My Leap into Photography

I have been doing that dreaded task of sorting digital photos on the computer. When the project begins I always ask myself why I didn't label better, sort sooner, back up on discs more often, and safe so many images of the same subject. It is what it is. This was an early photo above at French Rock on Lake Roosevelt.

The upside of doing this task is to revisit the history of my digital photo files. I always loved taking photos with my old 35mm. I don't know how I afforded the film and developing. Then there were all those double pictures that sounded like a good idea at the time.

When I got my first digital camera I just started pointing and shooting. As a beginning photographer I spent more time examining what I liked about pictures rather than reading how-to books. I just kept taking lots of photos. Above is an early bouquet picture.

What I love about digital photos is how technology creates a timeline of your life events. With film cameras and photos they needed to go into an album or were sorted into photo boxes. The digital format is already done. Dates are there, order is established. In April of 2007 Everett create the room we now call Annie's room.

I think I have taken more photos of flowers than anything else. Flowers are always around me so that makes sense. Only two people live in my house so I don't get to experiment as much with people. I love photographing my students, but also want to protect their privacy. 

Events are remembered, trips documented, hikes recorded, a view from the porch framed. I love traveling through my photography timeline. 

My Leap into Photography

I have been doing that dreaded task of sorting digital photos on the computer. When the project begins I always ask myself why I didn't label better, sort sooner, back up on discs more often, and safe so many images of the same subject. It is what it is. This was an early photo above at French Rock on Lake Roosevelt.

The upside of doing this task is to revisit the history of my digital photo files. I always loved taking photos with my old 35mm. I don't know how I afforded the film and developing. Then there were all those double pictures that sounded like a good idea at the time.

When I got my first digital camera I just started pointing and shooting. As a beginning photographer I spent more time examining what I liked about pictures rather than reading how-to books. I just kept taking lots of photos. Above is an early bouquet picture.

What I love about digital photos is how technology creates a timeline of your life events. With film cameras and photos they needed to go into an album or were sorted into photo boxes. The digital format is already done. Dates are there, order is established. In April of 2007 Everett create the room we now call Annie's room.

I think I have taken more photos of flowers than anything else. Flowers are always around me so that makes sense. Only two people live in my house so I don't get to experiment as much with people. I love photographing my students, but also want to protect their privacy. 

Events are remembered, trips documented, hikes recorded, a view from the porch framed. I love traveling through my photography timeline. 

Relatives : "A Letter From Home"

A Letter From Home

She sends me news of blue jays, frost, Of stars and now the harvest moon That rides above the stricken hills. Lightly, she speaks of cold, of pain, And lists what is already lost. Here where my life seems hard and slow, I read of glowing melons piled Beside the door, and baskets filled With fennel, rosemary and dill, While all she could not gather in Or hid in leaves, grow black and falls. Here where my life seems hard and strange, I read her wild excitement when Stars climb, frost comes, and blue jays sing. The broken year will make no change Upon her wise and whirling heart; - She knows how people always plan To live their lives, and never do. She will not tell me if she cries. I touch the crosses by her name; I fold the pages as I rise, And tip the envelope, from which Drift scraps of borage, woodbine, rue. Mary Oliver

Relatives: "The Kittens"

 

Even though Grayson and Junebug aren't kittens anymore we often call them that because they are still the youngest of the group. By observing these photos it may be difficult to tell they are relatives, but they have sibling rivalry  every once in a while.

They also love to pose together or by themselves.

Relatives: "He is My Cousin"

I teach in a community that has families that have lived there for many generations. We are a small school so I could have between 12 and 20 kids in a grade level each September, depending on the year and who has moved or returned. Many of the families are related.

My students all seem to be related to someone else in middle school. It makes that middle school crush/ we're going out/we are in a relationship (on FB)  much smaller on the drama scale compared to what I have experienced teaching in a larger school. I just heard a student today say, "Ooooooo... I don't want to "go out" with him. He's my cousin." Many are second, third, or fourth cousins but it doesn't matter. A relative is a relative. When students begin the whole family tree-this is how we are related explanation, I get lost. 

It is difficult to have a prom at our school if students are going to bring dates. Acually many of them just go as a group or bring someone from "across the river".  I never think Valentine's Day is as exciting, and often the cousins tend to respond to each other as siblings when things get wound up in the hallway.

Again, as I stated in my post yesterday, this is all hard for me to understand because I was surrounded by aunties, cousins, uncles, and third cousins in the community I grew up in. I guess it is all relative. 

February NaBloPoMo: Relatives, But Not Too Many In Kellogg

 

The theme for NaBloPoMo this month is relative. I didn't make all my posts in Janurary. The internet went down for two days which got me off, then between being ill and semester grading I just couldn't do a post every day. I have high aspirations for February.

Growing up in Kellogg meant being surrounded by people with lots of relatives. We knew families with lots of children,families with lots of aunts, uncles, grandmas, great uncles, and shirt tail relatives. We didn't have relatives in Kellogg. It didn't seem weird to me because I didn't know it any other way. We had lots of friends that included us like family. The Turnbows invited us to Thanksgiving potlucks. The Listoes had us out to their house for dinner. Don and Rosie made sure we were included at the Italian picnic held in the summer. Costas took us camping up the river. We were always surrounded by friends. I loved seeing my relatives and it was a treat to travel to Spokane, Moscow, or Orofino to visit them. Looking back I feel blessed that we had so many families that made us feel welcome in our town. I learned the meaning of loyality, friendship, generousity, humor, and love from these friends. They may not have been relatives, but they were like family to me. Above are a few of them at Mom's 80th birthday party last year.