When I told my brother that I had done a photo session of our dad at Owen’s Rose Garden, his response was, “are you crazy?” “You don’t photograph men in a garden, men need something  manly!” HAHA! I would tell you which one of my four brothers said this but I know at least my three sisters will be reading this, and maybe my brothers too and it would be fun to see if they can figure out which brother made this comment.

All I can say to my brother is that real men can most definitely be photographed in a garden and give his daughter a gift that will forever be remembered.

I have a found memory of my dad and I when I was teenager…..the day he and I drove across the border to Rosarito, Mexico just so I could have my favorite food, lobster, and listen to live mariachi.  I was totally surprised by the whole thing. It was a sunny day in Baldwin Park, California.  Just another ordinary day.  My dad in his quiet way told me to get in the car and me being the obedient teenage girl that I was, I got in the car without questioning anything.   If you know my dad, he is a quiet man of little words but with a big heart. My dad did not say a word on the entire trip and after two plus hours of driving and crossing the border to Mexico, my mind started wondering and to be honest I was also getting  scared.  I honestly thought my dad was driving across the border to give my away, or sell me, or something! Did I mentioned I was thirteen.  By that time my parents had seven kids and both my parents had to work very hard to make ends meet. So one less child would mean one less person to feed.  Right?

I could not believe my eyes when we arrived at the restaurant.  I remember it all too well.  It was right by the beach. My dad finally spoke to ask me if I wanted to eat indoors or outdoors.  It was a beautiful day with a cool breeze and the smell of the ocean was so inviting that I chose to eat outside.  We both had lobster, my dad had a beer maybe two and I had a virgin margarita. The mariachi serenaded me for a while and then we headed home.  I am a talker but that evening, I am not sure I said much.  I know my dad didn’t!  But what I do know and knew then was that this day was going to be a day that I would never forget.  A day my dad give my a gift of a lifetime….a date with him! The only date I had with him as a child or teenager.

The day at Owen’s Rose Garden is another day that will always be remembered. One that I will treasure forever and some day I will show my grandkids and hopefully my great-grankids these images and tell  them about my dad and talk to them about this day.

These images are form last year.  My dad was in Oregon visiting us and during his visit he had some health issues and  had to go through  numerous of surgeries. He stayed with our family and I was grateful to take care of him while he was recovering.  We would go for daily walks mainly just around our culd-a-sac because that was all he could handle.  When he was strong enough, I decide to take him to Owen’s Rose Garden.  During this time of year, Owen’s Rose Garden is absolutely beautiful and I knew my dad was going to enjoy it.  I hardly go anywhere without my camera.  You just never know when you are going to need it.  Once at Owen’s Rose Garden, I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures of flowers.  My dad asked me if I would take a picture of him and what I first thought was going to be one or two pictures, turned out to be a photo session.  My dad posed for me without me telling him.  We would walk a little and he would stop and ask me to take his picture.  Toward the end, he didn’t have to say a word, I just knew when to press the shutter.  I honestly believe my dad did this for me.  He knows how much I love photography and my appreciation for it.  However, I don’t think he realized the gift he was giving me.  As I walked next to my dad, I became very aware how much I have become like him, and how much I have learned from him.  The most important life lessons I have learned are ones that my father never actively tried to teach me. He simply lived them. I hope to continue to walk in my dad’s footsteps and to be half the person that he is. And that someday he can be as proud of me as I am of him. I am thankful for the gift that he gave me trough these images and the memories we created while taking them.  And while my dad was posing for me, I was capturing a special treasure not only for me but for many generations to come!

Happy Father Day to my dad! Thanks for being my dad!

Thanks to my son, Jeremy for taking this picture of my dad and I.

My fovorite image!




My son, Jeremy, and Abuelo Beto!


Oh yes I did! He is just too stinking cute to not post his picture.  I love Sir Chauncey!