I’ve erased dozens of opening sentences tonight trying to sum up my experiences from this past week and finally decided to just start with a few thoughts about the process. It’s hard to find your balance when every day is extreme in its peaks and valleys but in the end, when finales and new beginnings come at you fast and furious it’s important to acknowledge the changes and hold tight to the positive. My pictures are just little snapshots this week, I didn’t have the opportunities to think ahead to what I might want to capture and share but I know that later, when I look back on this year-long project, I’ll be glad I took the time to note each day.
Did you know Sunday, September 6th was National Read a Book Day? Our house is full of books and Ryan started reading as soon as he could hold the pages still. He enjoys fiction but Ryan’s true love is natural science and these are just a few favorites from our shelves. Monday was both John’s birthday and Labor Day here in the US. Even though it is a national holiday designed to honor American Workers 41% of us still had to work, myself included, but John and Ryan had fun relaxing and celebrating the day in style. When I got home I settled into the kitchen to make a lasagna dinner and together we enjoyed some wonderful wine. Tuesday afternoon I made a quick stop at the waterfront to photograph some of the lovely summer plantings while they still look full and nice. We’ve enjoyed one last week of 80 degree weather but change is in the air and next week looks like cool temperatures and plenty of rain. I’m glad I captured a few flowers before the elements have their way with them.
Believe it or not Wednesday morning meant Ryan was now a High School Freshman. How did this happen? I swear his first day of Kindergarten was just yesterday… Happily he still wanted his mom to drive him to school for the first day so we were up early packing the backpack, filling his lunch and reading the map to find where each classroom was located. That night was spent with the mountain of paperwork that comes home with every student, signing more checks to pay for activities and clubs and acknowledging the inevitable behavior/responsibility/syllabus contracts that every teacher sends home.
Thursday morning came bright and early and after I walked Ryan to the bus at 6:35 am I had to pack myself to drive across the state to attend my Grandma’s funeral. My lovely Grandma Emma passed away last week at the grand old age of 97 years and her services were held Thursday. My brother and I along with the rest of our family made one more trip across the mountains to Eastern Washington to honor the life of this great lady and her true pioneer spirit. On the way we estimated we’d made this 10+ hr round trip at least 100 times in the past 45 years and even though we complained every single time we all shed a tear about this one marking the end of an era. I didn’t feel like taking a public photo commemorating this occasion but we all shared a lighthearted moment changing from our traveling jeans into dress clothes at a highway rest stop and Sasquatch was resting proudly on my brother’s “before” t-shirt.
Friday morning I woke early and left the hotel to take a quiet walk along the Columbia River thinking of the times Grandma took us here to play and how her family came to the river as farmers trading produce for fish with the Native American residents before the small farming communities grew into cities and life changed for everyone. Saturday I was home again, back into the rhythm of our routine and I remembered we had afternoon tickets to the grand opening of the new Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds, WA. This little space is dedicated to legacy of Northwest Art from the late 19th century to the mid-modernist era and this Art History Major couldn’t let the occasion pass without attending. We had a fantastic time viewing their inaugural show and plan to return soon.
Each photo was taken with my iPhone 6 using Hipstamatic’s “shake to randomize” function then posted without any additional editing. If you like a particular combination and want to try it at home just click on the image to see the lens and filter used. For variety I continue to add new lenses and filters so if you want to try Hipstamatic but are unsure how to start let me know and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
Northwest Frame of Mind 
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