autumn at the gulf coast

my mother and i took a long weekend trip to the coast last weekend. it was the first

time i had been back since the oil spill had come ashore in june. my beautiful gulf coast looked exactly the way it did when i left. the waves were intense, but the skies were sparkly and calm. i can breathe so much better at the beach.

my mother and i talked about how women seem drawn to the shores of the sea. i think it's because they see something familiar in the rituals of the tides. it reminds them of themselves.

and we became heroes! we saved a baby sea turtle from a sure death in the clutches of a seagull. because of the recent full moon, i felt sure this turtle was a new hatchling making it's way to the sea and was interrupted by a pecking gull.

we set it back into the water and watched it tumble,

wave after wave. finally, it gained control of it's tiny legs and started to swim out to sea. i'd like to think it made it. but there is the oil to contend with out there...

chicken tacos for supper one night in the tradition of El Agave, one of my favorite restaurants. lots of cilantro, onion, and fresh

lime make these out of this world!

update!

holy cow! it's been a long time since i've been on here. a friend of mine recently looked at my blog and commented on the day of scattering my grandparent's ashes. i was appalled that this was my last post. my commitment of doing this every day has simply fallen short. i feel like i have missed almost a whole year of recording adrian's growth. also, a lot has happened in my personal life during the months i have been absent. here goes:

adrian vega is almost 3! he spent a few months in daycare at a baptist church this summer, getting used to the routine. he really enjoyed making new friends and absolutely adored his teacher "tessa". it was a great experience, but came to an end as i unexpectedly lost my job in june.

the economy has forced me to take a hard look at my career and make some big changes. going from a 1 1/2 hour commute and working full time to staying at home with adrian, running our new shop STRANDED art cooperative, and pursuing my photography full time has been a huge change for me. i love it, though. i never could have imagined that my life would be exactly what i had always dreamed. so grateful.

one of my biggest projects has been the building of my own photography studio in our sweet backyard paradise. i love the modern look of the structure, based loosely on a design in ready made magazine. it is complete with studio lighting, ceiling fan, and heat pump/air conditioning. it is such a lovely space to work and just relax.

my new website is : www.toniaedenphotography.com this website was an interesting undertaking, as i have never built one before. i think it properly represents me and all my funky ideas floating around in my head.

a ginormous blessing also came to me with the addition of my photo assistant, aimee elizabeth simonton. she has helped me every step of the way in my photo editing and even shoots. she is truly a loving and generous person who seeks to support me in any way she can. she even cooks me amazing meals! what a gem!

our shop, STRANDED art cooperative, has also kept me busy. working with artists that i know and deeply respect has been such a joy. i am honored to sell their beautiful things in our funky space right here on main street in montevallo. supporting my local community and raising the bar for all montevallo businesses to create a lovely downtown we can be proud of, has always been on my mind since we have moved back in 2005. now, we are getting that chance to shimmer and shine! we are located at:

STRANDED art cooperative

620-A Main Street

Montevallo, Al. 35115