The summer is sadly drawing to a close. Many of you already have children and grandchildren back in school and everyone seems to be squeezing in their last family days at the beach. To mark the changing seasons we thought we would do a little summer "wrap-up" so you can see what we've been up to.

William with his son and granddaughter on their way to the Life & Science Museum

This summer, William taught classes in Florida and attended not one, but TWO Professional Photographers Conferences at which he won awards and recognition. William also set up (along with help from friends) a beautiful window shop display of his work in Charlotte in the Ballantyne Village Center. In addition, his work was featured on the National Scout Guide blog. For William the summer has been all work and no play, though he finally took a break this week to visit his daughter in Los Angeles, California.

Dianne, William, and their daughter Anna at the beach

Dianne and William's son at the beach with his wife Lauren and daughter Sally Gray

Dianne got to go to the beach twice this summer: once with her family and once with all of her girlfriends. She was also baptized and attended her granddaughter's christening. Finally, she received a surprise birthday visit from her daughter, who actually hid in the trunk of William's car in order heighten the fright factor. Now that's dedication!

Anna and her daughter Harriette

Perhaps one of the biggest milestones for the studio this summer was the departure of Anna Tew, who left to have her darling baby, Harriette. Anna has since returned to work for William in a different capacity and is enjoying working from home and having extra time with her family. Anna's baby has already been swimming, sailing, and ridden on several car trips. I'd say that's enough for one summer.

Me (Liza) at the American Tobacco campus in Durham. Our motto at the studio: always be photographing

I explored the new (to me) city of Durham to my heart's content, set up my new apartment, and thoroughly enjoyed settling into my new position at William's studio. I also took several trips to Virginia, where my Mom lives at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Next week I'll end the summer with a quick trip up to New York to visit a dear childhood friend!

We hope you're all enjoying your last few weeks of summer! Share any milestones or significant stories with us below; we love knowing what our clients are up to! And we'll update you again as to happenings in our lives in a few months!