My Town Shoot-Out: Kids

Did you mean this kind of kid?

Probably not. But it's my only chance to use this photo, taken a few weeks ago in Japan.

We were there for two weeks in June-July, and I couldn't help snapping a few pics of kids.

We saw lots of school kids.

I loved the packs, lined up neatly in an after-school care center.

I don't know if I'll ever capture a sweeter moment.

Or a sadder one. These are small statues at a Shinto shrine, honoring babies who died.

Back home, I have begun fostering a cat who just had a litter of four babies last week.

Tough job, but somebody's gotta socialize the little ones.

Here is a real "My Town" kind of shot: a little guy playing in the fountain at the river front park here in Corvallis. Doesn't it make you want to kick your shoes off and get in there too? We have had very few hot days this summer in Oregon, unlike the rest of the country; y'all should come on over and cool off.

Blues from Japan

John and I just returned from 2 weeks in Japan and I've begun to write about it on Ed & Reub (see side bar) where I've also included a lot more pictures. 

But no blue pictures! So I thought this might be a good place for them.

 One of the things I loved about Japan was the attention to detail.

The food was so simple and so pretty,

and so fresh.

These are incense sticks at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kyoto. The crooked one in front is mine.

I'm glad to be back in Oregon, but Japan was really great. I wish I had taken more pictures of blue things, though, because I do love blue!

Friday Shoot-out: fences

I really like how there are bluebird houses along the path where John and I often run the dogs. Sometimes they actually have bluebirds in them, but other birds like them too, as you can see!

FSO: time

 Recently I had an appointment with a state official who looked over my retirement application. I was fascinated/creeped-out that the meeting was held in this Oregon Fish & Wildlife conference room. They should pay more attention to feng-shui, maybe?

Elsewhere in the news: spring has finally arrived in western Oregon. The sun is out!


Just for fun, this is a short video of cuckoo clocks. They drove me crazy in Lake Titisee Germany last year:

Friday Shoot-Out: Rule of Thirds

While I was walking the dogs in the park a couple of weeks ago I spotted this princess in the distance.  I have no idea what her story was...what do you think? It was so dramatic that I couldn't resist taking a picture and adding some melodrama of my own.

Blue skies at last

Spring has finally arrived in Oregon, and here is the blue sky to prove it.

Friday Shoot-Out: Green

The idea of My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

 Pictures taken in Corvallis, Oregon.

  
It snowed twice this week in the Willamette Valley, but it is March and the snow doesn't stick.

 This time of year spring really insists upon coming.

 

March can be a crazy month, very wet in Oregon, but I love it.

 Also-I realize this is random-I just this week learned how to make very good guacamole...

Happy St Patrick's Day! Have a great weekend everybody!

 

FSO: Steps

The idea of My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

I was in Portland, Oregon, last weekend and it was really fun to notice the steps and stairs.

Coyote VI, Gynn Murrill, 1999

This bronze statue watches the entrance to the Portland Art Museum.

Curving staircase in the Center for Performing Arts, Portland.

Curved steps are so cool; they look like a seashell, or a fan.

We stayed in a grand old hotel, The Benson, where the staircases were elegant.

I imagined myself in Downton Abbey. But only for two days.

We're back home in Corvallis now, and it snowed hard last night. The trees and bushes looked like this when I took the dogs out for a walk this morning! I had to duck, but even then I got a collar full of wet spring snow.

Friday Shoot-Out: Motion

The idea of My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

My town is Corvallis, Oregon.

This is a flicker taking off from a snowy branch. I haven't mastered panning, and must admit that this shot was a surprise to me. You can see which branch he was on because the snow is falling off of it!

FSO: Arms and legs

The idea of the My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

In mid-November John and I became grandparents of a tiny little boy.

He lives in Chicago with his parents. It's a long way from Oregon, but we visited not long after he was born. His arms and legs were still all curled up!

See? I guess it takes a while before we straighten out.

FSO: Places to hear music in my town

The idea of the My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

Photos shot in Corvallis, western Oregon

Music can be heard regularly in our house, and as I write this I am listening to my husband John, who is a jazz musician, practicing classical piano.

John plays guitar with a couple of different groups, and I am often tasked with the job of taking band pics.

I really enjoy this. It gives me a chance to observe them when they are practicing.

And I may find myself at a gig before there is any audience at all.

Gigs are hard to photograph, but usually there are one or two shots that I like.  This one captures the crazy improvisational energy that an 8-piece jazz ensemble can create. Taken with my little pocket Canon, I'm not even sure how this picture happened.

John also plays in a trio, and they have had a couple of gigs at a resort in the Cascades, about an hour and a half from Corvallis. This is a laid-back venue.

Still, I can't take my eyes off of the drum set.

It's a cool place to play, with surprisingly good acoustics. And twice now, a Yeti has appeared...can you spot him? Yep, the Yeti exists here in Oregon, and loves cool jazz. He always asks some beautiful young girl to dance with him. 

Another common venue for the trio to play is on the OSU campus, for various functions. I think it's a little hard to be cool in this setting, but the bass player's wide stance is helpful.

The trio has played multiple times at Cloud 9, a restaurant/music venue downtown, and this is what that looks like. Pretty cool. They get a free dinner when they play there; the Korean ribs are great.

Music, yeah. I really like this topic.

Friday shoot-out: layers

The idea of the My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

Photo shot in Corvallis, western Oregon

Just one photo this week:

This is the strange, peeling red bark of the madrone tree, found mostly in California and Oregon. Such a weird tree!

Mid-week blues

I don't have the blues at all, but I have some recent photos.:

We just got back from a trip to the midwest, where we laid eyes on our first grandchild, little Rowan, 2 weeks old. The blue blanket was crocheted by my niece; looks like Rowan likes it just fine.

We rented a little blue car and drove to Wisconsin, where I watched these little grand-nephews practice hockey.

 Five years old and oh-so-serious.

Friday My Town shoot-out: imbalanced

The idea of the My Town Shoot Out is to post photos of your community every Friday, and hopefully improve your photography skills. If you would like to see examples of this week's theme from other parts of the world, go here.

Photos shot in or near Corvallis, western Oregon

 This week's assignment:

Imbalance. Lack of proportion or relation between corresponding things. Shots with strong points of interest on one side of an image and ‘emptiness’ in another area. Misproportioned.

This is a pier on Odell Lake in the Cascades, one of the mountain ranges that runs north-south through  Oregon; it's just east of us and we sometimes go to spend a weekend there.

Salmon from the Columbia River, prepared in the traditional way by being staked near a smokey fire. When my son got married, this is what was for dinner: so good!