Black and White

Check out these gorgeous figure drawings...

Off Kilter

After spending the last three weekends away in three different cities, I’ve lost my balance.

With piles of laundry, no food in the fridge, and a grumpy, lonely cat, I’m buried in chores. I went to the gym for the first time in weeks- my body was sluggish and ungrateful. I’ve clipped my cat’s claws, laid out the laundry to dry, and bought food to make my lunches.

The constant rain this week has perfectly fit my mood. After almost six months of a long distance relationship, I’m exhausted. I’m tired of trying to squeeze all my errands and routines into the week so I can spend quality time on the weekends. I’m tired of long bus rides that are supposed to be four hours, but on Friday nights are rarely less than six. I’m tired of Friday night dinners at midnight, because it’s the best we can do. I’m tired of cell phones and text messages and emails to share how our mornings are going. I’m tired of just wanting more.

I‘m sure that a few miles on the treadmill, and a few trips to the laundry room will bring me back into balance, but right now I'm just feeling off kilter.

Bits of Fall

It rained on Saturday, making it a perfect day to curl up for an afternoon nap. Sunday brought clear skies, sunshine, and just enough wind to turn the tip of your nose cold if you stayed out too long. The soft summer light is gone, replaced by winter's harsher angles. Everything seems a little dramatic, filled with deep shadows and brilliant highlights. It's past the peak of leaf season, but many leaves still hang on, dotting the hills with amber and yellow.

To the Country

Happy Friday! This evening I'm hopping a MetroNorth train up to my hometown in CT. I'll be waiting in line at the DMV Saturday morning, then celebrating my birthday with my parents that evening. I leave you with one last image of Seattle, and wish you all a relaxing weekend full of sunny skies!

Seattle Part 3: Bainbridge Island

We spent two nights on Bainbridge Island, including a cozy meal at the Harbour Pub where W had spent his 21st birthday, and I got carded the day before my 30th! Bainbridge is about a 35 minute ferry ride from Seattle, and feels a world away. It has a small town feel- it seemed that around every corner we were running into neighbors and friends. I began my birthday by making my family's traditional Sunday oven pancakes. W's family surprised me with a birthday muffin, complete with candle and a full rendition of "Happy Birthday". W and his dad then headed down to the water to try to row a small catamaran out into the bay to hoist in an anchor. Unfortunately the wind had picked up, and they could only get within a few feet of their target. This process left me with time to wander the small beach with my camera while Kipper kept a close watch on the shoreline for his master's return. The day had started with rain, but it soon cleared up and the cloud formations were beautiful. It's amazing how fast they change, one minute the sun is shining, the next you are dodging raindrops.

Seattle Part 2: The Seattle Public Library

We spent some time exploring the Seattle Public Library by Rem Koolhass. It's a large, modern structure that opened in 2004. With a glass "skin" on the outside, it is filled with bright red stairwells and glowing yellow escalators inside. It has some interesting details, including an embossed typographic floor pattern on the lower level. While it makes for interesting photographs, I wonder how quickly it will all seem dated.

Seattle Part 1: Pike's Place Market

A few images from Pike's Place Market on Thursday afternoon- the crowds were thin and we just beat the rain. We walked away with a bouqet of fresh flowers and some Chukar chocolate covered cherries for housewarming gifts.