where er[in]n is

Committed at the Courthouse: Rachel & Michael

2011-01-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Rachel and Michael wanted to get married by themselves. They wanted to save the big hoopla for later and celebrate their committed love now. If it wasn't for the need of witnesses on their court documents, they would have gone about it solo. As it was, Rachel's mother and sister live near-by and were more than eager to be a part of the intimate ritual. The ceremony really was lovely and ideal. Situated in a corner office with a retiring judge who seemed to have no shortage of things to say about my camera and shooting style (I had to remind him in a whisper, "This is about them [pointing back and forth between the bride and groom]."), Rachel and Michael actualized their commitment and love amidst the glowing city lights of Smith Tower.

Before we all headed to the courthouse via fancy SUV and driver, I photographed "the family" of Rachel, Michael, Ruby and Nelson.

Red Cowboy Boots and a camera in San Luis Obispo

2011-01-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Rebecca Heck have to be two of the nicest, shoot from the hip, sorts of folks you'd ever want the honor to photograph. Their love is real... not that it isn't for other couples, but I can't tell you how much I LOVE how I just disappear when the two of them are together, loving each other, lost in eachother's gaze. If I were their judge, "forever" feels good for them... it simply works. I had the fine honor of not only photographing their wedding, but roadtripping with them down to San Luis Obispo, CA where they tied the knot in October.

Rebecca

Ethan

Holland Ranch

The Love

The Crew

The Details

The Party

The Boots and the Camera

The Mighty Midwest

2009-08-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

There are so many projects begging to be created in the Midwest. The land is more rich in history than the topsoil is in nutrients, but as science continues to wave its mighty "fix-it" sword, the corn will continue to grow. I headed back for a family reunion in Bettendorf, Iowa and made a side trip to Chicago where my dear friend attended a wedding. Excited to be a guest with no expectations of photo responsibilities, I took the camera anyway. The ceremony and reception were held in the Sears tower Metropolitan Club with views more stunning than I could have imagined. Chicago is quite the city. I made friends with a four year old girl with curls as blonde and full of personality as the sprite who wears them. She and I danced and danced and danced... even as the band packed up to leave. She walked around and to each band member, shook their hand, and said, "Thank you for the wonderful music". Sure I scripted her, but she took the ball and ran with it.

I took the bus each way and had an incredible experience getting to know a recently released inmate (released that day!) who happened to get out early on good behavior. He was charming and hilarious and not to mention extremely candid about what put him in prison in the first place. I took breaks from conversation to admire the rolling hills of corn and soy and developed a deep respect for a land so prolific in feeding so many people.

Back in Bettendorf in preparation for the incredible feast and frenzie of 30 family members, we baked and cooked and cleaned and mowed... It was quite the process but well worth the efforts. We were rewarded one day with the sight of Hot Air Balloons right overhead.

Rhizomey Loam

2009-05-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

Sticking my fingers into the darkness of nutrient rich soil, creating small compartments alive and welcoming to the seeds that find their place within them, I am nurturing life and absorbing it through my pores. The smell of freshly watered sungold tomatoes penetrates my olfactory senses, thanking me for simulating rain. I've been drawn to this. This lifestyle of nurturing through nourishment and homegrown vegetables has been dormant for 25 years, since we drove West away from the farm. I recently made my way back to my roots through Cascadian Edible Landscapes, an organization dedicated to not only creating gardens out of everyone's urban yard, but to the service of the community where they're educating and enriching the lives of the under privileged. Working with this amazing group of people is awakening possibilities and dreams within me that only seemed distant dreams when I first began harvesting agricultural fantasies a few years ago. As my role becomes more defined, I will share experiences and post photos in hopes that my pursuits inspire those who read this.

Food + People = Community

2008-11-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Last night I attended the Seattle Tilth hosted Eat Local for Thanksgiving dinner at the Good Shepherd's Center. Individuals were encouraged to bring a locally grown item with which a volunteer chef would create a masterpiece. I had no idea what I was in for, but I showed up with my locally grown garlic from both Nash's Farm and Willie Green's Farm, three very large Mishirasu Asian Pears from Dry Slough Orchard via Pioneer Organics, and Quark from Appel Farms. I couldn't help myself but bring along my camera to document the process of how strangers create community through their love for food.

We're not experts in the kitchen. Most of us have the knife scars to prove it. There is something so gastronomically empowering when people drive forward with the desire to learn. Nothing is more delicious than the experience we had learning about food! Beth of Matt's In the Market fame, discussed nutritional facts, modestly showed off chopping techniques, enlightened us on varied cooking times, and fed our souls and tummies with straight out of the oven and off the stovetop goodness. One of my favorite dishes, aside from the roasted garlic cloves, was the kohlrabi bake that comforted everyone in the room. Whether our minds were on the voting tallies (as it was a voting Tuesday) or on whether or not we turned off the coffee maker that morning, Beth brought us back to center with her mustard and lemon salmon, roasted root vegetables and feta, pan-seared baby bok choy, honey-dipped parmasian cheese, beet salad, and pan-seared chard and pomegranate. We were in absolute bliss. A few of us brought wine and a little champagne, jokes and great stories. We arrived strangers, uncertain of how the evening was about to unfold and then we walked away, but not without hugs and promises to make this a monthly event.

We're Here... Where's the luggage?

2008-08-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

wo de bao diule (my bag is lost)
ni shuo ying yu ma? (do you speak english?)

Uh yeah. So we're at the Ritz Carlton in Shanghai. I'm in my own bed sans pajamas. Pretty much all I had covering my back and backside will be all I'll have until the bags ever arrive. We presumed the bags never made it on to the new flight (despite the assurances of our favorite accommodating ticket agent from SFO). We were assured with confidence that our bags would be transferred... to no avail. I'm pleased to have chosen quick dry pants and underwear for the journey. The Business Class couple we met in the search for solutions actually checked their baggage (after 2 hours of tracking it down at SFO) and only one of their bags arrived... The other ended up in Mumbai! The same situation occurred with few other folks who got onto the Jet Airways flight. I think I'd rather my bags "safe and sound" (who knows?!) in San Francisco rather than traveling another mighty distance to the Southern region of India. All that matters right now is that I'm in a crazy comfortable bed, the bathroom came equipped toothbrushes and all the necessities, and we're off on our first tour adventure in the morning!

Ahhhh Jet Airways India

2008-08-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

Fresh warm towels and kind customer service immediately greeted us after boarding our flight 209 to Shanghai at 8:50pm, 11 hours after we left for for LAX. Surrounded by individuals on their way to Mumbai, this was only the beginning of a long journey back to India. Our own television screens full of movies, games, news, and even texting options (in case you bump into some cute guy from row 25B on your way to the bathroom) left little room for all of the reading I intended on doing. There were so many incredible movies from which to choose! I watched the highly entertaining and greatly recommended, "Be Kind Rewind"- of the Hollywood menu, "CJ7"- a delightful Chinese film about a private school attending, poor precocious child who finds an unlikely friend, and "Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'Tiz-, a hilarious film about the far Northern part of France from the European menu. It's a little silly to realize you're laughing aloud and you're the only person watching the film that's so deeply entertaining you. Mike gave me a few looks.

The bathroom came equipped with eau de cologne and lotion- cheap smelling and widely used, but preferred to the usual 12 hr stink. We were handed menus with a series of courses at the beginning of the flight from which to choose our meals. The vegetarian option was delicious accompanied by a lovely glass of vino and followed by a Ghirardelli mint chocolate and a hot cup of black tea. The service is the best I've ever experienced of any other airline. They regularly brought us water and were immediately there as soon as we needed anything. I'm not looking forward to returning to "the care" of United. I can't imagine their seats are as comfortable as this brand-new airline or their service as gracious. United employees are constantly laid off and their hours cut* (source: bitter complaining ticket agent at LAX).

We're about to land in Shanghai and we've been transported forward in time. We completely missed Saturday, August 9th!

SFO: Same Flight Number, Offboarded!

2008-08-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ah United, how I haven't missed flying on the "Friendly Skies"! A mad dash from our plane that arrived from LAX to the one bound for Shanghai left us three minutes too late and an hour and a half boiling with frustration. "You've all been off-boarded", claimed the woman at the International Terminal bus gate. It was a a pretty tough place for her to be in with 20+ people seething in desperation and anger. There is only one flight per day which would leave us either having to find a place to sleep, sleeping in the airport, or scrambling for other options. I decided to put my best foot forward and actually phoned our travel company for assistance before we even left from LAX. Mike was obviously using all of his wherewithal not to punch the seat in front of him. I immediately phoned CARTAN again, after receiving the disconcerting news, to act as our advocates outside of the situation while we fought our way through the inside. Due to the excuse of weather related and SFO traffic controller delays, United would never absorb the blame and offer anything more than food vouchers for the serious inconvenience. I couldn't get over the fact that the connecting flight had the same flippin' flight number but wouldn't wait for its connector. It didn't make sense. I reached "Lisa" at CARTAN who assured us she was doing everything she could to find a solution. Instead of scrambling our way to baggage claim, I directed Mike to find Plan B first. We made our way to the very front of a very frustrated line of missed connections just in time for a change in the ticket agent guard that left only one official agent who could make the ruling all of these desperate individuals needed to resume their holiday time excitement. Lisa phoned back informing us of a reserved flight on Jet Airways India. Through some airline to airline rule, United needed to grant us the option of jumping ship. We got REALLY lucky and earned ourselves Eddie, wonder agent, who seemed to be able to do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we needed. In running into fellow travelers who got onto the same flight, they had to pay.

First Step: LAX

2008-08-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

wo men qu pao bu ba (phonetically: "let's go for a jog")

The day started with an early morning alarm clock reminding me of an early morning dedication to a three mile run. Anticipating an extremely lengthy flight, I never hesitated in my approval of a 6:50am run time. We headed over to the track with incredible (based upon their physiques and speed around the track) athletes were already concluding their sprints for the day. Mike ran into a friend from Jamaica (a friend of Olympic sprinter, Usain Bolt, apparently) with whom he trains regularly.

The run was so satisfying. So many times on my runs in Seattle, I've said "hello" to fellow runners without ever a nod of acknowledgment. Everyone said hello including _________ (this very recognizable Black actor who's been in a lot of movies and is currently on a popular hit TV series) who was joined by his trainer.

We showered quickly and were on our way with parents in tow. The line to check our bags through United was ridiculous and once we got to the counter, none of the electronic kiosks worked. Attempting to flag down any of the aloof bag handlers for assistance was futile. They ignored every request for help or made demands that we (the customers) refer to them by their unknown names. Security was a breeze but the anxiety created by an hour and a half delayed flight to our connecting plane in San Francisco is a bit debilitating. We're about to land, let's see how fast these flip flopped clad feed will fly!

The Air Up There

2008-08-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

The flight from Seattle to Los Angeles is rather lengthy. A solid hour and forty minutes makes me realize how long the West Coast really is with enough time for a substantial nap and every article read in my Sept/Oct issue of GOOD. I opted for the aisle seat, indifferent as today's flight is a mere cakewalk compared to the 12.5 hour journey to Shanghai. I was engrossed in GOOD's, "Some Children Left Behind", encouraging parents "of the people" to speak out against the damaging scares the No Child Left Behind Act has cast upon a flailing public educational system. So engrossed was I that only when ominous back aches caused me to take notice of my surroundings. It wasn't until the 1:15 mark of the flight that I finally noticed the thick rouge of the horizon. The fires. The colors, albeit rich and almost beautiful, lost their luster in the almost visible odor of the air. I looked around for an empty window seat and a kind passenger understanding of my need to document the thick haze in the sky. Just as though my thoughts were heard, my row- non-conversational individual travelers- decided to head to the toilet. I quickly attached my camera lens and slid in closer to improve my view.

The thickness, looming above the preoccupied world below, seems stationary in time with no present plan to disperse. The forests, neighborhoods, threatened lives were all sitting in the heavy atmosphere, just beyond the tip of the wing. I thought of the Santa Barbara fire and how close it got to my aunt and uncle's house (they were a block away from being evacuated) and my sister in law's family 8 hours drive North where they were forced to evacuate. I'm so grateful for their safety. I thought of China and all of the people who through the rapid developments to the major cities are forced to breathe air full of asthma causing, allergy inducing particulates. I wondered how different the quality of air really was in Beijing. It's possible I read too many depressing articles about China's weather modification and disastrous environmental impacts to make this a more positive first entry. Despite the tone, I'm thrilled to be on the first leg of my journey East and look forward to sharing my story at various points along the way.

Wedding on a mountain

2008-07-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Brundage Mountain, Idaho.

Cheri Pearl and I set sail for our next destination wedding in a growing series thanks in part to her increased popularity and editorial fan-base. Through her wedding photography company we've shared the publication limelight in such magazines and online collections as Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Style Me Pretty. I LOVE working with Cheri and having the freedom to accentuate the collection of her stories. We've been working together for nearly 3 years now and the fluidity of our working relationship on the job doesn't go unnoticed by the hobbyist photographer's critical eye. McCall, Idaho was our next opportunity to wow and dazzle with the subtlety of a couple of cute flies on the wall.

On Friday we headed up Brundage Mountain- via ski lift- where the ceremony would be performed. The views, the wild flowers and rocky cliffs were breath-taking. We scoped out the next day's tasks and jumped back on the mountain bike ready chairs of the summer season. There was a moment when Cheri and I looked at each other and began to laugh, "This is my life?!" The smell of balsam and the purity of the air were truly clarifying. I felt more at home in my birth state than I ever had before.

Friday evening's pre-wedding BBQ on Payette Lake was perfect set to the sounds of local Bluegrass bands. The children skipped rocks, the guests enjoyed "Grandpa's Margaritas", and I simply enjoyed my job.

Saturday couldn't have been any more beautiful. We headed up the mountain with plenty of time to make Almond Butter and Jam sandwiches on the hood of the rental before taking on the task of visually telling the day's love story. With a mountain bike race in full effect, the wedding party and guests blended with the scattered-about, dirt-laden individuals crazy enough to take on the steep challenge. There was no shortage of wrapped knees and freshly cut appendages. All the reception had to offer the extremists of the group was a blown-up "Bouncy" castle plentifully enjoyed by the large number of young attendees.

As soon as Cheri's processed all of the images, I'll post some of my favorites. For a sneak preview, this has to be one of them.

The Road to China

2008-06-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here. It's presence is more defined by time of year than temperature here in Seattle, but nonetheless, I'm wearing summertime clothes. When else do I get the opportunity to soak in the Vitamin D that was lacking by 15 necessary points on my last blood analysis? I've been riding my bike A LOT, exploring pleasant nuances of this still fascinating city after nearly 8 years of appreciation. I won't bluff that high gas prices and uncertain job security has me avoiding the expense of car use, but it does feel good to free myself of the seeming dependency.

I'm going to China. After an invitation that befell me nearly a year ago, I reclaimed the coveted passenger seat and have made this the week of my VISA. The time's ticking down and it's time to fill out the crazy paperwork requiring details as to the wheres and who's once we're over there. I'll be accompanying my friend Mike who I met during our team membership to "More Cowbell" of the 197 mile running race Hood to Coast. Although he lives in Los Angeles, we've been friends ever since. We'll be watching track and field events and some tennis matches live during the Olympics, but I have to admit I'm most thrilled about experiencing China amidst the rapid growth and chaos of Capitalistic expansion. I'm not sure how much computer time I'll have there, but I will post images once I return.

I recently returned from California where I explored a bit of wine country and my brother's beautiful wedding destination in Carmel where the ceremony was graced by the presence of sheep and shore birds. I literally made myself sick in preparation for the "Best Man" speech. It took some time to actualize that off the cuff and from the heart is where I flow. The wedding was more beautiful and more personalized than a lot of weddings I've experienced. For wedding day photos that I team shot with my perfect date, Dave Edelstein, click here for the gallery. I had the honor of photographing Christi, my sister in law (I have a sister?!), and Nathan, my brother in their wedding day duds the day after the official day. Everything was so beautiful! Check out the gallery of the shoot!

Oregon: Welcoming us home to the Northwest

2007-05-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Shannon's Bambini in Eugene, OR.
New recruit.
Shy little one in Organic Cotton.

These kids were great! I wanted to continue photographing them and all of their youthful charisma. This one was especially funny in her Red Bandana!
Colorful little girl in Purple Bandana. Her father co-owns and runs Green Eye Auto, a car company that purchases used Mercedes and diesel-fueled cars for biodiesel conversion. They found us a fuel filter and installed it for us!

Mother's Day is every day
Spring and I made friends at The Laughing Planet, a welcomed referral for dinner. Brown rice and delicious, locally-grown veggies never tasted sooo good! On every table and lining the entire counter where everyone first orders before finding a table are toy dinosaurs and a robot. I realized we had kind of lost a little of our minds when I walked up to one of the servers with Bronto in hand and asked with my best dinosaur voice, "Do you have wireless?" The server looked at me and in a shocked and slightly-scared giggle asked "What?" Instead of switching it up to ensure she actually heard me, I asked again in the same dinosaur voice, "Do YOU have wireless for my computer?" She laughed, shook her head, and confirmed that they did. As Utah Philips strongly suggests, "You've got to mess with people, day and night, you have to mess with people! You gotta mess with 'em!
They just kind of sink into a cryonic torpor and they're never seen again, god!"

I love Spring's desire to stop and smell the flowers.
The gazebo in the beautiful backyard of The Campbell House, the quaint B&B we opted for on our last night on the road.
Our reflection in diesel-powered Petroleum hauler.

California: The Fulfillment Center of Family

2007-05-15T00:34:00.000-07:00

Spring's cousin was so cool. Justin and his wonderful wife made us a delicious home cooked meal! It was the first since Spring's brother and his girlfriend made us dinner in Salt Lake City. It was so wonderful and welcoming.

We dropped by Nate's Cafe to take cheesy photos for my brother but also to grab a couple of delicious breakfast burritos!

Spring was so excited to see her grandfather in Dana Point. Her little voice called out for him over the echoing sounds of public radio.

He made Spring so happy. What a gem this man is.

Of course Spring gave her grandpa some BabyLegs.

Practically blind in both eyes, Grandpa takes amazing care of himself and is extremely self-sufficient. He has a method behind all of his madness.

It was difficult to say goodbye. He remained waiting for his Access bus to take him to his appointment and he rushed us off knowing how long it would take us to drive to Sacramento.

This is where Spring and I did a lot of napping. We normally had the seats down with a pad and a sleeping bag but had it all cleaned up for the Baby Loves Disco event. We were fortunate to have two to drive and a space to crash if the need presented itself. "Lumpy", Spring's stuffed lion played the part of comforter and pillow.

The drive up the middle of California is mostly flat and littered with forgotten and flourishing farms. There doesn't seem to be a system of rotating crops nor is there a shortage of large white tanks containing pesticides and various chemicals.

Growing up doing this drive with my mom and my brother from Redding, CA to either Paso Robles, CA or Santa Barbara, CA where my aunt lived, always took us past Harris Ranch. This ridiculous sprawl of acreage used only for dairy and beef cows is a huge dirt lot covered by a noxious methane cloud that, when I rolled down the window to take photos, made Spring gag. There were a few influences that made me choose the life of a Vegetarian, this was definitely one of them.

This is Gafton and Cooper of Valley Supply Chain. No, we're not supporting slave labor. This is the wonderful family-owned and run business that is now BabyLegs' fulfillment center. They also send out the humorous products produced by Wry Baby.

He wanted to give our manual fuel pump a whirl. Although we enjoyed the workout, we appreciated other people's interests in pumping for us!

In Redding, CA where I grew up, Mi madre, Miranda, her partner of 12 years, Gary, and their old lab, Tye.

My mom has been adding our peels and her mass amount of used coffee grinds to the compost pile for years. Their incredible garden is proof that the composting has proved beneficial to the nutrients of the soil.

Gary and Mom also wanted to partake in the fueling. Gary owns and runs Redding Yellow Cab and was kind to connect us with "the family lube specialists" that changed our oil and filter.

I was very fortunate to grow up so close to so much beauty. I had Lassen to the East, Mt. Shasta to the North, and just south of that, Shasta Lake and Castle Crags.

Castle Crags
Mt. Shasta
Spring went crazy with the camera taking absolutely beautiful photos of the drive north to Ashland. I'll never get tired of this piece of the freeway.

"Time is an enormous, long river..."

2007-05-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday evening at approximately 4:30pm, Spring Courtright and myself, Erinn J Hale rolled into the great big industrial parking lot that is home to the warehouse of BabyLegs. In preparation of our homecoming we safely secured our cowboy hats (mine, straw-like and from Orlando, Spring's red and from some random shop in New Mexico), inserted Billy Ocean's Greatest Hits (don't even ask me why I happen to have that silly CD), rolled down all of the windows, and began singing along "Hey! Hey! You! You! Get into my car! [Who Me?] Yes You! Get into my car! Whooooaaaaaa [Enter horn section]". Our adrenaline was pumping, our laughter was as plentiful as the day we left, everything was pretty much the same except for all of the finite details we noticed had changed with the sun and experience. We arrived a bit wiser of the road and the people who live along it. We felt older, noticing the more defined lines that have formed deeper grooves across our foreheads. Our nails were dirty from the countless digging in boxes for events and fueling up every four hours along the road. The whole experience seemed surreal and at that moment, greeted by our loving BabyLegs co-workers, we weren't even sure we had gone anywhere but in our minds.

It has been a day and a half now that we've been back. I miss my buddy Spring. I hope there are more adventures awaiting us. What an honor it was that BabyLegs afforded us this once in a lifetime opportunity. The trip was no vacation from anything except from our normal, daily lives, and boy did we work our behinds off! Every chance we had, however, we allowed our love of people, fascination in their stories, and pure, youthful curiousity to lead us into shops and restaurants along the way further exposing us to a new understanding of the very town in which we stood.

Waves of memories continue to flash across my mind. I've been trying to write everything down before those memories fade into the file cabinet of my mind. If I can offer any bit of advice to anyone, it would be to explore the country at some point in your life. The U.S. is HUGE and full of people waiting to fill you full of their life history. These are the people who make this country fascinating. We're so resilient. I keep thinking about the server in Buffalo, TX who works in a BBQ cafe where you can get the $4.99 buffet lunch of mustard greens, sweet potatoes, fried okra, a variety of prepared meats, and more! The cafe's walls are covered with painted saws; an artist's recollection of a snowy brook, handmade wood crafts and knitted delights. Near the entrance was a glass case full of children's plastic toys and "Tammie's Homemade Peanut Brittle", of which we bought two as gifts. We were encouraged to support a couple of young girls' fundraising attempt for "Jumprope for Life". Frames of young children lined the tops of the cases, and as we learned those photos will forever contain their youth as three of them passed away in two separate car accidents. Only one of the grand-children, who was 1 at the time, survived, but as the doctor declared, she'd never be able to walk or talk. As Betty's God is her witness, her "grand-baby" is now 3 years old and is walking with the grace of therapy and is also beginning to talk. This woman's pain was so deep-set in her eyes, but it was incredible to see how much this little child represented everything in which Betty continued to believe. All of her faith, all of her hope for the future rests with her grand child. The story makes me want to cry, but the fact that Betty was able to stand there and tell us about it without breaking up further illustrated her strength and resilience. I continued talking with her and Spring, looking back with a little head nod to me, went out to the truck to gather up BabyLegs and goodies for Betty to take back to her miracle baby and everyone else she thought might appreciate such a thing. She hugged us both and blessed us and we walked out the door feeling quite pleased with ourselves and equally so humbled.

The people we met let us in. It was as though they'd been waiting for a couple of strangers to show up one day just so that they could share their stories. It's just a shame there aren't more people to take the time and listen.

Utah Philips was our road philosopher. Bio Lyle from Seattle gave us a CD that's a collection of his live recordings of which Ani DiFranco took her favorite and included her world of sound and song. His stories and words stay with me as we played the CD mulitple times along the way. This was the excerpt that gave us goose bumps and helped to define our underlining mission on this journey:

"Time is an enormous, long river, and I'm standing in it, just as you're standing in it. My elders are the tributaries, and everything they thought and every struggle
they went through and everything they gave their lives to, and every song they
created, and every poem that they laid down flows down to me - and if I take
the time to ask, and if I take the time to see, and if I take the time to reach
out, I can build that bridge between my world and theirs. I can reach down
into that river and take out what I need to get through this world."

Taking our time in Eugene, OR

2007-05-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

The drive up from Sacramento to Redding was the same as it always has been, a little on the long and dull. California is the only state we've experienced where we had to drive 55 mph. It's a bit slow when you're used to a faster pace. Visiting with my mom and Gary was brief but quality. They gave us a tour of their incredible garden and advancements they're making to the house in which I spent my high school years. Leaving was difficult, but I knew what sort of incredible beauty awaited us from Redding to Ashland, OR. The mountains escorted us around the bends, exposing hidden veins of melted snow replenishing Shasta Lake. Castle Crags, Dunsmuir, Mt. Shasta City all welcomed us back to the Northwest. I drove and Spring, with my camera in hand, went crazy, utilizing all of the mini photo lessons, taking photos of the amazing light that made the hills curvaceous. The views were breath-taking.

Eugene is the most perfect place to conclude a long earth-conscious trip across the country. The trees are plentiful and carefully protected in the building plans of the old homes that line certain city streets. The pace of life was slightly disconcerting at first, but it quickly became a profound reminder of the way life is best enjoyed- deliberately. The trees are incredible reminders of this.

The event yesterday went beautifully. Tired and weary, Spring and I rolled into town wondering where we'd find the energy for the very last event on this month-long whirlwind. I'm under the weather again (and I never get sick!) and agreed to stay back as much as possible. We set up a table outside of Bambini and met Shannon, the wonderfully dedicated mother of soon-to-be three lovely children and three successful stores. The weather was perfect and the enthusiasm of everyone who visited the table was inspiring. What better way to end a small-scale environmental movement than to talk with the already conscience people of Eugene!! We met wives of some guys that bound together to start Green Eye Auto where they convert cars to perform on ethanol or biodiesel. They also sell various models of Mercedes and Volkswagen. Needing a fuel filter for the final stretch home, I was sent over to check out the lot and to have the filter installed. Continued conversation with the continuing and future BabyLegs fans helped us to realize how involved and adamant Eugeneans are about change and making earth-conscious choices. They're very enthusiastic about the new organic line! In fact, Shannon called her order in while we were there!! The event was extremely successful and uplifting! It was nice being able to recycle our broken down boxes...We love the Northwest's dedication to recycling!!

Our return home will be bitter sweet. Spring is eagerly wanting to return home as she's been without her best buddy, Cricket, for way too long. It's made her feel so good to know that so many people were involved in loving and taking care of her during her absence. I'm expecting major freak-out when they're reunited. Cricket often jumps into the arms that love her... I just hope she doesn't knock Spring over! Let's also hope Cricket is still the small frame that we both remember.

I'm looking forward to my little studio and my daily life, but there's something so simple about living out of a bag that contains all of the clothing protection one would need for the various climates across the country. I've learned so much during this trip. I will be making substantial change in my life. Thinking about driving a gasoline-fueled car makes me feel guilty and a little ridiculous if I'm considering paying $3.50/gallon or whatever it is in Seattle right now!! Change happens from within and if I expect anyone I've met along the way to remain inspired by what we taught them, I need to "be the change [I] wish to see in the world". It will be interesting to be able to step back from the trip and recollect all the memories. I'm deeply saddened to think that I lost 3 memory cards for my camera somewhere along the way. They were protected in my little black SanDisk neoprene case. There were photos that I didn't have the opportunity to download... :( I'm still hopeful that it's somewhere in our stuff.

Well, off to pack up the bags, refuel, and hit the road. I've missed my friends but gained a sister. I never thought I'd spend an entire month with a person and still be excited to hang out with her. Spring is an extremely fun and dynamic person... I'm so grateful for the opportunity to get to know her.

(I'll add photos when I return home :)

San Diego, CA: Baby Loves Disco!!

2007-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

San Diego's first ever Baby Loves Disco was an incredible success! Parents lined the streets awaiting the opening doors of Aubergine, the host club of BLD. Strollers were parked in the designated "Stroller Parking" area and moms discussed which pair of BabyLegs their child loved best.

Spring and I were up and out by a quarter to 6am to locate a car wash or a water source (quite the epic) and found a self-service car wash where we washed the truck and then the trailer separately as only one would fit at a time. We made our way downtown to the Kinkos where our requested documents were ready to be picked up and then on to the street where Aubergine awaited hundreds of little ones. We scored rock-star parking and made our way to the most incredible breakfast either one of us had ever experienced. We discovered a Farmer's Market where we were seduced to purchase beautiful jewelry and trinkets to help an Indonesian man return home. We sat and chatted with the Flexcar reps and told them tales of our journey. With the sun beating down and the time ticking away, we made our way to the truck and trailer to prepare for our most energized event thus far.

I got to meet Andy Hurwitz who started Ropeadope Records, my favorite record label!! We had been in contact over email over 3 years ago... it was so crazy to finally meet him. Proud Pops that he is, he took over and helps each city initiate Baby Loves Disco. He's also created recordings with real, talented musicians with representative animal characters to encourage kids to love music through "Baby Loves Jazz" and "Baby Loves HipHop"! I'm a super fan! I was incredibly honored to meet him and work side by side with him for this crazy event!

Aubergine, the venue, was so perfect for this event! I enjoyed the "Stroller Parking" outside. The valets and bartenders made almost as much on this Sunday afternoon as they did on a Saturday night!

Miss Spring and myself in our shiney pants and ratted/painted hair. We had a display right by the back door everyone passed as they left the event.

This little guy cried when his dad first put the BabyLegs on his arms, but after he began throwing him into the air, he seemed to love them!

Okay, I know this photo makes me look like a goomba in the least flattering way (what exactly is a "goomba"?), but this is Andy Hurwitz... THE Andy Hurwitz! Oh how I wish I was wearing normal clothing for this kodak moment!!

We're on our way to Sacramento today. I regret leaving the beauty of the Pacific, but it'll be nice to be that much closer to home. We're still having a great time meeting so many people, but Spring misses her Cricket and I miss my... studio.

Through the Southern Desert... Texas, New Mexico, & Arizona

2007-05-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Hello All! At the moment the GreenLegs Biodiesel Power Train is just outside of Phoenix, AZ at a beautiful timeshare nestled on the slopes of South Mountain. There are hiking paths through the bird sanctuary right next to the resort. My brilliant cousin, Tiffanie, found this place on Expedia for less than $70 per night!! We're literally staying in a condo with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen, living room, and dining room!! It was so wonderful to be able to run our water bottles through a dishwasher and simply to feel as though we were at home. Susan at Best Fed gave us Burt's Bees nurture gift packs with bath crystals and everything!! I've been watching an old cactus in our "backyard" where a lovely bird has created a home. I only wish my brother, the bird expert, was here to look up and help us not only identify the birds, but the cacti in the area. The desert is incredible and despite the fact that people warned us about the "boring" drive through West Texas, we found it to be beautiful and full of its own charm and mystery.

We've stopped at so many truck stops along the road to fuel up on our own. Despite our own massive size of truck and trailer, these diesels are HUGE!! We're dwarfed in comparison.

Littered across the Texas landscape are small towns, abandoned due to the lack of petroleum. They're literally ghost towns, left to waste away.

We landed in Pecos, TX, another "ghost town" that is supposedly experiencing a re-birth since the 70's oil boom. This is the self-proclaimed town where rodeos first began and where they pride their cantaloupe crops. Excited to experience this cantaloupe crop, we asked some locals where we might find some. To our dismay, the fields have dried up and the only available melons are trucked in from California. This is where we enjoyed breakfast the next morning.

In Houston we learned that when contractors wished to build anything new, they simply tore down the pre-existing buildings. There didn't seem to be anything in place to preserve old buildings except in a few historical districts downtown. This photo represents this mindset that we found prevalent in the majority of the places we visited across the country.

This was from Wednesday morning as we were pushing to leave the Oak Tree Inn which seems to be the temporary home of railroad workers in Pecos. With plenty of stories about Tornadoes, we chose to get out of town before this storm front attempted to threaten us.

Approaching El Paso, TX.

Flash floods and hail made this the most incredible storm I'd ever experienced. Spring found an awning at the near-by Best Western to protect us from the occasional golf ball of hail.

I love these clouds!!

New Mexico greeted us with several gift shops doubling as gas stations all owned by the same Bowlin family. Their signs were bizarre, the selection of goodies even more bizarre and plentiful made stopping worth it.

This is Larry from Roadrunner Biodiesel in Tucson, AZ. They deliver the fuel wherever you are in town!

Proof of a fully filtered supply of fuel.

This is my wonderful cousin, Tiffanie, in front of her house. With her incredible help we were able to get on the road to Phoenix fed, well-rested, entertained, cleaned-up, fueled, and regretful that there wasn't more time to visit. Thank you for EVERYTHING Tiffanie & Jon!!!

At Best Fed. Susan, the owner, is in orange. This was such a wonderful place where mothers could sit at tables and share ideas and suggestions about which products and methods best worked. They LOVE BabyLegs!!

Thank you Susan for being so wonderful! Congratulations on such a successful store!!

On to San Diego for Baby Loves Disco!!

In Houston... saddened by our departure from the South.

2007-04-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

Since Spring and I left Orlando, what seems like a lifetime ago, we've had the most rich and fulfilling experiences. There have been so many that it's been difficult to find the time to sit behind the computer to edit the mass amounts of photos and capture, through words, exactly what we've experienced.

First, I must mention that our event today at A Woman's Work in Houston was a complete success! Sandra was a wonderful host and considering the fact she's been in business for 18 years, she's doing everything right! What is normally her slow day became a flurry of business and activity as we constantly had moms to introduce to BabyLegs or thank for being so loyal to our product. It's so wonderful to hear feedback from moms that really don't know what they'd do without their sweet BabyLegs. A mom actually introduced Sandy to the product and unfortunately showed up 10 minutes after we left. We took Sandy and her lovely husband to dinner and had wonderful conversations about kayaking, fly-fishing, and our government. Thank you for everything to you, Sandy, and your hard-working staff!!

I must also thank Nick with the utmost gratitude for our crazy evening with Leslie and the Ly's! I can't wait to post the pics!! I appreciate the insider's glimpse into Houston! We never would have found all of these great dinner/nightlife/breakfast spots!

I last left you with our experience in Defuniak Springs, FL... we cross from Florida in to Alabama and then to Mississippi where we stopped in Biloxi for the most incredible lunch I think I've ever had at the Ole Biloxi Schooner. Biloxi was established in 1699!!! It was wonderful to know we were in such a historic town, but found it disheartening and extremely sobering to learn of and see the devastation, first-hand, of Katrina's wake.

We heard of a lunch spot that my friend, Chris, found on the net and in our attempt to find the location, spotted the hidden jewel of the Ole Biloxi Schooner. We found a parking spot and bellied up to the lunch counter next to a couple of kind locals. Spring stared down our lunch neighbor's Turtle pie he enjoyed pre-lunch, inspiring the offer and purchased dessert we enjoyed post-lunch. The menu was full of fascinating and appetizing options for a couple of "Yankees". I asked how we could be Yankees if we were from the West... I often received blank stares and a seemingly strong determination to refer to anyone outside of the South as such. It kind of became enduring as we traveled through places littered with billboards advertising Civil War reenactments.

After realizing how hungry we were from the road, we ordered fried okra, gumbo, potato salad, and crawfish etoufee. We realized how much food we ordered and stopped the production on the crawfish mystery dish. The gumbo was out of this world and actually sausage free! The servers had wonderfully thick accents and ended up LOVING BabyLegs they swore they'd share with their friends.

Sitting next to Scott and Tommy who work for the Parks Dept of the City of Biloxi was extremely educational. Scott moved back to Biloxi from Naples, FL "After the Storm" to help family and friends literally pull their lives out of the mud. He was a kind and shy person who's Turtle Pie generosity will forever be appreciated. Tommy, with a wife and four children, lived through the storm thanks to an exodus to Mobile, Alabama. He returned to find his home completely destroyed and the entire city in war-zone ruins. He joined the demolition and clean-up crews with with which he worked 18 hour days for 2 1/2 months until he uncovered his 6th body the age of his own son. He now works for the city fixing pipes for the water department. Their buddy, Lance, showed up to present us with a Barq's root beer bottle from the 40's they dug up on the job. Tommy and Lance told us about staff infections and boils from which they suffered after having to crawl around in the infected waters Katrina stirred up. Although they've successfully maintained beautiful senses of humor, we sensed an extremely hesitant optimism due to the fact the problems since the storm are still so present. We didn't realize how present they were until we drove down I-90, along the waterfront, to see for ourselves. Where one could imagine a flourishing area of resorts, fancy homes, and restaurants, there now stood destroyed buildings, concrete foundations, broken signs, palm trees snapped in half, for sale signs, weather-gutted hotels, and very few rebuilds. The resorts starting anew seemed to be built from steel and concrete leaving very little opportunity for natural disaster to disrupt the structure. I snapped photos from the window knowing how much time I truly wanted to spend capturing the voice of a city hidden in the shadow of New Orleans. The connector we took to head back toward I-10 exposed us to less (once) affluent areas of town where FEMA set up horribly small white trailers for temporary living solutions. We imagined families living in these things, unable to afford the opportunity to start fresh. No home and health insurance is a common burden. Scott revealed that he pays $1600 a year for normal home insurance, not including the enforced flood insurance. Very few people are able to pay this in these areas further inspiring a poverty downward spiral. The scene was devastating. Shame on the news and the government for ignoring the ever present travesty in Biloxi and small towns along the Gulf.

The thought-provoking experience left us dumbfounded and curious to explore more. We drove through the most amazing swamp land and bayous that I could have ever imagined. The intensity of the green was comforting and the sound of the birds made us realize that the aviary life of the South must be the happiest in the country. The songs were varied and clear and those we spotted were poised and their lives, plentiful. The bird's songs renewed our optimism.

It's late and I have plenty more stories to tell. I'll check back in when we're in Dallas. My computer is completely full of viruses I'm attempting to expel and the photo upload isn't working because of that fact. So much to share!

~erinn

Motivational Fuel

2007-04-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

"Hola chicas bonita. Huh, wha..what's that? Is that a sonic boom I hear
as two biofueled fembots blast out of So Flo blazin' a wild and wicked
trail to the BIG T? Wowy wow wa Borat, not even Thelma and Louis can
keep up with these baby lovers.. Look out Texas. You ain't seen nut'n
'till you seen the S&E Express. YEEEEHAW!"

Thank you Chad Courtright.

It's true... we left Orlando and are now warmly embraced by DeFuniak ("as in a few people" -local resident and eaves dropper) Springs, Florida. We rolled into the Super 8 parking lot and opted to check out the town before getting sucked into the life we lead behind our computers. Every turn we made revealed more and more protected, historic buildings pulled straight out of the early 1900's. We discovered the oldest continuous running library in the country as well as an adjoining garden full of native plants supported and loved by the butterflies, birds, and gentle humans. Right down the hill from the oldest library was "the 2nd largest naturally round lake in the world" according to our new friends, Keith and Maureen of Upper State New York. We met along our walk, while staring and questioning the names of nearby ducks and birds. It turns out the entire area was dedicated as a bird sanctuary. I really wish I had my knowledgable bird watching brother here to identify the species I had never seen before.

Keith and Maureen cracked me up! They are two adorable people who's conversation not only reminded me of a couple straight out of a Woody Allen movie, they've known each since the 3rd grade and walked away holding hands after our warm good-bye! They offered to have us stay in their home next time through and we gave Maureen some BabyLegs for her niece and nephew. It was difficult to say good-bye, but our stomachs were eating the internal lining, and we headed to the 2nd best restaurant in town, "Mom & Dad's Italian". The best restaurant, Bogey's, was closed for a private "murder/mystery" dinner but looked absolutely wonderful including the Bed & Breakfast of approximately 10 rooms at the Hotel DeFuniak. This really felt like a place we both decided would be fun to bring our road-trippin' loved ones in the future! I'm really embracing the Southern charm and hospitality and look forward to our drive to Baton Rouge tomorrow.

I hope all is well in wherever-you-are land. We're so excited to be back on the road after such a successful tradeshow!

~erinn

The new and improved fueling method... Hazmat free!!! Thank you Joel!!

The oldest library and an incredibly climbable tree.

Keith of Upstate New York

Keith, Maureen, and Spring

The 2nd Largest Naturally Round Lake, DeFuniak Springs, FL

Orlando, Florida... Stream of consciousness composed in an authentic English pub!

2007-04-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my day off and it's my brother's 27th birthday (whoa... am I actually getting old?)! I had my first tradeshow experience yesterday. Nicole figured since the work of the roadtrip will continue after the show, Spring and I have each been given a day off. I slept in and woke up the stuffiest I'd been since the morning after my karaoke performance in Nashville, TN. I watched the end of
"Elizabethtown", did laundry here at the hotel, ran a 5K on the treadmill, continued doing laundry, watched "The Client", and escaped the comforts of the large bed to explore the surrounding shops. I purchased a smoothie, a "Fabio" Florida postcard as a joke, and an IPod car charger for a negotiated discount. I walked past the Pirate Golf Adventure and discovered a run down "Mercado" celebrating "A Festival of Shopping & Food". I noticed that the festival was hidden amidst shops that were either defunct or closed down, but I kept exploring for a hidden jewel. Around the corner where people collected in the sunshine of the outdoor smoking area, I spotted The Cricketers Arms. One step in the place whisked me back to my 3 month adventure in England last summer. There are cask beers from the same brewery I enjoyed throughout my travels.

Manchester United just scored against AC Milan- The place is crazed with fans! Where Am I?? Really?! I turned to chat with a fellow at the bar and I realized the majority of the accents filling the chatter of the pub were of the UK variety. The score is tied at 2 and every little goal attempt forces arms into the air, nails into the mouth, and/or curses toward the tele. The place is dark due to the drawn shades and dark wooden beams. The decor holds true to the pub's name, the mural on the back of the wall celebrates the farming homeland thousands of miles away, and the ambiance makes me feel nostalgic and welcome.

Orlando is a different place. It's apparent the local economy survives on purely tourism. Everything that is visible to the driving passer-by seems to have been built to seduce the curious to stop and tour/explore/purchase whatever it is they have to sell. The architecture is interesting and new... the location is a giant city playground for adults. It seems to have changed quite a bit since I was first here as a fifth grader.

Manchester is taking a penalty kick. Again, they've missed. I can't believe they have my favorite English meal- The Ploughman's Lunch! This pub is unbelievable!

I need to get back to the hotel to finish the laundry. The $2/30 min dryer isn't effective the 1st time around.

There's an industry event at Universal Studios this evening. JPMA is a huge production. BabyLegs was probably the most successful booth yesterday. Nicole met with people from boutiques in New Mexico to corporations as large as Target Online. It's incredible to observe the process and the growing success.

The truck is with Nicole's husband, Joel, who is changing the oil and making adjustments to our fuel pumping system. We have a new itinerary that will unfortunately bypass New Orleans and Austin, but the new driving schedule was created to keep Spring's and my sleeping needs in the mission's best interest. This could mean an extra day in San Diego, but I'll reveal our new path as soon as it's revealed to me. It's possible we won't return to Seattle until May 11th. Our meeting regarding this schedule is this evening.

I still have so many stories to share about adventures from Kansas City, MO to Athens, GA!

Thank you again for all of your support. Keep emailing, calling, and reading!!

Manchester just scored with 30 seconds remaining! Time for a Ploughman's to go and some sun by the pool!!

Happy Birthday Nathan!! I love you buddy and I'll be sure to not send you an alligator head from the Bargain Bin across the street.

~Erinn

Happy Earth Day!!

2007-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of you dedicated Blog Readers! We're in Orlando for the JPMA Tradeshow. This is our day off and I just wanted to throw up a few photos and Thank Yous... There's so much to share!! So many adventures from the past few days! Patience my dear friends. Thank you for all of your support and love! Plant a tree, do some cartwheels, give your friends some high fives, recycle, buy locally, eat organically, get outside, and at some point, write us!

Thank you to Rutherford Farmers Co-Op and your amazing team of fine Tennesean men for not only installing a rubber tube that allows us to pump every last inch of our fuel, but for transferring the fuel and quite simply keeping a couple of ladies clean for a few hours. We can't tell you how deeply we regret not taking you up on fine Southern cooking... ugh... schedules. Meeting all of you, even Danny, was a real treat. If you were a sample group in a study based upon charm and courtesy, I'd say Tennessee is one of my most favorite states!

Thank you to Boswell for donating 100 gallons of B100 Biodiesel! Thank you for having enough fuel to set us up for the rest of the trip (we hope)! You freed us from sooo much stress on Friday! Thank you Thank you!!

Okay... more in a few hours after Spring and I go check out some other spring that a server told us about just outside of town....

hello how are ya hootenaney

2007-04-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

My birth state. I am a born and bred spud bud!

This is the house where I spent the first 5 years of my life that we just happened to find on Indiana Ave in Caldwell, ID. The world of emotions that filled me when I ventured into the backyard is indescribable. It's one of the last surviving homes on this block from the old farm houses. Welcome mass building and the suburban/tract home lifestyle. The corn field where my brother and I rolled our red flyer to collect corn cobs is no longer there. It made me wonder about the fate of the farmer. It made me think about this house and the beautiful and only trees on the block that are holding on for dear life. My mother purchased this home with the inheritence from her father's death. I wish we still had the house and the incredible land around it. Change is difficult to stomach when it's not for the positive. Hold on little house.

We had the fine honor of stopping in Boise to visit with Chad Courtright. What a winner. He really is a truly inspiring human being that has dedicated his life to being happy, celebrating life's natural resources, digging his hands in the earth, and creating positive change through the way he lives his life. His warmth and the appreciation of the minute details in our daily life make him one of my absolutely favorite people.

One of Hugs and Bugs dedicated customers. Salt Lake City.

At the SLC, UT "Step It Up" Rally, there were all sorts of displays and fascinating people to meet. This is a local bus used for city purposes with the chemical equation for Biodiesel painted on the side. Let me just tell you how much I appreciate Spring's exuberence.

There were plenty of bikers at the Step It Up rally. I appreciated this woman's application and the reflection of square sunshine from her "rearview mirror".

The drive through Colorado was absolutely beautiful. It was difficult to have the same standards when driving through Kansas, but I do enjoy a good looking farm.

Oakley, KS. Bates Motel? Please take note of the figures in the corner. Also take note of the pillows that are still there and not in the back of the once super comfortable truck.

yikes.

double yikes.

Spring IS the Statue of All Good Nature. Yes, folks, that there is a double entendre.

Missouri.

Truck stoppin'... It's a new term we thought up considering all of the time we spend pullin' fuel out of the tanks and checking out the fine products of the shops. Confession: Spring and I now have our own do-rags!

Missing Cricket. This dog is no substitute, but the continual giving nature of animal love should be practiced all over the world.

Just about to drop kick my ThinkPad!

2007-04-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Kyla Krengel is a wonderful human being who kindly hosted us in Nashville. She and I played Ultimate (think Frisbee with a team) at UCSB as the "Burning Skirts". It was wonderful to see her after sooo many years! She's a hard-working teacher and now owns this large home that she purchased for $237,000!!! I don't think I could even find a studio for that in Seattle! I have a world of great photos of us together that seem lost to the world now... somewhere on my missing memory cards. Ugh.
This is Debbie. She was our server at Noshville in Nashville, TN, determined to promote BabyLegs to the world of Southern mothers! Go get 'em Debbie and THANK YOU for your enthusiasm!!
This is Brent. Hehe. See story below...

Hello All!

Spring and I are in Nashville, TN... we can't seem to find our way out of it. This isn't for lack of directional knowledge or because we seem to be running horribly low on fuel.. We LOVE this place! It's almost like a foreign land. The South is a different place completely! People are extremely polite, kind, intelligent, and creative. This feels as though it's the sister city to Seattle's music scene... but a little less mopey (hey, I love the mope!). I just overheard a conversation about Dr. Dre and how nice and talented he is. This person knew from personal experience and appeared to be a producer type. (I love eaves-dropping!)

I was driving the big rig down the city streets with no real idea of where to go. Kyla, my friend and hostess with the mostest (She let us do our laundry!!), said that Broadway was the way to go and so this became our point of reference when asking for directions. We spotted a friendly fellow with a sweater, dark hair, and blue eyes and asked him for the way to Broadway... he gave us directions and I swear his eyes twinkled. As I drove on to the next light, approximately 2 blocks down the street, I spotted twinkle-eye guy running down the street to catch up with us. We laughed and drove on not realizing that he had a wealth of bio-fuel knowledge. How narcissistic that we thought he was simply enamored with Spring's also twinkly eyes. We drove to various parts of the city, wishing that my aunt Carol was there to impart the same treasure chest of city history that she shared in Kansas City. We stopped briefly seduced by the sassy cowgirl hats in the window. We inquired about great places for food and were directed to "Noshville" (clever), a Jewish/New York style diner. We found rockstar parking right in front and made our way in for a little breakfast. As our eggs, potato cakes, and sliced toms were placed in front of me, I noticed the sweater guy checking out our trailer. Sure, it was a little freaky that he found us, but then I remembered that HE DID direct us to Broadway, the very street on which were were now parked... not so freaky or creepy. I knocked on the window with a feeling that he had something to say. He appeared as though he'd jogged a few+ blocks. He, Brent, found his way to our table and simultaneously inquired about BabyLegs and what we were doing with Debbie, our sweetheart of a server. To our audience we told our tale and between the two of us, imparted a story that inspired the server to become our mouthy restaurant rep and Brent to share information about his various bio-fuel projects. Not only has he been working on projects to combat obesity in children, but he's working on the technology to create fuel out of the local crops, this area's being tobacco. He opened up an entire world of dialog and seemed to be a great resource and inspired follower of our mission. Meanwhile, Debbie began telling her customers about our product and talked about taking it to Green Hill where all of the high-end children's boutiques were located. We gave her a bag of BabyLegs, brochures, pens, and our well wishes and permission to represent us and our company all over the city. Word of mouth is SOOOO powerful! She told us of a story about her grand-daughter who pooped her pants on Easter and because she (the grand-daughter and not Debbie- haha!) was wearing tights the mess ended up all over the back of her and ruined her Easter dress. We addressed all of the utilitarian benefits of BabyLegs and I'm positive that we have a wonderful salesperson representing us from Noshville, Nashville.

We are now sitting at JJ's cafe where the room is full of computer users and students. Spring is addressing the hundreds of emails in her inbox (please oh please consolidate the communications BL Babes) and I attempted to simply open the photos I've taken along our path... and my computer simply... well, sucks. I know that's a horrible word, but I can think of far worse to describe the source of my anguish and frustration. It's virused beyond repair, it's slow and old, and although it's helped me through loads of projects, it's time to put-'er-down. I'm composing this on the $1/10 minute cafe computers. I'm envisioning a kind soul that will walk me into the Mac store (Macs don't get viruses and are perfect for the type of work that I do!), and gives me the opportunity to pick out the powerbook of my dreams. Where are you magic giver? Are you here in Nashville?? I need efficiency! It takes me forever to attempt to do anything with this darn machine. Spring's internet connection is if-y and she needs it for all of her projects. Please world... send me the tools I need to be successful in my pursuits! (I'm not yelling, just asking loudly)

So, yeah... I'll post loads of wonderful photos as soon as my computer decides to cooperate. I appreciate your patience and loyal following.

We're considering staying in Nashville tonight. Sheryl Crow is here with her Biodiesel tour. I think she heard about our project first and decided to jump on the bandwagon. WE were supposed to be the first women! We found out she was here during our search for a manual pump from a kind man named John. Who knows what this will inspire. I can't tell you how important our street marketing has become... it's nice to remain in one place for a period of time in order to be effective.

Okay... back to the poopy PC I have. Know we're safe, we're having an absolute BLAST laughing constantly... my eye is MUCH better, thanks to the drops, I have a little cold, but I'm taking voodoo potion that Spring brought back from Uganda that she swears will rid me of my ailments. Think good thoughts about the computer vision I'm fostering.

happy happy joy joy...

erinn

We miss you!

Rest in Kansa City, MO... okay, more like quality time with family and refusal to deny ourselves the opportunities for further experiences!

2007-04-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Biodiesel doesn't smell toxic. Even though we tried to keep the fueling process neat and clean, we didn't mind if we got a little on us. I would never say this about a petroleum product
Kansas City, MO is pretty groovy. This is their parking structure for their downtown historic district that they've lovingly and beautifully disguised as a giant shelf of inspiring books. I'm proud to say that my great-grandfather, Robert Cushman Murphy, was an inspiration for Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring". I love the careful placement of the tree in front of this particular "book".
Aunt Carol and Uncle Richard Hale. They really are inspiring, incredible people. I'm so grateful for their hospitality and comfort. I can't tell you how delicious and wonderful oatmeal was with all of the healthy goodies and halves of grapefruit!!!

This started off as a reply to an email from Beth, but I enjoyed what I wrote so much that I decided to use it as today's post (hey, there's nothing like a little self-pat on the back):

Sleep is most definitely an issue. There's no "us" time. There's driving, event, blog/photo edting/posting, and very little sleep time. The time it takes to refuel due to pump issues and re-tarping (due to high winds on the plains) is a little nutty and adds a considerable amount of time to the driving portion of this adventure. Add also the amount of time it takes to re-energize through a little jump-roping or dancing to Billy Idol, Wham, or other jewels on the 80's XM Radio station. We pretty much give the truckers free entertainment through our own entertainment. We make ourselves laugh all the time... I wish you were a fly on the wall! We're in Kansas City, MO where my Aunt Carol and Uncle Richard live. They're extremely kind and showed us around this amazing city. I just learned of a family member's passing from earlier this year. I was absolutely devastated considering I had first made his acquaintance over Christmas with a deep desire to visit and spend time with this seemingly incredible, soulful person. I remember how excited I was to discover there was another person, who shared my blood, so enthusiastic about life. I just can't believe no one told me until today.

Despite the news, it was so nice to be able to not think about rushing to an event after so many hours of driving only to continue to be "on" for all of the potential new BabyLegs customers. If anyone can pull it off, it's us girlies, but boy oh boy is it exhausting. I made the mistake of forgetting our pillows in Oakley, KS at what looked like the Bates Motel. I figure the ghosts in the neatly crocheted wall art can have them. I needed to wash the cover any way.

Our sense of humor and absolute passion for the details in life, the beauty in people, and the infultration of smiles and goodness keep our energy flowing. Sure, a sty in the eye (doc gave me drops and instructions for a hot compress) and sleepy eyelids throw a kink in the efficient progress of forward movement, but we realized long ago that this journey is far from linear. We really enjoy each other's company and really cannot stop laughing. I never thought I'd enjoy seeing someone cry so much (Spring laughs with her tear ducts!)!

Tomorrow we're on to Nashville, TN after a 9+ hour drive. We'll be staying with my friend Kyla, from UCSB, who I haven't seen in over 7 years! It'll be great to catch up and re-fresh before the Athens U of GA extravaganza and Orlando lift-off.

We're still determined to have lunch with Willie Nelson when we're crossing TX. Tell your friends... they might know someone who knows someone who knows someone.

Thank you for your support! Even though we're eating through my cell minutes like crazy (my T-Mobile service seems to be superior along our route for some reason), I can't tell you how much we enjoy hearing from people. It's nice to know that we're not "outta sight, outta mind". I'm here to tell you, however, that we are on the verge of approaching "Outta Mind, Outta Sight"!

I have some more FANTASTIC photos du jour, but I'm not on my computer at the moment to get those up... I'll get those up as soon as I get the moment. I hope you're all enjoying them!

Off to bed... it's 1am and check out time at the Hale house is approximately 8am after a warm bowl of oatmeal, raisins, and soy milk. I love my progressive family... not really anything that has to do with the bowl of anything... just a feeling of warmth for my aunt and uncle. Please be sure to call and tell the people in your family you love them... mean it with your actions. Life is too short.

:)
erinn

Waking up in Oakley, KS

2007-04-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for falling asleep during posts. Forgive me, also, for today's fragments. The battery has been charging all night and the pump is not pumping. This process has been very frustrating as we just want to be able to pull over in times of need to simply pump the fuel and move on. We spend upwards of 45 minutes each time we stop trying to figure out why the pump is not pumping. An alternator connection to the pump battery will be helpful for the next go at this. A handpump will also be key and if anyone is able to find one for us anywhere between here in Oakley, KS and St. Louis, MO, we'd be soooo grateful!

We both have scratchy throats, my left bottom eyelid is swollen from who knows what. I have a rinse, but of course I'm wanting instant results. We'll have to stop at an eye doctor at some point when the pace slows down (not sure if that's a possibility with the fuel issues).

Despite the frustrations, we're having a fantastic time together and laugh CONSTANTLY. I'm not sure if we're both just punchy or actually REALLY FUNNY.

Time to hit the road and meet up with Banz in Knob Noster, approximately 4-5 hours drive away!

I hope all of you are happy and well and have a wonderful Monday! Think good thoughts and well wishes for our pump!!

~erinn

Day 3: Salt Lake City, UT... feeling a little out of order with plenty more stories to tell!

2007-04-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

With the wonderful Lauren outside Hugs and Bugs, Salt Lake City, UT.

Our company pledge at Step It Up, Salt Lake City, UT.

Passionate dancer. Step It Up, SLC, UT.

Bob Hugo, Chief Firefighter, Fuel Extraordinaire, and Hero of the Night!

Our reflection in the fuel tank on board the Biodiesel BabyLegs express!

Day 4: Laramie, WY (sort of) to Denver, CO

2007-04-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

We drove through the night to arrive in Laramie, WY for a one and a half hour sleep and shower before heading to Denver for our event. The sky was unbelievably beautiful. Spring woke up to help me capture the intensity of the colors in the Wyoming sky. There's not a lot you can do from the truck windshield to truly illustrate the way the hills roll into each other and how they every-so-often explode into towering boulders fit for the impassioned climber.

Spring took this photo during one of our fuel stops. My lack of sleep and rampant flow of delerius punchiness has inspired interesting photo opportunities.

Meet the crew of "Real Baby" in Denver, CO. Sunday was absolutely beautiful and the neighborhood streets were full of strollers and curious parents enthusiastic to either meet the representative force behind BabyLegs. Hilary appeared for the event, fresh from the mountains where she enjoyed a free Michael Franti and Spearhead concert. Her energy was incredible despite her lack of sleep. She has a zest for life and truly enjoys her store and the loyal following she's inspired through her incredible selection. Spring and I were instantly busy, creating new systems of organization and display. Parents were so grateful to receive such generous offerings of marketing seduction.

Day 2 Photos: A Brief Glimpse

2007-04-14T02:48:00.000-07:00

Here is our beautiful rig on a country road perpindicular to the very street where I spent the first five years of my life. It's been since then that I've seen the house, and I found it. The flood of memories hit me as soon as I walked into the backyard. I'll share those photos soon. I wish I took more... I was just overwhelmed by the emotions.

Boise, ID... Outside Chad's Pad for a refuel. True teamwork. The pump is a little top heavy and it takes the two of us to kick-start the darn thing sometimes. I personally love our adorable hazmat suits. All we need are our Devo Chrome Domes.

My first day behind the wheel... I love the power of this beast and my cozy borrowed Spacecraft trucker hats! Spring said I get a gold star for my reversing abilities!

Boise, ID... I know where she is and boy am I so pleased she's here!

Jennifer Horowicz is not only a master designer, she's an incredible person! You did a beautiful and EXTREMELY fast job putting this together! Thank you!!

Day 2: La Grande, OR to Boise, ID to Salt Lake City, UT

2007-04-14T02:31:00.000-07:00

Today was full of light rolling off folded hillsides, straight highways stretching out before us, truck stop talk with truckers about biodiesel and BabyLegs, and discussions with my brothers about organic gardens and road trip music. Not a bad day at all, I must say.

This is Spring, Erinn's road trip partner. I am incredibly impressed with Erinn's photography, as well as her trailer backing up abilities...not to mention her coy smiles that reel in the truckers. We just hope On-Star isn't recording our conversations as we drive across this vast, beautiful country. Our conversations aren't always as beautiful as the landscape.

We are continually impressed by the number of truckers and tough-looking men who approach us to talk to us about our outfits (we ARE pretty sexy in our hazmat suits when we refuel) and biodiesel. Just today two different men in two separate states approached us and told us they make their own biodiesel from leftover restaurant oil. One runs all his business vehicles on biodiesel and the other was a persian gulf with a license plate that said SNIPER who ran his truck on biodiesel made in his garage. He kindly offered to fill us up, but we had to make haste for Salt Lake City and had to decline. We gave his son a pair of BabyLegs and they sent us an e-mail saying we can stop by any time to fill up...thanks Rob!

Another trucker came over to tell us he can't wait until the truck company he works for starts to use biodiesel. So many truckers, so little time to convert them all! Come on Willie Nelson, we're ready to share some biodiesel trucker talk with you! You'd look great in our Red Bandana BabyLegs.

Our mid-day breakfast was spent with my brother Chad We staved off starvation with Luna Bars and a a Carla Cookie (bring on the hips!). We spent quality time touring Chad's horticultural masterpiece. He uses his magic compost and organic practices to raise vegetables and gorgeous plants for two inspiring Botanists in Boise. Thank you Chad, you're our Sustainable Superstar of the Day!!

Our late evening meal was provided by my brother Mitch and his lovely girlfriend Mary in Salt Lake City. We sit together now, listening to Xavier Rudd and laughing about laptop follies. Thank you for the sustenance and strawberry shortcake!

We look forward to our morning event at Hugs 'n Bugs in Salt Lake City and then a Global Warming rally before heading off to Laramie, Wyoming. We're looking forward to sharing our BabyLegs, Clif Bars, Biodiesel, Woobie information, and Green Car Co coloring books. Watch out Salt Lake City, here comes BabyLegs!

Day 1: Seattle to LaGrande, OR

2007-04-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Parked in Seattle and eager to hit the road with Spring's Sponge Bob travel mug and stuffed animal... um, what was the name? "Lumpy"? "Loopy"? :P Hey, there's our friends Seattle Biodiesel in their own cameo behind the rig. Thank you Todd, Eric, and all of the wonderful people of the Biodiesel community that have been so generous!

Post Black Wagon event. We LOVED how kind and wonderful the ladies of this ideal Portland location were! They gave us music for the road! We'll definitely be doing events with them in the future.

News Flash: Two girls along the Columbia River make tough guy curious about our fueling process. He looked great in 'mint!

A glimpse of the scenery.

Day 1: April 12, 2007
Spring and I are on the road… finally! It’s amazing the amount of stress involved in getting a project like this off the ground. There are so many people to thank. First we want to thank our extremely supportive and enthusiastic co-workers who helped to propel the trip to a once unfathomable commencement date. All of their good luck tokens, hugs, and loving support will carry us through this incredible journey. We’re not even to Portland, but the magnitude of what we’re embarking upon has set in as a reality. It’s a little wet on the road but with Brenda’s (Thanks Brenda!) Beastie Boys Beats and more blasting on our boosters, no weather will prevent us from experiencing the full enjoyment of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Our mission is clear and will become better defined on our first stop in P-Town. We’ll be a little late, but at least we’ll be arriving in BabyLegs Style!

Event 1: Black Wagon, Portland, OR
Quote of the day: “Today’s baby doesn’t wear tights, today’s baby wears BabyLegs!” as said by a passerby mother we gave BL on the street. She purchased her first pair of BabyLegs in Ashland, OR where the saleswoman revealed to her that tights were an official dead trend.

Spring and I LOVED Portland!! What a way to kick off this trip right! Sarah Shaoul of Black Wagon was absolutely wonderful and introduced us to the delicious homemade tortillas and tacos of Por Que No and why not, we’d only had bits of organic donuts, a mini Luna Bar or two- Fresh, delicious food was just what the doctor ordered, but, I k now… this isn’t a food review. The event was fantastic! We showed up approximately 40 minutes late and the lovely team of Black Wagon blocked off a place for us to park right in front of their store. The place was buzzing with hipster mommas and their equally groove & funk kids. I was instantly a fan of Owen who sported his Mohawk as though his momma gave birth to the warm sounds of the Sex Pistols. The kids LOVE the Luna and Z Bars. The moms LOVE the free BabyLegs. The time flew by with plenty of buzz and passion for our product. Megan, one of the associates of Black Wagon loves to upsell their rocker “Blondie” onesies with our Cinnamon BabyLegs. We definitely felt very welcomed and appreciated for all of our Green Car Company coloring books and information. There are multiple events taking place in Portland through the summer. We’ll have to keep in touch and participate whenever possible. I love Portland. Sarah made mention that she doesn’t often receive product info from her rep. We should change this.

Back on the road- on I-84 my eyes are finally fighting me… time to close them so that I may be of assistance to Spring.

Biodiesel Roadtrippin' Mommas!

2007-03-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

On April 12th at approximately 9am, Spring Courtright and myself will be venturing forth in a 2007 Chevy 2500HD Biodiesel Truck! Our mission is to not only deliver product and various supplies to our fellow co-workers at a Tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, our mission is to deliver educational opportunities to 32 cities across the country!! We will be stopping/sleeping in:

Portland, OR
Boise, ID
Salt Lake City, UT
Cheyenne, WY
Denver, CO
Hays, KS
Topeka, KS
Knob Noster, MO
Jefferson City, MO
St Louis, MO
Nashville, TN
Atlanta, GA
Orlando, FL
Tallahassee, FL
Mobile, AL
New Orleans, LA
Baton Rouge, LA
Houston, TX
San Antonio, TX
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Abilene, TX
Alamogordo, NM
Tucson, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Eugene, OR
Seattle, WA (HOME)!

If you know anyone in any of these locations, please let me know. We'd love to stay with the locals and find out about the local eateries. I'm so excited to be a part of this project! We will be raising money for victims of Hurricane Katrina for our stop in New Orleans. Anything you can do to donate or support would be appreciated!

Thank you!!

erinn

Back in Seattle

2006-12-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

Oh the rains of Seattle... I have a love/hate relationship. I suppose it's more the chilly temps that keep me couped up in my tiny studio more than the rain, but it's a little dark and depressing at times. Even though it drives me crazy when other people complain about the weather, I can understand where they're coming from but I try to find inspiration in the darkness of the shortened, gray day.

My UK experience was everything I could have ever wished for and more. I had the opportunity to visit Germany as well as spend a couple of days in Turkey. It was difficult to spend so little time in each country, but I was blessed with the appetite to visit again and experience more!

Istanbul was full of rich culture and tradition. After spending nearly 3 months in the UK surrounded by so much history, I was awstruck when I took a walk through Sultanmeht, one of the oldest parts of Istanbul. I was there during Ramadan where the people prayed in mosques six times per day and fasted between dawn and dusk when they partook in a huge market scene of kebobs and spun candy. The city was alive with modern bars and clubs that left you wondering why the city was so expensive. I had a mojito for 24 YTL which works out to be around $20!! It was good, but not that good.

I have to run, but I'll continue to update this post with more recollections of my experiences this summer...

Yes it's late, but you can never control when inspiration is going to strike...

2006-09-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Trafalgar Square

Big Ben

I've been feeling inspired. I don't know if it's the Billy Elliott musical that I just experienced (Holy Crap AMAZING!!) or the fact that I've been looking through some of the photos that I've captured lately and I'm really pleased by how I've been viewing this experience. To be honest, it's a bit of a pain in the back to carry around my big ol' camera all of the time, but when I do I'm so proud of myself for putting forth the effort.

There's so much to share from my journey around England and up to Edinburgh and back down. The Lake District is sooo amazingly beautiful. I've been trying to figure out what to bring back as gifts from my travels... with all of the silly things that are sold in stores all over the touristy parts of England, I hope prints of my photographs suffice as the way I've experienced this amazing country.

The Eye of London

My first published story!

2006-09-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've been going through emails that were exchanged during my crazy time in dealing with the various media sources that found deep interest in OAR Northwest. I'm finally finding the time to appreciate those people that emotionally took as much out of their participation in the race as I did. The people of Gig Harbor Boats Works (http://www.ghboats.com) have been incredible. David Robertson has been so wonderfully supportive of my pursuits that I hope to properly support him in his. In their monthly newsletter they published some of my photos as well as the brief story I wrote about coming to work with OAR Northwest. If you get the chance, please read the piece and I'd love your feedback!

http://ghboats.com/newsletters/2006_09/newsletter_2006_09.shtm

haha! the running results

2006-09-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.running4women.com/brighton.php?subid=38&order=pos

A long time running

2006-09-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hello hello. It's been too long since I've last posted anything. I first had to maximize my time in my dealings with the media by dedicating ALL of my time to communication and photo editing. Since having to part with Brad's borrowed computer, I've had minimal access to the Internet except at eclectic cafes in the more progressive towns of England.

Since the landing of the U.S. rowers I've been on a whirlwind. The Yorkshire Warrior team landed and I officially met Captain Paul Tetlow of the Yorkshire British Regiment. He had 3 weeks leave and suggested a bit of a roadtrip... He didn't have to do a lot of convincing as it was finally time to put down the computer and just enjoy this amazing country. I have photos... loads of photos to share but can't access my portable hard-drive from this computer. I need to start writing down all of the places we visited as it's beginning to be a bit of a blur. It's hard to believe we fit so much travel in to a relatively short time. I'd have to say that the Lake District was my favorite spot. We hiked up a beautiful mountain near Keswick (pronounced "Kezik") where we did a bit of scrambling and dodging piles of sheep poo. I decided to run ahead with the inspiration of Fell Runners that seemed to populate the surrounding towns. Running down the steep grassy hills brought back the sensations I experienced when running in Hood to Coast... it brought back the soreness as well.

I've really enjoyed running around the beautiful public footpaths, through rugby and corn fields, quaint towns, and long stretches of country road. Although it makes me sound as though I've been running the entire trip, I haven't... but the opportunities I've taken have been unbelievable. While in Warminster, I ran through military territory and local farms to reach the top of the largest hill that overlooks the town. I was greeted with wild flowers and two trees that stood, side by side, in indefinite companionship. Looking out across the rolling hills of countryside, townships, and farmland... I was taken with such incredible emotion. I paused for a few moments to sit under the tree and take it all in.

This morning, whilst in Brighton, I stumbled across race organizers preparing the road as a starting line for a women's only 8k run. I decided to enter for the challenge and sense of accomplishment that only makes race runners continue to cough up high entry fees. After ingesting a full English "fry-up" (minus the bacon- think ham not the crispy stuff- sausage, and baked beans) of tomatoes, mushrooms, an egg, toast, juice, and tea, I headed down to the race start. I had difficulty with the contents of my stomach but managed to remain in the top 10 of 450 women! I finished the 8k in 36:20!! I'm awaiting the official results for my place standing and chip time. I feel wonderful and just wish I'd train a bit to see how well I could do with an added boost.

I've been walking around Brighton searching for jobs and ducking into Internet cafes to get a fulfilling amount of time for correspondence. I never feel as though I get enough for the time I buy. I'm in search of my next adventure. I'll be off to London tomorrow to collect my passport and catch up with "old" friends from my first 2 weeks in England. I really need to get a job... think positive thoughts.

Short on time... Big on stories

2006-08-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you Ron LeValley!

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/281880_rowing19.html

Seriously incredible. I've never been more exhausted in my life. I've been on a boat for 4 days straight following the rowers for the past 50 miles. The weather was unreal! Seeing the men after so many days of rowing was absolutely the most amazing experience! Of course I got so sick on the boat that the other 3 thought I was going to die. I'll never think about trying to keep up with how many pints a British man can consume in one evening... NO, I won't even share how many I had. The second day was fine however.

I have so much to say... just not enough time at the moment because I have so many photographs to process. You can see some of them by going to the OAR Northwest website: http://www.oarnorthwest.com and click on Gallery and then the first album you'll see. The most recent- from two days ago- are the first images in the album. Let me know what you think!

My face is a bit worn and sunburned, but I feel completely satiated knowing the guys are finally home with their families and that everything, absolutely everything (except for my stolen bag of course!) worked out in my favor... in all of our favors really. There are absolutely incredible people that helped me get to this point. I'll be sure to dedicate an entry for them.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

Love,
Erinn

adventures at sea

2006-08-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

i'm off to ride the rib out to the fellows on the water. the weather is crap and the rowers will probably cross the finish line in the middle of the night. i'm looking forward to the adventure, but a bit nervous. what other opportunity would i have to do something so crazy? i'll have images up soon... i should be back in a couple of days.

thank you for your support!

erinn

photos in cornwall

2006-08-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

these are photos of the hash house harrier run... new friends... old harriers... old church with scary gravesites. one of the stones that's supposed to cover the hole has been moved aside... yikes!

Stress... Work... Chomping at the bit... Laundry...

2006-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

whoa... it's difficult to put into words how i'm feeling right now. i've experienced such elation, such frustration, such stress, and such enthusiasm. one would say this is providing balance, but i'd say it's making me an absolute screwball. i notice myself talking a little too fast as a result of all of the thing that seem to be processing through my mind. usually when things are being processed in every other avenue in life, there's a conclusion, a result, a decision, a finished product... i'm in perpetual processing mode with no way of knowing when my mind will finally feel satisfied that i've reached a moment when all has been decided.

i'm having a wonderful time despite the search for a boat and transportation out to the finish line where the rowers will be crossing... of course it's about 80 quid (bucks) for a roundtrip ticket out to the island via boat. it's a two hour ride that's been described as quite unpleasant. the wind is fighting the rowers. they're so close and only able to go about 1 knot. they're delay provides me with more time to find a proper mode of transportation, but it also adds to the cost of this venture. i'm down to my final 180 pounds. i've been working at a spanish restaurant, washing dishes, which earns me about 30 pounds per night. this covers two nights at the falmouth lodge backpackers. not having a credit card is rough... "charge it!" i did receive a call today that my passport is in... i just need to see about having it sent out here. it'll be nice to be "identifiable" again.

so, allow me to diverge from the stress of finding a way to the rowers (which should never ever be met with the stress the men are facing just trying to make it into land)... i had an amazing day yesterday. i found out that charlotte, the lovely woman who runs the falmouth lodge backpackers where i'm staying, is a hash house harrier. she informed me of a run that the group was doing on sunday and i asked her to wake me up in time to meet up with them. a friend of hers picked us up and took us out to a lovely little down full of brick and rock cottages with slate fences and lush green trees. we had to take a ferry over called the king harry ferry. i thought it was kind of funny. the cars load on to the smallish ferry and about 20 vehicles are transported by way of a thick, long chain to the other side of the river a mere 200 meters away. i was absolutely mesmorized by the tunnels of trees we headed through. the colors knocked me out! after about an hour of travel, we arrived at our destination to meet up with the rest of the harriers. it had been raining, but the clouds began to break up and big, beautiful cumulous clouds formed. the bluest sky i'd ever seen shown through highlighting the golden fields of hay and the green rows of this season's crop. meeting up with the rowers was quite the experience. because i had newish shoes on, the head hasher made me give him one, poured a pint of beer into it, and made me drink it all right there... all before we even bagan to run! i understand the concept behind hazing... i felt closer to the group and immediately connected to the thousands of hash house harrier groups around the world. we began our search of the path and those who felt like it, ran ahead to find the direction to lead the rest of the group with calls of "on! on!" we ran down village roads, and through public footpaths that took us across lush farmland. there was a point when i was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery that i paused my legs to take it in... i got a little emotional and began to tear up. the ocean, the sky, the trees, the fields, the feeling that i've had since i arrived in cornwall. i felt absolute elation and thought about what i'd need to do to move here. the running continued and i ran along with "edith". all of the harriers are given nicknames by their fellow runners. i'm not sure the history behind this particular one... he was quite nice, works for sharp's... not the non-alcoholic beverage company in the states, but the quality brewery here in england. he has a home near the area of our run and offered me a room with a car that i could borrow. i was overwhelmed by the offer and will probably take him up on it after the race is complete.

we stopped for a brief break of tangerines, "crisps" (aka potato chips), and milk chocolate digestive bars. someone pulled out the water and cider. i opted for the more hydrating option. this group is so wonderful. I'm looking forward to finding more of these like-minded folks around the world. after the break, we had about a mile to go and finished up back at the pub where i enjoyed a find cornish pasty. i'm quite shocked by the amount of veggie options here. we all drink a pint or two together and told stories of dogging and other crass details... i love this group! it was a sleepy ride back to falmouth, but i felt quite refreshed. i had forgotten that i had to work that night as well, so a nap was quite welcomed.

i have to head off to do laundry before someone else does it! i hope everyone's well and enjoying following my journey. please leave comments if you have the moment.

love,
erinn

Finally... In Falmouth

2006-08-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've had a bit of an adventure in getting to Falmouth. It's come to represent a sort of finish line not just for the rowers but for me as well. Not only is this the place where the final job of this project takes place, it's the location where all I have to do is wait, relax, and get my mind in order before I head off for the rest of my trip. All things relax after the rowers come in and the media pressures have been satisfied, but just being here has put my mind at ease as well. I found a backpackers hostel in town that was first available on Sunday due to the events and business of the town centre this weekend. Fortunately, a bed became available this evening and for tomorrow, well, the owner of the place has offered to let me stay in the lounge. I've been met with such kindness since I arrived. A kind gentleman helped me first find the road on which the home was located, Carmen, the house employee/permanent guest, offered me a ride into town after helping me to get situated in my room, Charlotte, the owner of the home, gave us a ride to town where Carmen then headed to work... The owner of the place where she works just happened to be outside where Charlotte waved him down for a hello. He looked straight at me after greeting her and asked if I wanted a job "washing up"... Of course! An opportunity to make a bit of money to off-set the cost of my hostel is certainly a relief! My hostel is 15 pounds per night... a huge deal considering the other costs I've seen in town. I feel as though I completely lucked out or have paid my dues for whatever wrong I committed to having deserved a stolen bag... not that anyone but the thieves themselves deserve such a fine.

I'm now sitting at The Cinnamon Girl in the town centre where the streets are lined with cobblestones and supposedly this is situated in the oldest building in all of Falmouth. Just walking down the street I got the most wonderful feeling... This is exactly the type of town Yaya would have loved. She'd be so happy knowing that I was here and within the first hour was familiar with the locals. I'm so happy to be here, really. London is wonderful, but so busy and so expensive. Ivan is so wonderful and was so kind to show me around. I really am indebted to him. He became my bank with no credit card with which to withdraw money and no i.d. with which to receive wire transfers. Thank goodness for Ivan and Paypal! I will see him again, but will first enjoy my time in Falmouth... and really don't have a choice as the rowers aren't due to arrive for anywhere from 4-14 days. Hopefully I can secure myself with a job while I'm here to make my costs minimal. I could really live here for a while. If the airport situation continues with the "absolutely no carry-on luggage" including my camera... I just might stay.

This town reminds me of Morro Bay, CA a bit... of course this is older and quite a bit bigger. There's a similar feeling of mixed tourists, locals, and students. Currently, there's a festival going on and Charlotte and I walked past dancers that would have received my "proper" praise had they smiled or danced so lazily. I admit they were dancing to a pretty lengthy Missy Elliott song, but they should have practiced a bit more to prepare themselves for public showing. Haha, listen to me getting critical over free entertainment. Seriously, the coffee that Jonathan, the owner of the Cinnamon Girl and the most sarcastic fellow I've met so far, was the strongest I've had in weeks. I admit this is definitely a tea country and love a "proper" pot of tea... but just need that "crack" sometimes. There's free internet and this will be wonderful when I require uploading time for all of the photos of the rowers. I've already been getting media requests from such places as Fresno. Keep your eye out... I'll try to list more places where you may find my work. I know that the new issue of Synthesis Magazine will have the work I did of TV On The Radio, but think it may be in the Sept/Oct issue. It'll be a nice welcome home.

Yes, I'm jazzed up on caffeine... feeling a bit high and my stomach is feeling a bit empty. I need to prepare myself for work and figure out whether or not I can wear my flipflops while doing the dishes. Hahahaha! I'm going to do dishes for money! I suppose it's no different than doing dishes for a free place to stay for the past 10 days. I've been very fortunate and am very grateful to all of the people that have looked after me and have helped me in some way since my bag was taken. Okay, I just got caught by Jonathan for "touch-typing"... one of the two rules he laid down as I sat down with my computer. ("Touch-typing": typing away as your eyes and your head drift away from the computer to stare at other things... obviously a bizarre, personal pet-peeve). He's quite funny.

I miss you my dear friends and family. I will get some photos up soon... somethings funny with the site, but I'll figure it out and show you photos of the train ride from Plymouth.

Love,
erinn!!

Safe and Sound In London

2006-08-10T04:45:00.000-07:00

Below you'll see a few photographs that represent one day in London:

1. Ivan took me to a bar called "Below Zero" where the Swedish Icebar is located. Everything is carved out of ice and the cups in which the drinks are served are made of ice as well. The room is freezing and they give you a stylish cape with gloves and a hoodie to wear, but it only satisfies the need for warmth when you're not wearing a skirt... and of course I was.

2. This guy cracked me up! Here is this rocker looking guy, quite different looking from the other British types during the middle of the work week. In his hands is a toy guitar with the words "Kiss your air guitar goodbye!" on the box. I couldn't help myself and asked him to pose for me... perfect timing with the arrival of the train. I also loved that he gave me the famous family "I love you" hand signal... if only he knew this would be my family tribute photo.

3 & 4. This is the Tower of London Bridge. It's absolutely beautiful and the mechanical engineering behind the structure is quite impressive. There are two pedestrian pathways parallel to each other. Inside both was a display of Victorian children's games. I was quite amused by all of the little ones running about, enjoying themselves with marbles, chalkboards, hopscotch and jumprope.

Mind The... Hooligans

2006-08-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the center of Green Park where there are beautiful birds that rest upon the ponds. Apparently, the swan is a protected bird. Should anyone be found guilty of harassing or harming a swan, the accused could be punishable by death.

It's been a bit of time since I last posted anything. Having your bag stolen presents a whole world of issues that you'd never hope to have to deal with thousands of miles from home. I'm trusting to a fault. I believe in Karma. Who would do something so horrible as rape me of my national identification, credit card, money, cellphone, and irreplaceable personal items. Well, obviously the desperate. I seem to be heading down that path. No, I'd never take anything from anyone, but this city is definitely expensive and due to the job misfirings this summer, I lost a large amount that I had intended to save for this trip. Although I seem to find solutions and work well under pressure, this won't be easy, but it will most definitely teach me about myself.

The weather has been really bizarre. When I first arrived, the weather was swelteringly hot and now it's chilly, but more comfortable. It's even rained a few nights. This is Big Ben with the light reflected off the rain. I really love this photo because I know that I hand held it at a 15th of a second and it seemd to be pretty nice despite the potential risk of motion blur.

On our way back to my host's flat one night, we were surprised to find a load of "hooligans" that reminded me of friends from high school that would "borrow" lawn ornaments from their neighbors homes to use as unofficial mascots at basketball games. These chairs were taken from restaurants and pubs around the area where these crazy and drunk 20-somethings were spending their post-work time. It seemed as though chairs kept appearing out of the woodwork. My favorite was watching the guy atop the child's seat float around the train as it moved. They made me laugh and they really seemed to appreciate that someone was there with their camera... their accomplishments will be remembered as long as I keep their photos alive.

photos

2006-07-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

here are a few photos that i've taken so far...

this is from the plane... a woman used the light of the window by which to read so that she didn't disturb fellow travellers.

this is the place where i've been staying for the past few days in hampstead. that's guiseppe, "the crazy italian", who actually just got up from spending 4 hours laying out in the sun.

i just thought this was funny. i also think it's funny that the tube train i get on to leave hampstead and head toward central london reads "this train is for cockfosters". i know, mature.

this photo was taken in hampstead of northern london. it's a very posh and beautiful area of the city. there are extremely old and huge homes made of stone and brick.

runs, parks, and used car salesmen

2006-07-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday and I slept until 11am. I most definitely would have slept later had it not been for my host waking me up to drink tea. Jet lag hit me in a big way, but I'm not so far off that I'm needing to sleep during the day here.

We went for Indian food last night on this street referred to as Brick Lane where people who work at these restaurants try to hustle you into eating there with promises of bottles of wine and free appetizers. It was quite entertaining to feel as though the food I was about to eat was being sold like a used car. Of course we went to the one place that didn't need to stuff it's chairs with seduced customers. The food was phenomenal and considering the Indian population in London, there's a certain expectation of quality that can't be beat anywhere but in possibly India itself.

It seems that the "thing to do" in the city on the weekend nights is go to the pubs first and eat second. The pubs are only open until midnight and the restaurants are often open later. The clubs are open until about 3 or 4, but it's more a beer drinking town than anything else. I keep thinking about the fact that I participated in a pub tour along the Thames. I was extremely entertained by the bartenders and often put them to the test by requesting their favorite beer. The brew is a bit sweeter and lighter than it is in the states. The temperature leaves much to be desired, but there are pubs with refridgerated kegs.

The photo posted above was taken by my current host, Jason, at Harrods where we marched around trying on insanely expensive threads, completely enteratained by the population that visits the bizarre department store of expesnive jewels, fine chocolates, expensive clothing, a market, silver furniture, and an Egyptian stairwell. The decor is extremely elaborate and I can't say enough about the prices. The hat I'm wearing was "209 quid", aka £209, aka about $400!!! The fake fur was £1500 and the gloves, about £30. Seriously. I really wanted that hat and looked for the rich Spainaird males that could afford to shower me with such gifts. To no avail I never actually walked up to request their kindnesses, and therefore failed in my mission.

I've been staying in Hounslow, an area just near the Heathrow airport. The planes are loud and frequent and the area is largely populated by Indians. It reminds me a bit of Brooklyn as the more affordable area in which to live in a very expensive city. Everything is a short tube ride away. The best purchase I've made was the "oyster card" that allows me to jump on and off the tube all over the city. It's also usable on the double decker buses that I got to experience last night on the way to Brick Lane.

Yesterday was great! I went for a run to explore my surroundings, acclimate to the temperatures, and get over any sort of fatigue I may have been experiencing. I love the painted messages near the cross-walks for the silly "sods" that fail to remember which direction the cars happen to be traveling in this country. "LOOK LEFT" or "LOOK RIGHT" seem to be the most popular. I passed by a tagging that read "Sod OFF"... I thought it was funny. Perhaps this is how I'll overcome my cursing issues on the Ultimate field.

After the run, I got ready and headed to Hampstead Heath for a walk through the park with Nick, a friend of mine that I met 5 years ago in Seattle. It was great to see him and to visit such an incredible park that spans for miles and is enjoyed by many. There are several hills from which there are incredible views of the city and the land kite surfers that ride off-road skateboards pulled by the force of the wind. Nick and I walked around Hampstead to view the amazing homes once lived in by famous individuals responsible for such attrocities as The Christmas Card. There was an actual plackard indicating this, right next to the garage door on which it read, "Don't even think about parking here". Well, "May Your Holidays be filled with Cheer" as well sir. Before heading off to meet Jason and his housemate, Matt for Indian food, I enjoyed an americano at a lovely cafe where Nick told me crazy stories about Adrian Sherwood and all of the interesting music producers with whom he's worked. In a fading business in which he's received very little credit for his work, Nick has decided to pursue his pilot's license in light of the recent marriage and instant family that's joined his life.

The weather is getting a bit warmer, time to head out for another run.

** erinn

letters to my brother...

2006-07-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Nathan,

I have arrived. I'm feeling quite loopy due to the lack of sleep on the plane and the extent of the flight, but it was quite nice. British Airways does not charge you for your food and despite the fact that I failed to phone ahead to request a vegetarian meal, they found an extra for me for both dinner and breakfast.

I wrote some notes in my journal after a couple of hours of sleep in an uncomfortable position:

Day 1: Somewhere over Greenland

I suppose I shouldn't question whether or not this adventure had already started. It seemed to have begun when I agreed to be the "official photographer" for OAR Northwest. Meeting them, getting to know their families and their girlfriends, experiencing the amazing amount of support and sense of community- it's all been an adventure. Now I'm on a British Airways plane on my way to England for 5 weeks. I've met people via the Internet on Couchsurfing.com who are willing and pleased to host me without much knowledge of who I am part from ta profile I created only 2 weeks ago. I'm pleased to have this opportunity to meet all sorts of locals that are also willing to show me around a bit. One gentleman from Australia is actually meeting me at the airport to ensure that I arrive safely. I'm so grateful for the kindness of strangers who's only intention is to meet people and gain further insights from individuals of all parts of the world. My kind plane pal has ensured that if he doesn't hear from me in the next day he'll send the police after this guy. I don't believe it'll be necessary, but it's a lovely offer. He's an interesting fellow. I still don't have his name, but he struck me initially as a bit too brazen and arrogant in regards to his level of intellect, but I realized he's just trying to survive like the rest of us although his path has been a bit more unstable. I noticed a scar that stretched from his right ear down to his neck. H has a dry and seemingly uncomfortable cough that causes him to wince and keep sentences short. Upon asking him if he was alright, he confessed that he had parts of his lung removed as well as part of his tongue. He wasn't bashful about showing me the now unique shape of it. I believe he had cancer growths removed. I would know for sure had his experiences not made him an expert on all of the medical terms with which he's been afflicted. He first found out about his condition a week before final exams of his last year in college. I asked him how the news affected his exams and he proudly proclaimed that he graduated first of his class. He gave credit to God and his firm belief in Christianity because he couldn't give himself credit. Now 28, he travels the world as a software engineer. He inspires me not to pursue his field of course, but more so that I don't want to wait until some major ailment affects my body beofre I start testing the limits of my talent's capacity. I feel very humble by nature, but I could stand to be a bit more brazen in the way I view my place in the world.

I love you Nathan... I'll send you my phone number as soon as I get one.

Love,
your sister

The View

2006-07-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Seattle. I took this photo yesterday and decided that I'd use it for this post today. After editing the image, which entails spotting out obvious dust from the sensor and enhancing the colors just a bit, I uploaded it to this very site. You'll see crazy oranges and bizarre shades of lavender and blue hues blanketing the city. I didn't do this intentionally, but now that it's up, perhaps it's appropriate to see Seattle from a different angle, or at least in a different hue.

I am leaving for the UK on the 27th. I have so many things running through my head and so many stresses taking over my daily habits that I feel guilty simply sitting down to reveal these thoughts to those few people who may read anything I happen to post here. I've never traveled to another country by myself before. Well, while I was still in college I visited my mother while she was living in Guadalajara, but she was there on the other side to make sure I arrived safely. There will be no family members, no friends I've known for years, no guarantees on the other side of the 9+ hour flight. There's something about the level of insanity I'm currently experiencing that makes this all okay. The challenge is simply getting to the starting line, or at least the gate at the airport. The next one will be arriving safely with at least one person awaiting my arrival. I've discovered a website, www.couchsurfing.com. I'm quite taken with the idea that someone created a site dedicated to promoting community and at the very least, a sense of it. Why just offer up a space on your floor or couch to host a person from another country or culture, offer to show them around, provide them with the opportunity to teach them something about yourself and your culture, share ideas, inspire more... I'm only a couple of days into it, but I'm completely fascinated. So far, there's one gentleman that has offered his place, but I've only contacted a couple of people so far. (I'll be safe Mom). Who knows who I'll meet and how they'll be able to help me on this adventure, but just the fact that the resource exists gives me hope that there are more people like me wanting and needing more out of daily life. We could be escape artists, soul searchers, insatiable wanderers, but we speak a similar language that makes finding each other feel as though we're that much closer to where we need to be.

I'm on a journey and I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences.

OAR Northwest: The Beginning

2006-06-18T01:19:00.000-07:00

In May of 2005, I was on an Alaska Airline flight bound for Newark, New Jersey. Always curious as to what friendly passenger may occupy the seat next to me, I waited patiently in hopes that some young, attractive gentleman would sit down for a 5 hour conversation. A handsome, tall man who looked to be in his early to mid twenties, entered the galley carrying a weekend bag and a six-pack of fine northwestern brew with one missing. The flight attendant immediately took interest in the potential danger of encouraging a BYOB policy aboard her plane and made the gentleman promise not to drink any. He assured her that he was using the beer for trade and gifts for rides to and from the airport. He placed the 5-pack in the overhead bin to avoid further confrontation. He sat down and offered his handshake, "Hi, I'm Greg," his gregarious nature indicating a type of salesmanship. I asked him about the beer and then about the whys and wheres of his destination. He told me the story of his friend, Jordan, who he had coached at the University of Puget Sound, and the race he had agreed to do after much hesitation.

The race was beyond anything I could fathom. I had taken part in relay running races spanning 197 miles from Mt. Hood to Westport, OR, but never had I considered the idea of running thousands of miles across the country. These four men, Greg, Jordan, Dylan, and Brad were about to row 3100 nautical miles across the Atlantic! Greg informed me this was the first race attempted on this course and the first time that an American team had agreed to participate. As I've always been a fan of such insane adventures and projects that surpassed the confines of normal and mundane every day life, I immediately offered my services as a documentary photographer and handed Greg my card.

About five months went by full of photo adventures and the opportunity to freelance on my own. I received a phone call from an unfamiliar voice, "Hi Erinn, it's Greg Spooner, the rower you met on the plane to New York." As there haven't been too many of those, I immediately pictured his face and remembered the beer. He informed me that they were in the process of attempting to raise $350,000 for travel purposes and for the American Lung Association. He hoped that I could document the process. He ensured me that although there wasn't any money in it for me, there were other rewards. Wishing to vicariously live out my own dreams through the adventures of these four men, I signed up for an amazing adventure of my own.

The first assignment was photographing the men as they rowed on rowing machines for the entire duration of the Seattle Boat Show. People called them crazy and many times approached the booth completely fascinated by such an idea. Through the day and night they rowed, taking turns with each other so the others could rest, eat, and re-energize. I had the opportunity to meet their families, their girlfriends, and their fellow UPS rowers and friends. I couldn't believe how beautiful the support was for these triumphant four. There was a sense of denial regarding how truly dangerous this adventure could be. The focus was on helping them get to the starting line. I realized how incredible the opportunity was to be apart of this project. I wanted to do everything in my power to help them achieve optimum exposure. It just felt so good to be included in this process. I was taken in as family and treated with so much respect. Good things began happening for me and I owed it all to OAR Northwest and the amazing energy that seems to flow from their collective forces.

march 21... the first day of spring

2006-03-22T00:24:00.000-08:00

recently my hard drive crashed. recently as in last week. i was devasted but almost numb to the reality of all the irreplaceable images that i had taken with my new digital camera. important documents that took painstakingly forever to finish, logos, blossoming projects... all gone. sure there are recovery businesses that take advantage of your all out desparation in these circumstances and charge a sum of anywhere between $1000- $2400 to recover your information. i just don't have the funds nor the level of desparation necessary to skrimpt for that kind of coin. there's a little light on within me that continues to have faith that something will make my little portable keeper of information come alive and start working. i'm just letting the little guy rest. is this the denial phase of my mourning? perhaps.

i've been thinking a lot about digital files and our digital world. the idea that any lack of diligence in backing up digital information could result in a loss of contemporary history, family memories, long hours of our very precious time. this seems preventable. back up the information on to hard drives, dvds, cds, etc... each of which has a lifespan unknown to the masses. so, after a few years (based upon guess-timation) you transfer your information to new hard drives, dvds, cds... the cycle continues throughout life. well, we all know what's in our control, but what about the potential occurances of our natural world?? the discovery channel and many science fiction writers are hot on the idea that solar flares could wipe out all digital information. what would we do? how would we survive as a society completely dependent on the 1's and 0's that dominate our lives? i sat in front of two comic book creators at the cinerama (where i was present to see the highly political and very comic book-like "v for vendetta"). they discussed the possibility of a world based upon organic technology... the science of manipulating dna strands into whatever your imagination may never fully grasp. the potential is there and although it's a great idea for a comic book (i'm trying to keep as much under wraps for their sake), i have no doubt the idea is being researched in various laboratories around the world. i'm getting ahead of myself though. i'm still thinking about history, information, fables, stories, storage. so much of our society has become temporary. we shop at walmart, ikea, target where the quality is crap and the prices appear to be cheap. the furniture falls apart, and the dishes aren't anything worth preserving for the next generation. it seems as though we're failing to remember that there's a legacy we will all leave with our children, grand-children, friends, animals, and the earth upon our death. if our information is wiped out, or if just one dvd fails to be burned, we could lose all hope of leaving a lasting legacy.

it's kind of funny that i'm wondering all of this yet, here i am typing all of my thoughts into a blog, online, on some server in silicon valley. i'd print it out if i had a printer, but i'm rolling the dice that everything i typed will still be here tomorrow. i see this as a step. i used to write quite a bit... in a journal with a pen. i'll always have those thoughts signifying important events throughout my adolescence. i've been thinking about my music and all of the ripped cds that now occupies the hard drive of my laptop for itunes to shuffle through. some of those cds i've sold for money during tough times. some of my cds have fallen victim to scratches, heat, overuse. i suppose the worst thing that could happen is that i could lose an album and have to go purchase another cd, but there's something that falls short when you're talking about how great "this cd" is. i've been spending some time with friends who have really opened me up to the beauty of vinyl. i heard once that the library of congress has copies of their information, music, etc. on vinyl due to its archival quality. the sound's better, the feeling is more pure, and there's something that reunites the current generation with their parents' and grand-parents' upbringing. there's some part of the story that's reconnected simply through the appreciation of their organic way of recording and listening to information. more and more current artists are putting out albums on vinyl as well as cds. there's been a revolution within the electronic world that has not only kept vinyl alive, but has reawakened the classic albums of yesterday. the stories are continuing to be passed on. i just know it feels better. i love heading over to a friend's house to listen to the crackles and pops of their record collection. it represents quality time and the shared understanding that not everything should be converted to digital files... not everything should be overlooked for the sake of technologically moving forward. all i know is that i'm thinking of film more lovingly and hoping that its production never ceases. i will do my part, just as my friends have collectively worked hard to keep vinyl alive, i'll personally keep film in demand.

yes, i am in denial and i have learned my lesson... i will back up and re-back-up and then back-up some more for the rest of my life.

march 18... post st. paddy's day

2006-03-18T18:59:00.000-08:00

what are noids? was some kid trying to impress upon the passer-bys of this lonely stretch of the alaskan way that he in fact had an impressive pair of "noids". do people that know what adenoids are spray paint their anotomical knowledge on walls? glup.

today was groovy. i woke up to a call from australia... then fell asleep again... then woke up to a call from clint, the breakfast maker. "are you coming over or what?" oops. i over slept a bit. i was asked to provide eggs, pine nuts, and yogurt from trader joe's. i peeled myself out of bed and made my way to the staging area for clothing and primping readiness. with one quick stop at tj's, i was on my way to the clintster's house where he made an AMAZING breakfast for his buddies. i found out that he referrs to me as his "photo friend" and then later discovered that as a young child he had friends in the neighborhood that he used for their nintendos and game genies. i realized my place in his world. we listened to the talking heads, live, on vinyl, ate delicious food, drank oj and coffee, and enjoyed the company of free, fun people who really enjoy the hell out of the hilarity in the world. to further drive the point home, we went to costco to submerge ourselves in the ridiculousness that is mass quanities of stuff. i admit that i wanted to purchase 10 brita filters, but not for $42. i also wanted to buy some eye solution, but not with an expired membership card. poo. mike, the one hour photo guy, asked us if we were a travelling band of photographers. of course. whether we have our cameras or we don't, we're capturing every detail of our daily experiences. after he rejected not only my expired card and joe's, clint corrected him that we were a travelling band of idiots.

feb 15

2006-02-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

it's the day after valentine's day and i'm sitting at my desk reviewing photos. the building cleaners are singing songs in spanish. the sun has gone down and my blinds are now drawn. i'm tired from a full day's work of teaching photoshop and assisting another photographer, but i need to get out and enjoy the fact that the sky isn't dumping rain.