28 April 2010

night pix


you'll have to forgive me, these photos aren't actually that great. i just kept looking at them and they kept growing on me. i like how expressions got captured, even through the dark. i also have an afinity to film photography at night. something really special about it.

i'm excited about all your comments on my secret cafe post! to go a bit more in detail, a house was set up essentially like a restaurant. they gleaned food donations (how, i don't know much about), had a fixed menu with few different options, a hostess, a few servers, and lots of cooks. on top of the actual meal there was tea, coffee, & cookies. all for sale by donation. i hope that gives you a better idea of the set up of that particular secret cafe. email me if you have more questions.

i have been having so much fun with my friend in town, i don't want it to end. we wore ourselves out last sunday going to the ballard farmer's market then walking to the fremont market. we are drinking lots and lots of coffee and we have so much to talk about. pictures are on their way...

27 April 2010

secret cafe


a few weekends back, i went to my first secret cafe. the cafe was hosted by some friends in order to raise money for a specific cause (i'm being vague, because it is secret after all). it was a house turned into a restaurant, packed with people at tables of two, four, eight. there were "servers" and "cooks" running around making everyone happy and passing out delicious breakfasts. i had the sweet potato waffle with honeyed whip cream and fruit salad. james had the same, but the dairy & gluten-free version. and jon had a tomato and feta quiche with blue potato hash browns and a carrot-beet shredded salad.

it got me all fired up to host my own secret cafe. i'm thinking about how i can incorporate a cause close to my heart and the preparation of good food in order to raise a little money. we'll see.

22 April 2010

you're the best


thank you!!
thank you for all those amazing links--most of which were new to me. i really needed that boost. tonight i am so so excited because one of my best friends is coming into town to stay with me for a week. we have so much to catch up on and lots of lazing around in the sun, coffee drinking and long walks to take. i think i'm even going to take her to this wonderful place. and here and if she's lucky, here, too.

i am going to take a long weekend and won't be back here until tuesday. you can keep up with me here, though. enjoy yourselves. and really, thank you for sharing all those links with me. i knew i just needed to ask.

20 April 2010

got inspiration?

blooms! everything in my neighborhood is so full of blossoms and excitement. i took these with that new lens i've been hinting at, which is a 28-80. i've been loving the nice range of wide angle and zoom that it gives me on my pentax.

today i am looking for some new inspiration. can you help me with that? what are some lovely blogs you can't stop reading? any artist portfolios you love? in the comments section, throw all the links you can my way and i'll get started on reading and looking at new spring inspiration.

thanks!

19 April 2010

spring gardening


the garden is in! we dug up three beds in our grassy front yard, tilled in some good soil and compost and, finally, this past week we put in our seeds and starts.

what we are planting this spring, and how

~one of our housemates put russet potatoes that sat too long in our pantry right into the ground. i have never planted a sprouting crop, so we'll see how that goes...
~green and red lettuce from starts (we are getting our fill of tending to lettuce now because in the summer our csa gives us so much, that it is not worth planting it)
~chives from starts (my favorite!)
~beets from starts
~sweet peas from seed
~arugula from seed

*we went with more starts this year because the weather has been so finicky, it was hard to know when to start.
*i missed the boat on planting my favorite flowers, which i was able to do at our other house last year. if i had planned ahead, i would have put in: dahlia bulbs for late summer, a peony plant, poppy seeds, and cosmos.

what i am looking forward to planting come hot weather

~heirloom varieties of peppers, hot and sweet
~heirloom varieties of tomatoes
~italian basil, thai basil
~mint galore! (that can probably start now)
~eggplant

*all of these, except for the mint, will have to be starts and i am going to experiment with working with a cloche until high summer heats.


what are you planting this year?

15 April 2010

some of my favs

 1. Untitled, 2. {film.651}, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled

i love these shots for their bright light and minimal color. 
two articles were passed my way this week and they happened to be about two photographers whose work i really admire:
a closer reading of roman vishniac brings up questions of truth and myth in photography. fascinating.
a photographer whose beat was the world is a great review of the cartier-bresson exhibit now at the moma in nyc. makes me wish i was in new york real real bad.

enjoy!

14 April 2010

setting up


some shots from setting up my little show the other week. my open house went great! and the photos are still up to the end of april. i'm feeling the meed-week sludge and hope that today is a good day.

13 April 2010

portraits


i've been taking a lot of portraits lately and i love it. i love capturing a look, an expression and i secretly love seeing how different people act towards a camera. i like when they don't shy away and i like when they feel a little shy, but still let me take a picture. i like trying to snap the picture at a perfect time and then waiting to see what expression i got once the roll has been developed.

i think taking more photos of people also marks my growth as a photographer. i remember being really shy about a camera in front of my face (don't get me wrong, sometimes i am still shy about it) and i passed up a lot of shots i wanted to take for the sake of 'not being rude.' now i think a camera is a fun addition to a conversation or a walk down a busy street.

how do you feel about unposed portraits? as a photographer or as a person?

12 April 2010

monday morning


shots from last weekend's coffee break with jeremiah.

right now, i can't get enough of the last shot in this post by threading in the chorus (found via the blue hour).
yesterday i sat on the couch all day and read the book of night women. it's so haunting and i can't put it down.
i've been eyeing these shoes by miz mooz to go with a fun new summer dress.
and this basic recipe is going to be my spring stand-by. how else am i going to get my fill of asparagus?

hope your week is off to a good start!

09 April 2010

a photo walk



a photo walk. a peek down an alley. bright sun, intense shadows. an installation. recycled bottles hanging. waste not, they spell. a friend, new shoes. the sun.

a bit of an update: i am pulling down the shutters of my shop for awhile. i need a little breather room to decide how i want to continue with my photography and i just feel bad advertising my shop without putting energy into it. that being said, for now i am not removing items from it. the page will stay the same until i decide my next step. thanks for all your support out there.

happy friday!

06 April 2010

new food adventures


this weekend i made an excellent new food discovery. rabe! i have definitely heard of broccoli rabe and i've definitely seen the brassicas in my garden go to seed, but i never really put the two together. this weekend we stopped by nash's organic produce stand at the farmer's market and one whole table was dedicated to rabe in all shades and varieties. apparently any brassica (broccoli, kale, cabbage, etc.) that is going to seed is fair game for sauteing and eating. bring it on! we bought a red kale rabe and a green cabbage rabe (see photos above, but ignore the pink from the red chard--the nice lady at the stand set it there for color).

the texture is likened to asparagus in that most of what you eat is stalk. you eat the whole thing so there is the stalk, the leafy greens and the seed portion, which is similar to tender broccoli. the taste is slightly bitter in a good way. almost like horseradish, but much more mellow. so far, i have found it a refreshing variety from my constant kale intake--i love it.

here is how i've cooked it up:

sautéed rabe 
i like  the mixture of red kale and green cabbage rabe, but i would also try red cabbage, green kale and brocolli rabe in an instant.

ingredients:
preferred type of rabe
olive oil
1 clove garlic
butter
salt, pepper
lemon juice
*all amounts are relative, you could make this for 1 or for 4, depending on how much rabe you want to use. you could also mix this with other fully formed brassicas, adding broccoli and cabbage with the stalks and/or kale with the leaves.

1. cut off the very ends of each stalk, separate the leaf from the stalk with a knife or by plucking
2. cut stalk to desired size (i like bite size inches, but you could keep them long like asparagus)
3. smash and peel a clove of garlic, chop fine or put through garlic press
4. heat a sauté pan over medium heat, add a bit of oil and let it warm through
5. once oil is warm add the stalk portion of the rabe. add a pinch of salt and cover for a minute or two
6. once stalks are darker green and a bit softer, add the smashed garlic a slice of butter and the leafs of the rabe. add more salt to taste and pepper. stir to coat and cover
7. cook, uncovering only to stir more
8. once leaves are wilted, take off heat and squeeze a tad bit of lemon juice over the mixture.

viola! eat this mixture on its own for an afternoon snack, with fried tofu and rice for dinner, on top of a slice of toast, next to fish cooked in lemon, with a fried egg...the options are endless.

bon appetit

05 April 2010

full days

 
these past few days have been very full, i quite like it. friday i participated in the fremont arts walk, with my photos hanging in the fremont place book co. it was very full and fun with lots of people, lots of smiling faces, lots of good friends and family. over the weekend i walked around town with a good friend who was visiting after two years away. we stopped by all his old favorite spots. one highlight was an amazing exhibit of sculpture and photography by kiki smith at the henry art gallery. it was my second time seeing it and i connected that much more with the whole show on round two. jon and i went on a long walk to a friend's and took the long walk back home. it was refreshing and calming. we celebrated easter with a nice brunch. today i went dress shopping for a big event this weekend and was successful my first try (so rare). now, i'm going to lay in bed and read a junot diaz story in the new yorker.

01 April 2010

april 1


i'm having a hard time convincing myself it is already april. time to let go of the winter tendencies and dive into spring. without further ado:

april is...
tulips, daffodils, lilacs, bluebells
fresh smelling air
rainbows, wet concrete shining in the sun
spring bouquets on the dining room table
my best friend coming to visit
a huge fundraiser i've been working on for months
national poetry month
digging in the garden
asparagus, rhubarb, snap peas
color
passover

as always, it makes me happy read your lists. please share what april is to you in the comments, or post on your blog and leave a link in the comments.