Grubs

A couple of my youngest brother's spawn, including my most recent nephew.  He was supremely unimpressed with his uncle, as you can see.

Chill'n at Grandma's House (Panasonic GF-1, 20mm f1.7 @ 400 ISO)

Cute kids, bro.  Good for you they take after their mom. ;)

Fly Me Home

Lake Union, Seattle, Washington (mid-2002)
(not sure of the camera or lens used here, probably shot on some crappy supermarket Fuji Superia 200)

In a (probably fruitless) effort to actually get my photographs organized, I've been going back through my image archives and doing some long-overdue editing. (Read, killing of my babies, my babies I tell ya!!) Actually exercising the delete key has been depressingly easy.  Why did I keep taking pictures when I clearly sucked so badly at being a photographer?  Pure stubborn contrariness would appear to be the only credible answer.

Anyway, as I have been sorting through there have been a few images that still make me smile. Not always the best technical images, either.  Case and point is the photo above - the grain is ugly, the composition questionable and the lens flare unintentional.  Still, the light and the mood of the image for me really strongly evokes Seattle and makes me homesick and nostalgic.

Might be more of these oldies to come.

"12" (Panasonic GF1, 20mm f1.7 @ 400 ISO)

At the SeaTac airport, waiting for my flight back to Chicago after spending the weekend hanging out with the family at my parents' house in Olympia, Washington.  Found this and a few similar examples on a early morning trek around the nearby fire roads.  This seems to be the result of either: 1) an artistic and bored lumber worker, or 2) a really out-of-the-box thinking tagger.  Ran across several of these stylized numbers painted onto stumps on my morning photo safari.  No repeat of the numbers and they did not appear to be sequential, at least as far as I could tell.  Maybe an art project from the local college?

It Would Be Much Easier To Get Out Of Bed . . .

If it was not literally freezing outside, and there was a Top Pot doughnut shop to stop off at before work.

Top Pot Doughnut Shop, another reason to miss Seattle

Some Days, I Really Miss Seattle . . .

Lake Union, from Freemont/Ballard

Pike Place Market (cliche, but iconic)

Seattle Center (Christmas, Seattle Style)

To be reminded...

. . . of why you miss where you came from, and why you love the new place where you are. Spent a weekend back in Washington here just a little bit ago. The first of what will hopefully be many annual get-togethers of the Livingston siblings. The two hour time difference did wonders for my ability to get up early and do a little photography before the day got going in earnest. It was cloudy and gray almost the entire time I was there - iconic Western Washington weather. I hadn't realized how much I've become accustomed to the landscape and foliage of the Midwest. Wandering the fire roads near my parent's place really did feel like reacquainting myself with an old friend. It's gorgeous county, but not without it's flaws and idiosyncrasies - just like Indiana and Illinois. I loved the trip and had a great time getting back up to speed with the family. I'm looking forward to the next time. But I have to say that -- for the first real time since I've moved from the West to the Midwest -- stepping out into that hot, humid morning at O'Hare didn't feel like walking into some curious and alien place - it felt like coming home.