And oh my goodness – I have NEVER seen this many sewing machines!  It made me think that I could sew something.

And I can’t sew – not even buttons.

I know – it’s a bit pathetic.

Anyway, the Cashier said there was between 1,600 and 1,800 sewing machines in THIS store alone!  Can you even handle the creativity that could abound from these beauties?

Denise then contacted me a few months ago and wanted me to take Brayden’s 6 month pictures.

And I said “OK!”

Brayden was napping when they arrived for the shoot, so I took the opportunity to grab some pics of the happily married couple.  They were so much fun.  I think the percentage of time we spent laughing matched the percentage of time I was shooting!  Aren’t they adorable?

And isn’t their little one even more adorable?

Yeah, I thought so too.

Enjoy!

Here’s a pic for you to enjoy today.  I shot it in Nantwich after we had drank coffee and tea in a marvelous little bookshop/cafe.  Isn’t it just wonderful?  It’s curved with this awesome design along the top.  Love it!

I just don’t see curved buildings around this area of the world.

Building in Nantwich, England

{I’ve decided to add the English ‘u’ to every appropriate word while talking about England.  It only seems right.}

It was so rainy and dreary the week we were there.  But the minute we stepped outside in Notting Hill after getting off the Underground, it was as if we were in another world.  It was still a bit overcast, but the buildings were so colorful, that it felt like we had stepped into the middle of a rainbow.

I felt like it was the girly version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ::  Michelle and the Candy Colored Shoppes.

Here are just a FEW pics of all the colors.  {Note – I did not do any altering in photoshop to any of these colors.  Just thought I’d let you know.}

In the middle of my wanderings & shootings, I came across a man who was laying on the floor next to his tripod, his camera suspended inches from the ground.  I was very much intrigued, and just watched him for a few moments.  After he got up I approached him and made a comment about his Tripod. {Seriously friends, it was pretty cool!  The middle part CAME OUT and could be FLIPPED AROUND so that the camera could be positioned near the ground!!  I was very much impressed.}

So we struck up a conversation about photography and tripods and such.  Mike Freeman is a photographer from England, and he does a lot of work with HDR.   We chatted a few times as we ran into each other throughout different parts of the cathedral.  And he gave me his business card.  I wanted to see his shots, and he wanted to see mine.

So today, I pulled out his business card and checked out his site {www.aphotogallery.co.uk} {You should check out his site too. He has some pretty cool images!}.  And look what I saw – It was a message to ME!

Screen Shot from Mike's site - www.aphotogallery.co.uk

Stinkin’ awesome – A message from England!   I was pretty excited because I didn’t know if he’d remember me … I’m an amateur photography student from the other side of the world, and he’s won awards for his shots!  I feel pretty lucky to have met him.

So Mike, if you’re reading this, here are just a FEW of my shots from the cathedral…

Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, England

Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, England

Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, England

Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, England

Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool, England

First stop?  Notting Hill.  THIS part of London was my favourite!  {See how I spelled “favorite”?  Like the Brits.  Yeah, I’m cool.}

We took the Underground to Notting Hill Gate, got off and started walking, searching for Portobello Road.  We heard there was great antiques, shoppes, cafes and lots of ‘uniqueness’ there.  So we walked.

And we came upon the most darling, quaintest, little cafe.  Charlie’s.

We immediately thought this place had to be great.  Just look at the sign!  And to get inside, you have to go down this little alley way.  It was the perfect spot for us to get a bit of breakfast, a yummy latte, and to pull out our map and get a feel for the lay of the land that is Notting Hill.

I could have stayed in this place All. Day. Long.  I think they need to expand and create a place here in Lancaster PA.

On second thought, maybe not.  Because I’d spend all my time there.  That may not be good for our wallet.

So here are a bunch of shots.  Seriously, I LOVED this place.  If you are ever in England, you MUST MUST MUST go here.

You’ll thank me!

One of my favorite times of the year was Christmas.  We’d travel about an hour east to sing at the Brandywine River Museum.  In the center was a space where the stairs and art displays wound up and around all the way to the top, and we would all stand on different levels and sing, our voices intertwined in this amazing 8-part harmony.

It was one of those experiences where you think, “I would LOVE to hear this in a huge cathedral.”  And ever since then I’ve dreamed of being in a massive cathedral, eyes closed, soaking in the harmonies of a chamber orchestra or a choir.

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Skip to last week.  On Saturday we all went to Chester, England to do some shopping and wandering.  In our wanderings we came across the Chester Cathedral.  In our debating on whether or not we {J and I} were going to go inside and whether or not the rest of our group {6 of them} would join us {we had to pay}, we heard music coming from inside.  It was the 1812 Overture.  I made the executive decision that I was going in, even if I was going alone.

J and I went, not caring how much we had to pay, and I pretty much ran {well, speedily walked since running is probably frowned upon inside a cathedral!} towards the music in the Nave.

Oh. My. Goodness.  I sat down and just stared.  I didn’t even realize that J had joined me about a minute later.  I just sat. My mouth open in awe of what I was experiencing.

The Chester Philharmonic Orchestra was practicing for their concert that evening.  They were in the middle of playing the 1812 Overture.  The ‘cannons’ were echoing in the vast expanse of this almost 2,000 year old building.

My mind was filled with “I can’t believe I’m hearing this!” and “Oh. My. Goodness!” and “This sounds amazingly wonderful.” and “Oh. My. Goodness!” and ”I’m spending too much time thinking about how awesome this…I should just sit and listen.” and “Oh. My. Goodness!”

And once they were done, they started over again.  I don’t know how many times they played the one song. I didn’t even care that they didn’t play anything else. I could have sat there all day and heard the same song over and over and over and over …

Because I was sitting in a cathedral dating from back in 660.  It’s an experience that I will never forget.

Ever.

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra

Chester Philharmonic Orchestra

Big Ben, London England

Traveling is all about adapting to your surroundings.  And when you travel to the other side of the Ocean, where they drive on the other side of the road, you don’t have a choice but to adapt if you want to have a fun time.

We spent 2.5 days in London with our friends earlier this week.  They were attending an Acts 29 Conference in the city, and we spent time playing Tourist. {Have you ever seen the movie, The Tourist?  If not, you must.  It’s one of my favorites!}

{That was totally not related to this post.}

{Or even to England for that matter, as it is set in Venice!}

Anyway, we all stayed in a missionary house for those two nights with our friends parents, the Wheelers.  They’re missionaries in France, and grew up in England. They’re older, and absolutely hysterical!  More on that later.

Because the house was small, J and I slept in a back room that had twin bunk beds.  It was like we were at camp!  I was only a little afraid that he was going to fall through the top bunk onto me in the bottom bunk!  It was nice; however, to have my own space. I didn’t have to worry about kicking him!

Taking a shower was a bit tricky.  The shower handle was secured to the wall about armpit high.  So in order to wash my hair, I had to bend my knees and lean back.  Because who doesn’t like to do deep knee bends?  There’s nothing like starting out ones day with some good old fashioned calisthenics.

The plugs were close to the floor, and our converters/adapters are about 6 years old and a bit large.  So they wouldn’t fit.  I had to find an outlet higher.  And I did.  In the kitchen.  So on Tues and Wednesday morning, I plugged my curling iron in next to the toaster.  Because who doesn’t like to butter their toast and curl their hair at the same time?

Like I said, Traveling and Adapting go hand-in-hand.  We had a great time in London, and I would stay at that little place again.

Really, I would!

Deep knee bends and toasty hair can’t keep us from traveling.

Instagram Pic from London :: Peppermint Tea

After church on Sunday nights, the members of Wheelock Health Baptist Church in Crewe, England, drink tea and chat.  And after being awake for 36 hours, a “spot of tea” sounded perfect.

Here’s how the conversation went ~

Tea Man :: Would you like some tea?

Me :: Yes, please!

Tea Man :: With or without milk?

Me :: With, please.

Tea Man :: *pours tea out of a tea pot and into a mug*

Me :: *watches the mug fill up with milky tea*   Oh wow!  You added milk to the tea pot!

Tea Man :: No. I just poured regular tea into a mug with milk in the bottom.

Embarrassed Me :: Oh.

~Note to Self~ When you’re over tired, just don’t talk.

I’ve been singing this same Annie song All. Morning. Long.  It was fun at first, but now it’s just a bit annoying.  Mostly because I sing the last line where she drags out each word!

I’m so excited about our trip, even though I keep checking the weather and it’s supposed to rain every waking moment. {How do you deal with all the rain, Brits?}  I’ve done some research on fun things to do in London for the 2 days we’ll be there, and I’m a bit overwhelmed.  There is SO much that I want to see and do!  I’m afraid that I’ll miss something, afraid that I won’t take enough pictures, afraid that I’ll take too many and not be “in” the moments…

If you’re a photographer – how do you balance experiencing a place and capturing the place?

Maybe the more I travel, the more balanced I’ll become, and the more balanced I’ll feel.  Right now it’s a bit overwhelming.

I hope to blog and post images during our trip.  You can follow us these ways ::

Twitter :: ItalianLaneGirl

Instagram :: ItalianLaneGirl {I think in order to follow me you have to have the actual app…}

Facebook :: {I} Italian Lane Photography

Blog :: Subscribe to my RSS Feed

I’ll leave you with an Instagram Pic I took a few weeks ago.   I’m posted it to Facebook, but am posting it here because I think it is Stinkin’ Hilarious!  My mother-in-law gave us a box of records.  In it were some fun ones from my childhood, and some really crazy 70s ones. I have no idea what kind of music this guy sings, but his album cover is … well … just take a look.

Happy Friday Friends –

Cheers!

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