Musingss

2011-08-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

2011-08-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

"To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
-MOHANDAS K. GANDHI

Look at the itsy-bitsy little red bell pepper! Really, it's red.

Meet "La Freak," my bell pepper that took off way ahead of the others.

Pear tomatoes. Mmmmmmmmm!

2011-07-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

Had a lot of fun tonight at the Washington County Fair with my brother and sister-in-law

Also, here are a few more photos from yesterday. I still need to do the editing on the rest of them, but I wanted to share what a gorgeous place Mt. Hood is. Enjoy!

Ramona Falls (one of my two favorite Oregon waterfalls)

Ramona Falls Trail

Timberline Trail

Waterfalls on Mt. Hood (Not a terrific picture, I know, but I wasn't willing to wait a few hours for the sun to kindly move out of the way.)

In other news - something I haven't mentioned is that my camera has been on its last leg for a little while now. As Shakespeare said, it has been preparing to shuffle off its mortal coil. Unfortunately, I hastened that end this evening by dropping it and destroying the readout. Taking manual photos, which is what I do 99% of the time, now has to be done blindly. Sooooo, if you know of a good deal on a camera - a really good deal - please let me know. I cannot afford much...at all...but hey, a large part of the point of this blog has been to show that you can take photos with whatever you do have. Just, you know, so long as it is not broken.

2011-07-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

2011-07-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

self portrait no.2

2011-07-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

2011-07-27T21:32:00.001-07:00

2011-07-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

-CONFUCIUS

2011-07-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:
I forgot that I wanted to add a few of the photos from a photoshoot I did a couple weeks ago and only just edited. (Really, I'm just about the laziest photographer.) Once again, here are my gorgeous "nieces" Caitlyn and Daisy. And again, this was done with and is the inspiration of one of my favorite people ever, Larrie. Thanks girls!

2011-07-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

back yard archaeology

2011-07-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

2011-07-22T23:42:00.001-07:00

2011-07-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

"This is very midsummer madness."

-WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2011-07-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

"The moon gazed on my midnight labours, while, with unrelaxed and breathless eagerness, I pursued nature to her hiding-places."

-MARY SHELLY, FRANKENSTEIN

2011-07-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

portland's ark

2011-07-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

2011-07-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

I AskPercy How I Should Live My Life

Love,love, love, says Percy.
And hurry as fast as you can
along the shining beach, or the rubble, or the dust.

Then, goto sleep.
Give up your body heat, your beating heart.
Then, trust.

-MARY OLIVER

I can’twrite poetry like Mary Oliver. But I know what it is to care so fervently for afour-legged companion. I am sometimes teased for speaking of my dog too much,or for taking so many photos. Of course, such things would be understandablewere Maddie my human child. That’s okay, let them smirk.

In thepast couple of years I have had the opportunity to get a full dose of life –you know, as in the kind of dose that sucker punches you repeatedly. Maddie hasbeen my one constant companion throughout my failings, job losses, many moves,financial devastation, and the long, long road to recovery. I share with herthings I have never told anyone else. I trust her like I do very few others.When I just need to curl up and cry it out she snuggles up with me. When I get home from a long day of work sheis waiting for me with unfailing enthusiasm, ready to play away the day’sstress. When I want to relax she drops whatever she was doing and settles downnext to me. When I get up at 5am to jog or take a day off to hike a mountain,she is right next to me, eager to get going. And you know what? She is the onlyone volunteering to do those things, consistently and unfailingly. So here isto man’s – and woman’s – best friend. Here’s to our dogs, who so often are theones who teach us how to live.

Happy 4^thbirthday, my Maddie!

2011-07-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

a town called Sherwood

2011-07-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

happy feet

2011-07-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."

-CLAUDE MONET

2011-07-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

2011-07-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

CHERRIES!

2011-07-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Maddie modelling her new collar made by Good Karma Crochet

2011-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Random Riff-Raff from the weekend:

Some greenery...

Freshly watered spinach from my garden...

Sitting outside Nector Frozen Yogurt Lounge enjoying the blissfully wonderful weather... (You know you are in Portland when you see open parking spots and lots of bicycles.)

And a fuzzy picture of Maddie and Ghost teaming up to find squirrels...

2011-07-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

-ABRAHAM LINCOLN

In other matters, here is a crappy cell phone shot. Who doesn't love a bookstore?!

2011-07-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

I sat outside this evening with the dogs reading a book and enjoying the warmth of the setting sun and the peaceful quiet that comes with living out in the country. I was too lazy even to get up and take a decent picture (I took the above picture a little earlier). So here you go - the view from my chair:

2011-07-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

A rose for Arianna. Welcome to the world, little one!

Born tonight at 10:28pm. 6lbs 3oz, 19.5 inches long.

2011-07-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

It's a baby bell pepper!

2011-07-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

Something I should have posted yesterday:

And a few photos from a shoot I did this morning with the lovely, the talented, Larrie Nokes featuring her gorgeous girls Daisy and Caitlyn:

2011-07-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

2011-07-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

TRAGEDY! I forgot to post a photo yesterday. I took a photo - lots of them, actually - but I forgot to post one. AHHHHHH!!!!!

2011-07-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

2011-07-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Home, Sweet Home

(No, the cow was not green. I don't have my editing software here and things are not running so smoothly. Use your imagination.)

2011-06-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

2011-06-29T20:51:00.001-07:00

2011-06-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

2011-06-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Allure of Flowers

Yes, they are obvious. Anyone can photograph a flower...and practically everyone does. But hey, there's a reason for that.

2011-06-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Tunnel Falls

Eagle Creek Trail

Cool plant...at a campground...on Eagle Creek Trail

2011-06-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

2011-06-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

My vegetables are starting to grow! I couldn't be any prouder if these little seedlings were children. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration.

But then again, you get to eat vegetables when they mature...

2011-06-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

2011-06-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes.

-WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, MACBETH

Just to show you the best part of this unexpected and awesome architectural detail - namely the red tongue - sans creepy editing:

2011-06-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

I guess this makes me a kind of creepy person who hangs out at the city fountain watching the kids play. But seriously, look how cute they are! (And not showing their faces makes it ethical, right?!)

2011-06-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

Face off!

I want to hear what you prefer in general, nature or urban shots? (Just out of curiosity - don't worry, I won't stop taking pictures of either!) Tell me what you think, either in the comments below or by commenting on the Facebook link.

2011-06-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

2011-06-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Smile O voluptuous cool-breath'd earth!

Earth of the slumbering and liquid trees!

Earth of departed sunset--earth of the mountains misty-topt!

Earth of the vitreous pour of the full moon just tinged with blue!

Earth of shine and dark mottling the tide of the river!

Earth of the limpid gray of clouds brighter and clearer for my sake!

Far-swooping elbow'd earth--rich apple-blossom'd earth!

Smile, for your lover comes.

— WALT WHITMAN

2011-06-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

"He knew what he knew: that the real world was full of magic, so magical worlds could easily be real."

-SALMAN RUSHDIE, HAROUN AND THE SEA OF STORIES

2011-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

2011-06-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

Percy does not like it when I read a book.

He puts his face over the top of it and moans.

He rolls his eyes, sometimes he sneezes.

The sun is up, he says, and the wind is down.

The tide is out and the neighbor's dogs are playing.

But Percy, I say, Ideas! The elegance of language!

The insights, the funniness, the beautiful stories

that rise and fall and turn into strength, or courage.

Books? says Percy. I ate one once, and it was enough.

Let's go.

MARY OLIVER, RED BIRD

2011-06-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

2011-06-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Now I'm just showing off. I canned applesauce. So yummy!

2011-06-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

With deadly storms, tornadoes, tsunamis, drought, fires, and flooding slamming communities across the world I am reminded how lucky I am to merely be putting up with a wetter and cooler season than normal for this region. My prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones, homes, and possessions to natural disasters. This past week I gave blood merely because the Red Cross happened to be holding a drive in my work building. It was a good reminder that we can all be involved - through donating time, money, blood, or skills.

Click here for the Red Cross site

2011-06-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

If you would like to see pictures from my coastal wanderings of the past day and a piece, click here.

2011-06-10T23:58:00.000-07:00

2011-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."

-HERMAN MELVILLE, MOBY DICK

2011-06-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

2011-06-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

2011-06-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to MackT Photography for linking Musingss to his site. Be sure to check out macktphotography.com

to see some great work from a talented Portland area photographer!

2011-06-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

I confess, I love this photo. And here's why. The convexity of the scene is not from a filter. It's the reflected image from the dirty back window of an old, broken down car. Yes, I could have cleaned it first before taking the photo, but somehow that felt like tampering with the scene.

Here's the car!

2011-06-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

The Thirsty Lion, Tigard, Oregon. I liked the soft light that was coming through the windows and creating a subtle haze.

2011-06-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

2011-06-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

You Are Here, by Bill Will. Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland Oregon. Over 20,000 potted flowers. Now that's awesome.

2011-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

O Freunde, nicht diese Tšne!
Sondern la§t uns angenehmere

anstimmen und freudenvollere.

Freude!

-FRIEDRICH SCHILLER

2011-05-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

"When I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently."
-Henri Matisse

2011-05-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

"Photographs are precious memories . . . the visual evidence of place and time and relationships . . .

ritual talismans for the treasure chest of the heart."

- Robert Fulghum

2011-05-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

Due to storms in the Santiam mountains Maddie and I have returned a day early. No doubt this is good news for you Musingss fans...all 3 or 4 of you..

Shellburg Falls from behind the Falls

South Falls in Silver Falls Park. Shellburg was every bit as beautiful, without all the ridiculousness that comes with Forest Service "protection." Don't get me started...

I drove by this barn on the way home and snapped the picture from the road...in the car...through the passenger side window...with the camera on manual settings. 'Cause I'm just that cool.

Wait, there's more! Click here!
Really, you should. I even captioned many of the photos with amusing facts and witticisms. No guarantees that it is that amusing,
since really, I'm just tired and need to go to bed. Still, if you are easily entertained...

2011-05-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCEMENT

There will be no picture tomorrow, Sunday, 29 May. This is because I am heading out the door in a moment and will not return until Monday evening. Maddie and I will be spending the rest of the long weekend hiking and camping in the Santiam Foothills. I apologize for any distress and heartache that this may cause. Rest assured that I will be taking plenty of photos.

2011-05-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

Portlandia, by Raymond Kaskey

2011-05-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

My 100th Post!

This post is dedicated Melissa, who inspired me to create this blog. Here's to new beginnings!

“Write it on your heart that today is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it serenely with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.”

-RALPH WALDO EMERSON

2011-05-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

A few views of the waterfront park fountain

2011-05-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

(Here's what I love about this picture. It was taken from hip level because I was in a place that does not allow photography.)

2011-05-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

-Leonardo da Vinci

2011-05-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

clover fields

2011-05-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

2011-05-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

Washington Park, Portland, Oregon

2011-05-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait

2011-05-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

It is nearly impossible to resist taking pictures of flowers in the Spring.

2011-05-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for awhile and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over your enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.

-EDWARD ABBEY

2011-05-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

2011-05-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

"Every path serves a purpose."

-Gene Oliver

2011-05-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Two words: grass nap

2011-05-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, OR

For more pictures, click here.

2011-05-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Foggy Morning

2011-05-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay in today's picture. Blogger was down for maintenance. But I made it!

2011-05-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from around the house taken after I got home from work tonight:

Ya, this is what I get to go home to. Be jealous.

2011-05-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Rat race

packed elevator

morning hair, set just so

trendy bags

starbucks coffee

tagged, like cattle

swipe your card

“everybody to their cubicles!”

windows doo-doo-da-doo chime

“chilly this morning.”

xerox S250x – prints 50 pages per minute!

pictures of loved ones next to client data

employee awards printed on cheap cardstock

“how long you been with the company?”

“two years tomorrow.”

“happy anniversary!”

meeting rooms conference rooms

cubicles offices

elevators bathroom stalls

reports~evaluations~codes~manuals~statistics~figures

“What’s wrong, depressed?

Take it a day at a time,

This is life.”

Really?

2011-05-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

2011-05-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Just to brag: I've been drying fruit this weekend. Mmmmmm...

2011-05-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

2011-05-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm dedicating this post to things that give me the creeps...

2011-05-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

“The country life is to be preferred, for there we see the works of God; but in cities little else but the works of men. And the one makes a better subject for contemplation than the other.”

-William Penn

2011-05-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

* Funtastic *

You must be thi$ tall to ride

In other matters, I figured out what was missing from yesterday's photo...

...in retrospect, that should have been kinda obvious.

2011-05-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

2011-05-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

"In the cherry blossom's shade

there's no such thing

as a stranger."

— Kobayashi Issa

2011-04-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

2011-04-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

a precarious balance

2011-04-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

Whizzer

1996-2011

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras

2011-04-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have photographed this building before. I can see it from my office window, and it's sort of become an obsession.

2011-04-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

(I'm too lazy to edit that pesky branch at the top out. Sorry.)

This is for my parents... Happy 32nd Wedding Anniversary!