Spent Blossoms

Remember that the end of one thing, no matter how catastrophic, is the beginning of another.

Be patient, my friend, while we wait for winter to pass.

The bleakness of spent blossoms brings the assurance of flowering again.  

The Promise of Spring

Taken by S. Clark

Daffodils unfurl-

dewy with new beginnings,

the promise of spring.

Jewels

Taken by my husband, Aaron
Dec. 2016

Jewel of the sky-

  Resplendent ruby and jade.

Filigree in flight.  

Leave Love Behind

I don't take much stock in the claims of seers and holy men.

I don't stake any claims about the here after.  

I have no assurances about life after death.

But I know my heart.

My heart says it doesn't matter how we begin or how we end.

What matters is the love you leave behind.  

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 36- Free

As I dropped my daughter off at school on the morning of September 11, I noticed that her elementary school was flying the flags at half-mast.  I snapped a picture with my phone because it was a touching commemoration.   As I drove away from the school, I decided to take some time out of my schedule and photograph other flags in my community, to honor the survivors and victims of 9/11 and the wars that came in the aftermath.  

Elementary School Flags
taken on a Motorala XT897, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

Train Station
taken on a Fujifilm finxepix HS 35 EXR, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

City Halltaken on a Fujifilm finxepix HS 35 EXR, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

Hall of Justicetaken on a Fujifilm finxepix HS 35 EXR, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 31- One's Place

One's Place- My Hometaken on a Motorala XT897, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

One's Place- My Backyardtaken on a Motorala XT897, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 28- Cake

"Pancake"
Taken on a Motorola XT897
Edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 27- Pain

"Pain by Cactus" 
Taken on a Fujifilm FinePix HS 35EXR
Edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

I love cacti because of my grandmas; which you can read about here.  However, if you are not careful, they can be a pain.  Typically in your hand.  I can't number the times I've been stuck. Usually this happens when I transplant one of them.  Luckily, they outgrow their pots slowly and warrant very little handling.  I can simply appreciate their prickly beauty and memories of my grandmas.  

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 31- EatE

Eat

taken on a Motorala XT897, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 30- Pull

Pull
Taken on taken on a Motorala XT897, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 25- Head

"Chicken Heads"
Taken on a Fujifilm FinePix HS 35EXR
Edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

At the beginning of May, our friends who own a flock of chickens, gave my husband 6 eggs.  He was informed that they were fertilized and would hatch if we incubated them. He went home a promptly build an incubator.

Waiting for the chickens to hatch was excruciating because other than shining a flashlight on them, we had no way to know if they were developing normally or developing at all. We had to have the temperature and humidity just so and because we had this wonky homemade contraption it was heard to maintain the correct environment.  Every time the temperature got too high or the humidity crashed we felt for sure we killed all the chickens.

One egg wasn't fertilized and one egg "quit" after just a couple days, which left 4 eggs.  On May 26, three days earlier than expected, Freckles hatched in 30 minutes.  This is well under the several hour timeline Google informed us it would take. We named this chick Freckles after my Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Freckles who had chickens when I was growing up. (Their name wasn't really Freckles, but I named them that because my Grandma looked freckled to my 3 year old self.) On May 27, Lucky agonizingly pecked her way out of the shell.  She took well over the timeline given by Google. We named her Lucky because it seems pretty lucky that she got out at all!  Two eggs didn't hatch at all but we felt a 50% hatch rate was pretty good given that we are completely ignorant chicken farmers.

Freckles immediately after hatching.

Freckles after he fluffed up a bit.

Lucky immediately after hatching.  

Freckles at a few days old

Lucky photo bombing Freckles

Lucky at a few days old.

 Chickens grow super fast and pretty soon we had to put them in a large tub in the garage.  We initially kept them in the closet under the stairs because the temperature was more consistent than the rest of the house and we could keep the cats away.  The cats were much too interested!

Lucky & Freckles around 3 weeks old. 

Exploring the chicken run.  

My daughter loves the chickens!

Freckles and Lucky around 1 month old.

The photo at the top was taken when they were around 1 1/2 months old.  They look pretty much the same except for Freckles has more of a coxcomb developing now. Yep, despite our deepest desire to end up with two hens, we have a rooster and a hen.  He is practicing his crow in an adolescent chicken voice.  Have I mentioned we are not morning people and we have neighbors? Stay tuned for future reports on Freckles' developing crow!

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 24- World

"From Around the World"

Photo taken on FujiFilm HS 35EXR, Edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

"From Across the Ocean"
Photo taken on FujiFilm HS 35EXR, Edited in Google Chromeby S. Clark

When I edit photos, I don't typically include the original photograph in the blog post.  This week, however, the final product for each picture was so far removed from the original image, that I decided to include the originals for the  sake of comparison.  

My usual approach to editing photos is to enhance the image.  I usually try to make the image more vivid but not fundamentally alter it in anyway.  

This week I decided to try something different.  I wanted make these photographs look like the old pictures I found in my grandparent's attic as a kid; old, beat up and with poor exposure. Photographs that came from old film cameras and spent several decades in a box somewhere.  The editing deviated significantly from my usual approach as a result.  I think that the images above evoke the same sense of age as the photos I remember finding as a kid.  I hope that they give you a similar sense of history.  

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 23- Keeping

"Keeping Up With the Kids"
Taken on a Motorola Photon Q
By S. Clark

My refrigerator is an ever evolving work of art dedicated to the comings and goings of the kids; my daughter and my youngest brother. The bits of this and that on the fridge keep track of their comings and goings, their accomplishments and interests.  This photo is a still life of one section of the refrigerator art gallery!  

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 21- Spot On

"Spot On"
Photo taken on FujiFilm HS 35EXR, Edited in Picassa
by S. Clark

I had lived in Washington only a few months when I had my 30th birthday.  I had a birthday party and invited my co-workers, along with family members from all over the state. One of my new coworkers walked into my house, wished me happy birthday and said "I left you a roadie in the garage." This statement was confusing to me because I was under the impression that a roadie was an individual who worked for a band on tour, hauling gear.  I assumed that she wasn't actually getting me someone to haul my gear, although that would have been appreciated, I didn't have any other alternate ideas.  

After the party was over, I walked into my garage and found a rhododendron plant.  Oh! A "rhodie" not a "roadie"!  Having lived in the midwest and California all my life, the term rhodie was not in my vocabulary.   

Azaleas and rhododendrons blanket the Pacific Northwest. These shrubs are part of the genus Rhododendron are found in nearly every yard in this part of the country.  In 1892 the women residents of Washington voted that the state flower should be the Rhododendron macrophyllum, or Coast Rhododendron.  They wanted an official flower to represent the state in the 1893 World's Fair.  Washington had only been a state for 3 years at this point, so I am guessing the the voter turn out was pretty low!  The choices was narrowed down to clover versus a rhodie.

I am glad that they chose a rhodie.  I have come to really appreciate both azaleas and rhodies in the 10 years I have lived here.  My yard has several of both types of plants and I think they look much better than clovers.  My favorites are the ones with delicate spots near the center of the flowers.  They are spot on! 

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 19- And Then

"And Then...She Made A Goal!"
Taken on a FujiFilm FinePix HS 35 EXR
Edited in Google Chrome
By S. Clark

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 18- Now

"Green Blueberries"

New growth abounds in my gardens right now!  

"Honeysuckle Satellite"

I found these plants to because especially intriguing because their form is an unexpected departure from what we typically associate with spring and new growth. 

"Lily"

Also, these plants are not yet dominated by color, which makes the beauty of their form more evident.  

All three photos were taken on my new camera, a Fujifilm FinePix HS35EXR.  I didn't do any editing.    

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 17- Help

"Help" taken on a Motoral Photon Q phone, edited in Google Chrome
By S. Clark

Here in Washington state, we like to help our squirrels by building tiny squirrel bridges to help them cross busy streets.  We have four in town, the oldest was put in place around 50 years ago. This bridge is decorated with lights every year at Christmas because in addition to safe, we also like our squirrels to be festive!

From the Window- a Study of Images While Traveling

"Girlfriend"

I have been taking pictures with my phone from the car (and once from an airplane) of images that have caught my attention.  I think they tell the a story of my life.  These pictures show the beauty in the mundane, everyday stuff as well as the more easily identified beauty of nature in the Pacific Northwest. 

"Giraffe Bling"

All these photos where taken on my phone, the Motorala Photon Q and edited in Google Chrome.  These were taken starting in February 2014 up until today.  They are in reverse chronological order.

"Drive from School"

"Lewis and Clark Bridge"

"Mountain View"

"To California"

"Snow Day"

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 16- Give

"The Mister" taken on a Lumix Panasonic DMC-G5, edited in Google Chrome
by S. Clark

Giving you my love-

Melting into your embrace,

because we are one.

52 Week Creativity Challenge, Week 14- Know Something

"Know Something- Front of Library"
Taken on a Motorala Photon Q, edited in Google Chrome
By S. Clark

"Know Something- Side of Library"
Taken on a Motarola Photon Q, edited in Google Chrome
By S. Clark

If you want to know something, go to a Library!