Snowy Owls Visit

A couple of weekends ago, my boyfriend and I took his daughter to Ocean Shores, Washington. We heard there were Snowy Owls wintering on Damon Point. Yes, we found owls, 6 or 7 of them! They were roosting on logs in the grassy areas. They are magnificent and beautiful birds.

They were not afraid of people, they were sitting around on the logs. I was able to get about 20 yards or so from them. According to information I’ve found, they are visiting from the Arctic, their normal habitat. After breeding season, every few years the lemmings do their leap off cliffs, and food for the owls becomes a bit more scarce. So the owls migrate to winter grounds in more southern regions. They’ll return in March or April, to continue their owl business in the Arctic.

Really they weren’t afraid of people, and seemed a bit bored with all the humans surrounding them.

Thanks for reading, ~ Erin

Merry Holiday Wishes…

I want to wish my all my friends and family a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Solstice Cheer, and best wishes for however you celebrate this cheerful season!

Thanks for reading and Cheers! ~ Erin

Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving: time to state what we are thankful for.

I am very thankful for friends, new and old, for hanging out with, drinking wine, and sharing experiences.

I am thankful for my family, especially my two boys. And I’m thankful for the learning opportunities my experience volunteering at PAWS has given me.

I’m thankful that I live is such a beautiful part of the world; it gives me so much opportunity to practice photography.

And finally, I’m thankful that I live in a country that allows peaceful protests, where the citizens have the right to express their disagreements with the government. I’m thankful that people use this power, and, for the most part, use it wisely.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers! ~ Erin

Memorial Day, May 31, 2010

 

 

 

 

Thank you to all the soldiers who have served our country in the military.

 

Valentines Day

I had a nice week. It was Valentines Day on Monday, and while I think it’s another over-rated, retail driven holiday, I do think it’s nice to remind the people in one’s life how much they are loved and appreciated.

I’m looking forward to doing some serious photography this weekend with a workshop and a photo walk, and catching up on some projects.

Have a good weekend, friends.

Thanks for reading ~ Erin

Resolving … or Not

It’s a new year and it’s time to make resolutions! Actually, my resolutions are rather perpetual: lose weight, be more active, spend more time with the kids, blah blah blah. I think that life assessments are an ongoing project, so I use that as an excuse to not make resolutions.

The sun sets on 2010.

Goals, however are a different matter. Of course, these should also be ongoing; when you reach a goal, make a new one!

I’ve given some thought to my photography goals for this year. I know I’m enjoying stretching my skills, and making some extra cash would be helpful as well.

Many of my photographic friends are starting  project 365 or photo a day projects. These projects are very popular. I have mad a resolution to NOT do that this year. I gave it a try last year, and I didn’t always take a photo and then I felt guilty for not doing it. That is not the way to enjoy the craft.

So, this year I resolve to focus on developing my creative sense and the art of photography. For me, the technical aspects of how the camera works is easy for me,  but the art is difficult. I’ve never considered myself an artistic person; I can’t draw worth crap, and creative accounting is generally frowned on. I’ve discovered some creativity within and I’m seeing the world a differently through my camera. The boyfriend says that I tend to focus on the details of a scene.

my son, on the computer

To that end I’ve embarked on a journey through a creative workshop called “The Slice of Life Project” led by the talented Darrah Parker, a Seattle-based photographer.  Her focus is to capture the important parts of one’s life through the camera lens.

 

My Fiestaware salt and pepper shaker always on my table.

I’m looking forward to the journey. I’m not sure where I will end up, but I know I will enjoy it.

Thanks for reading, friends!

~Erin

New Year… New Photos!

Happy New Year, friends!

Last sunset of 2010 from Legion Park, Everett, WA

I started out New Year’s Eve with some sunset photos.  We have had a string of beautiful, but chilly, days and evenings in the Pacific Northwest.

For the first day of 2011, we headed up to the Darrington/Marblemount area, for some eagle hunting. This area, along the Sauk River, is a winter haven for bald eagles fishing for returning salmon.

A pair of resting bald eagles

We saw about 20 or more eagles in the trees. It’s pretty remarkable. There are also float trips down the river for eagle viewing, and lots of photographers with giant lenses.

I'm posing, take my photo.

It was a very enjoyable start to the new year, before getting back to the chaos of regular life on Monday morning.

Now I need to think of my resolutions both personal and photographic. Maybe I should put “quit procrastinating”  first on the list. I’ll do that tomorrow.

I hope all of you have a great new year, and that you reach your goals and enjoy your life.

~Erin

Food!

I definitely had a better photography day yesterday. I took shots of my food!

Lunch at MOD Pizza in the U-District:

 

This is a little place I found off of the Ave in the University District. It’s called M.O.D. Pizza: they claim custom pizza fast! It’s a thin crust style baked in a wood fired oven.  Here’s the link to check them out: http://www.mod-pizza.com/

Later, my mom-in-law invited us to her house for a crab feed. My ex-spouse’s uncle bought some fresh live crab off of a commercial crab boat in Olympia and brought it up in honor of my sister-in-law’s visit from Reno.

So my son took care of them and then the ex (a chef) cooked them up for a delightful feast!

 

It was a great time. Dungeness crab is actually pretty good for you: very low-fat, high protein and delicious.

 

What’s up for tomorrow: cookie baking! Perfect for Christmas Eve.

Thanks, friends!

Figgy Pudding Caroling Contest

The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling event takes place in Downtown Seattle every year. There were more than 30 singing groups caroling and collecting money for the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank.  I believe they raised money by passing a box for collections and they entry fees.

It was fun and festive to walk around Westlake Center and listen to the different groups. There were glee clubs, office groups, church groups and groups formed just for the contest.  Everyone had festive hats and outfits.

I think my favorites were the group with the hard hats with lights on them, and the beehive wigs with lights and ornaments in them. Very fun!

If you would like to know more about the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank here is the link:

http://pikemarketseniorcenter.giving.officelive.com/figgypudding.aspx

And Figgy Pudding? Anyone have a recipe?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Festivus, friends!

Even kids love to talk about themselves

I have found, when taking photos of my nephews, that engaging the child creates better photos.  Even better, ask them to show you their favorite things. My nephew created a battle scene with his toy soldiers at Thanksgiving, and insisted that I photograph the scene.  I let him tell me what to shoot and where, and he wanted to be in the photos too! He was very proud of his battle scene.