enchantments

We spent a long-awaited, much anticipated 5 day backpacking trip through the Enchantments located in the Alpine Wilderness of the Central Cascades outside of Leavenworth, WA. We were granted a Snow Zone permit through the Enchantments lottery system and although it wasn’t a coveted Core Zone permit, we made the most of it. After a 2.5 hr drive from Seattle, we left the Snow Lakes trailhead around 7:45am and started the long hike up, stopping at Nada Lake for lunch and eventually reached Upper Snow Lake in the late afternoon where we found the perfect campsite. With sore legs and hips, and tired feet from roughly 7 miles and 4,000 ft of elevation gain, we immediately dove into the cool lake giving our legs a much needed ice bath. The water was cold but swimmable, and felt glorious. After a surprisingly tasty freeze-dried dinner (Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai and Cuban Coconut Beans and Rice were the clear winners of the trip), we tied up our food in the trees and headed to our tents to escape the mosquitos for the night. The next day we are were all grateful for how great we felt after our ice baths in the lake the evening before. We hit the trail again, and headed straight up into the Core Zone. It was supposedly about 2 miles with 2,000 ft of elevation gain, but it felt like so much more. Following the sounds of the rushing creek, through the woods, and scrambling up and across granite fields, McClellon Peak and the Temple came into view and after traversing more massive slabs of granite, we finally rounded the bend to see the magnificent Lake Viviane before us. Being first timers in the Enchantments, there is nothing like that first view of the lake - it was breathtaking. After getting our bearings and giggling with excitement, we followed the cairns and continued up more granite walls and through larch trees to Leprechaun Lake. From the shores of the turquoise waters you can see McClellon Peak, Prusik Peak and Enchantment Peak. We continued through Narnia-level beauty, past waterfalls and mountain goats, around Sprite Lake, until we reached Perfection Lake. We ate lunch and soaked our feet in the lake with views of Little Annapurna. It was magical. We finally turned around, making the trek back across the Core, past more creeks and waterfalls and wildflowers and mountain goats, and started the grueling hike back down through granite fields to our campsite. The descent was steep and technical in places so by the time we finally reached camp, my knees were swollen and my feet felt like steak tartare. Cue the magical healing properties of our Snow Lake ice bath! We spent the next 2 days soaking in the sun and the views, relaxing and swimming in the lake. Tom and Andrew decided to make a raft from logs and driftwood they gathered in the lake, tied it all together with parachute cord, and by the second day Tom added a spinnaker made from our tent tarp and the “YaYa Ding Dong” vessel was ready for its maiden voyage. Devan and I took the trail out of camp and swam out to the little island at the lower end of the lake to watch them round the point on the raft. Unfortunately they didn’t quite make it that far as the YaYa Ding Ding started to come apart and sadly met its demise shortly before reaching the point. I swam back to camp and we all laughed and enjoyed our last evening in the most beautiful campsite I’ve ever experienced. On our final day, we woke up at 5am and sipped coffee while watching the sunrise, illuminating McClellon Peak and turning it shades of deep purple to fiery red. Luckily we missed the baby cub that was apparently spotted at a neighboring campsite that same morning. We made good time the first few miles out, mostly in the shade and without stopping. The constant downhill started taking its toll on my knees but with the parking lot finally in sight and only 19 switchbacks to go, I put myself into a low gear, one step at a time until we reached Icicle Creek marking the end of the hike. Like my son’s Kindergarten Teacher Mr. Star says to Leo, “you can do hard things”. I needed that reminder. It was an epic trip that I couldn’t even consider before my partial knee replacement/fulkerson osteotomy so I’m especially grateful that I was able to experience the magic that is the Enchantments. After 25 miles of hiking and more elevation than I thought possible, my knees are still swollen, my calves are still tight, and I have lingering traces of over 100 mosquito bites, but you better believe I’ll try again for that Core Zone permit next year.


chaz / chop

With umbrellas and masks, we took the boys out on a field trip to experience the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Despite what the president and certain conservative media outlets have reported, we found it to be peaceful and beautiful. We walked in and around the CHAZ, read the words of protest and hope, experienced memorials of too many black people killed by police surrounded by colorful street art on the walls around us and the streets under us, walked past medic tents and free food, smiled under our masks to protesters, onlookers, and families, and explained words and meanings to our children, hoping to inspire a new generation of compassion and change.

quarantine | day 68-76

Daily documentation of our quarantine in photos. Days made better with sunshine, otter pops in the driveway, a bubble machine, swings and evening walks. Leo also lost a tooth, but not before he was spotted running around the outside of the house with a double bladed axe. The tooth fairy must have been busy with all those quarantine teeth because she didn’t make it to our house that night. Luckily her schedule cleared up and she was able to swing by the next night.

museum challenge

When I heard about the Getty Museum Challenge where people re-create works of art using only objects lying around house, I knew we needed to create our own portraits. The challenge was inspired by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and a brilliant Instagram account called Between Art and Quarantine. With somewhat willing models and access to Grandma Bon Bon’s extensive fabric stash, everyone in the family chose a painting to re-create and I took the photos (my photos were taken by my 9 year old).

quarantine | day 65-67

Day 65, 8:55pm: The nightly battle over teeth brushing, documented by my 6 year old.

Day 66: Leo hides under his sheet after another challenging morning of home learning.

Day 67: Standoff on our evening walk, in his Wookie onsie.

quarantine | day 44-64

Daily documentation of our quarantine in photos. There were lots of hard days, some made better by spending time with the dogs, climbing trees, riding bikes and big wheels, slip ‘n sliding, the discovery of secret beaches, and batting practice with the pitching machine at the park. These weeks my frustration levels reached an all time high. Frustrated with my kids school and lack of support for working parents, sad for our kids who get so little time with their amazing teachers and their friends, and tired of this overwhelming sense of having to shoulder all of it.

“Just because I carry it well, does not mean it’s not heavy” - author unknown

On day 53 my 6 year old flat out refused to do school. I finally managed to coax him outside to do his sight words with sidewalk chalk on the driveway and eventually noticed what he had written on the edge -

FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK

To his credit he used excellent handwriting and even added punctuation. I hear you Leo, and I feel it too. All of it. At least his teachers got a got chuckle out of it.

Eventually the clippers I ordered arrived so Grandma cut her own hair without help from me, just all in, no hesitation, just like her. Meanwhile I watched and meticulously studied YouTube video after YouTube video on how to cut the boys hair. Results of all that planning? One haircut turned out pretty good, while the other one ended up considerably worse. I think we all know who the wiggle worm was who ended up with the bad bowl cut. May Day looked a little different this year. Our annual tradition that was passed down from my family, of making flower bouquets from flowers found in the garden, still took place but the kids delivered the bouquets wearing gloves. They still had a grand time ringing doorbells and running away, and I was left feeling grateful for these traditions and the semblance of normal. Then there was mother’s day where my mom worked with Viggo to make me the most beautiful shibori-dyed silk scarf leaving me feeling appreciated and so very thankful.

quarantine | day 30-43

Daily documentation of our quarantine in photos.

With nicer spring weather we’ve starting taking more family walks after dinner. The streets in our neighborhood are largely empty and quiet, except for the sound of the big wheel roaring over the asphalt. I try to imagine what people inside their homes are thinking when they hear the rumble of the big wheel outside and Leo’s cackling in the distance. On really nice days there are water gun fights in the empty cul-de-sac in between riding bikes and big wheels. We celebrated Grandma Bon Bon’s birthday with champagne and face time calls with friends and family. We also somehow managed a small Easter celebration. We usually spend Easter with my in-laws, my nieces in their fancy Easter dresses, huge Easter baskets from Grandma Shirley, and epic egg hunt and a beautiful family dinner. I’m amazing the Easter Bunny came at all - we weren’t exactly feeling it this year. So we FaceTimed with family, had a quick egg hunt in the cold and ate lamb meatballs as a family of six. On a Wednesday evening, we returned to the Greenbelt with a good dose of pouting among the bluebells and a new game called “pull your brother to the edge of the hill and push him off the side”. I’ve missed that late afternoon light next to the woods but it sure felt good to see the neighbors and I even got to do socially distanced Dance Church on the greenbelt, giving walkers and joggers quite the sight.

A local photographer was offering to do front porch photography sessions you may have heard about, so I immediately signed up and our shoot was scheduled. The day came, we were getting ready and only after she texted did I realize we were off by an hour and there was no way we were going to make it over to the house on time. I was so upset with myself as I’m not usually someone who lets things fall through the cracks like that. It reminded me of similar feelings of spaciness during my pregnancies and post-partum, so I now call this forgetfulness covid brain. I decided to cut myself from slack, pulled out the tripod and get the family photo myself.

quarantine | day 8-29

Daily documentation of our first weeks of quarantine in photos.

Day 8 marked the first day of home learning, little did we know what we were all getting into and just how long it would last. The kids got acclimated to Zoom meetings and powerpoints with their academic lessons and we embraced recess at home where the boys could climb trees, ride bikes, have nerf gun fights, and play four-square. They boys experienced their first Zoom “play dates” and Viggo had his first virtual soccer practice. Chess club happened on the front lawn once I convinced Viggo to play with his younger brother. And by day 25 it became clear that we would be drowning without my mom. After Kindergarten morning meeting, Grandma Bon Bon works 1:1 with Leo all morning, managing his home learning so I can focus on big brother all while managing my own work. And if you know Leo or any energetic six year old boy, you know that this is hard work requiring patience, fortitude and love. Grandma Bon Bon taught middle school special education for about 30 years, and never imagined she would have to come out of retirement to become a kindergarten teacher for her grandson. And like all the great teachers I’ve been lucky to know, she shows up day after day, despite the moods and tantrums and endless wiggles. Our hero.


covid-19

When we started hearing news reports about coronavirus, it was all so far away. We were busy helping our 9 year old do research on various public figures for his biography unit, eventually choosing Jim Henson as the figure he would portray in the Third Grade Wax Museum. We were celebrating the final basketball games of the season, enjoying our Sundays up skiing at Alpental, and had just tried out for the first season of kid-pitch baseball. We were taking turns getting the boys to swimming and chess club and soccer practices. And then before we knew it, school was closed and social distancing became our new normal. Last week we ran our final errands, stocking up on groceries, books and school supplies, we filled prescriptions, saw our friends in person one last time, and got in one last yoga class in the studio before hunkering down at home for the foreseeable future. The boys went out to Grandpa’s property and each earned $5 to clear wood, Viggo started helping out with some cooking, we all enjoyed some rare moments of quiet as the boys built a lego city after being inspired by the TV show Lego Masters, and luckily we’ve had a nice stretch of weather in Seattle so we could all get outside. I took my first yoga and dance classes virtually from my bedroom and it wasn’t terrible! Tomorrow online learning starts with a 9am check-in so that means Grandma Bon Bon’s School for Boys is officially open - wish us luck.

women's march 2.0

Have you seen the girl with the mind on fire?
She set out to tell the world how they suppress our desires
Said she wouldn't back down till the rules were amended
And she didn't give a fuck who she offended
Have you seen her now?
- Aisha Badru

One year ago I marched with half a million of my sisters in Washington DC. Today I marched at home in Seattle. where we brought the heat despite the cold and a little rain. 

fifty

FIFTY years. Holy smokes, my parents have been married for 50 years. Marriage isn't easy, but I feel fortunate that my parents stuck together all those years and provided a home for my brother and I full of love, support, adventure and endless laughter. They have set the bar high for my own marriage and I'm constantly in awe of everything they've accomplished together. We all traveled to Hawaii where they honeymooned FIFTY years ago, only this time the kids and grand-kids were there to celebrate as well. The kids collected fallen plumeria blooms so I could string them together with dental floss to make lei's for everyone, we decorated the cottage, Uncle Nate manned the BBQ, and the kids ran around and climbed tree stumps with their Grandma Bon Bon and Grandpa Dino masks while we sipped champagne and watched the sun set. Happy anniversary mom and dad.

 

 

cousins, bathtubs, mobile saunas, and chickens | seattle tacoma documentary family photography

It's been far too long since I've blogged, but spring has arrived and I've been shooting a lot lately. I'm also *very close* to fully recovered from major knee surgery last year (more on that coming in another blog post) so I'm ready to start photographing families again! While Viggo competed in his very first chess tournament last weekend (you can see my Instagram post here), Leo got some quality time with his cousins. Documenting the day with his cousins was a great reminder that we can include extended family and cousins in your photo shoot. I would love to spend a morning or day in the life with your family, your littles, and their cousins. The cousin relationship is pretty special, whether they are all close in age, or years apart, it's such a fun, unique dynamic. I'm not sure which was more fun - 3 cousins in a bathtub or 3 cousins in a hammock. We have a bathtub (but the light isn't nearly as pretty) but I'm convinced that we definitely need a hammock.  Back at the house after a long day of chess, Viggo sat proudly for a photo with his trophy before we all jumped into the converted horse trailer that is now a mobile sauna. We warmed up in the sauna listening to the pouring rain on the metal roof of the trailer, snacking on bowls of goldfish, when Leo shouted "chicken bawk bawk!" and sure enough we looked out the little windows to see one of chickens running down the alley. The kids all jumped out to chase the chicken but he was long gone, leaving four sopping wet cousins scrambling to get inside and warm up in front of the fire. It was everything that a day with cousins should be.

women's march on washington

"Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul."
-Coretta Scott King

Last week I traveled from Seattle to Washington DC for the Women's March on Washington. I had heard amazing stories about airplanes filled with women donning their pink hats, but since the first leg of my trip ended in Charlotte, I only saw a handful of pink hats on my plane. Wearing my own hat however (knit entirely of pieces of pink scrap yarn from the 15 hats I made), got me a seat upgrade and a free glass of wine. I rolled into DC in the midnight darkness on the eve of the inauguration, my taxi driver taking side streets to avoid road closures. The day of the inauguration I was careful to avoid all activity and protests, opting instead to explore the neighborhood and enjoy a long lunch with friends. The morning of the march we spent a laughably long time deciding what to wear, adding layers only to change our minds and remove layers, and change our minds yet again. I know all about music festival attire but protest attire? Not so much. Ready or not, armed with our pink hats, good walking shoes, metro cards, and packs of granola, we set out to the nearest metro station. After letting a few full trains go by, we squeezed our way into a packed subway car, only to welcomed by a woman from NYC who greeted us with "All aboard the pussy train!". After a very crowded and very slow trip, and about the time our collective claustrophobia had reached a tipping point, we were let out of the metro and eventually found our way above ground to overcast skies and cool air. We could hear the voice of Michael Moore over the loudspeaker and slowly made our way to the nearest jumbo screen where we could finally see some of the speakers even though we were 7 blocks from the stage. I got goose bumps listening to Ashley Judd recite “I’m a Nasty Woman”, a spoken word piece written by 19-year old Nina Donovan. I strained to hear Gloria Steinem talk about our collective strength and the importance of working together. We heard Alicia Keys and Scarlett Johansson and the voices of the amazing, diverse women who organized the march. But the one who stood out, the one who brought down the house of hundreds of thousands of people, was 6-year old Sophie Cruz, the daughter of undocumented immigrants, who in the clearest, most confident voice, wise beyond her years, gave us this message: “I also want to tell the children not to be afraid because we are not alone”. The speeches ended and we soon learned that there were so many people in attendance that the march route was completely packed and no one could even move. We ccelebrated the fact that there were far more people in attendance than planned and considered it a victory despite not being able to move and getting restless. Finally, the crowds were starting to move so we jumped into the current and marched. I met people from all over the country, from Florida and Texas, to Portland and Ohio, and Saskatchewan, Canada. At the time I had no idea just how many people were present, but I knew I was in the midst of history being made and it was spectacular. We were on our feet standing and walking for close to 8 hours, and at dusk as the march headed to the White House, we crossed the street holding hands, zig-zagging through the crowds one last time before starting the long walk home.  Exhausted, sore and hungry, I felt like I could have marched forever. Back home, I’m still basking in all that we accomplished from DC to the sister marches across the globe, from Seattle and everywhere in between, knowing that this is just the start.

halloween part I

We kicked off the Halloween festivities at my aunt's house where the boys discovered my cousin's old rope swing. The kids got dressed up in their costumes and they all got to pick out their own pumpkin from my aunt's garden. Pumpkins were claimed, rolled, carried, gently placed in wheelbarrows and accidentally dumped out of said wheelbarrows. While the big kids played basketball, Leo ate the last of the tomatoes from the vines, and once he discovered my cousins stash of old star wars toys, we couldn't get him away from them. I don't blame him - the Ewok treehouse was amazing. The boys wore their vampire capes and my niece wore my little brothers old crayon costume, reminding me of the year we went trick or treating down 10th Street, me in the purple crayon and my brother in the yellow crayon. Growing up my mom sewed all of our costumes, and still helps me create costumes for my boys today. Maybe that's where my love of Halloween came from. 

halloween part II

We were at a Halloween party over the weekend and someone asked me how soon I start working on our costumes, to which I replied "September". But realistically, Halloween was just a few days ago and I'm already thinking about next year. So yeah, I'm that crazy person. Luckily, my oldest has acquired my love of all things Halloween and is already plotting our family Star Wars costume next year. Baby brother was quick to agree to his plan, claiming "Dawth Vadah" for himself. And if you don't believe that a 6 year old won't change his mind over the course of an entire year, think again. Last Halloween he decided that we would be vampires and while he briefly considered the Incredible Hulk, he stayed the course and we all went as vampires. Luckily I got one photo of the boys together in their costumes, because in a classic toddler move, as soon as we started trick or treating Leo refused to wear his vampire cape and looked more like Angus Young from AC/DC.  Viggo held his hand for the first few houses and before we knew it, Leo was climbing stairs, desperately trying to keep up with the big kids, saying "twick or tweat" and collecting his candy all by himself. 

a very hitchcock halloween

I paired up with Hitchcock Madrona, a local jewelry store in Seattle, to shoot their annual Halloween looks. Erica shares my love of Halloween so I was more than happy to work with her on this project as she transformed herself into Madonna (Like a Virgin), Tim Burton's classic Edward Scissorhands, and a modern take on Marie Antoinette. When we arrived in Anacortes, we asked the check-out girl Chloe if she knew of any old buildings in the area and she directed us to the abandoned Northern State Mental Hospital in Sedro-Woolley. It was the perfect back drop for the Edward Scissorhands look! For Marie Antoinette, we tromped through open fields and corn rows and ended up on the slightly terrifying bridge over Deception pass as the sun set. I'm already thinking about locations for next years shoot! Featured jewelry from Lulu Frost, Eddie Borgo, Xenia Mara, IOSSELLIANI, Jennifer Behr, and Mariella Pilato.  Edward Scissorhands dress by Comme Des Garcons and harness by Zana Bayne. More information on the jewelry can be found on the Hitchcock Madrona blog.

from london to seattle with love | seattle documentary family photography

You know it's going to be a good session when you wake up to dark Seattle skies and a slow drizzle but instead of canceling, your client embraces it and wants to document life in their new city, rain and all. And even better is when you're greeted by smiling, giggling girls who can't wait to show you their baby sister.  This beautiful international family recently moved from London to Seattle and the girls still have an accent that will melt your heart.  The laugher that fills every room of their house is infectious, and families that embrace the silly will always have my heart. As a mother of boys, I love documenting life with girls and I'm always curious about the differences and similarities and make no mistake, these girls could give my boys a run for their money. They jumped, wrestled, danced, and scaled rock walls in the mud and rain. It was my kind of morning.