violetismycolor

fooling around with photography...

This is a photo that I took in the Hood River Valley this past spring.  You can't see the railroad tracks just in front of these shacks but they are there.  I think these are workers houses, or were.  Pretty broken down and right in the middle of the orchard.

Next I started looking at some of my Scottish pictures.  I just loved moody Duart Castle.  I cropped this to JUST include the castle, added a Sunshine filter form the Nik filters (to make the castle and foreground stand out a little more, and that's about it.  Wouldn't you love to live here?

Funny Obama Cartoon...

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Laura Rider's Masterpiece...

I have always been a big fan of Jane Hamilton's. I loved A Map of the World and The Book of Ruth, but my all-time favorite has to be Disobedience.

I have to say, though, that I have very mixed feelings about her latest book, Laura Rider's Masterpiece.  The story is of a woman who orchestrates her husband's 'friendship' with a local celebrity in order to have material for a book she wants to write.  It's a lab experimet to her.  It is also Jane Hamilton's poke at aspiring writers who go to Writer's Conferences and think they can write a book.  It seems that Jane H is saying that you have to be a born writer, who thinks about nothing else from childhood and works on said writing skills till FINALLY becoming 'an artist'. 

I found the character of Laura Rider odd.  She never really cares that her husband is having or has had an affair.  Don't believe it.

Jenna Faroli, the NPR radio show host, is the character that looks down on aspiring 'artists' that are not serious about their craft.  Didn't like her. 

Has Jane Hamilton never seen the popularity of writers like JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer?  Maybe it's not high literature but the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series have thousands of people reading books that maybe never would have.  These two writers just got an inspiration and went for it. 

People who attend workshops or MFA programs do become writers. 

So, I neither liked the snootiness of Jenna Faroli or the emotionless natterings of Laura Rider.  Yet something made me go back and pick the book up and read it in just 3 days.  It's very short, an easy read, and maybe just a little like a road accident...I just had to slow down and gawk. 

Yep, I was gawking at the train wreck that happened in this book.  

So, I enjoyed it, but came away feeling very ambiguous about this book.  I will not recommend it to my book group; it seems too light for that.  But I will tell people that they should read it and enjoy the character develop, lovely writing, and look-away-now-if-you-value-your-sanity aspects of the story. 

summer haircut...

Cookie got shaved today.  She had so much hair that she was always overheating on walks.  Given her fear of human beings, especially if those human beings touch her, we were afraid that she might have a psychotic break.  But she sailed right through it.  Apparently, she is tougher than she lets on.

Here is her new look.  It's spiffy, all right!

flower fields...

I seem to live in the Flower Fields Capital of America...

Today was spent amidst the Peony Fields, which are near the Tulip Fields and near the Iris Fields.  Oregon is just a damn nice place to grow things...

This one below is one of my favorites, Coral Charm.  I have one of these in my own front yard, though it is done blooming now.  There were several bushes of it still blooming, though, at Brook's Gardens in Brooks, Oregon.

iris fields forever...

 

On Thursday, I took my Mom to Schreiner's Iris Gardens (a local grower of iris bulbs who have a monthlong open garden to showcase their goods).  The afternoon was sunny and warm and the garden was gorgeous.  Good thing that BIG storm didn't come in till later.  This is the storm that caused the National Weather Service to beam out several Tornado and Severe Weather Warnings just a few hours later.  And the one that knocked down trees all over the northwestern part of our state.

Here are the flowers:

 

And last, but not least was the incredibly cute sign that we saw in the gift shop.  This SO applies to me, sometimes:

photo play...

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy weekend is to fiddle with photographs.  And I have said before that I love the countryside around Corvallis and I love barns.  I have taken many photos of both and here are a couple that I finally played with today.

 

Baseball fever, not so hot...

First off, I LIKE baseball.  I was a baseball scorekeeper in high school.  (Because I was bored stiff being raised in Gervais, Oregon; there was limited entertainment;  going to all the ball games gave me something to do AND I got to sit with a bunch of boys.)

The Portland Beavers, though, really sucked at last Thursday night's game against Memphis.  The weather was warm and the company was good (the annual Acrymed baseball night in two of the suites AND food), and I took my camera to see what decent photos I could come up with. 

BUT the field at sunset was lovely:

 

and this little boy (child of one of John's co-workers) was really fun to watch:

 

Cabo redux...

These pictures say it all!  Heaven!

          

Mexico, he we come...

John and I are taking Adam and his girlfriend, Priya, to Cabo San Lucas on Saturday.  We're staying for 5 days/4 nights.  I am really excited about it.  We are staying at a resort called the Villa del Arco.  It has a pirate ship in one of the three pools.  How cool is that?

 

We have two friends who will be house and dog sitting.  We won't have to worry about anything on the home front, so we can really relax. 

I think I will grab a seat on the pirate ship, sip a Margarita, and chill in the on-board jacuzzi...

head thump...

Only I could be pulled over by my yard debris can and hit my head on it.  I have a nice bruise between the eyes. 

Seriously!

hearts walk...

My wonderful friend, Sandy, asked me to go on the HeartWalk with her this morning.  It was a 5K walk that went on the Eastside Esplanade over the Willamette River, along the west side of the river through the park, and then back over to the Eastside.  The weather was incredible and the views of Portland were incomparable. 

While we waited for the walk to begin, we saw a Momma and Daddy Canadian Goose and their 4 goslings, swimming in formation.  And we saw several Dragon Boat Teams (in their gorgeous boats) practicing on the river.

I have been wondering about how to access the Eastside Esplanade since it was built a few years ago.  Now I know.  Sandy and I are planning to do some bike riding there soon.  And I do love riding my bike.  It should be really fun to do.

I gave a donation check to the Heart Association, and they announced that they had raised $465,000 that morning!  Yay. 

freedoms...

Two stories in this morning's NY Times caught my attention.  One of them made me smile.  One of them made me cry.

The smile, first.

The Statue of Liberty is reopening the stairs up to the Crown on July 4th.  Wow.  Yay!  I climbed to that crown when I was 19, in 1976.  It was a thrilling experience, especially for a country girl from an Oregon dairyfarm, like me.

It was the same day that I went to visit the World Trade Towers.

I was working on the campaign of former Congressman Allard Lowenstein (on Long Island), and living with him and his wife, Jenny.  Jenny had taken it upon herself to take me sightseeing around Manhattan. 

We went to Wall Street, which I knew would thrill my stock-market-loving Dad.  We saw the Tall Ships in the harbor, which were docked there for the Bicentennial celebration.  We went to Twin Towers  to visit with Jenny's brother, who was the president of Fiduciary Bank and Trust.  They were high up in one of the towers...they had 2 floors, I remember, and fabulous views of the city. 

And then Jenny took me out to the Statue of Liberty.  We climbed the steps all the way to the Crown.  Remember, this is late June or early July in NY City.  It was hot and sticky and we were in very close quarters in a very narrow stairway.  I think I read that it is 183 steps.  You get up in the crown and have to crouch over (it's not that tall) and look through the grill at the gorgeous island in front of you.  You have to move on pretty quickly because there are tons of people waiting behind you, only to have to descend those 183 steps down on the other side.  But it's a probably once-in-a-lifetime event in one's life and worth every sticky, uncomfortable minute.

Of course, I couldn't do it NOW.  I'm in good shape, I could fit, but it is narrow and closed-in and over the past 10 years I have become somewhat claustrophobic.  I don't know where it comes from but it makes my heart pound, and my knees go weak, and my fear level goes through the roof when I am in small, enclosed spaces. 

But the memory gave me a HUGE smile this morning.

Now, for the crying.

I read the article about Stephen Morgan, who murdered a student at Wesleyen College in Connecticut this week.  He was the son of wealth and privilege, but a bit of a loner (the quiet, deadly type that we keep reading about).  And he hated Jews.  Amazing that we can convince ourselves that a whole group of people are bad enough, worthless enough, lowly enough to deserve killing just for being who they were born to be.  It outrages me, saddens me, frightens me to have this sort of human thought floating around in this world.  And this sweet, lovely girl...Johanna Justin-Jinich...not much younger than my own daughter, was the victim of this horror. 

I cried.  I really did.  For the loss of a young, promising, bright young woman.  For her parents.  For the fear that someone might decide that MY daughter was not worthy of life because her skin is white, or her eyes are green, or her upbringing was too privileged.  It made me despair about the world.

But, I'll try to put the tears aside and concentrate on all the wonderful people there are in the world.  I've met thousands of them.  And the really sad, sick ones...I prefer to think that they are in the minority. 

I love barns...

 

Barns are one of my favorite things to photograph.  They are such a pleasing shape and they are often set in some lovely places.  Here is a photo of a barn amidst the flowering trees (apples, mostly) in the Hood River Valley of Oregon.

Used some fun filters on this photo...just playing around with it...

americans? over-reacting?

I am watching Meet The Press, and it keeps aggravating me and making me yell at the TV screen.

Question:  Are Americans over-reacting to the flu crisis?

Answer:  People are trying to do their best with the information they have.  (That's your answer, Janet Napolitono and Kathleen Sebelius?)

Observation:  Okay, David Gregory (Meet the Press Moderator)...the NEWS MEDIA is freaking everyone out by talking about it non-stop (including YOU, since this is the first story that you cover this week and spent more than 20 minutes chewing it over).  What about the HUGE deal it is that Obama has the Supreme Court nomination to decide?  What about Senator Arlen Specter becoming a Dem?  What about the risk of letting the Taliban re-engage in Pakistan? 

People (with NO symptoms of any illness) are coming home from trips to Mexico are going straight to emergency rooms to see if they have the flu.  Conclusion?  Americans can be idiots.

Here in Oregon, a single sick student (who may or may not have the flu) caused the ENTIRE campus of Western Oregon University to cancel all classes and activities for at least 4 days.  Overkill?

A flight from Munich to Washington DC stopped in Boston when a passenger complained about feeling ill.  How much further is Boston?  A mere 30 minutes more is required to fly to Boston.  They couldn't wait an extra 30 minutes?  Really?  All those people on the plane would already have been exposed for HOURS to any germs this woman was carrying.  Does this make ANY sense?

Are Americans over-reacting to the flu crisis? 

YES.

Japanese-American Historical Plaza, Portland...

Way back on the gorgeous morning of April 7th, I went downtown hoping to get some good photos of the cherry trees blooming at the Japanese Memorial.  I wasn't disappointed. 

A little history (from the Portland Parks website):  On August 3, 1990, the Japanese American Historical Plaza was dedicated to the memory of those who were deported to inland internment camps during World War II. In the memorial garden, artwork tells the story of the Japanese people in the Northwest - of immigration, elderly immigrants, native-born Japanese Americans, soldiers who fought in US military services during the war, and the business people who worked hard and had hope for the children of the future. A sculpture by Jim Gion, Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, also graces the plaza.

The trees were magnificent, the sun was shining, the Steel Bridge was in the background, and the two glass towers of the Convention Center glowed green in the sun. 

I also took a photo of one of the poems inscribed in rock, that gives some feeling of the sadness of those put into internment camps from the Portland area. 

"Minidoko" refers to the Minidoko Relocation Camp in Idaho, where many Northwest families were sent.

 

There was also a rock inscribed in Japanese kanji.  Anyone want to try to read it for me?

 

Interesting that these trees were blooming about 3 weeks ahead of the ones in my yard.  Must be an early variety.

Cherry Blossoms galore...

This is for all your cherry-blossom-lovers out there.  You know who you are!

Our house looks so nice with all that blue sky, sunshine, clouds, and blossom.

Our three trees out front are gorgeous!  Late (they usually bloom at the beginning of April, not the end), but incredible. 

 

And then, of course, there was Cookie...getting all diva-ish and insisting on getting involved in the photoshoot!  But cute, as always.

tulip festival...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I was raised in a DUTCH family.  So, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I love tulips.  If it isn't the Dutch national flower (do they even have one?), it should be.  Everyone thinks of tulips when they think of Holland. 

But I digress...

I went to the Woodburn Tulip Festival with my mom and two of my sisters (and assorted children) on Wednesday.  My poor niece, Jen, couldn't get near the place this past (sunny) weekend.  No wonder since I heard an employee say that they had 10,000 cars come through over the weekend.  I am trying to wrap my head around that number.  How could one see the tulips for all the tourists, anyway?

Wednesday had very little sun, though I was lucky enough to get a great photo when it did.  Ready?  This is awesome:

 

I took hundreds of shots and that is my absolute best one. 

A couple of other photos...my mom...the cloudy field with violet sky...etc.  Enjoy!

procrastination...

I am supposed to be reading "The Nine" (about the Supreme Court) for our May book group meeting.  It is coming right up, the first weekend in May, and I haven't even started reading yet.  

I could plead 'guests in town'...My niece, along with husband and baby, were here for the weekend.  We now have a favorite friend visiting from the UK, here till Saturday.  But I still have time during the day.

I could say, but I had to plan John's big birthday bash.  But that happened a couple of weeks ago.

I could say that I have been putting mega-time into cleaning up the garden, which I have been. 

But really, I COULD be spending time reading.  I could.  But I am a procrastinator by nature and I always seem to wait till the last few days to read the book.  I would forget lots of what I read if I read it too early in the month anyway.  That happens alot.

So, I am NOW picking up the book and starting to read.  Wish me luck.

Japan redux...Kobe...

We made it back north-west up to Kobe, where we would spend our last day and night.  Bonnie had wanted to end up in either Osaka or Kobe, and I was interested in something a little smaller than Osaka...the second biggest city in Japan and a major commercial center.  We stayed in the b-Kobe Hotel, which was very central.  We went out for lunch and had Chinese food, a first for us on the trip.  Kobe has a big Chinese population and the biggest Chinatown in Japan, which I found interesting. 

We were just blocks from the Ikuta shrine, so that was our first stop.  This shrine was lovely and there was a baby blessing ceremony going on.  The day was March 20th, the first day of spring, which is a very auspicious day in the Japanese culture.  So, we saw several families bringing in babies (everyone very dressed up in traditional costumes) and even a wedding going on.

 

Next we walked to the Chinatown area, which was very crowded.  We stayed awhile and decided to come back there for dinner.  Most of the rest of the afternoon was spent reading, cruising the Internet with our free in-room access, and just vegging.

When we did venture out, we came across this cool area where the buildings looked like they had just been dropped in from Paris.  Compare that to the picture after that, which is of the night-time Chinatown, red lantern district.  Who could imagine that these places were just minutes from each other.  Different as day and night...

 

Finally, the photomontage of night-time Chinatown.  The steam from the cooking buns...the neon signs...the gates at either end...the dragon's head used in their parades...kids perched on the various statues that represented the Chinese years...my favorite Piggy trashcan...Bonnie and John buying steaming pork buns...buns that looked like pandas and pigs...food stalls everywhere...these are all the wonderful things we saw there.  What a great way to end our Japanese idyll.

The next day was to be spent riding trains back to Narita, going through the airport routine, and then flying home. 

I loved this trip.  I have to say it was one of my very favorite vacations ever.  The country was so different from most everything I have seen before.  I loved the food and the trains and the people and the red, red, red everywhere.  Thanks Japan for giving me such a memorable visit.