those of you in seattle will know that these photos are a bit outdated. the leaves have since been soaked and stomped down by rain and last week's bout of snow (yeah, we had a big snow last week that is now pretty much completely gone).

i can't believe tomorrow is december. don't tell anyone, but i'm sort of dreading gift giving this year. don't get me wrong, i love giving gifts in general, but there is so much pressure to have a gift by a certain day that it takes the fun and magic out of the whole process. i can get pretty consumed by finding the perfect thing for people and i'm not really up for spending a lot of money right now. last year i committed to buying all my gifts from locally owned stores or handmade artists and i am going to stick to that plan this year. i'm sure i will find my inspiration soon...

cooking up a storm

i did a great amount of cooking this week, not only for thanksgiving but also for a few dinners with friends. our thanksgiving meal this year was so memorable, with lots of family and lots of homemade treats. i helped my grandma in the kitchen on thursday, roasting and basting the turkey and i made the apple and pumpkin pie the night before. it was bliss to be able to have a hand in our meal and to spend such good time with my grandma.

this weekend we are on a little 'getaway-in-the-city', house sitting for a friend on the other side of town. it is good to get some time away. hope you all are eating well and enjoying the weekend.

xoxo

there is a space

art and history combine! the old INS building in south seattle has been converted into artists studios and one weekend, inscape arts set up installations throughout the building. i have to say, it was a little creepy to walk into the old hospital ward and the detainee sections. but i'm really excited about how the building is being put to use. and some of those installations just blew me away. so much energy.

fall walks

i'd like to spend all my time looking for pretty leaves and clearing my head on crisp fall days.

i'd like to be okay with giving up some control in my life and relinquish myself to things that come and go.

how is fall treating you? 

remnants

fall morning light
remnants of halloween
slow quiet sundays

that's what these pictures remind me of

rustic soap

growing things farm makes some of my favorite soap. it's handmade and coarsely cut into colorful squares with bright, beautiful scents. i've actually had to take a little break from buying it after a spurt of excitement sent me home with a bagful of handmade soap that we went through all too quickly.
for awhile i only bought their peppermint scent, for the love of feeling my pores open up and refreshed with fresh minty smells. but now i've tried so many other scents, all made with essential oils and the raw ingredient itself. cinnamon, lemongrass, anise, clove, eucalyptus--they're all nice.

if you are in seattle, you can find growing things farm at the ballard sunday market and the u. district farmer's market.

these shots are from my dad's mamiya that i've been playing with off and on. it's a beautiful medium format slr and in many ways functions similar to my 35mm pentax, but the shots have so much more information on them. it's very heavy to carry around and it makes me sad to take 16 shots and be done with a roll. i've been spoiled off of 36 shots. at any rate, i am lucky to have a completely different camera to play with when i want to.

tomorrow is election day here in the states and it's a big race for washington state. our successful and wonderful u.s. senator of long tenure is opposed by someone with a lot of money backing them. the race is close and i'm hoping that washington state knows the importance of health care, schools, women's rights, veterans rights, small businesses and protected land for wildlife. it's scary out there. vote vote vote!

take a look at this beautiful video: i remember, so i'm voting