Michael's 7th Grade Bug Project & Presentation March 2016

April 4, 2016, 6:30 am

≫ Next: Playing with Shutter Speed Part Two March 2016

≪ Previous: Trip to Mendocino March 2016

Michael completed a typed, 5-page report on bugs for his 7th-grade project in private school and he made his bug mask to accompany his report. If you live in Petaluma and want to work with the most amazing teachers in the world, then reach out to Christie Johnson's Learning Center. Christie established a private school to help Michael succeed in learning because public schools failed him. Christie has other teachers working with her too, and she also offers tutoring services.

Processed by Lisa Laporte: Michael and His Bug Mask

Processed by Lisa Laporte: Michael and His Bug Mask #2

Processed by Lisa Laporte: Michael

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Playing with Shutter Speed Part Two March 2016

April 4, 2016, 10:22 pm

≫ Next: New York City March 2016

≪ Previous: Michael's 7th Grade Bug Project & Presentation March 2016

I decided to practice shutter speed on my cats and the horse next door. Enjoy!

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Samantha

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Samantha #2

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Samantha #3

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Ozzy and Paris - Chase

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Samantha Kisses Paris

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Paris

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Paris #2

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Big Red

Lisa Laporte: March 2016 Samantha #4

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New York City March 2016

April 5, 2016, 7:42 am

≫ Next: LIttle Chick Contest April 2016

≪ Previous: Playing with Shutter Speed Part Two March 2016

We took Michael to NYC for his first time! We visited Ground Zero, saw Hamilton, and visited a few museums in our short three-day trip. Hamilton is a must see! Enjoy.

Lisa Laporte: NYC After Midnight - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC After Midnight - March 2016 #2

Lisa Laporte: NYC After Midnight - March 2016 #3

Lisa Laporte: NYC After Midnight - March 2016 #4

Lisa Laporte: NYC After Midnight - March 2016 #5

Lisa Laporte: NYC Grand Central Station - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC Grand Central Station - March 2016 #2

Lisa Laporte: NYC Graveyard - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC Ground Zero - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC Old Church - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC Station 49 - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC Times Square - March 2016

Processed by Lisa Laporte: NYC Top of the Rock - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC Top of the Rock - March 2016 #2

Lisa Laporte: NYC Top of the Rock - March 2016 #3

Lisa Laporte: NYC Natural History Museum - March 2016

Lisa Laporte: NYC The Met - March 2016

Edited by Lisa Laporte: Michael and Me

Edited by Lisa Laporte: Subway

Edited by Lisa Laporte: Michael and Me

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LIttle Chick Contest April 2016

April 24, 2016, 2:57 pm

≫ Next: Petaluma Butter & Eggs Day Parade 2016

≪ Previous: New York City March 2016

Here are my favorite pictures from the annual Little Chick Contest in Petaluma. Enjoy!

Lisa Laporte: Little Chick Contest

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Petaluma Butter & Eggs Day Parade 2016

April 24, 2016, 3:05 pm

≫ Next: Paris, France 2016

≪ Previous: LIttle Chick Contest April 2016

Once a year Petaluma celebrates its heritage, and parents force their kids to dress up like baby chicks and the locals put on a parade. Enjoy!

Lisa Laporte: Butter & Eggs Day Parade 2016

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Paris, France 2016

October 4, 2016, 5:03 am

≫ Next: Helsinki, Finland 2016

≪ Previous: Petaluma Butter & Eggs Day Parade 2016

We started our vacation in Paris, which is still my favorite city, and my most memorable experience was discovering my favorite restaurant at lunchtime, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, on the same day as our dinner in the Eiffel Tower. Of course, Leo and I had to indulge ourselves, and we were grateful because the view in the Eiffel Tower was exquisite but the restaurant Le Jules Verne was mediocre. We were both grateful for our fabulous lunch at Joel Robuchon.

Lisa Laporte: Eiffel

Lisa Laporte: Eiffel #2

Lisa Laporte: Leo in Paris

Lisa Laporte: Norte Dame

Lisa Laporte: Norte Dame #2

Lisa Laporte: Norte Dame #3

Lisa Laporte: Norte Dame #4

Lisa Laporte: Parisian Doors

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Helsinki, Finland 2016

October 4, 2016, 5:23 am

≫ Next: St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part I

≪ Previous: Paris, France 2016

Leo and I can now say that we visited Helsinki, Finland and it's marked off of our bucket list but I think we will skip this country on future trips. Our walking tour guide was an interesting character, and we stopped to hear about Finland in the strangest places while he completely avoided stopping at marquee landmarks. It was a comical beginning to our cruise.

Lisa Laporte: Helsinki Statue

Lisa Laporte: Helsinki Street Musicians

Lisa Laporte: Helsinki Train Station

Lisa Laporte: Helsinki Stone Modern Church

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St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part I

October 5, 2016, 5:25 pm

≫ Next: St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part II

≪ Previous: Helsinki, Finland 2016

We docked in Russia for three days in St. Petersburg, and I was excited to finally visit the country that was our sworn enemy for more than half of my life, and with Putin, in charge, our relationship is stressed yet again with this nation. We heard a lecture on our cruise ship the night before reminding us that Russia is an authoritarian country that prefers to make the rules/laws and not take them. We were only allowed to leave our ship on guided tours, and we had to provide our passports every time we left. We visited the Hermitage Museum, Catherine's Palace, and watched a ballet called La Bayadère during our stay. Here are the pictures from our ship and canal ride.

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #2

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #3

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #4

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #5

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #6

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #7

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #8

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Canal Ride #9

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St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part II

October 5, 2016, 5:46 pm

≫ Next: St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part III

≪ Previous: St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part I

The stories that surround Catherine the Great are both hilarious and shocking, but after you listen to the atrocities and sexual behavior of the Russians during that era, it makes you wonder what happened back then. Leo and I are listening to the history of the Romanovs, and while I am heartbroken by the atrocities going on in the US right now, it is nothing compared to what occurred in their reign. Humans are vicious, cruel, and even Catherine the Great had her husband killed so she could be queen. I will forever be an optimist and hope we can continue to evolve as a species and treat others with respect. Here are the pictures from Catherine's Winter Palace and it's small compared to her summer home.

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Catherine's Palace

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Catherine's Palace #2

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Catherine's Palace #3

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Catherine's Palace #4

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St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part III

October 5, 2016, 6:28 pm

≫ Next: Copenhagen, Denmark 2016

≪ Previous: St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part II

Lastly here are my pictures from the Hermitage Museum along with the pictures that I took when we sailed away from Russia. While it was fascinating to visit Russia, I did not like the way that I was treated by most of the people that I met and the lack of freedom to walk around St. Petersburg made the city somewhat unattractive to me. The Hermitage was poorly lit, the art was in desperate need of cleaning that they cannot afford, and the costly Gold Room failed to meet my expectations as the Russian people think it's grander than it is. I was grateful that Catherine's Palace and our ballet followed as the Hermitage can be skipped if you visit St. Petersburg.

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #2

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #3

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #4

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #5

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #6

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #7

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #8

Lisa Laporte: St. Petersburg - Hermitage #9

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Copenhagen, Denmark 2016

October 5, 2016, 8:23 pm

≫ Next: Amsterdam, Netherlands 2016

≪ Previous: St. Petersburg, Russia 2016 - Part III

Our visit to Copenhagen was brief, but I would like to return to Denmark and spend more time there. We had a brief canal tour, saw the Little Mermaid statue, but Leo loved the Big Mermaid statue, and walked along the waterway and saw the royal palace, beautiful churches, and the historical parts of Copenhagen.

Lisa Laporte: Copenhagen

Lisa Laporte: Copenhagen #2

Lisa Laporte: Copenhagen #3

Lisa Laporte: Copenhagen #4

Lisa Laporte: Copenhagen #5

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Amsterdam, Netherlands 2016

October 7, 2016, 7:03 am

≫ Next: Bruges, Belgium 2016

≪ Previous: Copenhagen, Denmark 2016

We decided to ditch the regular cruise tour in Amsterdam, and we hired a local artist to show us the city. While we tried to visit the Van Gogh Museum and the line was too long our guide convinced us to visit the Rijksmuseum because it was the museum to see in Amsterdam. He was right and because of his knowledge of the Dutch masters I have a whole new appreciate for their work. After the museum tour, we had some time to walk around the city, and we did walk along the outskirts of the Red-light district. I was amazed to see a church in between two red-light buildings and our guide explained that the people who lived in this area love their neighborhood, so they learned to co-exist with the prostitutes. Amsterdam is also below sea level, and if they stopped pumping the city, then it would flood quickly.

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Rembrandt

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Rembrandt #2

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Library

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Furniture

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Red-Light District

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Red-Light District #2

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Red-Light District #3

Lisa Laporte: Amsterdam - Sunset

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Bruges, Belgium 2016

October 10, 2016, 8:07 am

≫ Next: Pictures of my Boys November 2016

≪ Previous: Amsterdam, Netherlands 2016

Our last stop on our cruise before we returned to London to fly home was Bruges. I truly wished that we had more time in this gorgeous city as we didn't have enough time to see everything that we wanted to see, but we made the best of our brief tour.

Lisa Laporte: Bruges

Lisa Laporte: Bruges #2

Lisa Laporte: Bruges #3

Lisa Laporte: Bruges #4

Lisa Laporte: Bruges #5

Lisa Laporte: Bruges #6

Lisa Laporte: Bruges #7

Lisa Laporte: Bruges - Michelangelo

Lisa Laporte: Bruges Sunset

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Pictures of my Boys November 2016

November 11, 2016, 5:38 pm

≫ Next: Michael's Birthday Party

≪ Previous: Bruges, Belgium 2016

I have zillions of photos to process and post for the year but before I post all of my personal pictures I wanted to post the black and whites that I processed today of my boys at the Veteran's Day Parade today. Enjoy!

Lisa Laporte: Mario, Duncan & Michael

Lisa Laporte: Just Mario

Lisa Laporte: Mario & Michael

Lisa Laporte: Just Michael

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Michael's Birthday Party

November 26, 2016, 8:23 pm

≫ Next: Last Week of Hip Hop 2017

≪ Previous: Pictures of my Boys November 2016

After a day of bowling, pizza, and cupcakes the gang decided to squeeze inside a fitness band and move around the house together. I captured their silly movements and tried desperately to get one decent picture with them all smiling at the same time. I still need to get the picture but here's the chaos from the two photoshoots.

Lisa Laporte: The Fitness Band Gang

Lisa Laporte: The Birthday Gang

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Last Week of Hip Hop 2017

May 25, 2017, 9:16 pm

≫ Next: 8th Grade Graduation 2017

≪ Previous: Michael's Birthday Party

I signed Michael and his friends up for hip-hop classes in January of 2017 and tonight was their last class until fall when he will transition to the teen boys class. Here are a few of his friends having fun before the class and after with their fantastic instructor Dana.

Lisa Laporte: Before Hip-Hop

Lisa Laporte: Right Before Hip-Hop

Lisa Laporte: Right After Hip-Hop with Dana their Fantastic Instructor

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8th Grade Graduation 2017

June 2, 2017, 6:24 pm

≫ Next: Lima, Peru 2017

≪ Previous: Last Week of Hip Hop 2017

He made it! Michael is now officially in high school, and he's thrilled to be moving onto his new school this summer. Onward and upward! Here are the photos that Leo was gracious enough to take as I wanted to be a mom for the night instead of a photographer. Enjoy!

Tanner & Michael

Tanner, Morgen, Colton, Michael

Morgen, Tanner, Michael, Colton, Aiden

Aiden, Michael, Aiden, Tanner and Mr. Ruddell

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Lima, Peru 2017

June 7, 2017, 4:13 am

≫ Next: Machu Picchu, Peru 2017

≪ Previous: 8th Grade Graduation 2017

We landed in Lima, Peru for a day to give us a break in our travel regime as we are headed to Machu Pichu today. We visited the Larco Museum, which is privately owned, and we learned a little bit more about the Inca culture and their sense of humor. Enjoy!

Photo by: Leo Laporte & Edited by: Lisa Laporte

Photo by: Lisa Laporte

Photo by: Mario Delchini & Edited by: Lisa Laporte

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Machu Picchu, Peru 2017

June 9, 2017, 4:08 pm

≫ Next: Machu Picchu, Peru 2017 HDR

≪ Previous: Lima, Peru 2017

What a grand adventure! We flew from Lima to Cusco and quickly boarded a bus that took us to a train to Machu Picchu. We were able to visit the site with our guides Anna Maria and Juan Manuel for a couple of hours and then Leo, and I woke up at 5 am to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu the next day. After our afternoon tour, I let my nephew Mario talk me into hiking to the Sun Gate. What an amazing hike that left me lightheaded when we reached the top because I forgot my water. It's a good thing that our guide Juan Manuel (aka Manny) met us on the way down with water and reminding us that he should have accompanied us to the top. I will never forget Machu Picchu. Here's a quick process of my photos. Enjoy!

Lisa Laporte: Road to Machu Picchu

Lisa Laporte: Machu Picchu

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Machu Picchu, Peru 2017 HDR

June 18, 2017, 2:48 am

≫ Next: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador 2017 - 1 of 4

≪ Previous: Machu Picchu, Peru 2017

I decided to edit a few of my favorite landscape pictures from Peru in Aurora HDR Pro, Luminar, Silver Efex Pro 2, Alien Skin Exposure 7, and Photomatix Pro 5.

Lisa Laporte: Machu Picchu, Peru

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