. John's giant hat that had just been removed from the Bonnaroo arch.

The glow of Widespread Panic's light show, shot from the VIP trailer at Bonnaroo on 6.12.11.