Daddy’s Little Dividend

This weekend we took the Kitten to see her maternal grandparents in Wichita. To be completely honest, at first I wasn’t all that excited to go. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my in-laws, it’s just that I was miffed because my personal plans were upset.

I had planned on dropping off the Kitten with my folks this weekend and taking the Pussycat downtown for a round of photography. Since I can’t really afford to hire models and since I have a stunningly beautiful wife, she often gets dragged in front of the strobes and lens. Not to mention that I haven’t had a chance to shoot her alone for months. It seems like everytime we take pictures, it’s always of the Kitten. If I try to throw a few shots of the Pussycat in, the baby goes crazy and I can’t shoot and monitor her at the same time. So needless to say I was a little down.

Luckily, Mao-Tse-Mama saved the day. Even though she and Clint normally get up around 11am (due to work schedules,) she volunteered to get up on a Saturday at 7am and watch the Kitten so the Pussycat and I could run downtown and shoot while the light was still good and we weren’t melting from the heat.

You wouldn’t think Wichita, KS has any decent places to shoot, but they do. Most of the buildings downtown are not only empty but also nearly all were constructed during the early 1900s and have terrific character. We spent a little time driving around to find some good locations and our patience paid off. If you ever want an exciting time shooting pics, go to the local city park where the drug dealers hang out. Great urban location, but you hate having to carry a pistol just to shoot a picture.

Anyway, being a self-taught shooter I am very self-conscious of my photography. I know there so many guys out there that are just incredible and can shoot circles around me. Having said that though, when I got back to the house and pulled up the raw files from my camera, I was more than a little proud of myself.

After that, we headed to Grandma Hilda’s home so she could see the baby.  I never really knew my great-grandfather, whose name I hold. So to me, it is a truly special thing to see the Kitten playing with her great-grandmother.  It’s not everyday you can have four generations of a family in one room. I hope one day when she’s old enough to understand, the Kitten will hold those fleeting memories close and appreciate them for what they are. Family isn’t just birthdays and Christmas and having cousins to run with. It is also about the history of those in it and how the forces that molded them also have had a part molding you. Kitten didn’t emigrate here from Germany in the 1930’s and become a farmer’s wife. She didn’t raise a family in rural Kansas and have to fight her way to the American dream like Grandma Hilda did. But I hope that maybe … just maybe that same driving strength and grit is in her and will carry her to whatever her dreams will have. I hope so.   I hope when she’s old enough to appreciate the pictures and video of her great-grandmother Hilda that she’ll appreciate her not just as a grandmother but also for what she represents in her lineage and life.  Character, kindness, unconditional love and the strength to never say die.

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No Kitten! Daddy doesn’t paint his beard on!

Budding photographer.

Hot Mama!

I cannot believe she married an ugly mug like me!

The Million-Dollar smile.