January 29, 2008

Corner Lot


Last weekend, my husband handed me my camera bag and told me to go have some fun taking pictures for a while - and so I started to head toward the Cement Factory again and as I neared, I noticed there were actually people working there - so I just kept following Marine Drive for a while until this corner lot caught my eye.




The orange of the truck in front of the buildings drew me in - and I fiddled with this set of photographs in my new Digital Lightroom program introduced to me by a new friend and fellow photographer Sandi Heinrich (you most definatly have to check out her page) and Im loving all the antique filters and variations on photos that I can do now.

I was quite curious why this van was parked clear back into that tall grass and butted up against the building - as it just doesnt seem to really belong in the picture...and Im fighting my "Been watching too many CSI Miami's" urges to check for a body in the back of that thing...BUT anyway - it was the blue of the van against the muted browns in this shot that I loved the most.

I sucked all the color from this shot except the browns and greens - I think its looking almost serial killerish now - fitting in with my "What might be in that van..." worries and I think there was a moment that I even jumped near out of my skin when the very large...very scary looking neighbor stuck his head out of his door and told me to "get away from there!" - even though I had not stepped foot on the property and was still firmly planted on the street - I had every right to be taking photographs that day - but I wasnt too sure the van wasnt his...and Id rather be watching CSI than be an idea for a new episodes plot someday... (Ok Ok ...I have quite the imagination dont I?)

With that little request still ringing in my ears, I walked back to my car and took one more shot of the old Dodge - and it wasnt until I got them home and my husband saw it that he noticed it almost looks like someone is sitting at the wheel...*shiver*


All in all - I think this shot here is my favorite. I wished I could have wandered around back to see the other side as it appeared to have even more moss on that side than the one facing me - but HULK was watching - and I didnt feel like being pulverized on a lovely Saturday afternoon.

PS - I love mossy barns - if you have one and dont mind me walking around it and dont store dead bodies in your vans parked next to them - please email me - I would love to photograph it :)

Row Row Row your boat...


Someone apparently forgot about the "Gently down the stream" part of that song - but you know...I find it way more beautiful this way anyway. I stood there on the bank of the creek for quite a while staring at this thing - The green moss on it was mesmerizing and I love how it's just sort of being slowly reclaimed by the earth...

Favorite Fall Folliage


I think this was my absolute favorite fall photo this year. I saw that tree blazing with color from a good half mile away - against the grey of the rubble of the building. I upped the contrast on this a bit in photoshop to pull more of the color out - but the rest was just a perfect shot waiting to happen....I couldnt help but think of how sad it was that it took the tree's imminent death to get my attention - if it had been spring and just a plain old green tree - I seriously doubt I would have noticed it as I drove past - and it saddened me to think that we often see people this way ...

Sometimes it takes death, to see the beautiful bright lives we had among us all along.


These buildings are located right across the street from Meridian High School of of the Guide Meridian, near Lynden. I really really wanted to go inside of them but by the looks of the place, I thought Id pass on that idea ...as Im not too fond of breaking bones or falling into giant pits in barns and buildings that look like they are just waiting for an excuse to topple over...


So I settled for wandering along the street and taking what pictures I could from the safety of the other side of the roadway. I just love the fall and the color explosions it brings!

Cat Tales...er Tails


Ive always loved these things - and when I was little I always insisted that they looked more like Corndogs on a Stick than a cat tail - but I suppose once they start going all fluffy on us - its more comforting to think of them as a cute little animal tail than a corndog on a stick thats been left out on the counter too long...eh?



I never tire of walking through places like this - it's always just a nice peaceful feeling sitting on the edge of a stream - watching the little fluffy bits break free and float away, or watching the cat tails dancing in the slight breeze while the ducks scream at me for daring show up without bread crumbs to fling at their heads...



I dont know...I still think it looks more like a moldy corndog - but its pretty none-the-less ;)

Treasures along the freeway


I saw this beauty sitting just off the freeway, on my way home from a photoshoot out in Blaine a few weeks back. I really wanted to get closer - but the barbed wire fence and blackberry bushes were winning against my not so happy to be stabbed - legs. One of these days Ill get a little closer - but for now, Ill just oogle over all that mossy goodness and dream of our next meeting...

Faces of Decay

I find that sometimes the pictures I take end up suprising me once I get them back home and go through them all. I took a batch of pictures out down near the Ferry Terminal and boat yard a few weeks back and realized that I had managed to find 3 very interesting "faces of decay" while out wandering around...

This old pillar down near the Fairhaven Ferry Terminal just sort of looked a little upset to me...and I think hes way past due for a dental check up...dont you?

I love this ones Spikey hairdo - and I cant for the life of me remember what cartoon it reminds me of but for some reason I keep picturing a dog in my head with a really long face - all I know is there is a face in there and it makes me laugh.


And then we have Mr Grumpy Pants Garbage Can. I cant tell if he looks angry or just feeling "MEH" that day. I think I spend way too much time contemplating the thoughts of inhuman objects ;) but if I dont do it...who will?

January 28, 2008

Old Train Stations Never Die...



A few weeks back, my husband had read in the paper that the old Train depot in Blaine, WA was either going to be moved, or destroyed sometime in the near future - so we figured I had better get up there and take some pictures of it before either of those things happened....

When I pulled up to the little lonely building - I was content to just take pictures of the outside, with all of the peeling paint patches, rusted nails and broken wood panels - and there were giant deadbolt locks on all of the places that had doors and large windows - so I just walked around the outside and then went to the front door to longingly peer inside - leaned my forehead against the cold glass and lo and behold - of all the doors NOT to be locked - it was the front door... So I went in...



The local paper had just done a story on it - so it appeared that someone had gone in not too long before that and cleaned the place up a bit - the floor was near spotless - sadly. I was looking forward to giant cobwebs and creepy dust bunnies to fight in the shadows but alas...all that seemed to be laying about were some old papers on a neatly tidied desk and ...an old file cabinet that proves Yoda didnt actually fade into the sidelines next to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars - but was relocated by the Witness Protection Program as a train station manager in a little town just south of the border...where he was able to use the force to protect against all the evils that may pass between the countries via the railroad...





There really wasnt anything left inside - except there seemed to be a lot of chairs hanging around in various rooms - completely cleaned out but for a lonely chair here and there...









I did find this one rusty ol rail road peg laying on the shelf inside the ticket booth area windows - and couldnt help but give some thought to how it would feel to be that rail peg...laying there on the inside of the glass - able to see all of its other peg friends outside...free to be railroad pegs, free to feel the wind in their faces, the suns warmth on their heads........er..ok..you know what I mean.. ...and then having to watch it all through the glass - freedom just out reach....(too many sappy movies?)



The loneliness of the place did start to get to me though - I started thinking about all of those chairs - how it seemed like this must have been a place where alot of people spent waiting - for loved ones, for long lost friends, for a new life to begin in a whole new world from anything they'd ever known - and I got to feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the idea that hundreds and thousands of people had walked through that door - and wondered where life was going to lead them to next....and I smiled as I left there, anxious to see where mine would lead me.



Hello World!

I've decided to start a seperate blog for my wandering photos - as requested by some family members, friends and various past and present clients - so here we go.

How about we jump right in and visit the old cement mixing plant out off of Marine drive?


I went on a gloomy old Sunday when I thought there would be less chance of anyone working there and luckily I was right. I dont like people watching me take pictures and I tend to get all giggly and squeal alot when I turn a corner and find a giant alien looking metal contraption oozing rust all over the place...like these -





I went all weak in the knees there for a few minutes as I noticed the rust was about the same tone as the tall wheat like grass surrounding all of the giants before me. It seemed like a living painting for a moment - the man made textures being eaten by natures....

There were plenty of greens and yellows around though - the photo above proves that. The green grass poked through in just the right places to bring out the greens and yellows in the machinery that was lying on the edge of it all and the tall yellowish / brown grass growing up between the metal frames was just asking to be photographed...




Then I turned another corner in the lot and found a little dream world of textures, shapes, lines, and colors everywhere I turned. Im a sucker for all of those - but put them all in one shot and Im in la la land for hours.

It started raining on me about then - so I had to pack it up and hike back through the sticker bushes to the car and try to defrost my poor little fingers so I could drive again - but not before I vowed to go back and explore some more - and maybe next time I will take a photo buddy with me and see about getting inside that lovely old building - its calling to me...