New Friends at Reg Geary House

Last semester, as part of our 2nd year course work, we had a class that involved working for a client in the community. I spoke with the volunteer coordinator of Western Health who said that they were hoping for some photographs of Reg Geary House in Melton which is an old age nursing home community. There were other projects that needed photos but straight away I knew I wanted to use Reg Geary as my community client.

The first time I went to Reg Geary I didn't take my camera. I went and met the staff and had a bit of a tour around the small facility and had a chance to meet and talk with some of the residents. A lot of the residents at Reg Geary suffer from Alzheimer's or Dementia so it was a bit tricky trying to explain to them what I was doing and why I was there. I of course, immediately fell in love with all of the residents and couldn't wait to come back the following week with my camera. The client was after portraits of the residents and some activity shots of the residents involved in the happenings around Reg Geary House.

The first day I was there I witnessed the arrival of a new Pianola so I made sure to get a photo of one of the staff members entertaining a few of the residents. I also caught Doris, one of my favorite residents, out on a walk outside with one of the staff members. I'm pretty sure Doris had some bread crumbs in her pocket to sneak to the chickens who act as Reg Geary pets! (I'd do the same thing myself Doris!)

 

While wandering the halls one day, I happened across 4 of the ladies watching TV in one of the lounge rooms and had to stifle a giggle at the cute picture they made all sitting in a row. So cute. I ducked in front of them (and the TV apparently) to grab a quick photo before quickly being scolded by one of the ladies that I was blocking her view!

To escape the wrath of the ladies, I made my way out to the deck area and found the gentlemen of Reg Geary House enjoying some fresh air.

One of the activities that the residents really seemed to enjoy was a little reading group held around one of the tables of Reg's Cafe. Staff members take turns "reading" (cough cough... the only "reading" I saw going on was of trashy gossip magazines!) to the residents and discussing "current events." The ladies in particular had lots to say and I'm pretty sure the gentlemen of the group enjoyed looking at the pictures (mostly of the ladies involved in the gossip being written about in the said trashy magazines.) How funny!

Here are a few of my favorite portraits of some of the residents. There's a couple of Doris because she just loved being my model and I adored how in every photo she refused to smile and always had this look of pride in her eyes.

 I loved my time at Reg Geary house and made a heap of new friends and heard a LOT of amazing stories about my new friend's lives. I always find it so rewarding to hear stories and memories that withstand the test of time and in this case, the stories that have lasted through Alzheimer's and Dementia, as I know the weight of significance they must carry for each person. Such a rewarding experience.

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas... Except for what you see in this Post

I didn't end up taking many photos in Vegas because to be honest, the city kind of overwhelmed me and it was like 110 degrees and I was too hot to function properly. Andrew literally held my hand and propelled me forward by lightly pulling me down the Strip. As most of you know, I don't really do so well in extreme heat.

Andrew had been to Vegas before (his first trip to the US when he came to visit me... awww memories) but this was my first time. We stayed in the lovely Tropicana hotel and enjoyed a lovely room and view.

Vegas is crazy busy everywhere you look and feels like a life sized amusement park. There are people everywhere, casinos everywhere and we even had a quick sighting of New York and Venice! Wow! We also saw the Mac King Comedy show one afternoon which was terribly funny and took in Peep Show starring Holly Madison one night which was surprisingly pretty good! I voted for Thunder Down Under (ha ha ha) but sadly, it wasn't playing that night.

The one thing Andrew talked about doing while we were vacating, even before we left for the trip, was to go "shoot some guns" somewhere. He found a place in Vegas (kind of in the middle of nowhere... I'd be scared to be there at night, this creeps me out big time location) where for $50 a gun you could shoot to your hearts content! We fired a glock 9 handgun, an MP5 machine gun, an M16 Automatic Rifle and Andrew shot a Grease Gun. I took a turn with all but the Grease gun but to be honest, not really my thing and was a very quick tick off the Bucket list. Andrew however, had a blast. Should I be worried???

Sadly, our little Southern Tour ended after the gun store and we made the long 36 hour journey back to Melbourne. School is about to start back up for both of us and I am eagerly awaiting the trip of Twinnie and Drewseph who will invade Australia mid August! Look out OZ!

Yes, the Grand Canyon is very Grand!

So our first full day in Vegas we decided to go see the Grand Canyon. We left the hotel at 9am with our little 7 person tour group and took our time (lots of time) getting to the Canyon. We drove through Nevada and into Arizona and saw lots of open space, blue skies and mountains. Beautiful drive.

 We stopped to see long horned sheep and saw one of the male sheep pursuing a female sheep and she is trying desperately to get away. Don't look too close... it's a bit sheep-o-graphic.

We also made a quick stop at the Hoover Dam which was pretty cool to see. We only got out of the car for a quick minute at the top so some of the photos are taken through the van window (as is the one above... no way would I be standing in the middle of the highway with an 18 wheeler staring me down!)

We made numerous rest stops at fun, middle of nowhere country gas stations and convenient stores. So quaint.

Finally at about 4pm... yes that's 7 hours later... we arrived at the Canyon. Needless to say, the 7 hour drive was worth it. The Grand Canyon is absolutely amazing and literally takes your breath away. We had a late lunch picnic overlooking the Canyon when we first arrived and a friendly little squirrel joined us for some grapes. Our friendly tour guide Alfonzo had fun using my camera to take some photos of us. Some with my direction and some just on his own accord. Thank you Alfonzo! It's nice to actually be  in a few of the photos for a change!

Don't worry Mom, we weren't actually jumping over the Grand Canyon. There was a rock under us surrounded by a walking platform and fence and I thought, "Hey, if we jump up off this rock it will look like we're jumping the Canyon and will freak Mom out. Cool!" I think it had the desired affect. I heart you Mom!

We stayed at the Canyon til Sunset and watched the rocks turn a beautiful shade of red. It's funny, when we got to the Canyon there weren't nearly as many people there as at Sunset. Everyone had their prime spot picked out for optimum photo taking. I turned around to look at the crowd and grabbed a quick, funny shot of everyone with their cameras out.

I have just 2 words: "Bucket. List." Tick!

Ashley and Lt. A3 Tie the Knot NOLA Style!

Cousin Ashley decided that there weren't already enough Andrew's in the Brown family so she decided to add Andrew #3 to the mix! My Andrew, otherwise known as A1 or Aussie Andrew, was the first to officially join the family followed closely by Kristi's Andrew, otherwise known as A2 or Drew or Drewseph less than a year later. Now we have Ashely's Andrew who we have dubbed A3 or Lieutenant Andrew or Lt. A3 for short. Confusing I know!

Before the wedding we had numerous fun events including the Army themed bachelorette party (and there was an impromptu guys night out which I wasn't privy to attend... hence no photos of that which is maybe a good thing???) and a lovely and delicious bridal shower the following morning. There were lots of leftovers that we women lugged home from the city and were met by a house full of hungover and ravenous men who then devoured the delicious bridal party feast that we lovingly brought back for them. Ha.

Lt. A3 and Ashley hosted a fabulous New Orleans themed wedding at Cafe Amelie on a lovely warm (cough cough and by warm I mean NOLA style hot and humid) evening surrounded by friends and family.  Ashley looked stunning in her dress and Lt. A3 looked as cool as you can in that heat in his beige suit.

We managed to sneak in a quick Cashman family photo before the party began which was nice because it's not often these days (you know, with me living in Australia and all) that we get the whole family together.

There was a fantastic band that played all night long and some pretty hot (literally) dancing! Ashley is a dancer so we expected nothing less than sensational for their first dance as husband and wife and the new bride and groom didn't disappoint! I love the photo of Uncle Art and Ash as well. They don't look like they're enjoying the moment too much do they?

I grabbed a quick photo of the groom's brother JJ and their grandmother who is 80+ and flew in from NY for the wedding and took a couple of spins on the dance floor with Lt. A3 and JJ herself. Impressive! I also had to take a photo of little baby Jay Billy's wedding pants... they were a bit too big but Ali improvised with wedding ribbon and tied them on! Too cute.

 We had a great time at the wedding and here are a few family photos from the night. Please remember... our husbands (A1 and A2) are almost 30 (just thought I'd throw that in there for you boys)... not 10 as some of the photos might lead you to believe. We still like them though. ;) And Peter and Kaela... the first photo is classic and I think you should frame it and hang it on your wall. LOVE IT!

The cake was cut with a sword that I'm pretty sure they boys bought somewhere along Bourbon street. We had it for desert the night after the wedding and it was delicious! Yummo. Speeches followed the cake cutting and had the crowd in hysterics for the duration. Cheers to the happy couple!

The night ended with the traditional 2nd line parade through the streets to Ash and Lt. A3's hotel room. Led by a police escort and the band, the entire wedding party paraded through the streets. I wouldn't be surprised if you've already seen photos or videos from this part of the wedding as the number of tourists and spectators that lined the streets to watch us was incredible! I must admit, it felt a little bit like a celeb moment.

Ashley and Lt. A3, thank you so much for sharing your special day and your city with us. We were so happy we could make it back to celebrate with you and it was a fantastic "excuse" to be able to visit with family. We loved our week in NOLA and take away many fond memories and experiences. Thanks for sharing and congratulations to you both!