Cooling Down

What a fun weekend! We managed to squeeze a lot in but we also enjoyed a little downtime. That’s the best kind of weekend in my opinion.

Kei and I managed to land a couple of tickets to see Book of Mormon at the Keller Auditorium in Portland on Saturday. While it felt a little strange to see a musical at 2pm on a 90 degree Portland Summer day, it was definitely worth the couple of hours of air conditioned comfort. Such a funny, entertaining, slightly (ok, very) offensive show. I really want to see it again but it’s a little spendy so I’ll have to make do with YouTube replays.

I ran errands on Sunday while the boys watched the Soccer World Cup final. The look of devastation on Samuel’s face when I got home told me that Argentina lost and, while I’m sad for my child, I did appreciate the two hours of quiet shopping time while the rest of the city watched TV. Then Kei took the boys to a baseball game in Salem and I was blessed with 6 hours all to myself. I did laundry, cleaned up and caught up on some Master Chef Australia. I know I live life on the edge.

It’s been a warm Portland Summer so far and this week is not exception. I’m grateful that the boys are spending the majority of their time indoors at music camp while the heat and humidity is at it worst but, sadly, our house is most comfortable at around 80 degrees. So, we’ve been finding other ways to cool off – trips to the public pool, visits with friends to play in their temporary summer pools and popsicles, lots of popsicles.

But there is one thing we always find ourselves enjoying at some point over the Portland summer and that’s the low tech, but highly effective, fun of the sprinkler. It worked for me as a child growing up in Australia (when we didn’t have water restrictions) and it works just as well over here on the other side of the world. These photos are from a couple of weeks ago but I have a feeling the sprinkler will make another appearance when we hit the mid 90s tomorrow.

I think they had a good time.

Independence Day 2014

I already shared one of my more surreal images from our July 4th celebrations but I’m never one to post just a photo or two from a day that included fireworks.

We spent the first few hours of our celebration at the home of one of Kei’s golfing buddies – a friend who also happens to own a pretty delicious Hawaiian restaurant in Portland so, FOOD! At one point I loaded up my plate and counted five different types of meat. The margaritas were also pretty good which explains why some of my photos from later in the evening were a little shakier than usual.

Despite the 200 or so people who attended the party, it was a relaxed event with lots of Hawaiian music and random acts of Hula. The whole experience really made me want to jump on a plane to Hawaii. (Random Acts of Hula would make a great band name. You’re welcome to use it.)

The kids enjoyed Hawaiian-style shave ice, drowned with colors not found in nature.

While we had originally planned to stay for what was sure to be an epic Fireworks display, a quick family poll revealed that the boys were looking forward to lighting some of their own so we headed home around 9:30. The fact that they stayed awake for the entire car ride at that time of the night meant that the Hawaiian shave ice was doing its job.

At home, Kei let my teeny tiny little 8 year old light a few fireworks. I tried to remain calm.

Side Note: The yellow cast in the photograph is from an overheat streetlight in the alley behind our house. We started a little earlier last year so I was able to avoid it.

We started with the smallest fireworks and then gradually moved up to the bigger displays with names like “Hell Fire.”

The blue bucket is there for the trash. At one point I referred to it as the “trash bucket” and our neighbor thought I was using a new Aussie slang for “rubbish bin”. It surprises me how I can still so easily be misunderstood even after 11 years in this country, even when I’m trying to talk like an American. Trash Bucket would also make a good band name.

This next photo is a rather cool mistake.

After we exhausted our small supply, we headed down to the corner of our street where the neighbors brought out the big guns.

I managed to take two or three photos before Thomas begged to go home to bed. When that sugar crash hits, you have no other option.

And that’s a wrap for Independence Day, 2014. God bless America (and friends and hawaiian food and fireworks).

Wordless Wednesday: Ghost Boy and Fireworks

OK, so this photo was a total accident but I actually love the idea of Thomas being able to send his ghostly apparition to light fireworks. It seems a lot safer.

Post-Holiday Monday and Karaoke for the YWCA

It’s the Monday after the holiday weekend. The day when you look back on all the fun you had and just wish you could go back and do it again instead of sitting in front of a computer. Although I have to admit that sitting in air conditioned comfort is a nice change of pace.

Although how can I really complain after an epic weekend that included a 4th of July party with Hawaiian music and hula dancers, fireworks (of course), a fun afternoon at the swimming pool, gatherings with friends, and sunshine, PLENTY of sunshine.

And, because I had such a great weekend, I haven’t had time to edit any photos (not that I took many amidst all the fun). So instead, I’ll share photos from a different type of light show.

I was recently asked to volunteer as photographer at a Karaoke fundraising event for the Portland YWCA. The event itself was so much fun (seems to be a theme for this blog post) and raised a lot of money for this very important cause. I recommend every non-profit organization consider a little Karaoke in their fundraising plans. The key is to line up a few amazing singers in advance to get the party started, although I was a little too intimidated by their incredible talent to get up on stage myself. Sometimes it’s best to make the call to stay behind the camera.

The event was held at Refuge, an event space on the SE side of Portland. That American flag in the photo below is on the side of one of the trains that passed by every hour or so. The noise added to the party vibe but I’m not sure it would be as pleasant for a wedding.

Don’t be fooled by the costume, her singing voice was amazing.

Despite the tricky lighting, I’d be more than willing to volunteer for this event again next year. Great music, fun people and a fantastic cause – three key ingredients that make me one very happy photographer.

A Magical Place: Camp Westwind Day 1

A few weeks ago we spent Memorial day weekend at Camp Westwind. We had a wonderful time exploring, hiking, playing games and making new friends. Sadly it ended in the worst way imaginable but, with a couple of weeks behind me, I feel as though I am now ready to share the happier parts of our weekend.

Camp Westwind is located just outside Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast. The camp is accessible only by barge (or canoe) over the Salmon River at high tide or a 2 mile walk in from highway 101. We arrived with the main group early on a Friday morning to catch the barge across the river. It was raining and a little miserable and I found myself wondering if our choice for a 3 day weekend at camp with relative strangers was a good one. The boys kept themselves busy skipping rocks and finding friends while we waited for the barge.

After a short wait the boys and I found ourselves on the very first ride across the river while Kei stayed behind to help load the luggage on the barge.

After we reached the other side of the river, our small group started walking up to camp. It was on this walk that I met some new friends who told me they had been coming to Westwind for years and that it’s a magical place. I remained skeptical while my legs grew weary of the walk along the dirt road. I’ve never been fully comfortable in new environments, especially those that include shared bathrooms and cabins and the prospect of meeting about 50 new people. But these new friends with their warm welcome gave me hope that it would be less scary than I imagined.

And, you know what? It wasn’t scary at all and it was even more than a little bit magical. We made new friends, enjoyed long walks along the beach, explored tide pools and hiked up (what felt like) mountains. Our little family enjoyed three days of feeling disconnected from the real world, figuratively and literally (I couldn’t get a phone signal). It was like being stranded on a deserted island, but with three good meals a day and a keg at night.

Here are some photos from day 1, including a a baby seal sighting that made me grateful for my new zoom lens.

No need to check your eyesight – that’s Thomas running with a friend, not Samuel.

This boat came all the way from Japan.

Back soon with photos from Day 2 when the sun made a rare appearance on the Oregon coast.

Wordless Wednesday: On Guard at the Beach Fort

Camp Westwind, Lincoln County, Oregon

Another Week, Another Tragedy

I hate having to be a broken record. Another school shooting today, on the outskirts of Portland. Another family who has to plan a funeral for their child. Only this time it wasn’t a terrible accident, it was something that shouldn’t have happened. Something completely avoidable.

I have strong views about gun laws in my adopted country and, quite frankly, I’m tired. How many more times does this have to happen before we see some real change? I know there are crazy people out there and I know that some of those crazy people (or depressed people or people with a vendetta or people just having a bad day) would hurt someone with or without a gun, but why are we making it easier for them? And to those who say we need good guys with guns to stop bad guys with guns – I don’t want to rely on that good guy with a gun. I would rather the bad guy have a harder time getting one in the first place. We don’t need more heroes – we need fewer avoidable tragedies.

I’ve been caught up in a Facebook discussion today that went back and forth between people on opposing sides. For the most part it was a civil conversation with everyone respecting each others point of view, but then there were the people who asked how we dare debate this topic when someone has to say goodbye to their child today. In my mind, is there a better time? This country has a very short memory when it comes to gun control and next week Reynolds High School will be another dot on the school shooting map.

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again – your right to own a gun is not more important than my child’s right to go to school without fear of being shot. Not changing anything with regard to gun laws is not working. In fact it’s getting worse.

Life trumps guns. It’s that simple.

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Wordless Wednesday: Maple

Nicole Day 2014

A few years ago I decided that that best way for me to celebrate my birthday was to take matters into my own hands. I embarked on a plan to take a day off from work each year to do… well… whatever I wanted. It sounds easy, but there’s actually a lot of pressure to fill one special day with something meaningful and memorable. It’s not a day that I can waste sitting in front of the TV or (gasp!) cleaning the house. The weather plays a crucial role. Rain means fewer photos but more bookstore browsing. Sunshine can mean a day where I feel guilty for catching a movie. It’s a delicate balance.

Through trial and error over the years, I’ve created an unofficial Nicole Day checklist in my head and decided that the perfect Nicole Day has to include at least some, if not all, of the following:

Lingering over coffee and breakfast at a favorite cafe while reading a newspaper or book.
A pedicure
Browsing through the Powells photobook section
Taking photos in a previously unexplored part of the city
A visit to Blue Sky gallery (conveniently close to Powells)
Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt
A perfect place for lunch, with a cocktail or glass of wine
Window shopping at a favorite non-kid-friendly store

You can see how I’ve developed my approach to Nicole day over the years by reading my posts from birthdays 36, 37 and 38. This year I added a few more activities to my agenda and decided to officially expand Nicole Day to two days – since one day REALLY isn’t enough. And since my birthday was on Saturday this year, it conveniently pushed on into the weekend. Here’s a quick rundown of all that I accomplished.

Thursday

Coffee and breakfast Koalches at my favorite SE cafe. Massage. Pedicure. Window shopping at Anthropologie (ok, I tried a couple of things on). A browse through the Powell’s photography section. Lunch Bento from the downtown foodcarts – eaten in the sunshine on the park blocks. Photo art at Blue Sky Gallery. Read a book while sipping iced hibiscus tea at a pearl district cafe. Finished the day at home with glass of wine in my backyard while I enjoyed the 90 degree weather.

Friday

Mexican Mocha at Blend cafe in North Portland. Yoga. Lunch on NW 21st street (with cocktail). Window shopping on NW 23rd. Salt and Straw salted caramel ice cream. Photos of the NW 23rd neighborhoods. Movie at Century 21 Theatre – Finding Vivian Maier. Home briefly before joining my family for dinner at Bollywood Theater.

So, you can see why one day was just not enough. On Saturday (my birthday) we headed out for an early soccer game (Thomas played against my Boss’ son) and then to Tasty and Sons for brunch (after a 2 hour wait).

It was perfect and relaxing and wonderful. The cherry on top was an amazing gift that my husband ordered for me which will arrive on Friday. More on that soon.

Here are a few photos I took of my adventures. I took a lot more photos on my phone than with my big camera because it’s a little less awkward when you’re on your own and taking multiple pictures of what you’re eating. I’ve also been feeling a little uninspired with my photography lately but I’m hoping my birthday gift will help pull me out of the rut.

Until next year – the BIG birthday. Best start planning now…

Mondayitis

We had a busy weekend but, thankfully, managed to get a lot accomplished. Birthday party and soccer on Saturday, 4 hours (!) of weeding on Sunday, shopping and laundry. Then we finished it off by watching Game of Thrones and Mad Men. I went to bed WAY too late thanks to a Portland Trailblazers basketball game that went into overtime. But they won so I guess it was worth it.

I also finished my 2013 photo books – only 4 months too late for Christmas but a huge load off my mind.

Oh, and it was Easter yesterday – which has a lot less meaning for me here than it did in Australia where it’s an actually HOLIDAY. Still, the boys enjoyed their little visit from the Easter bunny who apparently did extremely well in the gift department this year. Who knew Mixels would be such a popular choice? And the chapter book Thomas received? He already finished it. Of course they received some chocolate as well and I made the mistake of letting them have some before taking them grocery shopping with me (Kei was playing golf). I thought about leaving them them at the store but didn’t want to be arrested for disturbing the peace. Good thing they started out in my favor thanks to some great report cards.

I also continued my habit of not taking even one photo. I was simply too busy and covered in dirt to even think about it.

So, I’ll share some photos from a brief visit downtown a couple of weeks ago. I chased the boys around with the camera while they tried to avoid me. I supposed we’re hitting THAT stage in the love/hate relationship with having their photo taken. Made for a few fun shots though.

Happy Easter Monday!