well-crafted

Karen’s World

I took photos of my Mom’s studio and stuff too. More here.

 

Neil’s World

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my parents. Just me. It was awesome. I spent one day at my Dad’s studio working on a special project and took some photos while I was there. More here.

Beets

Get some nice beets and scrub them. 

Cut each in half or quarters. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Wrap in two layers of foil. Roast at 350 degrees for one hour or so.

Cool slightly, peel, and arrange in beautiful dish.

Top with goat cheese, toasted walnuts and chives.

Guilty pleasure

I am so in love with my new toy. It’s cheating—and completely addictive!

Spring bouquet

One thing I find very creatively satisfying is putting together a bouquet from things I find in my yard (which does not have a cutting garden). It’s especially exciting when at first glance the yard looks like mostly a bunch of soggy, gray nothing—which it most definitely does at this time of year. I usually focus on the colors and textures of leaves, grasses and branches. But sometimes, if I look closely, I can find the smallest bits here and there of purple Hellebores drooping downward, and the fiery young leaves of Spirea to nestle next to them. A few branches of baby willow, some Rhododendron leaves for contrast and delicate Pieris buds make it suddenly sort of breathtaking. Lauren and I had fun putting together this arrangement for her sharing day at school this morning. I made her a little guide with sketches and the names of each plant for her teacher to read to the class. After we brought it home, I just couldn’t stop admiring our work and had to take a few photos to share with you.

Dolls + Camera

One of the highlights of our time at Holiday World in Indiana was the Betsy Ross Doll House. A tiny little doll museum that was wonderful. The lighting was fantastic and I went a little crazy with the camera. The facial expressions and the surreal environments were mesmerizing. I love dolls. Don’t know why—just love ‘em. See all the photos here.

Scenes from the forest (and more K1000 goodness)

If I were a poet or songwriter I’d try to write something about my love for Oregon forests and being in them with children. Growing up in Utah, we did a lot of camping. One of my favorite memories involved scrambling to get dressed in the cold morning air to get outside where my Dad had hot cocoa waiting. My brothers and I would stay in our sleeping bags until he announced it was ready, then we’d all jump up, pull our long-johns off, shudder at the cold on our bare skin and get our jeans and sweaters on. Then out the door to warm ourselves up with a nice cup of hot cocoa by the early morning fire.

I still enjoyed camping as a single girl, especially after moving to Oregon and then when I was married and before children. But it’s since having children that it’s become important to me. I really feel cheated if we can’t get at least three trips in each summer. We’re off to a pretty good start this year.

I may not be handy with a verse, but I can take lots of pictures to share.

Old friend

A few months ago I dug out my old film camera. It was an act of desperation, really, because my digital camera causes me so much frustration. Coming back to this simple technology and its often stunning results was pretty satisfying. But the cost of developing the film (and putting the images on CD) soon dampened my enthusiasm for using it as a replacement for my digital. For some time now I’ve been enjoying what others are doing with film and have discovered some breathtaking photos.

While browsing Flickr the other day I searched for pools and sets of photos taken with my same camera: the Pentax K1000. What a surprise! I really wasn’t aware of how popular, or rather, really well-loved this camera is. I began to feel pretty lucky. My Dad sang the praises of his own K1000 for years and gave me mine while I was still in high school. I remember worrying about how much sand got in it after I spent six-weeks on the beach in Spain between my junior and senior years. After a thorough and gentle cleaning it was fine—and still is.

It turns out many of my Flickr favorites are results of the K1000. Molly—who’s blog I’ve long enjoyed for its excellent writing and beautiful shots—has a set of gorgeous photos taken with her K1000. I think I’ll have a small re-learning curve to really make the most of its capabilities but for now I plan to just enjoy our reunion. See my Flickr set here.