Happy Thanksgiving Y'all

So I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it's not just for the food. However, you can't beat deep fried turkey, twice baked potatoes, sweet potato casserole (it's really a dessert), an artichoke casserole and of course a southern tradition pecan pie. But what I like most is that it's a time to thank God for all that he has given to us. We are truly blessed with an abundance of riches and the greatest gift is my family and the tradition of Thanksgiving bring us together.

We have another tradition on Thanksgiving and that is to take a family picture. Easy right? Cuz I'm a professional photographer and all but problem is that I'm supposed to be in the picture instead of behind the camera. So we try and try and try... and the grand kids get restless and the adults get irritated cuz the kids get restless. But we do it anyway cuz it's a tradition...

Here are a few of the pics from our family tradition...

Dining with the Divas (Part 2 of 3)

OK, so that was Friday night... Saturday we were invited to join the Poswall's (Peg and John) for a 4th of July Celebration at their house north of Newcastle where they have 50 acres almost all of which has been beautifully landscaped. Anyway, Peg Tomlinson-Poswall is also one of the Dining Divas and cooks and entertains at their lovely home on a weekly basis.

For most of the day, we sat around the pool and laid on the sofas on the second level deck visiting and munching on a few snacks but when it came time to get serious about dinner, Peg disappeared into the kitchen where she began organizing an outstanding spread. About 3 hours before meal time, Peg put the ribs in the oven on about 225 for some slow cooking. The were pre-seasoned with a savory rub and served with droplettes (smaller than a drop) of Peg's special balsamic vinegar. Then came the vegetables... gazpacho was served before the meal and served with the main course were heirloom tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, corn on the cob, and Italian potato salad complements of Dani Luzatti (friend and neighbor) who was also at the get together. We also had beets and pasta salad prepared by Jackie (one of Peg's neighbors) that was as good a pasta salad as I've eaten.

In addition to the great food, Tracy, the resident wine expert was there to make sure the pairings were perfect.... as did John. After dinner, we all went up to the tower and watched the fireworks show presented by John and Zabi. Most lasted well into the night up in the tower under a full moon. Others sneaked off to dream land.... guess which one I chose :-)

One more post tomorrow on this incredible weekend... Come back and check it out. You won't be sorry.

Dining with the Divas (Part 1 of 3)

This is the first of a three part post of a most unbelievable weekend of good friends and phenomenal food. Mary and I had the good fortune to get invited to dinner on Friday and then an overnight invite on Saturday and Sunday. These were no ordinary invites I might add. We were invited to dinner by 3 of the Dining Divas from Sacramento.

Friday night we went to the newly remodeled home of Joan Lieneke. The kitchen was fabulous and Joan was gracious enough to give us the grand tour and talk about each cooking station and its features. Very, very impressive. The anchor of the kitchen was the wood burning oven in which almost the entire meal was cooked. We started with pizza appetizers that Joan put together at the baking station. We then moved to the table for a raw salmon kibbe that was to die for... The main course was oven baked quail and broccoli with gnocchi prepared by the 2nd of the 3 Dining Divas, Paulette Bruce.

The quail was baked to perfection, the broccoli had a smoky flavor and the gnocchi was rich and creamy. We were also fortunate enough to have a wonderful bottle of BV Private Reserve that was 23 years old (provided by Jim and Debbie). For dessert, fresh fruit cup that was perfect after such a wonderful meal. Thanks Joan and Jake for having us over and Joan and Paulette for a perfect night out. Check out some of the photos...

New Website for Terry Daffin Photography

Some of you may know that I've been rebranding my photography business. Well, the project is complete and my new website is up. I've also changed the name from Photo128 (long story about the name) to Terry Daffin Photography (shorter story that make sense). Check it out and let me know what you think. Also, on my last site, I had music. This site does not. What is your preference?

Diamond in the Dunes

On Sunday, I was invited to preview a documentary film, Diamond in the Dunes, directed by Chris Rufo who is part of the Documentary Foundation here in Sacramento. The film is about Parhat Ablat, a young Muslim minority from the deserts of Western China, who leads the fight against racial segregation through baseball. The 10 minute preview had me wanting more of the story not only because I love baseball but because of the passion for which these people embrace the game and what their only game of the season against a team of Tibetans from the Qinghai Province means.

The story documents the struggles between two ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Province that band together to learn the game of baseball and for the chance to play in one game a year. The two groups live in almost total seperation speaking different languages, praciticing different religions, live and work in different neighborhoods and even set their watches two hours apart from on another.

It's a story about breaking the lines of segregation through baseball.... sound familiar?

Stop by the Foundation's site to get more information and buy a pre-sale copy of the film. You won't be sorry.

Walk and Rock for the Kids... and Journey

What an event! Hope Productions, created to provide resources to support youth and children’s charities throughout the U.S., held an inagural event here in Sacramento Saturday, May 23rd. It began with a walk around midtown Sacramento that started at Raley Field, down Capital to the Capitol, up 10th St. to K St., throiugh the Downtown Mall then back to Raley Field. With bands stationed along the route and one at The Hard Rock Cafe, over 1,000 walkers showed up to support the cause of seven charities in their inagural year. They raised over $850,000. The charities that benefited were:

Boys and Girls Club of Greater Sacramento

CASA for Children, El Dorado County

OKIZU

Keaton Raphael Memorial

River Cats Foundation

Wind Youth Services

People Reaching Out

Here are a few photos from the walk....









Then that evening, a concert... Yeah, a concert! It started with a VIP Dinner and Auction, then The Lost Boys played a few songs to get the crowd warmed up and then JOURNEY! What a night! Here a few photos from the event...

The Cross

This a repost from the Veneration of the Cross service from last year... Still very moving

So many of you know that Easter is one of the most important days of the year for Christians and there are many services during Easter week that Christians of all denominations participate in remembrance of the what Christ did for all. But one of the most moving services that Mary and I attend is the Good Friday, Veneration of the Cross at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in midtown Sacramento.

The service begins with the celebration of the Eucharist and then a huge cross is brought into the church where it is passed over the crowd where everyone has the opportunity to touch the cross symbolic of what Christ had to do as he carried His cross to Golgotha. After which the cross is laid on the floor of the church and people have the opportunity to step up to the cross, kneel, pray, and lay hands on the cross out of respect again to what Christ did for all in His death and resurrection. If you have never attended such a service, you are missing one of the most moving and emotional services of the season. Hope to see you at St. Francis next year on Good Friday. Halleluiah! He has risen!

Dinner with Ty

OK, I know it's been a long time since my last blog entry but I've been facebooking (now a verb) a lot and posting photos and videos.

So anyway, it's been a couple of weeks or so but Mary and I had the pleasure of dining with the Kubicek's (Matt, Laurie and Ty). We had a great time visiting, the wine was excellent and the dinner fabulous. Thank you Matt and Laurie very much. And that Ty Kubicek... well, it's hard to describe what a pleasant young man he is. Anyone that knows the Kubicek's and Ty knows what I'm talking about but is hard to describe. He's free thinking, imaginitive, intuitive, bright, funny and can have meaningful dialog with adults.... and he's only 5 years. And that's the coolest thing about Ty is that he's 5 and plays in the backyard with big trucks, has a dog, and eats spaghetti like a kid should eat spaghetti...

Thanks Ty for having us over. Can't wait to do it again...

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

I know this is a photography blog but I just love to eat good food. Thus my passion for cooking. Here's a recipe for New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp. Most recipes for this dish are secret so don't be spreading this one around....

Enjoy!