Hurricane Katrina hit the LA/MS coast three years ago this week.

Yes, it is that time again - the end of August which is traditionally the most active time during hurricane season. For me, watching the Weather Channel becomes almost second nature this time of year. (Thanks for the years of conditioning, Mom.)

For those of you that don’t know, my husband and I are from the Gulf Coast and our families are sprinkled along the coastal areas most affected by the storm. I still regret that I have a lot of photos of the aftermath that were strictly for insurance purposes. When I rushed down to help my family armed with water, bleach, gas cans, rubber gloves and face masks, I took my camera with me as an afterthought. Out of habit, I guess. The pictures I took? Well, so many of them show things. Things that were owned. Things that were treasured. Things that hadn’t been washed away. Things that were destroyed.

Some of the things that we searched for underneath the mud and muck were old photos. Luckily, we were able to find and restore some of them. Others were not salvageable.

With Gustav forming in the Gulf, I guess this blog post is just a Leslie du Mont Public Service Announcement. This storm season, if you have to leave, don’t forget to take your family photos along with you when you go!

Keeping my fingers crossed that none of you will have to,

Leslie

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with two of the best -or should I say- the grandest Grandparents in Chesapeake, VA! They introduced me to their charming grandchildren that were visiting. We had an action packed session filled with running, skipping rocks on the lake, kartwheels and spectacular handstands. How cool was that?

Here is your sneak peak, R family! Thank you for letting me capture your memories!

Leslie

…Or should I say, that’s my girl!

Since I had my studio set up a couple of weeks ago in a valiant effort to beat the Virginia Beach heat, I was able to con [bribe] my daughter into getting in front of the camera for a bit. Usually she doesn’t last three minutes before she’s giving me the classic “Mommmmmmmmmmm! Are we done yet?” That is why I was so flabbergasted when she actually smiled and enjoyed letting her old Mom goof around and play a bit!

She’s at camp this week. Can you tell? (Insert long, pouting, lonely Mom face here) :-( This is her fifth year at the same camp on the James River. When we dropped her off she was instantly swept up in what I like to call “teen-age-girl-friend-reunion-squeal” mode! (I think I have permanent hearing loss!)

…And, while I love that she adores camp and has made lifelong friends from her experiences there, I still miss my girl.

I know I wasn’t this beautiful at 15!

Leslie