The LivingSocial Experiment

A friend with a small business had offered a "deal" on the LivingSocial website, www.LivingSocial.com. I was intrigued when she said the results were great, but also concerned about rumors I'd heard of some businesses being overwhelmed with too much business! That could definitely be a problem when you're a one woman show. The danger is not being able to please clients and doing more damage to the business than good. But since I'm a risk taker, I decided to look into the process.

LivingSocial is like Groupons - which I've not tried as a merchant. I talked to the representative who explained the price point had to truly be a "deal." The price would be based on a discount from what I would normally charge. (That was checked out by LivingSocial from the prices on my website). In comparing to other photographers in the Puyallup-Tacoma area, I decided my deal would be a family or high school senior shoot for $49. It was to be a location photo shoot and a DVD with print rights granted for up to 20 images. The actual value with digital downloads purchased from my website is $175. Because my studio is in my home and not in a commercial building, I was also restricted from advertising studio sessions in my home. 

Additional downsides for me included a 50% commission of the $49 going to LivingSocial. And to make it worth while for LivingSocial, I had to offer 200 deals! She reassured me that 20% of clients forget they've purchased a voucher and will never redeem it.

On the other hand, the upside was the promise of new clientele for return photo shoots. So being the risk taker that I am, I decided to go for it. It cost me nothing up front and regardless of whether the client redeemed their voucher or not, I would be paid half the proceeds from however many deals were sold. (I'm waiting for the check which is supposed to be here within 15 days after the close of the deal).

The deal ran from March 1st to March 7th and I sold a total of 24 photo sessions. (Must say I was relieved - that's a manageable number). Although I expected the phone to start ringing right away, I was surprised that only six have booked so far. I hope they're not all waiting until Christmas! Of those who called, I did offer my studio and photogenic front yard as an alternative to a location. So far all but one decided to use the studio. I think it may have something to do with our lovely weather. :-)

The photos you see here are from the LivingSocial photo sessions shot so far. It's been a great experience with these folks and from the feedback I'm getting, I'll be taking more photos, including newborns, in the near future. 

Would I do it again? If LivingSocial will have me, but not until after the first of next year. So far it's been worth it and I've met some exceptional families. You can see more of them at www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

2011

I just finished breezing through my posts from the past year. The first half of the year certainly had its ups and downs.

My sister, Lore, and I were so excited about our trip to visit her daughter and son on The Big Island of Hawaii. The trip was marvelous, but dampened when we found out that another daughter had been diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. This was followed a month later with more bad news when my sister was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. In the meantime, my son-in-law had hospitalizations and then surgery for pancreatitis. When I got home from the Hawaii trip, Scott welcomed me with his four-day stay in the hospital because of dehydration (just doesn't know how to take care of himself without me) and smooches that gave me a case of the flu! Thanks, Honey Haverly!

The good news is that in spite of trials, the Lord blessed us all. After surgery, my niece did not have to have additional treatment, my sister's treatments will be completed the end of this month, Ron's pancreatitis problems were solved and his back issues are being worked on. We were also richly blessed when we were able to spend time with family and friends. I was able to meet up with high school classmates I hadn't seen in years. A Portland road trip helped me renew acquaintances with two long-time friends and I was able to continue bible study as a participant in Bible Study Fellowship.

A trip to the Point Defiance Zoo in August on Scott's birthday enabled us to spend time with our two youngest grandsons and their families. September found us celebrating grandson Benjamin's first birthday. The birthdays just kept coming as all of our children have birthdays between the first of August and the end of December. We also sadly observed October 3rd, the one year anniversary of daughter Krista's passing.

December found Scott at a local fire station with grandson Addison, celebrating his seventh birthday. And it was quite a crowd at Kendall and Jon's house yesterday so we could celebrate grandson Micah's first birthday.

Work on Scott's recording studio is progressing nicely. It's been remodeled thanks to lots of help from son-in-law Ron and fully equipped with help from recording engineer Jimmy (and American Express). The first recording session in the new studio will be happening this coming weekend.

My year was full of great photo ops primarily of families, children and infants. I was able to finish up the "twin" assignment in April at their first birthday party. Three weddings and a family reunion, city council candidates, a rock band, and a local author were among my clients. I added to that writing classes, both taking and teaching. Writing Memoir introductory classes were a success this fall and led to my teaching an eight-week (two hours each Friday) memoir writing course which starts the end of this week. Work on my own memoir has begun and I've been able to reconnect with my Australian travel companion, Pam Forbes. In fact, we'll be meeting for dinner tomorrow night!

Since I've spent more time this year pondering my past, it also made me think more about the things I hadn't done. This led to a change in hair color which also inspired another "Scottism." After I came home from getting the new do, Scott gave me a big hug and dramatically whispered in my ear, "You take my breath away... (long pause here)... Now please... get off my oxygen tube." Some things don't change from year to year (thank goodness) and Scott's sense of humor is one of them.

It's been a busy year, a wonderful year. We're happy, healthy (Scott's hand is healing well) and we're looking forward to the new year. Hope you are too. Happy 2012 everyone. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Vicks VapoRub

They've taken the sting out of Vicks VapoRub! Remember the days when you resisted putting the grease on your nose because you knew it would burn like crazy. And the chest rub - not quite so bad, but the vapors would fill the entire room for hours!

It's not like that anymore. I know. My grandson, Micah, shared his personal Petri dish of microorganisms with me this week. Bless his little heart. It's been awhile since my nose has run like a faucet. My self care since yesterday included lots of Kleenex, water, VapoRub thanks to daughter, Courtney, who dropped by with Vicks, cough drops and TheraFlu. I had already taken another cold remedy too.

Due to a drug induced stupor, I also sat at my computer yesterday and opened a Twitter account! What was I thinking!! I wasn't. I was curious about all the hoopla from twits who tweet - and now I am one! I not only don't know what to do with it, but couldn't figure out how to tweet someone, when I want to. But between yesterday and today, I already have two followers, a woman from Ohio and one from Iowa and they don't look like they just came off the farm! Maybe it's because I mentioned glamour photography in my bio.

Even reading the information about how Twitter can help businesses, I'm not sure I see the value since most of my photography business is generated by referrals (bless you) or folks looking for local photographers. Oh well, I'll be asking my grandniece, Dori, to give me a lesson or two or more. I really need one more thing to keep me from what I should be doing. Not.

Lesson: Beware of the decisions you make when your nose is running, you're taking drugs, and you try the new version of VapoRub. Can lead to some interesting and inexplicable connections! BonnieKingPhotography.com

September Photo Ops

It's been busy since Ben's first birthday party on the 17th of September.

I spent some time volunteering in the demonstration garden at the Western Washington Fair for Master Gardeners. It was a short jaunt to work my four hour shifts, since we live right across the street. This year seemed to bring out even more family and friends who enjoy our small, but free, fair parking spaces. It's all good. We get to see folks we wouldn't otherwise.

The Summerhill family visited from Vancouver at the end of September, so I could shoot Sarah's senior photos. We actually saw sunshine which brought out the honey in her hair as well as the brilliance of the leaves already turning color.

The shoot turned into a famly event, as well as an opportunity to take engagement pictures of Alan and fiance, Lindsey.

Lindsey is from Canada and as soon as she gets her fiance visa, they'll be getting married within three months of her re-entering the US. Usually the planning begins a year in advance! Lindsey and Alan have the basics completed. Now it's a matter of figuring out the date and place.

Another high school senior, Adam Lambert (yes that's his name!) gave me a chance to try out various outdoor locations, including our waterfall.

Tis the season for photo ops. See more of who has been gracing my lens at BonnieKingPhotography.com

For a Master Gardener, You Make a Great Photographer!

I was complaining to Scott that the six-inch pots which I had helped plant on the 27th of July weren't showing a sign of life. I had volunteered to go to a pot party at the WSU Master Gardener demonstration garden; plant lettuce, spinach and beets; and then bring some of the pots home to nurture. The plants are intended to be part of the Master Gardener demo garden in September at the Puyallup Fair.

I was beginning to wonder whether my good intentions and regular watering were all for naught. Scott was certainly not helpful when he insinuated I make a better photographer than a gardener. I was beginning to think him right. (Did I just put that in writing?!)

So over the past few days, without a vegetable shoot in site, I tended to my other shoots. You might say, instead of the green kind, I was nurturing a garden of memories for those whose photos I took including Bill and Ronda's family.

That was followed the same evening with an engagement photo session for Melissa and Anthony, just three days before his second deployment to Afghanistan.

Monday evening, I spent with Connor on Tapps Island, taking his high school senior photos. What a handsome, likable young man he is!

And yesterday, my other garden project finally starting showing some life. Thirteen days after planting, the vegetable shoots have finally arrived! BonnieKingPhotography.com

On My Way to Finish Ironing

Okay - so who irons anymore? Usually not me, but when you leave stuff in the dryer too long, the results are wrinkles, lots of wrinkles. (If only, I could iron out my own.)

I started this morning by throwing in a load of laundry and thought, It's quiet; I'll have time to do some quick ironing and I won't have to look at the blouses hanging there any more - just taunting me. I filled the iron, plugged it in, and actually got one blouse ironed. By then Scott was up with plans for the day, including a trip to see a doc, and then a date with our Grandniece, Dorie, (she is grand!) to visit the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle.

So, I hopped in the van, still in my housecoat and slippers, to turn it around in the driveway and save him some time. (The ramp needs to extend into the driveway in order for the electric scooter to shuttle up and inside.) As I was backing up the driveway, a young friend, who had been dropped off at my neighbor's house walked past me. I was startled and I'm sure he was too. Without my usual morning shower, my hair resembles a fright wig - not to mention me without makeup! Long hair you can pull back; short hair just does the sticky-uppy thing. He smiled and hurried down the driveway. I'm surprised he wasn't running.

Okay, so after loading oxygen tanks galore, Scott was off on his adventure. Great! I'll have the whole day to get my to do list ta done. I made the mistake of sitting down at the computer to check email. But it was a good thing I did and also a good thing that my iron shuts itself off when not in use for a few minutes. My author friend, Janelle Hooper, needed a smaller resolution version of her picture for a Hispanic on-line newspaper out of LA. I re-sized and sent it off to her as an attachment, only to have them come back about twenty minutes later, letting me know it still had to be smaller. A couple phone calls with Janelle and we got it done, but of course we had to catch up in the process and talk about writing.

In the meantime, while I was in the kitchen, I decided to call and bundle our Verizon phones in with our Quest (soon to be CenturyLink - how many times have we heard this!) and Direct TV bill. Would save us $5 a month and I'm all for saving. Got that done and while on the line, another call came in. I returned the call to find out a prospective client wants family reunion pictures taken on the 20th of August. Can do! I asked how she found me and she responded, "On the web and I liked your name." I laughed and told her my mother did too.

Came downstairs to send her information via email and ended up answering/sending other email as well; getting a birthday present ready for a friend, filing papers so I can find my desk, making a DVD for Gwen Gyldenege of our photo shoot the other day; preparing an invoice for another client; and shooing the cat away from sitting in front of my monitor, so I can actually see my typing.

And - here I sit catching up on my blog at 1:30 pm - in my bathrobe, hair still a fright, but somewhere in all the travel up and down the stairs, I did finish the ironing. BonnieKingPhotography.com

Craigslist and My Super Hero!

I'd never sold anything on Craigslist until a month ago. Because of recent tragic events involving local people, who were selling on Craigslist, I was a bit nervous about the idea. But I took photos of the equipment, wrote the ad and decided to give it a try. I had three Nikon cameras collecting dust and not being used. It was a challenge to get Scott to agree to the sales, since my husband is not one to take anything back or to let anything go. On the other hand, I'm the one who's always saying, "If we haven't used it in six months, out it goes!" He was finally convinced by my logic and the fact that any money gained from the sales would go to a good cause. Me! I'm in the market for better camera equipment.

I started receiving email responses within a couple days of posting the ad for the first camera. I texted my daughter and son-in-law, who've sold on Craigslist, and asked how I was supposed to continue correspondence without revealing my email address or phone number. Their experience was - at some point you have to make the connection or there's no way of selling the merchandise and getting paid, but be sure to meet in a public place. That made sense. I responded to the inquiry, we decided to meet, and I asked Scott to be my body guard. So, we headed out highway 512 to MacDonald's to meet the prospective buyer.

The sale went well, the camera and money were exchanged, but I must admit, it felt very strange getting an envelope of cash pushed across a table while the "pusher" packed up my gear and headed out the door. I was left looking about furtively to make sure someone wasn't eyeing me with the cold hard cash in my hand. I never carry the stuff; I'm all plastic these days!

The second camera sale went well also, but I grew more leery about the third sale. I'd started receiving email responses from people wanting my PayPal account number so they could pay more than I was asking, if I would ship the camera oversees. It was hard to tell some of those inquiries initially from legitimate buyers, since those requests (scams according to Craigslist warnings), didn't appear until a second or third round of email exchanges.

As we again headed for MacDonald's at the end of highway 512 to see if the third camera was going to a legitimate buyer, Scott assumed his action figure, super hero, Hawaii Five-O persona. He has a permit to carry a weapon and so - it too accompanied us on the trip. My orders were to enter MacDonald's by myself. He would wait in the vehicle parked right outside the door. If anything went down that wasn't according to Hoyle (whoever that is), I was NOT to come out smiling. Scott also calculated the direction in which the perpetrator would run. (Not sure what he would have done with that information, however. Scott is an amputee on an oxygen cord that only reaches about four feet max!) However, I did appreciate my husband's concern and willingness to lay out a plan of action in the event of trouble.

I walked into MacDonald's clutching an REI bag meant to disguise the camera gear I was carrying. Much to my surprise and delight, I was greeted by a 30-something year-old man carrying a one-year old boy. He introduced me to his wife and two more small children. It turned out that Rebecca is a photographer and her husband, Kevin, a youth minister. She checked out the camera, took a few pictures, checked them on their laptop, and then counted out the money. We had a great visit! As she counted out the money, I started to say something about "...feeling like a..." and she finished the sentence, "drug dealer?". We both laughed and she assured me this is the new way of doing business. We exchanged business cards and I walked out smiling.

Scott didn't have to spring into action after all. Craigslist does work, if you're careful. Now, if I can just convince Scott to get rid of more stuff...  Our children are smiling at the thought of my tenacity meeting Scott's propensities head on. But just think, Honey Haverly, it will give you  more opportunities to be my Superhero! BonnieKingPhotography.com

Garden Studio

My garden has been neglected this spring because of the uninspiring weather. But with a couple days of sunshine this week, I found myself reclaiming my backyard, also known as the pocket garden.

I trimmed, weeded, transplanted a honeysuckle - trellis and all - from the front of the house to the back, dug up miniature roses from the driveway bank and moved them to the back, and finally re-installed the fountains and flipped the switch to see if the pumps still worked. They did!

Any good gardener knows (which I don't claim to be) that this isn't the ideal time to transplant, but as I told my neighbor, Janine, while comparing gardening aches and pains, if it doesn't grow, out it goes! Now, I still have to find more shade loving plants for the raised beds in the back. My beautiful Japanese coral maple tree, once petite, has grown to the point, I have shady raised beds instead of sunny ones. 

When the weather cooperates and I have studio shoots in our home, clients also have the choice of outdoor garden locations too.

Today, Bella, was talked into serving as my model. The promise of treats didn't hurt either. All I need is a couple more days of sunshine to inspire more work in the front yard. Want an indoor/outdoor studio tour? Give me a call at 253-576-8164. BonnieKingPhotography.com

Wedding Photography

My best laid plans for taking wedding photos are often changed  because of weather, the excitement of the moment, or a groom's too tight fitting tux. Such was the case last Saturday.

Meghan and Brandon said, "I do" and "Me too" even though the day experienced at least three seasons. We didn't have snow, but there were leaves blown off trees, lots of rain, and as if to ask for forgiveness, a beautiful sunset added an ethereal glow to the end of the day.

During the event, lots of folks were taking pictures with their cell phones, digital cameras, or with the disposable cameras provided for just that purpose. One of the flower girls, Lilly, was fascinated by the prospect of taking photos of the bride and groom and did her part to make sure not one of their first dance moments was missed.

As the photographer hired to take photos for the day, I welcome candid photo takers to do their part. After all they're passionate too, about capturing memories of and for the couple. But there were times when I had to ask someone to move or to remind someone with a flash that it can interfere with professional lighting. It's all part of any wedding day.

Plans for pictures can also change when the wedding couple is just plain tired. Saturday, we did set aside plans for some of the photos when discomfort with his tight fitting suit had the groom at the end of his patience for dress up. Fortunately, after the tux jacket came off, we captured more memorable moments at sunset.

Flexibility, a sense of humor, and lots of diplomacy are not only great tools for dealing with changes on a wedding day, they're great tools for life! You can see all of Meghan and Brandon's wedding pics at BonnieKingPhotography.com

Photo Books: Making Your Own

I just finished the design work on a photo album of Nathan and Matthew's first year, uploaded it, and sent it off to the printer. It should be back to me in the next 10 days or so. You can see all their pictures on my website, BonnieKingPhotography.com under the category, Watch Them Grow!

I've done design work to create other digital photo albums, using four of the 10 companies listed below. I also found a good article in the November 2010 issue of Popular Photography which critiqued the biggest photo book services that produce custom-printed photo books. The 10 companies were: Adorama, Aperture, Blurb, Kodak, Mpix, MyPublisher, Picaboo, Shutterfly, SmileBooks, and snapfish.

Since the article appeared in Popular Photography, I'm sure changes have been made and more options added. My disclaimer is this - Don't take my word or the article's. Check out the photo book services for yourself. If you use a search engine to find these companies, you may also find discount coupons. Take advantage of the discounts. If you register on their websites, you'll get email alerting you to their deals. I know we all get way too much electronic traffic, but - the deals can save you money.

Poplular Photography gave the highest overall ratings (four stars) to Aperture, Kodak, and MyPublisher. Three and a half stars were given to Adorama and SmileBooks. The lowest rated was Picaboo with one and half stars, while Snapfish had two stars.

Pricing of hardcover books was similar. (These were the only prices shown in the magazine article). Smaller books with fewer pages cost less. I just checked and the prices have changed since November. Adorama was on the low end, with SmileBooks on the high end. Today (on sale), Adorama's small 6x4 inch hardcover book is $19.96 for 26 pages. SmileBooks has two versions of the hardcover. The first is a traditional 8 x 8 inch book now costing $35.95 for 26 pages; the second book lays flat so you can have a photo flow across two pages without losing anything in the gutter. That type of binding for an 8x8 inch book is now $44.95. None of these prices include tax or shipping.

Other factors affecting the price of a photo book are the quality of the paper, cover options, the number of pages over their set price, and whether you opt for assistance with your design. The book I just finished had upgraded paper (heavier weight), a hardcover with images both front and back, and 58 pages. I didn't opt for design assistance. My cost to produce the book through Blurb was just under $100 before tax and shipping. Fortunately, I did have a promo discount through my photography website host, which reduced the cost with tax and shipping to about $82.

Aperture, Blurb, and MyPublisher require a download of software to your computer in order for you to create the book. The other companies use online software, meaning you need a good internet connection that won't be interrupted while you're working. My wireless connection is touchy at times, so working with software on my computer is a plus, but it didn't stop me from using Kodak.

When choosing a photobook company, I'm primarily concerned with the print quality and color. Having used Blurb, Kodak, Mpix and Snapfish over the last few years, I've found Kodak is excellent. I used their services to produce my Vintage Hats and Classic Ladies photo book.  And I'm axious to see the results from Blurb using their new upgraded paper. Blurb is now offering a ProLine of upgraded paper choices for those of us concerned not only with the photo on the page, but the look and feel of the page. I prefer the luster finish over semi or glossy. Heavier weight, archival-quality papers, as I see it, should always be used for those albums you want to last a very long time. I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have other questions.

Janelle Meraz Hooper

I'm reading Bears in the Hibiscus, which is just one of five (soon to be six) great reads from author Janelle Meraz Hooper. She gave me an autographed copy of this light, humorous romance last Saturday.

I met Janelle through Mary Beth, a mutual friend, who let me know that Janelle needed a new photo for her upcoming book, Boogie, Boots, and Cherry Pie. How could I pass up an assignment like this! Janelle was truly engaging and personable on the phone, and even more so in person.

Last Thursday, I packed up my equipment and drove to her home, only a hop, skip, and a jump from where I live in Puyallup. Janelle had worried about the condition of her home, since her main passion is writing, not housekeeping. Good grief! If my home was as orderly as hers, it wouldn't mean that I have a husband who collects things, a dog who brings things in, and a yellow cat who sheds all the time. And I'm in the business of turning our upstairs into a romper room for infant grandsons. I loved the openness of her home which mirrors Janelle's personality. After the photo shoot, we spent probably another hour just chatting, eating cheese and crackers, and drinking - cranberry juice. (I did have to drive home).

We took photos on her back deck with the backdrop of a grand old cherry tree, and another with a true Northwest backdrop - evergreen trees.  I couldn't help but shoot a few in her office, the place where all the creative juices flow. But my favorites are those we set up in her living room - her glamour shots! Her husband commented, when I brought her the DVD of all her photos, they were the best pictures she'd ever had taken. Thanks, Dick!

Janelle is a self-published award winning writer; her favorite genre is women's fiction. You can find sample chapters and stories from all her books on her own website, http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/. Janelle's books are available on Amazon and more recently downloadable to Kindle. You can also see more pictures of Janelle on my website, BonnieKingPhotography.com

String Algae Be Gone!

Graig Grip is one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet. And I've been meeting him in my front yard at least once or twice a year since the installation of my water feature. Graig's company, Living Waters Garden Market, is the one I've entrusted with the care of my water falls, pond and bubbling rocks.

He and his new sidekick, Rick, were here today to work their magic and get the ugly, murky, string algae-filled water feature back to its once pristine state. They managed to do just that. I can actually see my six remaining goldfish! I thought for sure they had been strangled in the mass of green, slimy stuff. Craig did not find the remains of the four missing goldfish, so we can only assume they became a heron's dinner.

Thanks to my son-in-law, Ron, who earlier this year gave me an ionizer for the pond - my problems with the algae growth should be lessened. Craig and Rick installed that too and left me with Pond Perfect to keep the water clear and Algaefix, as an added precaution against various types of algae. Who knew that stuff would thrive through the winter. Craig said they probably removed 40 pounds of it! They also pressure washed the pond, completely cleaned the skimmer and checked for leaks. This is a very thorough team.

Here is information from their website. Contact Living Waters Garden Market, if you need a great company to help you add interest to your yard.

Living Waters is a homegrown, home based business, operated by the husband & wife team of Craig & Leeann Grip. Living Waters is located in Edgewood, Washington, at the base of the North Hill of Puyallup. Finding them is part of the fun, our low prices and wonderful customer service make us worth the effort.

We offer consulting, design and installation of water features. We also service & repair existing ponds. Whether your dream is a pond, waterfall, stream, or maybe you require assistance with an existing project, we can help.  Our store  features several display ponds as well as a large selection of aquatic plants and fish. We carry everything for the do-it-yourself pond builder from complete kits to a single component. We have the professional advice to make your water feature dream a reality!  For more information, click on http://www.livingwatersgardenmarket.com/  BonnieKingPhotography.com

No Name Band

Randy, Paul & Rod

Two of the boys in the band dropped by today. They certainly aren't boys, but that rolls off the tongue better than "men in the band," don't you think? Paul and Randy are two-thirds of a musical group my husband, Scott, has been recording. Paul Wilkinson is the singer, song writer, lead guitarist; Randy Burd - bass guitarist and Rod Rothin (missing person today), the drummer.


Paul had asked if I would take pictures of the group. I jumped at the chance to do something a bit different. I suggested they pick a location for the photos that would help tell their story, describe their music and/or create interest. I'd also been asking for the name of the group. I had no luck getting a name out of them since they're in the throws of re-identification or finding themselves... or something - as a group. But, I was quite surprised by the location pick - Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup!

Paul is a new grandpa (that definitely takes him out of the "boy" category), who had recently spent time in the Good Sam birthing center waiting for his oldest daughter to give birth to his grandson. Maybe the location inspired the birth of a few new songs while he waited - something like, It Will Be Alright, a song Paul wrote some time ago.

Paul was also intrigued by the staircases and walkways, so that was the place for photos on a typical windy, rainy, Washington day. Had we thrown a white coat on Rod, he would have fit right in with the hospital staff. On the other hand, when we got to the roof-top parking area and saw the "Rehabilitaion Center" sign, we all agreed - Paul and Randy had found their home away from home. (I jokingly named their photo album "Rehab").

Today, I had a chance to ask more questions of Paul and Randy about their backgrounds, music and where they go from here. (My daughters refer to this as mom's 20 questions, even if they are sometimes inappropriate - "So just how do you make a living?). I found out these two men are really well-grounded guys with a passion for their music, definite goals in life and a plan to move to California this year where they'll have more musical opportunities.

Paul has been singing since he was four years old. He can pull a melody line as soon as someone starts playing a song. It's only recently he picked up a guitar. He has one interest in life and that's his music. Along life's journey, however, he picked up two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in social work and the other - Native American Child Welfare. But his love in life is being a full-time single dad to three daughters still living at home, two of them twins - and they're teenagers!


Randy is a man who has changed his life from one on a downward spiral to one with a purpose. He is a self taught musician who has been playing with Paul for the last four years. Paul credits him with extreme patience in the creative process of song writing. They are now collaborating, made easier by the fact that they are also roommates, along with Rod.

When I saw Randy today, my first words were - we'll have to take the pictures all over again! He had cut off his beautiful long hair and donated it to Locks of Love. He'd also shaved his goatee and looked like he'd lost weight. Guess it was the missing hair. It's part of his Randy re-engineering program.

Although I didn't get a chance to quiz Rod, Paul credits him with being the critic in the group. He's not afraid to tell Paul, even after days and months of creative effort, that a song isn't good enough. Paul even named one of his songs, Rod's A to F. Rod had told Paul the only part worth keeping, in one particular song, were the first two notes!

Paul and Randy will be moving to Quincy, California this year. They have jobs lined up and their musical goal is to work with other musicians there to produce a record. Paul has written over 30 songs as a start. What's the sound? Paul describes it as Left Coast Country. No, that isn't a typo. Rock power ballads with a country edge; independent folk music. If you want to hear them, they do have gigs lined up in May in Portland, Oregon;Yerington, Nevada; and Quincy, California. They'll be in Seattle in June and Leavonworth in July. If you want more detail, let me know. You can see more photos of the Rehab Band at BonnieKingPhotography.com