Claire Bidwell Smith

Well, Lily is gone. All three of us took her to the vet this morning and we were all together in the room with her when she took her last breaths. I smoothed out the hair on her nose and held one of her little paws for the last time. Greg ran his fingers over Read more…

I’ve been taking photos again this past week. Today I shot a series of Vera helping make the bed. Did I say helping? More here.

Greg’s parents are in town this week and we went to the Getty yesterday. My cousin Ron met us there and got us a behind-the-scenes tour from his friend who is an art restorer. I’ve been to the Getty dozens of times, but this added a truly spectacular level to it. Anyway, here’s a photo Read more…

I was catching up with my Chicago friend Ashley over the phone this weekend, explaining to her our biggest dilemma of how to decide on where to live in LA, and she brought up that old adage: You can’t go home again. It’s true, and it’s at the crux of what little strife my life Read more…

We returned home to California last night and it made our recent move feel more real than ever. Several times on our trip I thought about going home and each time I caught myself picturing us going back to Chicago. When I corrected myself and thought of our new digs in Topanga Canyon I felt Read more…

I'm borrowing my friend Danny's 35mm lens right now and having so much taking photos with it. I snapped this one yesterday morning.

I've had a hard time writing here lately, not because I don't have things to say. I do, I do. But because I'm just swamped with all kinds of stuff. Last week was a big push to finish the final edits of my book and now we're moving into this really dreadful time of having Read more…

Can I just say that I'm having a love affair with my kid? I know, I know. You're rolling your eyes. But seriously, I've been falling in love with my daughter a little more every day lately. Greg has been too. In those first early days after she was born, when I spent hours laying Read more…

I painted my daughter's toenails for the first time this morning. It was one of those moments, those big, beautiful life moments where everything kind of overlaps and you realize how connected it all is. My mother and I had this same moment once and Vera will probably have this moment with her own daughter Read more…

I know it's not time to really figure this out yet, but I spend a fair amount of time thinking about how to make sure that my parents are a part of Veronica's life. Right now, when she hears "Grandma and Grandpa" she automatically thinks of Greg's parents. I wonder how long it will be Read more…