Pampers and Paklava

Birds for Maya

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A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky.

Maya Angelou, poet and author  (1928-2014)

 

Finch

Starling

Bad Blue Jay

 

Robin in the birdbath

 

Hummingbird in bleeding hearts

 

Spotted Towhee

 

A real finch and one not so real

A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer,

it sings because it has a song.

~Maya Angelou

Take the road less traveled, Beth

The apple of my eye through the lens of my camera

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My girl in the rain

Through the Eyes of a Mother:

A photography exhibit by Mamas With Cameras

Last weekend I participated in a photography exhibit at Cave B Estate Winery’s Woodinville tasting room: Through the Eyes of a Mother. This was my first photography show–and–I got to be ‘on the wall’ with spectacular photographers, mamas all. I felt immensely proud that I was able to be in the company of these women, so incredibly talented and creative.

I’ve been a member of Mamas with Cameras for nearly four years now. I joined the group well before I became a mom. I’m fairly certain I was the only mom who wasn’t a mom for the first two years I attended monthly meetups, and it’s possible I am the only adoptive mama in the group.

I am–without a doubt–a better photographer for having  faithfully attended monthly meetups, each with a fun speaker and photography exercise. Every single month, when I come home from the meetup, I say to my husband, “Wow. That was great. I learned something new.” I have also taken several workshops the group offers: Introduction to Digital Photography; Working with Natural Light in Manual Mode; and, Introduction to Post-processing Lightroom.

But what I enjoy the most is…the Mamas. They teach me, support me, challenge me, and inspire me.

“As mamas, we are privileged to witness the beauty that is revealed in simple, everyday moments with our children. ‘This exhibit celebrates the enduring love of mothers everywhere.”

~Cave B, Through the Eyes of a Mother

Armenian dress

May your Mother’s Day be picture perfect!

Take the road less traveled, Beth

You can find out more about Mamas with Cameras on their website: http://mamaswithcameras.com/

Birds of Kauai

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Birds of Kauai:

We saw some wonderfully colored birds on our trip to Kauai.

Talking Cardinal

Cardinal

Blue Booby

Blue Booby

Pea Fowl

Pea Fowl

Zebra dove

Zebra Dove

Red-tailed tropicbird

Red-tailed Tropicbird

Red-crested Cardinal

Red-crested Cardinal

Snow Goose and Two Nene

A Snow Goose and two Hawaiian Nene (YES! A Snow Goose on Kauai)

Finch Finch

Egret

Egret

Female red-crested cardinal

Female red-crested cardinal

Albatross

Albatross

Mr. Fluffles

….and our daughter’s beloved heron, aka Mr. Fluffles

Take the road less traveled, Beth

Bird on wire

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Life should be lived on the edge of life. You have to exercise rebellion: to refuse to tape yourself to rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge – and then you are going to live your life on a tightrope.

~Philippe Petit, Man on Wire

When we were in Kauai, we watched this young cattle egret do his  Hawaiian bird dance. He took once step to the left and then another, wobbling. Then he turned around and awkwardly walked to the right. Every now and then, he’d try out a pirouette. He walked back and forth across his tightrope in the sky, until he finally called it a day, exalted, and a bit worse for the wear.

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

White crane on a phone wire

White crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Dance of the white crane

Take the road less traveled, Beth

 

Glamour-puss

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The night before Thanksgiving, Maggie–my 18-1/2 year old cat–and I got gussied up for our glamour shots at All the Best Pets. They host this annual holiday photo shoot as a benefit for Old Dog Haven. I’ve wanted to do a photo shoot with her for several years, but hesitated because–you know what they say about herding cats.

And, true to her feline nature, my glamour-puss did spent much of the photo shoot walking off the set. But ultimately, we got a few shots, and I’m glad we did. I sure love my old gal–a cherished companion for so many years.

<a href=”http://photo.folrev.com/p4504300/e3f737c7c”><img src=”http://photo.folrev.com/img/s10/v98/p1064533116-3.jpg” width=”580″ height=”387″ alt=”Folrev Photography: Magnolia &emdash; ” /></a>

<a href=”http://photo.folrev.com/p4504300/ecbdc49f”><img src=”http://photo.folrev.com/img/s10/v109/p213763231-2.jpg” width=”400″ height=”267″ alt=”Folrev Photography: Magnolia &emdash; ” /></a>

<a href=”http://photo.folrev.com/p4504300/ed989f5d”><img src=”http://photo.folrev.com/img/s10/v104/p228106077-2.jpg” width=”267″ height=”400″ alt=”Folrev Photography: Magnolia &emdash; ” /></a>

<a href=”http://photo.folrev.com/p4504300/e2d924bab”><img src=”http://photo.folrev.com/img/s5/v124/p764562347-2.jpg” width=”267″ height=”400″ alt=”Folrev Photography: Magnolia &emdash; ” /></a>

<a href=”http://photo.folrev.com/p4504300/e23a59188″><img src=”http://photo.folrev.com/img/s11/v37/p598053256-2.jpg” width=”400″ height=”267″ alt=”Folrev Photography: Magnolia &emdash; ” /></a>

<a href=”http://photo.folrev.com/p4504300/e265024ab”><img src=”http://photo.folrev.com/img/s10/v98/p642786475-2.jpg” width=”400″ height=”267″ alt=”Folrev Photography: Magnolia &emdash; ” /></a>

Thank you to Folrev Photography for donating your services to this cause!

Take the road less traveled,

Beth

The Magic Cabinet

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Waiting for the elevator

The world is full of magic things,

patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

~W.B. Yeats

Which door?Each Tuesday, Baby Bird and I have a standing appointment with Miss. K. Miss K. helps us overcome challenges Baby Bird has faced after spending the first year of her life in an orphanage.

We park our car in one of the designated spots in the lot across the street.  Then we ride the elevator to the third floor and try to guess which of two elevator doors, front or back, will open. Next we sign in, and note our parking space, on the sign-in clipboard which is on top of a pine cabinet in the lobby. Baby Bird always peeks inside. She has done so since our first visit, more than a year ago.

Off we goDuring our early visits, she would open one of the double glass-paned doors and search, sweeping her tiny hand over each shelf. Occasionally there was a piece of paper or a pen, and she would try to take it.

This is not ours. Please put it back.

The Magic CabinetMonths later, she opened the cabinet and lo and behold–stickers.  Baby Bird reached inside and took the sheet of farm animal stickers off the shelf.

Those stickers are not ours. Please put them back.

At that moment, a voice behind me calls out.

Those are her stickers.

I turned around to see Miss T., the building receptionist, with a twinkle in her eye.

My heart swelled. Wow, I guess those stickers are ours after all.

We carry the stickers with us to our appointment with Miss K. and tell her about the Magic Cabinet. She smiles.

Week after week, Baby Bird checks inside the Magic Cabinet. Some weeks there is nothing to find and other weeks she discovers a small token: a plastic cup, a miniature toy parakeet, a little pail. I always ask Baby Bird to say thank you, even though I’m pretty sure she doesn’t understand the connection between the Magic Cabinet and Miss T.

SurpriseWhile I know she enjoys the gifts, her interest in them doesn’t seem to last as long as her interest in the Magic Cabinet itself. Her delight lies in the quest more than the acquisition. She was just as curious about the cabinet, before there were gifts, as she is now.

One week, I tell Miss T. that we don’t expect to always find a surprise in the cabinet. I don’t want her to feel she has to keep the Magic Cabinet stocked.

WowI truly enjoy watching her excitement from simply looking inside. I love her curiosity, is what she says.

Hasn’t anyone else ever looked inside, I ask.

No. She’s the only one. 

 

As the holiday season approaches, the Magic Cabinet reminds me:

Curiosity opens doors

Magic lies in the mystery

Be thankful for life’s simple blessings

It isn’t the gift that matters, but the giving

Miss T

Take the road less traveled, Beth

To our appointment we go

 

ClickinWalk: Photographer moms take to the streets

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Seattle ferry

On Sunday, September 29th, I took part in the third annual ClickinWalk, sponsored by ClickinMoms, an online community of over 15,000 photographers. ClickinWalk offered an opportunity for women to bond with others in their city who share their passion for photography. During the walk, local photographers spent time together visiting, exploring their city and taking photographs. This year there were participants representing 58 U.S. cities and international photographers from Canada, the Netherlands, England, Okinawa and Guam.

Of course, this being Seattle, it probably won’t surprise readers when I say that on the day of the walk we were deluged with a drenching downpour and strong blustery winds, the likes of which we usually don’t see until November. Nevertheless, a hardy group of women, cloaked in raincoats and Wellies, met on the Seattle waterfront and spent a couple hours taking pictures of our lovely, albeit gray and wet hometown.

ClickinWalk also held a photography contest. Participants could submit photos taking during the walk in several categories to win fabulous prizes. I wasn’t a lucky winner–there was stiff  competition and most of the winners were professional photographers. But I sure had a lot of fun because, as it turns out, there is a lot of inspiration to be found when you combine Seattle at its rainy best with a group of awesome camera-toting moms.

Here are a few of my shots:

Seattle waterfront

Seattle ferris wheel

Raindrops and stairwell reflection

Red boots

Steampunk Orcas

Take the road less traveled, Beth