Coolest Dog in the Central Valley

Tales from the road.

So, When we took our road trip up the CA 99 this month we had some ups and downs [and I'm not just talking about the grapevine].

I wanted to stop at 3 roadside attractions.

1. Fresno's underground gardens: Only open on Fridays after Memorial Day, so that was a no go.

2. Pollardsville the ultimate combination of Old West and Chicken Memorabilia.: Closed and for Sale. The ghost town is a ghost town.

3. The Mammoth Orange in Chowchilla.: Closed for a year AND moved a mere 5 DAYS before my trip. It was put in storage and is waiting to be incorporated into a new mall if they can find a place for it. I hope they do.


So what to now?

Look a little harder. Here is what we found.

Tulare, which turned out to be an adorable little town, has a hot dog stand inside a vintage airplane. And it was really nice! These places usually turnout to be a bit....shabby, but NO. This place was gorgeous, clean and the best part the BBQ Tri Tip sandwich was so yummy! In fact, I think we will make this a regular stop. It is really worth the 5 minutes from the freeway.

AERO Dogs
240 N. L Street
Tulare, CA 93274
Phone: (559)685-1230




Next Stop, Allensworth.


I read online that it is a "Black Ghost Town". Black Ghosts? hmmm.
It is actually a town founded by an African American Man as a Black town. You can see the whole story here.

Now I will tell you that at first, I was a bit let down that the homes were all totally restored. Not the type of rustic charm I expect from my ghost towns. But then I really started to love the place. The homes felt so fresh and bright, like you could move right in. I think it was a perfect reflection of the optimism of the people who chose to leave their lives elsewhere and settle in Allensworth.

It took about 20 minutes from HWY 99 [including a stop to get directions]. So worth it.
They seem to have campgrounds there. What a great halfway stop, giving you lots of time to explore the home and meet the many local jack rabbits and chipmunks.

WINNERS!

WINNERS!, originally uploaded by tee taylor.

We won! I never win anything so imaging my surprise when the nice folks at Chipotle called to say we won TEN Burritos! Delish.

Get Well Bandit!

Bandit the Biker Dog, who does so much good for others needs our good wishes this week! He had an accident that cost him an eye. He is expected to recover, thank goodness. We saw Bandit just last Sunday at the Napa Vally Grille Fashion show where he was picking up girls on his bike. {see the Picture!} Not to worry Bandit, an eye patch adds character and chicks dig scars!

Get well soon!

Four Legged Fashionista!

Pawyard, Tag and Buddies put on a wonderful Fashion show for the four legged clothes hound!
It took place at the wonderful Napa Valley Grille in Horton plaza [the grilled Veggie panini is delish!].

All the local Dog celebs attended including Bandit the Biker Dog, Bella the tiniest Chihuahua, Butkus from Fido and Company and Tag's very own Cooper.

Miss Bella won the big door prize! A studio session and a matted 11x14 art print. She will be bigger than life!

Here are a few highlights.

Bella in here lovely dress.

Miss Bella getting her door prize form Christina of Pawyard.

Butkus from Fido and Co.in a swell hoodie

Diamonds are a dogs best friend!

A little bit of Napa!

A Super Soft and Sweet King Charles

Cooper

A Pooch-y Print Dress!

Good things

JettMod-015, originally uploaded by tee taylor.

I just love the vintage poodles. I had a poodle avon perfume bottle whan I was small and I wish I still had it. These were spotted at Jett Modern.

the Amazing Stanley

Stanley is the kind of dog that makes me want another dog. He is handsome, polite, playful, mellow. Just about the perfect dog. Oh and his human mom and dad play kickball, which makes them the perfect family. You will find another picture of Stan the Man on the Oh My Dog! Photo gallery.

Designer Dogs or Designer Chairs

BOTH!
I love itty bitty Pomeranians. My mother was a Pom breeder when I was small so these little ones hold a special place in my heart.


And well, chairs. If you have ever been to the studio you know I have a small addiction to chairs. This Kartell has to be my bet for a all time classic.

A few years back I photographed a dining room done by Arbogast Design for a coffee table book called Designer Showcase: Interior Design at Its Best. The room was stunning and included this chair in black. They reflected the zebra carpet and the effect was amazing.

I think we can expect to see a few of these show up at the studio in the near future.

Home Again, Home Again.

What a week-end! We did everything. Cheered the kids, visited roadside attractions, photographed two amazing dogs and some fabulous design. Great week-end!

Photos tomorrow.

Okay, here is a sneak peek.


Who doesn't love a kitschy water tower? Flexy straw brilliant!
Often overlooked in favor of the Kingsberg Coffee pot water tower, this tower is just down the road in Tulare, California. You will have to travel a half mile off Highway 99 to see it. Welll worth the trip if you ask me.

On the road again!

We will be hittin' the road tomorrow once again. We are heading to Nor Cal. We will be photographing 3 homes designed by the amazing Tim and Linda Arbogast. One of the homes will be featured in a swanky coffee table book "the Best of Design" We feel like Rock Stars! Then we will be photographing 2 of the sweetest dogs, Roxy the floppy Pomeranian and Slider the spunky Aussie mix. They could not be more different. That makes it fun.

Somewhere in there we will be watching the Kids compete in the Southwest Region Crew championships. So exciting. GO SDRC!


And the best part....It's a road trip! The kids took the team bus so Mike and I will be cruising at a leisurely pace. We even have a few roadside attractions planned. A must see, the underground gardens in Fresno.

We'll have loads of pictures of course.

Back on Monday!

Doggies in need [kitties too]

We just finished photographing some of the wonderful dogs that are available at the Helen Woodward Animal Center. If you don't knowabout the Animal Center you might want to check it out. They do AMAZING work. Adoption, education, therapeutic riding, equine veterinary and on and on. We were lucky enough to offer our services to the center in the hopes a little web promotion will help some wonderful dogs find a forever home.

As usual I want to bring them all home! [especially Blizzard a black Chihuahua mix]

OH MY DOG!

If you haven't heard the news yet, here it is. We have launched a whole new business devoted solely to your canine treasure. Those lovable pups have their own website, logo...the whole shabang!

BLOG SPECIAL! if you let us know you saw this posting we will give you a pet portrait sitting for 50% off. That makes it only $37.50 including a matted 8x10. Ripper deal!

It's Finally Here!

The much awaited new website has finally arrived! You will notice lots of new feature. The most obvious change is the big, yummy image size. Be sure to check out the new portfolio section. We have completely revamped the way we show you images. Instead of grouping by subject we are grouping portraits by style! I love going to designer showrooms and fashion shows to see coordinated collections. It is a fantastic way to view art and photography as well. In the coming days we will feature a few of our newest collctions and we will, of course, be rolling out some fresh new collections as well.