Blog Slacker

yes, it's been 2 weeks since my last post--been busy wtih the everyday and have been feeling just a wee bit uninspired overall (i know, let's blame it on the rainy weather!) but im back on the horse, i tell ya, so here it goes...

this weekend was just what i needed; stunning fall weather, lot's of time spent with adam and tuck, caught up with friends whom i feel like i haven't seen in ages, went for walks at whatcom falls and lake padden, and took photos--lots of them. the light was warm and the air was crisp with deep blue skies and LOTS of color. granted, i had a ton of stuff to do indoors, but i just couldnt help myself--i know all too well that the winter will be dreary so im doing my best to enjoy the out of doors while i can.

there was a gorgeous sunset on friday night--we were in the yard and adam and tucker were kind enough to model for me. tucker found the sunset to be quite delicious.





on one of my afternoon walks with tuck i found myself drawn to the deep colors and shadows of the changing trees and brush crowding the residential sidewalks.





and then of course the fantastic textures and striking lines that i often see when we take the quieter gravel alley ways. i love the mismatched sheds and forgotten objects in the back alleys of bellingham.





lately ive been thinking a little about preservation and the suspension of time--our tendency as a species to try to control the world around us, stop time, dwell on the past. photography is of course the suspension of a moment in time. these moments are captured and become objects that are collected and filed away.

in conjunction with these thoughts, i made little objects out of resin which i mixed and left to harden overnight in tupperware containers. with these first two, i wanted to concentrate on color and texture with very little mind to composition so that i could test the viscosity of the resin, drying time, etc. though these were meant as tests, i really enjoyed photographing them and am considering building larger, more involved pieces. adam was quick to point out that they make terrific objects and would look great framed or in shadow boxes. the blue one was quite a bit less successful and i obviously went nuts with the cicada encased in resin. there's a suggested narrative--a quality that i wasnt anticipating. any thoughts on these shots would be appreciated. im really excited to make more. im going to hunt for more appropriate molds for the resin later this week.













im also quite found of this--a random shot that i took in our backyard (painting supplies that have gone overlooked). i love the milky water with strange things lurking undeneath. so eerie and strangely beautiful. i reccommend clicking on this image to get a closer look.



that's all for tonight. sleep well.

Pedal-Powered Hogs; Oyster Run 2007

So it's been a week of work related frustration, sickness and chilly weather. wow, that's a 3 for 3 on the downer scale! HOWEVER, i did get to go for a really great ride with my friend, J-Doggers this past Sunday...

J and I decided to cruise to a sweet little town about 20 miles south of here. we took chuckanut drive along the water and then into the skagit valley flats to Edison, a tiny town with a population of about 150. Little did we know, this particular Sunday was also the day of the annual Oyster Run--a huge motorcycle rally that attracks somewhere in the ball park of 30,000 riders to Anacortes, a town south of Edison. thats a lot of motorcycles and a whole freakin lot of leather. So, of course when we got to Edison it was packed with bikers. we were so wonderfully out of place---it was great! i'd love to organize a group of cyclists to pedal down there again next year--maybe take the next day off, get a room and party with the bikers! Here are some pics from the trip:

This is J-dawg borrowing a biker's snazzy leather vest for a photo op. Look at how excited J is! and look at how not excited the biker guy is...


Now posing with the Hogs--pedal-powered and otherwise


A fresh vegetable and flower stand just outside of Edison. It's so pretty out there. The weather was perfect.


Back in Bellingham--best graffiti ever!

A Bike Ride, Rotten Crab & a Friend

The weather often seems to change overnight in Bellingham and sure enough, the switch has been flipped to fall. Yesterday was gorgeous; a mostly clear, cloudless sky, a slight breeze and changing colors. a perfect day for a bike ride. after work i raced home, grabbed the ol' saddlebags and hit the road. i love my bike. her name is Vera and she's a beautiful Bianchi Volpe.



so i took back roads to Ferndale, a town just north of here. it felt great--i desparately needed to clear my head, neutralize frustrations from work, think positive thoughts. as i rode, i took mental notes of things that i might want to take photos of on the way back (the light would be better then). these things included:

a weird america mural at "Jack's Bomb Shack". i wouldve taken more, but it was a creepy place and a guy that i couldnt see started yelling at me.


an abandoned car. youve seen a million photos like this one before im sure. it's a classic!


beautiful corrugated siding. deteriorating objects are definitely a weakness of mine.


i had also passed what appeared to be a dead kitten on the side of the road. it caught me off guard. i couldnt stop thinking about it and i made a mental note to stop on my way back---what if it wasnt dead, but sick? were there more kitties somewhere close by? if the kitten isnt dead, what the heck am i gonna do with it--stick it in my saddlebag?

so i kept my eyes peeled and sure enough, the poor thing is still there, dead as a doornail. and within 8 feet of the dead kitty, emerging out of a gnarled mess of blackberries what do i see? 2 sweet and very scared kittens, one white and gray with striking silver eyes and the other black with blue eyes.

though a fairly low traffic country road, the cars that do travel in this area tend to gun it. and there isnt a home or farm of any kind for miles. the kittens have obviously been abandoned--they had either lost their mother or had been dumped by careless local assholes. so i stop and the kittens race back into the dense blackberry jungle.

now, im not a cat person. im allergic and find their aloofness to be off putting most of the time, but i was determined to save these terrified little fur balls from the murder box death that probably awaits them. and i dont have kitty calling skills--how the heck do i draw them out of these bushes? so i hang out, talking to the bushes like a moron (the rest of the property is marked off by barbed wire fence), "here kitty kitty ....meow, MEOW!". i wait. i have a seat in a gravel driveway. and i hear little mews. there's a load of disgusting rotten crab meat to my left which leads into the blackberry cover and the kitties appear. they look at me quizzically and they start munching on the crab rot. gross.

so i call a friend who brings a truck (to the rescue!!). i managed to snatch one of the kitties after positioning myself close to the crab and channeling my ninja creeping skills. it was the black one, who freaked out and put up a good kitty fight, but then settled down and eventually took a little snooze in the warmth of my armpit.

i wasnt able to coax the gray one out. my friend called the humane society and a cop and humane animal control person showed up. they were both very nice and most helpful---the black kitty is safe and the humane society will be setting a live trap for the gray one. but im still worried. i want to call and see if the gray one is ok. its hard to keep myself from going back. "HERE, KITTY KITTY!"

So if any on you are looking for a sweet kitty to take in, please call the whatcom humane society @ 360.733.2080. the little black one (and hopefully the gray one) will be available for adoption in 2 wks. when you call, tell them it was kitty found on ferndale rd in between marine dr and slater.

thanks again for all of your help, S.H.!