Ralph and Peggy

This lifestyle project is giving me such joy.   Last spring a good friend of mine contacted me because her parents were moving out of her childhood home.  She wanted me to take some pictures of the house before they moved.  I really loved photographing her parents and the little details of their home that held such fond memories.  She is planning to create a keepsake book for her whole family. I thought it was such a good idea that I wanted to do it for my family, too.   I would love to do it for your family as well!  

Ralph and Peggy are my in-laws.  They welcomed me into their lives almost ten years ago when Jeff introduced us at Tavern on Grand for a fabulous walleye dinner to "meet the parents."  I was insanely nervous (thank the Good Lord for inventing beer), but they were so lovely and warm.  I instantly felt at ease, and it has been that way ever since.

Ralph was a surgeon and Peggy was the superwoman who took care of SEVEN kids and ran the household.  Like many families, they moved around the country for various jobs, but they settled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and have lived in the same house for 45 years.   I love hearing stories about their past...the joys, the struggles, the travels, the kids, and everything in between.  

. . .but this is the Ralph and Peggy that I know and love.   In their home with their routines, their ongoing decades-long Boggle tournament, their singing, cooking, writing, piano playing, golf memorabilia, CNN, books, crossword puzzles, and a fictional teddy bear college.

 When we visit, we usually have family milling in and out, eating good food, playing games, and entertaining my children, but I wanted these photos to just be about them.  I wanted to capture Peg and Ralph as I know and love them, growing old together in their home.

This is part one.  Just a few frames of their home and every day life. . .