While floating in a basket 3,000 feet in the air the sun, just a little closer, hugs my face. It’s strange, but somehow, I feel safer flying in a bed of straw than I do in a 787 made out of 1,500 sheets of aluminum. Tom Hamilton (pictured below) of Airial Balloon twists the gasket to ignite flames into an open ball of air dressed in colorful fabric. The colors trigger the image of a different place and time… a parade down the streets of Calcutta.
When I stepped on a plane to leave home for 4 months to work as a photographer in Beijing the reality of the space that would soon separate me from my loved ones didn’t hit me until the moment the seat belt sign flicked on above my head and I could hear the 747 engine rumble in step with my stomach. Well, actually.. I take that back. I did have a moment. It was around 4:45 am on a Thursday. I sat shotgun across from my boyfriend in a red minivan. We were cruising down I-5 south to Sea-Tac airport. I was a ball of nervous energy.
He kept giving me this look with his kind brown eyes that made my extraocular muscles flex with tension. I was squeezing tears back like Richard Simmons’ squeezes his thigh muscles in Boogie Down the Pounds. I digress, we both knew the next few months were going to be hard. On opposite ends of the world, with opposite time schedules we were going to give the term “long-distance relationship” new meaning. After a couple minutes of unsettling silence I reached for the volume button on the radio and twisted it on. As the sun started to peak over Mt. Rainer Bonnie Taylor’s voice came through the speakers (If you haven’t seen that music video click on the link and watch it… I have not enough words to explain that odd piece of work….) “Turn around…Every now and then I get a little helpless and I’m lying like a child in your arms..Turn around..” Brady’s lips crept into a mischievous smile, and we turned to each other as the van went down the 6 lane empty freeway. As the song hit it’s climax, our voices crescendo in unison, “I REALLY NEED YOU TONIGHT! FOREVER’S GONNA START TONIGHT!” As the song came to a close we both dipped into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
By this time we pulled up to the airport curb surrounded in a sea of yellow. Brady jockeyed through taxi after taxi to find a perfect spot. He popped the trunk, I stepped out. We both reached for my suitcase, brushing hands. I looked at him. It finally hit me. I’m not going to see these eyes or feel these hands for months. He wrapped his strong hands around my back pulling me in and kissed my forehead. A car honked behind us. We kissed. The car honked again. And in an instant I said “Bye baby,” turned away, and completely lost it. Walking to the sliding doors my face was drenched with saltwater. I blew my nose with an extra copy of my ticket information and waddled with my suitcase into line.
Some 5,134 miles later I was in Beijing. And three months later I was taking these photographs in the Forbidden City, and thinking of Brady as I saw this delightful couple so in love, taking pictures in the snow. And 1 month later I was home with him in time for Christmas, cuddling up on the couch reading this poem he left me 4 months prior in my suitcase.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wonder are lost,
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the ashes shall spring;
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
-J.R.R. Tolkien
Summer has finally swept into the northwest. Though as I write this the florescent glow of Seattle cloud cover dilates my eyes instead of sunshine, we did get several “true” summer weather days this week. I spent a few hours working in my garden yesterday (pictures to come) in the muggy hot weather loving nearly every moment of it.
A couple weeks back Brady and I drove up to Bellingham to visit our dear friends Eric and Jaren. It provided a much needed breath of fresh air from my busy and hectic schedule. I am so thankful for the moments when I can get away from my computer, Iphone, and everything that keeps my mind buzzing constantly with all the work I have to do to just take a break, and be light.
Eric foraged some nettles for dinner so we cooked up bow tie nettle pesto with walnuts (recipe below) and made nutty bread. After dinner we went on a perfect walk around quiet Bellingham as the sun was tucking into the skyline. The next morning we went to the Black Drop (very cute coffee shop in town) and later that night Brady and I shared a huge burrito at Casa Que Pasa. For both of us to eat and be absolutely stuffed it was something like $7. Needless to say, it was a great little weekend getaway. Thanks Eric and Jaren for welcoming us into your home and Bellingham!
Nettle Pesto:
6 cups fresh nettle, blanched in water for 1 minute
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Using a blender mix ingredients until a pesto consistency is achieved. Boil bow tie pasta and dress with nettle pesto. Make sure you use gloves when picking the nettles. After boiling the edibles they no longer can sting you.
Thanks to Lesile Williams at Wild Root Botanicals for the recipe!
In late November, just a week before Thanksgiving I boarded a plane from snow-covered Beijing to land in Bangkok, and eventually fly to Chiang Rai, in Northern Thailand. After living in Beijing for several months working as a photographer at the largest English-language paper China Daily, I had decided to spend my last month off volunteering at a girl’s home very close to my heart. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting many photographs from my time in Chiang Rai. This post comes from a day trip I took with my friend Nok. She kick started her motorcycle with my clinging to her small frame and we hit the bumpy dirt road like horses at a derby. Let me tell you, on gorgeous 85-degree weather days, there is nothing better than cruising with the wind hitting your hair and face down the back roads of rural Thailand. Nok took me to her husband’s Karen village named Ruammit, and we also went to a local national park. I hope these photographs invoke within a desire to get out there and explore. I also wanted to say thanks to the people have been commenting and giving feedback, it really makes spending the 2-3 hours on editing, posting and writing worth it! You guys are awesome!
A young Karen boy of Ruammit sucks on a lighter.
Downtown Chiang Rai.
The village boys and I doing the infamous “thinking” pose.
Most of these images are from a small village in Evia, Greece. Near the end the photos range from Athens to other small islands I visited while doing research in abroad. Each one of these photos is insanely sentimental for me. My time in Greece was a time of growth and self-exploration hardly matched by other moments in my life. I’ve been asked about selling prints and I am! For 4×6 it’s $15 a print, 8×5 are $25 and 8×10 $35 (this includes sales tax). Just send me a message. I’ll also be displaying these at one of my favorite local coffee shops soon, and framed prints will be for sale (exciting).
// THE LADY
Based in the Pacific Northwest. Shooting editorial projects & weddings worldwide.
