elizabeth on a mission

Twelve hundred miles

2012-01-05T11:13:00.001-08:00

Our new Subaru finally got to show off over the holiday. We drove her over 1200 miles to LA, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree and The Salton Sea. I felt like I could stay on the road forever. I will write more later, I am using my iphone for this post (testing out a new mobile blogging app).Here are some photos.

Joshua Tree aka heaven

Cholla garden at sunset

Salton Sea

Salton Sea- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Litte Things

2011-12-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spent hours looking at hundreds of photos. Photos that show me a glimpse of my life in the last year. What I discovered--little things are big things; the big moments of my life. Holidays are great, weekends are great, birthdays are great. But what my photos say to me--life is great. All the little moments, make my life. Here are some little moments that I'd like to share.

this shadow lasted about a minute, luckily I had my camera in hand

things I picked up on my walk

my reflection on a pond

My new job title

2011-11-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

I decided that I should make a resume for myself with the job title "looker/seer". And the job description would say--I see, look, document, and show evidence; proof.

Let me start at the beginning. I was walking on the beach today and I was "looking" and thinking of how magnificent everything around me was. The sky with the perfect puffy clouds, the water rushing back and forth, the sand stepped in, the dogs pouncing, the long grass swaying. The air seemingly from heaven. I took it all in and thought--this must be heaven. So at that moment, I thought why can't this be my job. I would travel around the world and see things. HA! Why didn't I think of this before. Now, I have to find someone to hire me.

Here are some photos of the things that I saw.

a book about trees?

2011-11-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

tree in Arizona

tree in San Francisco


tree in Portland

I take pictures of trees. I greet trees, I admire trees. Now I am reading a book about trees. When I picked it up I didn't think it would be some great novel. I picked it up on instinct--it was staring at me, so I brought it home. What I've learned so far...I love trees even more than I originally thought. And, I'm only a quarter of the way through the book. Why they fascinate me? I only know that it's feeling I get when I'm around them. But I do think this quote by Gloria Steinem sums it pretty nice and concise--"Read Jean Shinoda Bolen's Like a Tree, and you will never again see one without knowing it has a novel inside, it's supporting your life, and it's more spiritual than any church, temple or mosque. Like a Tree is the rare book that not only informs, but offers a larger consciousness of life itself."

The trees are calling me, I want to visit some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet--just to say hi and of course to take their picture.

If you know of any great tree books, please share. Have you read The Giving Tree? That's another great.

ritual and the un-routine

2011-10-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Wherever I go, I always want a routine. I want to wake up and have coffee, I want to find a comfy, sunny place to sit. I want to read a book. I never get straight to work--I ease into my day. That has been my morning routine for the past week.

For the past ten years I have lived in 10 different places. And that is a problem for routine or atleast one would think that. But, I have discovered that I am extremely adaptable. I make up a new routine wherever I go and that is comforting; that is the ritual that can never be lost in spite of my bohemian nature.

I am enjoying this 111 year old house and its rituals while I can.

The trailer is ready

2011-10-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Time flies...it's been a few months since my last post. A lot has happened. A lot of life and living but all the while we have been steady working on our new home.We are giving the 1973 oldie but goodie a test run this weekend. Hopefully our car won't mind pulling it. Here are some photos of the inside. New curtains, and cushions recovered, new flooring, paint and hardware.

Who makes San Francisco?

2011-07-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

The people, but I might argue that the architecture is pretty insane as well!!!

This band plays regularly on Haight street and they are world class (which means they make my heart beat with love) they have a kind of blue grass/country/city sound with some great harmonies they always get a crowd of admirers. I am always happy to accidentally see/hear them performing from their stoop.

It was a rare sunny and dare I say--hot day in San Francisco...enjoying the sun at Dolores Park. I envy that pink umbrella and wish I could work some fish nets too.

This little guy is a brilliant drummer, the proof--he had two pint sized drummer wannabes mesmerized. They didn't move an inch while he played. It was sweet to watch. I bet they're begging their parents for drums right now.

A girl and her dog...I love watching people. This was taken at one of my favorite parks, you can sit at the top and see downtown or the Victorians from the t.v. show Full House. So pretty (and windy)

new project

2011-06-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm working on Shannon's website. We are adding a new page, but haven't picked a title yet. The project will take us on a journey across the U.S. in a tiny vintage trailer (photos to come). There will be original music compositions, photographs, & personal narrative video interviews; stories from women who have inspired us. Digital storytelling has been on my mind for over a year now, but illness and other life stuff got in the way. Here are some photos that I picked out to help you visualize what we are about to embark on.

The Explorer in me

2011-06-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

I buy very few books, I'm a library kind of girl. But some books I have to have. I picked up How To Be An Explorer Of The World a while ago and recently decided that it was time to start putting it to use. I picked out a few pages that I would like to start with and photographed them so when I am out on a walk I can pick a project. Here are some sample pages if you'd like to head out to explore with me.

A walk in the clouds

2011-06-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

A walk to the one of the greatest city views has a way of clearing the mind. By the time I reach the top my heart is pumping and the feeling of accomplishment is just as good as finishing a half marathon. (which I did once, and will never do again)
I never tire of the view from Twin Peaks. It does feel like you are in the clouds as you tower over the city. It is always windy and frigid. I love to witness the tourists as they hop off the big buses with little skirts and t-shirts. I guess no one warned them that the temperature on Twin Peaks always feels like winter (no matter what time of year you visit)

Found Images

2011-06-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

Swallowed in candy, sweets, sugar

mesmerized by the words on the screen

a ghost-like image of myself

Installation artwork found in the Mission

what we see

2011-05-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

In the last week, a couple of trees in my neighborhood park had decided to give up the good fight. They just up-rooted and fell over. These trees were large and healthy. I couldn't wrap my head around why these guys just fell over, why the roots pulled up the ground. I just stood there and stared then I said good bye to them (in my head).

I get a "feeling" when I am surrounded by trees. They rejuvenate me, it's like coffee without the caffeine. My brain starts working, my blood starts flowing. Things happen.

When I remind myself to look up, I see beauty, like in a painting but living. These photos are from my collection of obsessive "looking up" to see what design the trees will make, what inspiration they will bring.

This post is dedicated to my Grandpa Nicholas who recently left this world and is probably looking down through the branches of the trees to see his family.

looking for rainbows

2011-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

I want to live under a rainbow. I think that means that I want to be free; I want to travel and discover. I am trying to figure out a way to live on the road for a year and a way to have a place to call "home" in Portland, Oregon. This photo was taken on my last trip to Portland, a beautiful rainbow after a bit of rain. I think it was a good sign--don't you?

History Books

2011-04-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

new mural in Lower Haight

Valencia Street in the Mission

Juana Alicia "La Llorona" 2004

propaganda

While I love photographing every bit of street art, one of my dreams is to meet the people behind it. I would love to get their story; why they do it. Is it the only way they ever feel heard? These anonymous people represent our history. They are mini-historians, mini history makers. Imagine children getting out their history books filled with this art. What an exciting way to learn about our past and present.

Find out more about Juana Alicia, an amazing muralist, activist, artist: http://www.juanaalicia.com/la-llorona-project-san-francisco/

the world diary

2011-04-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

I feel like I can write a story about each photo

out from under Rome 2010

watering cement Paris 2010

torn Barcelona 2010

Backlog photog

2011-04-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you take a two week trip to Portland, you get a backlog of photos and then the backlog turns into a mountain of craziness. My photo a day project is still moving, posting on the other hand is slow...I promise to catch up...where to start. Here are photos of Portland porches. I was fascinated by the ~~junk~~, uh, I mean creative displays that so many Portlanders chose to plop on and around their extended living spaces. So much so that I thought it would make a good book. I will call it...Portland Porches. Catchy, I know. I hope to one day have such a porch, I will sip hot tea on a rainy afternoon while I take a break from my busy schedule of fiddling with metal.

spooky doll

dummy cocktails


hanging bike

Cello door

dead end

tulip lane

rocking horse

photo a day week 7

2011-02-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

puddle

1636

wet paper

root

hail

rust

Mona Caron mural

It was a rainy week, I took it as an opportunity to Portlandize myself. I bought an official rain coat, took a long walk in the rain and got wet anyway. I'm not ready for Portland yet. I saw a guy take off his plastic pants when he got to the coffee shop (he had regular pants underneath). He must have been visiting from Portland because he really had it all figured out. Note to self: buy plastic pants and plastic shoes to compliment plastic coat. Then maybe, I won't get wet.

barbed heart lights the kiss of coffee skin--me

2011-02-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

barbed wire

sidewalk hearts

San Francisco lights

kissing trees

coffee

MLK in the Mission

I am

“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.

Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.

Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” - MLK

A Martin Luther King quote on this day seems very appropriate.

There comes a time...

2011-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

reflection

friendship

home

journey

diamond in the rough

renew

not broken

There comes a time in your life when you know things are changing. You're not sure if they are good or bad or scary or exciting, maybe a bit of all of that. You feel a force around you; an unstoppable movement. I feel this way every ten years. Guess what? I have hit that time again. Ten Years ago, I sold everything and moved to Mexico to study silversmithing and to learn to be alone; learn to like my own company. After that time in Mexico ended I came home and have lived a simple life full of love and creativity.

How do I make the next 10 years as fabulous? I have a couple of quotes that will help me during this time and they go something like this. "give more than you take" and " you are drifting and yet you have got a rudder".

49 Square Miles

2011-01-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

New York City is over 300 square miles. Portland is over 134 square miles and San Francisco is just over 49 square miles . When I compare SF to Portland and NYC, I realize that photographing SF should be a walk in the park, even with all the hills. Last week I hoofed it up the hills of Potrero, they are brutal, not as brutal as the hills in Pacific Heights or Russian Hill though. Think I'll save those for last, or maybe I'll just catch a bus and shoot from the scratched up windows. Anyway, I have 4 more weeks to document San Francisco before I move to Portland. This weeks shots are from Potrero Hill, The Castro, The Sunset, The Haight and The Mission neighborhoods


Train tracks in Potrero Hill

doggy in the window

cement art

Valencia Street

beach view

over the GG Bridge

I don't need no stinkin' fortune teller

2011-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

I was thinking that I could take a photo a day and I could always relate it to my life at that moment. For example-- the apple photograph, I bought it because I had never seen an apple that had that rich purple color. I imagined that it would be the most delicious apple that I had ever tasted. So how does that relate to my life you ask? Well, I am visual, as you might have figured by now, so of course I will pick the prettiest apple but also, I like taking chances in hopes of a big pay off. So there you have it. The apple, represents my life. I can go on with the photos and their representations but I don't want to bore you.

Enjoy this weeks photos!


golden girl


sidewalk love

cityscape fog

looking up

don't speak

black apple

Only 351 more photos to go

2011-01-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

Some days I take twenty photos and some days I take one. The days I take one are the days that I forgot about the project and I frantically whip out my iphone and shoot whatever is in front of me. So one day I looked down and saw Jerry Garcia on the corner of Haight and Ashbury, just a wee little guy (about 1ft) stenciled into the sidewalk. Another day, I was sitting in front of my computer and I took a photo of what I was looking at; a blog about bicycling in Portland. On the days that I take twenty photos I am always so torn as to which photo to pick to represent that day. If you notice a trend on beach photos that is because I am spending Sundays at the beach until my move to Portland.


I always see tourists taking a picture of her legs, thought I should too

Jerry Garcia stencil

A Tree Grows in San Francisco

unmade bed

unicorn

seagull

Photo a day documentary project

2011-01-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

I still have kodachrome film, slide film and 110 film that has not been developed. It has been sitting in my fridge for years. I have a very nice (and heavy) Canon SLR in the garage. I learned to develop my own film, I learned to print my own prints in the darkroom. Those days are gone. I remember them with fondness. I had to wait to find out what treasures I captured. Today, I am taking a photo everyday for a year and I get to see it and manipulate it the minute I take it. I have a great need to remember things, I have tried writing them down but since I am so visual, I thought I would try taking one photo a day to document my life. I want to look back at these photos 20 or 30 years from now and remember that moment when I stood still to take a picture because something caught my eye.

Day 7 headless

Day 6 wood on beach

Day 5 girls

Day 4 man in heels

Day 3 Flower Bike

Day 2 thrown Christmas Tree


Day 1 Golden Gate Bridge

Day of the Dead

2010-11-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

The day to remember your friends and family who have died. What a beautiful holiday. Here are some photos that I took of the celebration here in San Francisco. Though it is not a celebration that I grew up with, I know that it is one that I will honor every year because it is in my heart now.

San Francisco; a visual feast

2010-10-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

the mission

Golden Gate park, Downtown, Page street

view from the bus

In the Mission and the Haight

Cuba

2010-09-17T11:21:00.000-07:00


playing in the street

I went to Cuba at the end of  2002 and brought in the New Year with thousands of Cubans.  There were big metal barrels of free beer in the streets and as long as you had a container to put it in, you could have all you wanted. 

Havana was filled with people who walked around and looked you in the eye and said hello as you passed. They seemed happy. I always thought that was the most interesting thing. If there wasn't enough money to buy Havana Club rum they would make their own and put it in an old (and I mean old) Havana Club bottle. And then they would share it with you like you were a long lost friend.

I tried not to be sad to see Havana looking like an abandoned war torn  town that you knew was once was the bell of the ball.  I wanted to soak  it all in and let it be a moment in my history; an experience of  observation, without judgment.  

Here are some photos that  I took, I like the surreal qualities of movement and stillness. 


waiting in line, waiting to make money, going somewhere


Fidel and Che are everywhere

Photo Log

2010-08-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

blue eyeshadow


mannequin reflection


umbrella painting and wedding

Beauty is in the eye of the camera holder

2010-08-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Valencia, Spain 2010

Barcelona, Spain 2010

I remember my first trip to NYC in 1995, I was obsessed with photographing the "gritty" people or the gritty things I saw. I found beauty in that. Yes, I do have a photo of a bridge and flower here and there but the "smudginess" (from my personal dictionary) seemed alive. Today, I am not as bold and find it hard to whip out my camera and take shots of unsuspecting people or to walk up and ask for a shot. These days (for the last 5 years) my passion for smudge has turned into an obsession with taking photos of every piece of street art I can find. My recent trip to Europe turned into a photographic hunt for paint and paste. I was disappointed with what I didn't find in Paris and amazed to find such a thriving street art community in Valencia, Spain. Valencia reminds me of San Francisco. Of course I think SF is the leader in street art but I haven't been to Berlin yet.


NYC 2007