So remember when I shot those ballet photos? Well, they are finally out in the open now, so I wanted to share them with you. These were my favorites from the day -- I hope you enjoy them as well.I'm heading back to Kansas tomorrow to be with my mother, so things might be slow or quiet on the blog for awhile. Please be patient with me...
We got up early this morning and packed up, drove to Portland (through horrendous traffic), turned in the rental car, got through security, got on our 3+ hour flight, picked up the dog, and we are now home and the kid is in bed at 11 pm. We are completely wiped out.So here is a photo from earlier in the week. This is Haystack Rock, which you probably recognize from The Goonies. We were there on Monday with the family, and I took these photos because of the crazy flocks of birds that were going nuts at the top of the rock. There's a closer image below so you can see what I'm talking about. It was so cool.
Next week we'll return to normal around these parts. We had an amazing vacation, but between the baby who refused to sleep while we were away and the news about my mom and the travel, I am operating in zombie mode.See you kids on the other side (I hope).
Today we drove to wine country with Ez and tasted Pinots in the warmer-than-usual climate. I guess "normally" this time of year it's in the 60s. Today it was in the 90s! The weather was lovely. Then tonight when we returned to the coast, the beaches were socked in with fog. We went for a stroll down along the water and I snapped a few images.While the wineries were beautiful today, I wasn't really in the mood for them. I got a call late last night from my brother, telling me my mom was on her way to the ER. I was up all night waiting for updates on her health, and this morning and afternoon, while I had my phone at my side (and checked it constantly), tasting wines wasn't really what I felt like doing. Walking in the fog was more my speed today.I know many of you will be curious about my Mom's health, but I feel like those matters are her stories to tell, not mine, and I want to protect her privacy. All I will say is that she was admitted to the hospital, and we hope she will be released by Monday. Please keep her in your prayers.Below are a few more photos from today. I think you can tell, I just wasn't really in the mood to shoot.
This is the view from the beach, back at the homes on the coast as the fog started to lift a little.
These wineries are kinda pretty, eh?
And the lavender grows like mad here! I think I have killed about 7 lavender plants in my time in Minnesota. Oh man, if I lived in Oregon I might actual GARDEN. FOR FUN.
Today we ventured over to Astoria for a delicious lunch and to check out the town. Astoria seems to be to Portland what Duluth is to Minneapolis. Lots of cool dive bars, lots of ships, and a town on a big hill by a lot of water. This photo was taken right at the mouth of the Columbia river (a lot of the ships enter the river here from the Pacific and some make it all the way to Portland).It was a great daytrip, and then tonight I met up with my high school friend Tucker, who drove down to the coast from Portland, and we had dinner while watching the sun lower over the ocean before hula hooping on the beach. Yes, she made me do it. She insisted it brought pure happiness each time, and I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty fun. (Jamie was back at the cottage putting the boy to bed. The day I get Jamie to hula hoop on the beach, I *promise* I will capture a photo of it!)
This morning, our extended family headed into Portland, and Ezra, Jamie and I explored the coast. We had such an amazing time with all the cousins (and Ezra's Aunt and Uncle!), and we were a touch sad to see them all go. But at the same time, now we can just let the days (and the naps) happen as they may.And speaking of, we really needed those naps to fall into place today because Ezra was up every hour ALL NIGHT LONG with an upset stomach last night. Don't worry, he's feeling much, much better now. But we were a bit like zombies today. So what did we do? We tackled the laundry, had a picnic on the beach, drove down to Manzanita and took in the sights and watched part of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Overall, a pretty great day.In Manzanita, the clouds were magnificent, and I shot a few images of the beach and the kite surfers out on the water -- that's the photo up top, if you're wondering what those black specks are in the sky and on the water.Also, the drive to Manzanita goes by my very favorite spot in the U.S. (yes, it's true), so I took more photos of it. If you've ever been to my home, the I have a similar shot from my last visit hanging above my fireplace. It's below.
I mean, really. Is that not amazing?And lastly, Jamie took some images of Ezra and I on the beach tonight during our dinner picnic. I tend to object to my own photo being taken, particularly after a night where I got no more than 1.5 hours of consecutive sleep. But I had to post this one because my kid is just too dang adorable. Sorry.
That's it. No internet share today because I'm beat and heading off to bed. Please send me all the good sleep juju you can muster!
Well kids, it's almost time for our summer vacation. This has me packing Ezra today between answering emails and finishing up last-minute work details. And this girl here? She knows what that suitcase means. And until she sees her stuff make its way into said suitcase, she's a little depressed.There was a lot of moping around the house today. Heavy sighs. Avoided eye contact.Aw, man. I'm gonna miss her so much. But I'm pretty sure she'd rather stay here playing with her dog friend all week than fly inside the belly of a cold airplane for seven hours. So she's just gonna have to trust me on this one.For your internet share of the day, go watch this. I couldn't agree more.
I took this photo before the concert last night, but I just wanted to point out how amazing the clouds were the entire time we were in Iowa. From soft and hazy to Simposons-esque, they were lovely the entire time. Good work, Iowa.Today we woke up early, grabbed some breakfast, got a car wash (that dust on the way to the barn was THICK), and hit the road. We took larger highways on our return trip, so it wasn't as lovely as the way down there when we saw Amish folk and many small towns and a "milk bar." But today we did stop off at a Monastery to visit the gift shop. What's to see in a monastery gift shop, you ask? Um, coffins. And religious books. And sweatshirts and coffee mugs. It was fascinating.For your internet share, I am just about to finish this book right here and it is wonderful. And here's a tip, not only do they have it at the library, but if you have a Minneapolis library card, you can stream the audio book for free from your phone. HOLLA! And you can also see the rest of the photos from my trip (and the Conor Oberst concert) here. Enjoy!
Today I played hooky from work and drove to Iowa with Meredith to catch Conor Oberst play at one of my very favorite venues, Codfish Hollow Barn. It was fantastic. Such wonderful sound, such an intimate show and just an amazing day. I have a million more photos that I'll sort through and post tomorrow, once we return back to Minneapolis.I love shooting Conor Oberst shows because his was the very first concert I ever attempted to photograph, and it holds a special place in my heart. I shot him in 2009 in Omaha, and Jenny Lewis opened the show. Man was that an amazing night as well. However, these photos are way better ;)No internet share -- I'm off to bed. More photos tomorrow, I promise.
