Way Back When

It was a beautiful day yesterday.

It even felt like fall!  And it's still September...unusual for Dallas!  Sam  and I headed out to McKinney with our photography friends for a photo shoot at Chestnut Square.  It was a pretty place and reminded me of a very, very small Old City Park or Naper Settlement, except it was free and we happened to have the place to ourselves!  There was a large patio, surrounded by old homes.  The insides are restored and furnished with period pieces, but our group was just interested in the outside.  There was lots of shade which made for great light and each house and porch floor provided a different backdrop. 

It was a great place for Sam.  He could roam safely from porch to porch without much help from me, and I could follow at a distance, snapping photos.  And because he was able to run around and burn off some energy, he was pretty agreeable when I'd ask him to turn toward me or do something specific so I could achieve a certain shot.  He took direction surprisingly well, actually.  I asked him to knock on doors, peek in windows and "hug" posts. 

Brian and I giggled until we were in tears when we saw the top photo - he looks like he's posing for a runway show.  Just a lucky shot, of course, but what a ham!!  The last one made us laugh, too.  I had just sat down on the ground and said "Come give Mama a hug".  And so he did!