May Already

Phew. Ok. I am here to play catch up with you all and my blog. It's hard to believe it's the end of May already. I hope you've all been enjoying the springtime and early summer. It hasn't felt much like either here in Northern Utah. We've gotten a lot of snow and rain, so it's seemed more like a warm winter of sorts, but today, despite the wind and clouds, it's warm out. If I weren't so lazy, I'd probably move this whole operation out to the front porch, but that would require me to retrieve the love seat's cushions and pillows from the garage, make my hair look presentable, unpack my laptop/power cord from my suitcase... See where this is going?

Back to catching up. During the month of May, I've been posting on the very lovely and packed-with-talent habit, the blog created by Emily and Molly. Thank you both for allowing me to be a small part of such a wonderful project. This month I've been posting with Tara Thayer and Jen Lee, both wildly talented ladies, along with Emily and Molly too. I want to thank you all for the inspiration and beautiful words. Please peruse habit at length, starting now. You'll get sucked right in, just as I did several months ago. (PS: These five images are some of what I've posted there this month.)

You're probably wondering what else I've been up to. The first two photos above were from our awesome family trip to Disneyland at the beginning of May. My parents gave us an all-expenses paid trip to The Happiest Place on Earth, and happy it was. We spent five blissful days in Anaheim, swimming in the hotel pool, inhaling various Disney treats (Dole pineapple whips from the little cart in Adventureland, fresh mango slices with lime from the stand by the Jungle Cruise, ice cream from Gibson Girl on Main Street), and riding the hell out of the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and California Screamin'... the hell out of. My husband rode the Matterhorn 11 times, I rode it 10, and my 6-year old niece Maggie rode it 3 times. Not too shabby! And it is with a smile on my face and major withdrawals in my heart that I cross #22 off my list. Travis and I rode it three times in a row three separate times! It's our rule. You ride the Matterhorn repeatedly and on the left track. Our family trip was so fun, and it was great to spend time with my sister's family. The kids were adorable and so well-behaved. The weather was stellar, the food fantastic, and even Bat's Day was a hoot. (Bat's Day - which we were not participating in - is goth day in Disneyland and California Adventure. The place was bursting with goths. You can Google the event, but I'm telling you, unless you were there, you can't truly experience Bat's Day. The photos don't do it justice.)

Now that it's warmer and the snow is (sort of) melting in the mountains, I've been able to start up my second season traveling for the Forest Service, and last Friday was my first field day. I spent 12 hours in the car racking up 350+ miles between five campgrounds in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. I packed a lunch, good music, and a few cameras and headed out early. I saw four pelicans and hordes of whistle pigs, and I even got two golf cart rides from campground hosts. Last year I didn't meet many camp hosts, but on this one trip, I met three very kind hosts. So, if you're in the area and want to stay at some cool campgrounds, hit up Currant Creek near Strawberry Reservoir, Diamond in Spanish Fork Canyon, or Balsam in Springville Canyon. Beautiful locations and nice, nice people.

The travelin' season has begun with a bang. I went to the Sawtooth National Forest in central Idaho Tuesday morning and after a trip to Baumgartner Hot Springs along the South Fork of the Boise River, a rowdy night of foosball at the Casino Bar in Ketchum, a snowy drive over Galena Pass, and 22 hours in the car, I got home last night to my sweet husband who picked up dinner for me. Almost immediately, we climbed into bed to watch a show on Netflix. A perfect homecoming. I've got several other trips lined up already, so here I go! I'm excited about the coming season and still can't believe I got hooked up with this awesome job. (PS: that last photo is from my Ketchum hotel room).

I've also fallen in love with a new sport: roller derby. I've gone to three bouts this month (a double header and a single), which have allowed me to cross #1 off my list. And if all of this weren't enough, we've also been working in the yard (photo #3), cooking a lot and trying out new recipes (which will be posted on Budding Foodie soon), spending quality time on our little front porch love seat, anxiously awaiting the completion of our cool new deck out back (should be done today if the weather holds!), and generally running around like chickens with our heads cut off. All in all, it's been a busy month (obviously) but one full of fun. Let's hope June is just as good! Wishing you all a happy holiday weekend and a lovely June.

Oh, and two more tidbits: We planted 11 trees in our backyard! Seven aspens, two Rocky Mountain maples, one pin oak, and one bur oak. I am pleased as punch. While doing so, I sunburned my lower back and spent a couple days sitting gingerly with a few blisters. I think I might be a walking ball of skin cancer. The day after my back stopped hurting, I walked head-on into my open pantry, my nose catching the full force. It never bled or bruised, but it hurt like hell for about five days and it's no longer straight on my face. It's no Owen Wilson nose - thank God - but yeah, I now have a crooked schnoz. Oh clumsy me.

Pack Your Bags

This is long overdue I have to admit, but better late than never, right? Several weeks ago, my husband surprised me with a quick weekend getaway to Moab and Arches National Park in Southeastern Utah, a place we both love tremendously. It's so rewarding having places like this to run away to with only a 3-hour drive.

On the way down, I got bored in the car and ending up purchasing the Hipstamatic app for my iPhone, along with a few extra "lenses" and "films". I love shooting with the Black Keys version of the film, something I quickly learned in the car. I also love shooting with my iPhone because it's discrete and not cumbersome by any means. I only wish it had a zoom.

In Arches, my husband and I hiked to Sandstone Arch, the Broken Arch loop, Tapestry Arch, the North and South Windows, Delicate Arch, and Landscape Arch in Devil's Garden. We weren't there too long, otherwise we would have hiked to Double O arch and probably the quick walk to Double Arch. It was such a wonderful weekend.

So Very Much

I have so very much catching up to do. It will come soon. I promise.

Habit

Today marks my first day guest posting on the very lovely Habit! Thanks to Emily and Molly for inviting me to join the amazing crew for the month of May. I'm very excited and honored.

A word about this photo... I woke up yesterday morning with tears streaming onto my pillow. I had to catch my breath. I had been dreaming about my grandma again. I miss her so much. It seems strange that almost a year has passed since she did, yet in my dreams, it feels like it's been only a day. The sadness and grief are still so very near.

On a happier note (sorry to be a buzz kill), 'Roid Week 2010 begins on Monday! I can't wait to see all the gorgeous Polaroids that will be posted on Flickr. It really is a special week. There is sure to be lots of PX100 and PX600 work about. That's the new monotone integral film from The Impossible Project, and if you can get it right, it's magical. It's very frustrating film to work with, but with a little determination and rule-following, it's downright beautiful. I can't wait to shoot it again, but it'll have to wait till I've got the ATZ and FadeToBlack films out of my paisley blue and striped SX-70s, and the 600 out of my SLR 680. A friend of mine has the one SX-70 that was empty, and she's also got one of my packs of PX100. I can't wait to see what she does with it!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and one with sunshine and blue skies. I'm so over the snow here in Utah! Cheers!

Oh Portland

I think Portland has got to be my favorite city. I have lovely memories of Seattle, Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, and lots of places in between, but Portland is by far the best. I got to tag along there with my sister a few weeks ago, and to help me remember it all, you now get to read everything I did. It's the trip account. My favorite thing about coming home. I love recounting the whole trip, recording it so I won't forget the details...

We flew in on a Tuesday night and rode the slow train from the airport to The Nines, where we stayed for the week. We explored the hotel that night, amazed at how posh yet inexpensive it was. Wednesday morning, Dave and Whitney picked me up and we headed to Broder for a Swedish breakfast, then out to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. We totally geeked out with our cameras, and probably had 12 of them between the three of us. We wandered the muddy rows of gorgeous tulips for a while, then ventured over to the filbert orchard beyond. The weather was cloudy - perfect for Polaroid - and just warm enough. We headed to Laurelhurst Market back in Portland after that, and enjoyed delicious sandwiches for lunch. I would fly back there just for that sandwich! It was an Italian sub (my absolute favorite) with soppressata, ham, lettuce, pepperoncini, red onion, provolone and "special sauce" on fresh bread. Holy cow it was good. I want to travel the world one day to eat, photograph, and write about Italian subs. I might start at Laurelhurst. Dave and Whitney dropped me off at The Nines after that, and I took stock of the Polaroids I shot all day and started to worry about the small amount of film I'd brought.

Later that night, my sister and I met up with Elizabeth at the swanky hotel bar. After a quick drink, we headed out for a bit of a sightseeing drive, then over to Ken's Pizza for dinner. It was a long wait but so worth it. We ordered three pizzas: a margherita, a soppressata, and an arrabiata, then gluttonously topped it off with the salted caramel ice cream brownie sundae. Divine!

Thursday morning I walked over to Kenny and Zukes for an onion bagel with scallion cream cheese, then found a comfortable spot at the Ace to eat and play with my new MacBook Pro. After I savored every last crunchy dried onion bit in the paper wrapper, I wrote my First Word for the next issue of Light Leaks, browsed Flickr a bit, played around with a few iPhone images I'd shot on the trip, and people-watched of course. When my ass was sufficiently asleep from sitting all morning, I walked to Cargo, stopping for quick photos here and there. The weather was sunny but so windy and every time I'd turn a corner into the shadows, I felt like I walked into January. Cargo was a wonderful escape from the chill, and such a cool, weird store. I found some random small letters to spell out "film" and some prayer flags that I may hang from my new and almost finished pergola out back. I photographed my way back to the hotel, bags full of cameras, Cargo trinkets, two pounds of Stumptown beans for my husband (his forever souvenir wherever I go), and brownies from Whole Foods. Once back at the hotel, I spread out all my Polaroids, smiled, and began to watch a little Food Network. Our television at home isn't even plugged in and we canceled our cable long ago, so it's fun to go out of town and watch tv. It's like a novelty. My sister's conference ended around lunchtime for the day, so we walked to Kenny and Zukes for lunch, then over to the Powell's Books on Burnside for three hours of browsing. What a grand store. I could spend days and thousands there. I ended up with a very non-traditional bookstore purchase (a cork Frisbee), a couple of stickers, and a used copy of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, something I'd read about recently and thought it sounded nice.

I'd arranged to meet up with Danielle that evening but had a monster headache, so we postponed till my next Portland visit. Instead, my sister and I hung out at the hotel till about 6 that night, then walked to Voodoo Doughnut because that's what tourists do in Portland. I was amused with the place and not surprised to see a line. We ordered a couple of white cake donuts with sprinkles, a buttermilk bar, a No Name donut (Cocoa Krispies and peanut butter on top) and the Old Dirty Bastard (crushed Oreo and peanut butter on top of chocolate frosting). I've gotta tell you, I wasn't that impressed. I thought the donuts were good, but nothing special. The local small town grocery store a few blocks from my house makes donuts that are far superior. Especially the sprinkled cake donuts and buttermilk bar. The crazy toppings at Voodoo are good, but nothing I couldn't do at home. I think the media has done a fantastic job marketing this place, but if you want an amazing doughnut, come to the store by my house. After toting the telltale pink Voodoo box around town, we stopped for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. I am much more interested in local, non-chain restaurants, but it was good, cheap, and nearby.

Friday morning, I hung out at the hotel and waited for Andrea to pick me up for the day. I was so happy to finally meet her! We drove up to the not-yet-in-bloom Rose Garden for tree-filled views of the city below, and had to shout over the noise of new cedar mulch being pumped in to the flower beds. It smelled heavenly. After that, we drove over to Alberta Street and the funky Grilled Cheese Grill. I ordered The Moondog (Italian sub-like) and loved it. Our intention was to grab lunch, wander around to waste some film, go to Ampersand, then call it a day, but we got so caught up in talking Polaroid and photography in the old yellow school bus, that we each only shot one photo all day, but had a fantastic time hanging out. We did make it to Ampersand and it was such a cool place. I could peruse the baskets of found photos there all day! Huge thanks and hugs to Andrea. It was wonderful to meet you! I can't wait to hang out again. Oh, and my post wouldn't be complete without mentioning that Andrea totally got honked at by a train when she made an illegal right to drop me off at the hotel. It was awesome.

Saturday morning, my sister headed to her last day of the conference and Elizabeth picked me up for our Sauvie Island adventure. We stopped for an amazing breakfast at Besaw's. I had the Nathan Arizona ("Would you buy furniture at a store called 'Unpainted Huffhines?'") special: an omelet with cheddar, chives, bacon, and spinach. The most delicious, spicy, sauteed red potatoes with rosemary came on the side, along with wheat toast. I have been craving it all ever since. We made a pit stop at Blue Moon Camera where I met Zeb as he sold me three new toy cameras: an Imperial Mark XII, a Kodak Brownie Starflex, and a Kodak Brownie Starlet. All three are so cute, and both Brownies came with their original flashes. We promptly drove down to the park beneath St. John's Bridge and I set all three cameras on a picnic table and photographed them with the bridge in the background. I had to.

After that, we headed to Sauvie, a place I've seen through various photographers on Flickr, and one that I've wanted to visit for a few years now. It was gorgeous, even though the fields weren't bursting with produce yet and the trees were still pretty leafless. We wandered the grounds around the farmers market for a bit, then drove toward the beach, stopping only for cows in a grassy field. I loved every minute of it, and kind of want to live there now. Just kind of. After Sauvie, we went to REI and Lizard Lounge while we waited for my sister's conference to end. Soon enough it did, and the three of us headed to Por Que No? for amazing tacos and strong pomegranate margaritas. I had the porque tinga taco and the carnitas taco. The porque tinga had way too much cumin for my liking, but the carnitas was stellar. I'll have to go there again next time! We stopped quickly at Ink and Peat and Pix Patisserie afterward, then headed to the airport.

What a trip it was! Sorry to bore you with every detail, but these trip reports are the only way I record things! Huge thanks to my sister for letting me join you. It was so fun to have a vacation with you. I was able to cross #28 off my list, as well as #31 thanks to Dave, Whitney, and Andrea. A wonderful trip all around. These photos were all made with my Great Wall, and the one of St. John's Bridge had a partial shutter failure thing going on but I still really like it. And of course, big thanks to my pal Elizabeth for making time for me (and us). It's always so fun hanging out with my Portland counterpart.