IOA photohouse

My sister, Tamar, came to visit us for a short while. We went for walks and took pictures together, we laughed and we cried.. The photos at the top could not better symbolize who we are, or our roles in each others lives. We have always been and continue to be, different versions of the same story.. Aspects so completely focused in my life are blurred in hers, and things clearly seen through her eyes, are hard for me to see. Tamar, I enjoyed our common ground, and, I miss you.

What an interesting week this last one has been, for me. Ty was with his dad, on a hunting adventure, in Montana! The kids and I were home in Washington, left to our own devices. We spent the majority of our time outside, walking and exploring. Time apart is challenging, however; It always turns into a healthy separation that makes us stronger individually and also within our marriage. Time apart forces me to become perfervid, to rise to the occasion.. I create routines and stick to them, and I’m left feeling powerful and fulfilled for having kept all of our children alive and well 🙂

All of the above being said.. My photography suffered. I took many snapshots that left me pondering in post.. I had ideas that interested me, but was not able to develop them when I was out in the field. One theme throughout the week, though, was reflection. Reflections of trees, birds, and my children, in water – ponds, lakes, and the bay. I realized this repetitiveness midweek and became aware of how I was reflecting internally and tried to understand why. On a drizzly Friday morning, the kids and I spontaneously headed to Bloedel Reserve, a place of peace and tranquility.. A place of beautiful natural landscapes and also of orderly, groomed gardens. You can sit on a bench facing a quiet pond of ducks, or a bench on the bluff staring out at the vast Puget Sound. The rain was perfect in every way. It allowed empty gardens for us to walk through, silently and unaccompanied. My children sat in their stroller as I trudged them up hills and through the forest trails. Near to the end of our walk, we entered the ‘reflection pool’ area. I had been sincerely looking forward to this, in part because I had just seen a beautiful photo a friend had taken, of trees and her family, reflecting on the waters surface. I had also thought, ‘Wow! A reflection pool! That would certainly help round out my series of reflection photos..’ Fortunately for me, though, it was raining. And what is famously known as a reflection pool became something very different, to me. It became a simple space. One with simple architectural lines, vibrant green mosses and grasses, surrounded by deep, rich, dark Cedars. The rain washed away any reflections from above and it was no longer a ‘reflection pool.’ It was something different, a vessel, a container maybe. And now that my sweet husband is home from his trip, I feel much the same way – albeit in a biological sense. I am no longer a ‘reflection pool,’  I’m just me. A vessel element carrying nourishment to my family.

Whenever Ty unexpectedly has the day off, we usually pack up the kids together and head out early for a walk in the woods. This morning we started just before 9, and it was a chilly 27 degrees. We had our first freeze the night before so the grass and leaves that had fallen were covered with frost and the woods had an ethereal feeling to them. What started as an open walk amongst mostly Alders losing their leaves, turned into a deep walk amongst Cedars that became dark and intimate. The intimacy of the forest was palpable and we all silently walked and kept our eyes and ears open hoping to see some animals. (We did not). All we could hear were the dropping of cold brittle leaves hitting branches on their way down to the ground. Although I do not (!) like spiders, I have always loved the way an errant thread of a spiders web feels as it brushes my face while walking down a trail in the morning, allowing me the knowledge that I am the first one to have walked those steps. I also love the crispness of 40 degree weather on my face. As you walk your body is warm and the coolness is refreshing.. Not overwhelmingly cold, just right. I’m looking forward to exploring more of these woods!

Oran and Autumn, two peas in a pod.. The rain that falls here in Washington is famous, everything that you’ve heard is true.. So, I have been experimenting with an off camera flash, bouncing it off the ceilings and walls in our home. It’s been fun and I hope to be comfortable with it soon. So far, I think it’s pretty incredible how a corner by a window can become such a wonderful place to be.

What started off as a weekend in Juneau with my girls and I spontaneously turned into a family vacation at the very last moment. I am so thankful we were all able to travel together! I five starred 225 photos after sorting through them, so needless to say, I have a lot of work to do. I envisioned posting one long entry highlighting our trip chronologically, and this will still happen; but when I sat down in the office and opened our website, it felt like an old friend that I wanted to spend some time with. So here is one for you while I am working on the rest of them. Although this was the last morning of our trip, this was one of my favorite moments. Thanks to Steve & Lisa, we were able to sneak out before sunrise with just Autumn and ourselves. We got in a lovely walk at Auck Bay Recreation Area. We were surrounded by eagles flying overhead, singing to each other. The sun came up over the mountains and we were able to hike around quietly for the first time in quite a while! Moments like these are good for our souls and great for our marriage.

47mm 1/50 sec at f/9.0 ISO 100

::sigh::

Our daughter, Ilana, a 4 year old princess going on 14.. This is just the life we live. I cannot slow it down. I can only observe her, and hold her close to me, and occupy as much attention as she’ll allow me. This is how she looks at me now. Content with herself. She feels so good in her own skin. She has her own identity and it’s a beautiful process to watch her grow..

I loved this in color, until I started working with it in B&W. My mom jumped right out of the computer when I saw it, so I’m sharing it. I’ve always had a difficult time working with the color purple, it distracts me easily. I also didn’t crop this because I wanted her to be little, I wanted the size to envelop her. I often try to shoot the kids at their level, so these shots looking up at me are a nice perspective sometimes.