This weekend has been beautiful and sunny and warm… we took a drive out to the coast yesterday, but didn’t really get any photos until we got back into town and the sun was going down. Waiting all day for this shot was worth it!
Feb 052012
Feb 042012
I'd Like to Buy a Railroad, by Kate Rivera
This is an extremely photo heavy post, ready?!
My friend Kristi and I both love macro photography. She’s a talented portraitist, shooting weddings and individuals, usually. She’s also helped me with a couple of articles, and you can see her macro talents on the one about backyard bees. (The other one hasn’t been published yet.)
I, on the other hand, am just a hobbyist, and I’ve been so distracted with other things lately, I haven’t really done much shooting, other than with the phone camera. I think both of us were feeling a little drag in our personal creativity – meaning the photos we shoot for ourselves — so I devised an afternoon of macro-shooting fun. I went through my yarn looking for interesting stuff, went to the dollar store for a couple of things, then headed to Kristi’s back yard. It turned out she had lots more stuff in a junk drawer, plus a nice collection of rocks and shells… so we were off!
What’s so interesting about this is that we both spent a few hours in the exact same space — a picnic table and a bit of the surrounding area in her back yard — and yet we have completely different photos.
A few things we shot were similar, such as marbles:
A Marble and its Shadow, by Kristi Crawford
Swirls in Glass, by Kate Rivera
And glittery hearts:
Window to the Heart, by Kristi Crawford
There's No Place Like Home, by Kate Rivera
And, let’s see, what else…
Oh yes, some blue glass gems in water:
Submerged, by Kristi Crawford
Blue Glass and Flame, by Kate Rivera
Rocks:
A Ribbon of White, by Kristi Crawford
A World in Turquoise, by Kate Rivera
The rest of the shots were different, random things:
Photos by Kristi Crawford
Photos by Kate Rivera
We both had a great time just goofing around… think we’ll do it again soon!
Jan 292012
Dennis took this photo at the Oregon Zoo, in the Lorikeet Aviary, and I LOVE it. I’m so jealous, because I didn’t get a single good photo in there!
Latest finished item made with handspun yarn… the Backseat Passenger Cowl. As the designer says, sometimes you want the yarn to do the talking.
I’d spun this yarn as a gradient, the same way it was dyed (by the fabulous AnnaMarie of Corgi Hill Farm), and then Navajo-plied. I had about 336 yards and it was the perfect amount for a cowl I can loop around my neck twice. I’m thrilled with the yarn and this project — so pretty, want to wear it with everything!
Jan 132012
I’ve lost touch with one or two family members. We have a complicated family. Well, who doesn’t. But anyway, sometimes I just go Googling for my uncle, who is an artist. I used to love to go to Sedona to visit him and my aunt, and I remember admiring this painting.
My aunt had an amazing spirit. I remember Christmas mornings when extended family wasn’t welcome at our home, she’d show up anyway and give us warm smiles and a few gifts, and then be on her way. You know that saying, “a heart as big as all outdoors”… this painting reminds me of her and her big heart.
Source: richarddrayton.com via Kate on Pinterest
Jan 062012
Make this! Make it now!
I am obsessed with this soup and have to share it with you. It’s possibly the best soup I’ve ever made, and I have some darn good ones in my soup-repertoire. This recipe is going on regular rotation. All of my ingredients were local — at least from Oregon — except for the celery. Oh, and probably the Worcestershire sauce.
For once, I had everything on hand — close enough, anyway — and didn’t need to run out to the store! Don’t you just love it when that happens?
I used Terminal Gravity pale ale, which I think had an amazing impact on the flavor, and a mix of Tillamook’s sharp cheddar and colby jack cheeses. The bacon came from the pig in our freezer, the 2% milk (what I had on hand) was Umpqua. Instead of chicken broth, I used turkey stock that Dennis made after Thanksgiving.
I didn’t make the croutons, though they look wonderful, but I did serve it with a loaf of crusty french bread.
As I was adding the cheese, I kept thinking, “this is a lot of cheese”, and worried that Dennis would find it overpowering. Luckily he liked it, too. And, of course, there’s no such thing as “too much” cheese as far as I’m concerned.
Pinned from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures. (Side note: This Pinterest thing is kind of new territory… they let you embed your pins, and there is a link to the source, but then people can re-pin from here now and the original source becomes sort of secondary. Not exactly the same as re-pinning a pin, and it wasn’t my intention. How are you other pinners-who-blog handling this?)
Source: traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com via Kate on Pinterest
Dec 202011
"Mine"
We spent last weekend at the coast, celebrating our anniversary and just getting away for a couple of days. I love the names given to places on the Oregon coast. So evocative. Boiler Bay, Devil’s Punchbowl, Cape Perpetua, Cape Foulweather…
I took this shot with my iPhone at Boiler Bay while Dennis spent time experimenting with a neutral density filter. Here’s an example of one of his shots. (Worth the click!)
I love the camera on that phone. So much fun!
Have had this on the needles for quite some time. It’s a boring knit with great results, so I manage a few rows every now and then. Trying to make the effort to turn this one into an FO (finished object).
This is based on the Noro Scarf – which is gorgeous – but using Mini Mochi yarn.
Dec 062011
Loving this deep red color today. My eye was caught by the lace scarf & the treasury just grew from there.
