Sep 8, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others, North Tide, Showing Off |
Childrens’ “Bogs” at the beach
I cannot remember the first time I saw those colorful, clunky, rubber boots called “Bogs” but for sure it was up in Juneau, the rain country. The brand name of Bogs most likely comes from the fact that these boots are worn where there’s an unlimited supply of water; that would be Southeast Alaska! There are even Bogs for children, even itty bitty children who are just able to walk, and of course, once little ones learn how to walk, they are vulnerable to wet weather just like we are, but even more so because they are closer to the puddles since they are shorter; see?
Little kid’s bogs next to the latest in Bog style; I call it “Spider Woman’s Bogs!”
I have never desired to wear Bogs – they are too colorful, too bulky and too heavy and I don’t want to be wearing something that suggests that there must be a lot of wet weather. Let’s say I am in denial of all the rain in Southeast Alaska! I won’t wear a raincoat; have never owned one. I won’t use an umbrella; though I’ll use one in Colorado, and I’ve never worn those brown rubber boots that everyone else has worn in Southeast Alaska for at least 50 years! Nope, not me.
Wore my bogs while blue berry picking up a mountainside in Haines, Alaska
But then one day, I walked into Shoefly shoe store in Juneau and there were these weird-looking, up-to-the-knee boots with a herring-bone pattern; they came in red and black. I was actually in the market for a pair of “normal” shoes since all I have are either boots or sandals, nothing in between. Oh well, I tried on these boots and they are like waterproof, thinly-insulated, high-top moccasins! So dang comfortable that there’s no such thing as “breaking them in.” I bought them specifically for the wet weather on beaches, in the woods, up the trails, rocky pathways and of course, in the bogs! That’s right. These are the truly remarkable, light-weight, stylish “Bogs in Alaska Bogs!”
“Spider Woman Bogs” fishing in Hoonah, Alaska
Go get yourself a pair at $110. They have inspired me to get my muscles back into shape because I just love walking in them. They’ve got good grip for boat decks, keep you feet dry no matter what, and golly, I’ve been mistaken for Spider Woman on occasion, and I kinda like being incognito for awhile!
“Spider Woman’s bogs” amongst the skunk cabbage while on the way to nagoon berry patch
In the back of the truck riding through the Hoonah mountain side looking for more berries – notice the bag of blueberries at the left foot of “Spider Woman’s bogs”…
Sep 3, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, North Tide, To See or Not to See |
Humpback whale in Hoonah harbor
After anticipations to teach a weaving class in Hoonah were postponed until next year, I figured I would not be visiting Hoonah during this Summer’s weaving tour – however, a few days before Labor Day, my friend Margie mentioned that she wanted to go to Hoonah, and without a beat I exclaimed “When?…Let’s go!” We made acommodation arrangements with our mutual friend, Darlene and we were on!
Margaret waits at the dock
I cannot remember when I took a vacation on Labor Day weekend, or if I had ever done one in the past at all! Golly! After Margie and I spent the previous week picking berries and preparing them for winter, we jumped the ferry to Hoonah! Yaaaaah! We are going after fish and berries!
MV Talatche docked at Hoonah Harbor – it’s for sale
Like all Southeastern Alaska towns, there are various shades of gray: gray green, gray blue, gray white, gray black, gray yellow,…gray this and that mixed in with a bit of color here and there – the following photos will show you a hint of our color scheme here in our beloved “north country”….
Bull whips mingle amongst the kelp and seaweeds
On our way….
The dock at low tide…
Discovering color…
Darlene heads us out towards Icy Straits
Depth finder and reel
Fishing comrade…
Removing hook from the Coho…
Heading home….(notice the red bogs; Spider Woman!)
Boat 1
Boat 2
Thank you Darlene for taking us out fishing and driving around the mountain sides searching for big blueberries! We had a great time even if it did rain all weekend! We Alaskans know that if we waited for good weather to do anything, nothing would get done! We are born with the color gray!
Boat 3
We brought home the salmon, marinated the strips overnight in a special “Filipino-influenced” brine, ready for the smoker!
Favorite part of smoking salmon is packing the jars before the water bath.
Sep 1, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others |
Two favorite books of late: “The Boreal Gourmet” by Michelle Genest and “The Boreal Herbal by Beverly Gray (notice “Spider Woman’s Bogs”)
“The Boreal Gourmet” – Adventures in Northern Cooking is a fabulous book for anyone living in the North like Yukon and Alaska. “Hilarious, big-hearted writing about food gathering and cooking adventures on Canada’s boreal frontier, Michele Genest mixes her experience of international cuisine with big love for local ingredients to create receipes that make you want to pull on gumboots and head north. This book is truly Yukon Gold!” – Margaret Webb, author of Apples to Oysters
“The Boreal Herbal”: wild food and medicine plants of the North is an indispensable guide to identifying and using northern plants for food and medicine. With the Boreal Herbal you will learn how to soothe pain with willow, staunch bleeding with yarrow, treat a urinary-tract infection with bearberry, and create a delicate and uplifting skin cream from sweetgrass. Also included are dozens of healty and delicious recipes, including Wild-weed Spanakopita, Dandelion Wine, and Cranberry-mint Muffins.”
I use both books as cross-references. For the past 10+ years, ever since I canned apricots and blackberries in my portable outdoor kitchen directly after my classes at Pilchuck School of Glass, I have had the notion that I will spend 4 to 6 months harvesting food starting up in Yukon and working my way down through Southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Washington State, Oregon, Montana, California, etc. then head back to Colorado to spend the Winters with my loot of foods put up for winter; every time I pull out a jar of smoked salmon, or dried apricots, or fix a cup of Labrador tea, I have the memories and joyful feelings of harvesting the bounty from the land and sea. This type of experience, in my opinion, is a wholistic way of life. Our spirituality, mentality and physical bodies are experienced as one; no separation. I discovered that Michele and her husband Hector (amongst many other Yukonians), do this type of journey every Summer. I intend on doing this too, soon. Real soon. And in conjunction with teaching Chilkat weaving wherever I am.
Michelle serving up sourdough pancakes with low-bush cranberries; her husband Hector (in the white hat) converses with a “customer”
While in Atlin, B.C. during their annual music festival, I took a jaunt on foot around town and while heading back to our weavers’ demo tent, I saw a crowd of people standing around a long table set up on the side of a road. They were all chomping down happily and talking while they ate, obviously enthusiastic about what they were eating. So I walked over to them and noticed hand-made mushroom raviolis and cranberry pancakes being served. I said: “hey, cool,…what’s going on…is there some kind of celebration?” And immediately the woman responded: “oh, hello, Clarissa…how’s it going…good to see you again!” It was Michele Genest. I had met her a month prior on the MV Matanuska ferry heading to Skagway. She was checking out our weaving looms on board – and I remember her saying she wasn’t much of an artist except that she was an avid cook and a writer. ——- It’s a small world.
Aug 20, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, North Tide |
Check out the hands of real berry-pickers!
Earlier this year, I made up my mind that I was going to pick berries – whatever it took, wherever I was, whatever weather! And luckily for us up here in the north, this Summer has been one of the best in recorded memory! I picked soap berries in Whitehorse, Huckleberries in Haines, nagoon berries in Juneau and raspberries and blueberries in Hoonah! I make my fortune by making myself fortunate in taking advantage of the fruits of our land — golly, and imagine all the berries that are out there that never get picked!
Wayne and Cherri Price, Teahonna James and Clarissa Rizal enjoyed an afternoon of picking huckleberries up a mountain on the other side of the Chilkat River in Haines, Alaska
Always pick berries with friends and relatives. Never go alone. Remember: we have bears who feast on berries just like we do at this time of year. Even though we see them as relatives, bears are much bigger and stronger than us and therefore, we must respect them, right? Right.
Tim Ackerman always comes prepared with his chainsaw in the back of the truck; never know when you’ll come across a fallen tree on the narrow dirt road to the mountainside berry patches. Wayne Price helps set aside the logs (that will eventually become somebody’s firewood).
Soapberries are named according to the high amount of saponin content — the chemical compound that makes the berries foam up when whipped or shaken with water.
We do not have soap berries in Southeast Alaska, so I never picked them. I remember my grandmother and mother would receive a precious jar of soapberries during a potlatch; it was always a prized possession. In fact, so prized that I was given a tiny jar of soapberries from a potlatch that I attended about 5 years ago – I still have it; never opened. I told myself that I would never open it until I meet the soapberry and pick ’em myself – I had this chance back in July – I picked all I could in a short amount of time and hand-carried it on a plane to my friend in Hoonah in honor of her mother who had recently passed.
Vanessa Morgan picking soapberries along the woodland path outside of our campus apartment in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Nagoon berries are the bestest berry in the world! They grow in open boggy fields in the northern part of Southeast Alaska — nagoon berry pickers do not let out where their special patches of berries are located – if so, then you must be someone very very very special – so take heed to those three people to whom I let my secret!
The “cloud berries” of Yukon, if I am not mistaken, seem to be a relative of the Nagoon, but do not quote me on this. These berries are generally the last berry to harvest, ripening in mid to late August. However, the berries are all in a bumper crop this year which of course puts stress on us berry pickers. The raspberries, nagoons, blueberries, and thimble berries are all ripe at the same time!
Washed and cleaned Nagoon berries hold their shape
The fragrance of the nagoon is like nothing else, just like its flavor. If you’ve never had nagoon, if you’ve never even picked a fresh nagoon from it’s habitat and popped it into your mouth, you have not yet lived!
Two 2-qt buckets were filled in 3 hours during hot muggy weather
What do we do after an afternoon in the nagoon-berry bogs? Wash up in a river beach!
Jul 27, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, North Tide, To See or Not to See |
Mendenhall Glacier and Lake
First I gotta say that I apologize for not having posted photographs here that are not perfect scenery shots – they are not bright and totally in focus, they have parts of the airplane wing, and they are not breath-takingly astounding National Geographic material. I am far from being a professional photographer like my son or first boyfriend or the guy who takes shots of my ceremonial robes! I am just me taking snapshots for my blog, okay? okay. Glad I got that clarified.
the tidal flats and runway of the Juneau airport – you can see downtown Juneau in the background sandwiched between Mt. Roberts and Mt. Juneau range and an arm of Douglas Island
The photos on this blog entry is about my flight from Skagway to Juneau to Hoonah and back to Skagway again all in one day, all for a 5-minute presentation of a button robe that I designed and created for the Huna Totem Corporation’s 40th anniversary – they were hosting a celebration for their shareholders at Cannery Point in Hoonah. (Click here for blog entry on the only part of their celebration that I was able to attend.) During the same weekend that Huna Totem was having their celebration of their 40th year, I was in Teslin, Yukon demonstrating Chilkat weaving for three days with apprentices during their “Kus Te Yea Celebration 2013.” (click here for the blog entry on the “Weavers’ Cabin” in Teslin). Huna insisted that I come down and present the robe and explain the design, so I agreed to come down for the hour of the presentation because between 16 total hours of travel time, that was all the time I had in Hoonah. I drove from Teslin to Skagway, took a flight from Skagway to Hoonah via Juneau and then back again, like I said, all in one day.
Mendenhall Glacier, Lake and River – and the main road you see down there is Mendenhall Loop Road
Mendenhall Lake and Glacier
Herbert Glacier
Echo Cove to the right, and Berner’s Bay to the left
Davidson Glacier
The flight from Juneau to Haines was phenomenal; the pilot took us on a scenic flight of the local glaciers in the Juneau area: the Mendenhall, Herbert and Eagle; he flew over Berner’s Bay, then across Lynn Canal up towards the mouth of the Chilkat River just south of Haines – then we flew UP the Davidson Glacier, flew around the back side of the front range of the Chilkats and then DOWN Rainbow Glacier, passed Paradise Cove (where I once had land to build my dream home), over Pyramid Island and then landed at the Haines airport – Holy what a flight!!!
When we flew up Davidson I cried I was so happy I unbuckled my seat belt and looked out both sides of the plane’s window; I just love this land, I love the Chilkat range, I love the Chilkat river; I so be-long here! I swear that when I die, I want my ashes spread up and down these Chilkat glaciers and at the mouth of the Chilkat River and at Paradise Cove!
Ice fields behind Davidson Glacier
Rainbow Glacier is a “hanging” glacier – this is the front view with a waterfall — it was hard taking a shot of the Glacier when we were actually flying over it! And besides that, I couldn’t stand still long enough to take a shot because I was enjoying the view in any given moment as it was changing so quickly as you can imagine!
Peaks of the Chilkat Range — I have not educated myself to know their names so I gave them names of my own: Rissy’s Peak, Shanks’ Point, Rizal, etc.
Such an awesome flight I took a photo of the plane!
Flying into Skagway
Flight Dog – He never made a sound; it was as if he was a flyer all his life, though I placed my hand on him several times because he was shaking, so maybe this was his first flight and he was just silent about his fears…some of us are like that, you know….
By the time I arrived in Skagway, it was 7pm (that’s 8pm Yukon time). I realized I had been to heaven and was still flying high! Thank you to the pilot for giving us that extra few minutes of flight time; thank you soooo much!
Aug 7, 2011 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy |
Southeast Alaska patterns of Nature
Sunset a la Suzi
The kind of patterns that inspire weavings in basketry and robes
Clarissa painting "Jennie Weaves An Apprentice" acrylic on canvas - MV Columbia - Juneau to Bellingham
Indigo Waters - (hmmm...sounds like a good name for a girl or boy!)Outside of Salt Lake City Utah
Heading into the light of the Southwest!
Heading into Moonflower Canyon - Moab, Utah
Relaxing at Moonflower Canyon waterhole
Jun 9, 2011 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Health and Wellness, Honoring Others, North Tide |
Harry K. Bremner, Sr. and Clarissa - Yakutat airport - April 1975
For the first time in 1975 upon an invite to see what Native elders called “the land of milk and honey”; I went to Yakutat to visit “Grandpa” Harry K. Bremner, Sr. (In an upcoming blog entry, I will write about the influence of Grandpa Harry in my life). Take note of the above photograph; the airport road is newly-paved and the trees are so much shorter than what they are today! — for those of you who are wondering where the heck is Yakutat, Alaska, look at a map of Alaska, find Anchorage, then locate Juneau and look about half way in between the two and you will find Yakutat on the coast, right up there with the big Malaspina Glacier. Pretty awesome! As most of you know, Alaska is Alyeska, the Great Land! And we Alaskans are proud of our country!
June 2011 – It’s been 36 years since I set foot in Yakutat. Upon an invite by my friend Jan the traveling accupuncturist, and a reminder from my friend Preston who was guest speaker at the 1st Annual Yakutat Tern Festival this past weekend and, since my children and grand-children all flew south to attend their other grandparent’s family reunion, and I’ve gone through some heavy-duty, non-stop, life-changing events over the past three years, (golly!) I decided it was high time to take some R&R and visit Yakutat again! Yet, as usual I had to do something to offset my travel costs, so with the support and assistance of Walter and MaryAnn Porter, I taught a class in spinning Chilkat warp. (For those interested in the cedar bark class, look for the blog entry recently posted “Spinning Chilkat In Yakutat).
The following photographs are the day trip to the biggest beach I’ve ever seen that runs North/South called Canon Beach:
As we approach Canon Beach, we pass over a waterway of lily pads
As we came across this bridge and saw this view of the pond, I remembered the swans we saw here in 1975 – it was the first time in my life I had ever seen swans. And since then, every time I see swans, I have thought of this place here in Yakutat.
36 years ago, we had lunch with Grandpa Harry in this spot - it was a good feeling to be here again!
I have a few more photos taken back in 1975 during my visit in Yakutat; I’m not sure where they are, but I’ll have to do some investigating! I want to include them sometime sooner than later.
Boogie Boarders skim the shore's wild surface of icy cold Yakutat waters - I tell ya, if I were 16 again, I'd be out there boarding - so much fun!
The very first time I had ever seen big waves like these were in Yakutat at this beach in ’75. Then a few years ago, I had heard that surfers came from around the world to surf this beach. We’ll yeah, man!
Although there were none today, surfers from around the world ride Yakutat waves
Sand Texture - I remember the beach sands being whiter, hmmm...I'm going to have to find those photos from 36 years ago and compare!
I swear - in Yakutat, there are more eagles riding the rip tides of the wind than there are seagulls!
Laying on the beach and admiring the textures of the sky while a lone comber goes to that place of meditation where water meets shore
Had to go find out what that thing was over there...(?)--Obviously something that didn't make it back afloat!
A rotting barge adds rustic color as tides ebb and flow
"Windows" of the sea
A lone pebble
When the tide goes out, there are thousands of small, polished pebbles on this beach. It was odd to find one all by its lonesome.
Like I did 36 years ago, I will be taking memories of the land and sea, yet this time, with little pebbles for little grand-daughter hands in Colorado
You are probably wondering where are the photos of the actual village of Yakutat? Well, when I post the blog entry about Harry K. Bremner, Sr., I will include a few shots of the village. Stay tuned.
Apr 27, 2011 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off |
Mendenhall River Walk - December 2010 - Nikon Coolpix - no Photoshop; added black border - (I like this image very much; I use this image as my screensaver)
After taking my first (digital) photography class where we learned how to play with the variety of tools Photoshop has to offer, I prefer not to tamper with my photographs. I think Photoshop is a really cool tool and I enjoyed learning what I gained in this class, yet I guess I am from the “old school”; what I see is what I get. So the following 10 photo images submitted for my Finals project of this portfolio, unless otherwise noted, have been tampered with as little as possible (noted at the bottom of each of the ten images). Nature images begin the sequence ending in images of significant human beings. Thanks for visiting!
An oil on canvas painting propped on a lawn against a tree in Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C. - January 2011 - Lumix Panasonic DMC-LX5 - cropped out skyscrapers in the background, small adjustments in hue & saturation, narrow black border
Who’s Rissy Rizal? That’s my “aka” photographer’s name.
Chilkat Range shot from Eagle River Beach during sunset - September 2010 - Nikon Coolpix - small adjustment in hue & saturation, no crop, black border
Chilkat Sunset from Boys Scout Camp, Eagle River Beach - August 2010 - Nikon Coolpix - light hue & saturation, no crop, black border
New Mexican cattails - April 2011 - Nikon Coolpix - Photoshopped "painting on canvas", no crop - black border
Tim's 53rd B-day - February 2011 - Lumix Panasonic DMC-LX5 - cropped top & bottom, adjusted levels, black border
Easter Buddies Bette & Violet - April 2011 - Nikon Coolpix - Photoshopped using "sketch" technique, sepia tone, no crop, black border
Violet Is A Doll - January 2011 - Lumix Panasonic DMC-LX5 - cropped, tampered with Photoshop's brightness/contrast, blur tool to create softness, black border
Portrait of Amelie - January 2011 - Lumix Panasonic DMC-LX5 - cropped, Photoshopped slightly with hue & saturation, black border
Bette Bird - February 2011 - Lumix Panasonic DMX-LX5 - slight crop, slight contrast/brightness, black border
This online class was offered by the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau “UAS Art 222: Digital Camera Photography” taught by Photographer and Professor Timothy Schroeder, San Juan College, Farmington, N.M.
Mar 25, 2011 | Health and Wellness, North Tide |
A view from the md-way walk across frozen Mendenhall Lake looking towards the Glacier (in the foreground are icebergs landlocked in ice)
My friend Jan and I walked the frozen Mendenhall Lake to reach the Falls; me walking on ice, no matter how thick the ice, is NOT something that is easy – I have never been comfortable with my imagination of falling through into icy water and drowning! Yet, I wanted to taste one of the rare things unavailable to most of us in “civilized” nations: wild water.
A couple of hikers on an iceberg
I grew up on wild water. Of course we had running water, and of course I drank water from the tap using my cupped hands or putting my mouth a few inches below the faucet like the methods I would as if catching from a water fall. While growing up on South Franklin Street, we would take walks out to Thane Road with waterfalls to quench our thirst. And when I had children of my own, we would fetch wild water from the same areas until we moved away from Alaska in the Spring of 1993.
Getting closer to our destination: Nugget Falls - Where and what is Nugget Falls? It's the big waterfall to the right of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. You didn't know it had a name, eh?
Since 1993, I have missed drinking wild water. On occasion, while visiting someone or even passing through Haines, I make a point to hit the Mud Bay Road Wild Water Station” – that little pipe on the left side of the road about 2 miles out of town heading South. I can taste, smell and feel the difference!
The frozen waterfall with a narrow opening
Jan and my journey started a couple of weeks ago when we had watched a video on the Kangen (Japanese for “returning to the source”) Water where the host had tested the PH balance of various bottled water in comparison to the Kangen ionized water. We did a little research about ionized water online. One of the sources had said the most pure, potent, alkaline water came from our glaciers. Oh heck, it doesn’t take a scientist to tell us that! Yet, Jan and I wanted to know for ourselves.
We wanted to test the antioxidant power of our near-extinct wild water. Why? Because according to doctors who have proven that all, or at least most, diseases can only live in an acidic as opposed to an alkaline system. And since we are made up of 80% water, if our water content in our body is alkaline we can avoid diseases including diabetes, gout, Alzheimer’s and last but not least, cancers. Generally, one of the methods for those of us who want an alkaline system, is to drink and eat foods high in antioxidants.
When we reached Nugget Waterfall, most of the surface was thick, frozen ice with an opening where we could see the falling water. We were not sure about the thickness of the icy threshold – was it as thick as the lake ice? Would it hold our weight? There was only one way to find out.
We shoved the red ladder over to the edge
Nearby we borrowed a Forest Service red-painted ladder. We dragged the ladder towards the Falls where we hung about a foot of the ladder over the Fall opening. Jan placed herself at one end to keep the ladder from sliding and to keep my end from tipping, while I carefully walked out to the Falls stepping cautiously on each rung. I looked down under the ice into the dark hole of an icy-cold rock face; I quickly reached out and snatched a cup of water and backed down the ladder. So far so good! (No I do not have a photograph of the hole cuz I could only fetch the water – however, Jan took a photo of me while handing her the cup of wild water!)
Of course I took a swig of that delicious water before handing it to Jan for the test!
We immediately put our little machine called the to work. Immediately the numbers worked themselves up above 200. What did this mean?
The meter read 256
By no means are we experts on any of this information, however, we just wanted to find out for ourselves the level of antioxidants our wild water was on this day at this source. According to this meter,
Feb 27, 2011 | Class Act, Latest Art Projects, To See or Not to See |
Brother Rick lights candles for Tim's 53rd birthday - the composition of this photo fell into the "3rds" category
A point-and-shoot kind of gal, I’m stepping into a whole nuther ball of wax taking this online course through the University of Alaska Southeast, and I tell ya, it is so much fun. Sure I have to learn to read my new camera manual, sure I have to read instructions on how-to techniques that I never learned before in Photoshop, sure I’m frustrated with all the gizmos, icons and settings that I gotta figure out in this digital world; these are things that I have resisted doing most of my life. I don’t want to read manuals and instructions; I just want to get out there and shoot. Who’s got time to mess around with instructions!? Gee, believe it or not, I do. I want to learn; i want to expand my horizons, and have fun!
Two Brothers and Mom; this composition also falls into the "3rds" category - this was a powerfully emotional moment for all of us
What is this composition called “3rds?” In my simple definition, it is a composition where the imagery is divided in thirds, which could include diagonal, vertical, horizontal, or curved “lines.” In our on-line class, we can only submit one image per assignment. It is sometimes difficult which one to submit. So I am posting some of the images I chose for the assignment but did not submit along with the one I did submit.
South Franklin Street, Juneau, Alaska - last night - another 3rds composition
"Jennie Weaves An Apprentice" Chilkat robe that I am presently weaving. This was the "3rds" composition that I submitted for my class assignment.
I have rarely seen photo images of Chilkat robes and weavings captured with this type of composition; this is why I submitted this for my “3rds” assignment. I realized that most photo images of Chilkat weavings are straight on shots of the entire robe or close-ups. From now on, I will begin including these kinds of compositions when taking photos of my work. It just makes things more interesting for the viewer, as well as more challenging for the photographer!
On a walk out Auke Bay Recreation area, we saw this pair of underwear, soaked and just hanging out - this was an image that I almost submitted for the "doesn't belong" class assignment
Eagle River Beach skies are always spectacular no matter what time of day, month or year - these hearts (one that is obvious and the other forming) were directly above us - this composition fit under the "doesn't belong" class assignment too. Like how often do you see hearts in the sky, huh? I didn't submit this one because I didn't want my classmates to naturally assume that I Photoshoped that heart in the sky - I swear to God, I did not. And I have a witness that i didn't because there were two of us sitting directly underneath!
A banana washed ashore on Auke Bay beach! This is the image I submitted to my online class for the "doesn't belong" assignment. Why? Because it was dang obvious that this banana just did not belong. If the beach were white, hot sands, the sun were blazing and there were coconut trees with lots of tropical foliage, then I could understand. But, when I saw this banana on the beach, I thought, man what is a nice, ripe banana doing in a place like this!?
The next few images are compositions that I submitted for the various assignments in our online photography class where I did not have other images that I shot for these categories.
This composition fell under the class assignment category "RUBI - a photo that is Relevant, Unusual, Beautiful & Important" - Really? This Photo? Why?
Grand-daughter Violet is a doll; just look at that expression as she checks out the one that is most relevant and considered beautiful (by American standards), while the “foreigners” watch in anticipation and shock saying to themselves “She could have chosen any of us as her baby doll…but how is it she chose THAT one when the girl is only three years old!?” Of course this is my RUBI choice, check it out: A Barbie doll is something we can all RELATE to, my Violet is BEAUTIFUL, the company is UNUSUAL, and it is very IMPORTANT to scrutinize the quality of each doll if you’re paying big money!
The underground train in either Vancouver, B.C. or Seattle - I forget which one; this image I submitted for the class assignment entitled "best represents my concept of photography." I generally use photography for documenting my art progress and work, events, travels, people, places and things - I consider myself a "drive-by-shooter." This image represents my "quick-on-the-draw" method while documenting my travel.
The sound and anticipated taste of fresh, untainted wild water! Nothing like it. We are fortunate to be one of the few places on earth with pure wild water. Nugget Falls, Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau - This photo fell under the assignment of "a photo that appeals to a sense other than sight (touch, hearing, taste or smell)...
My imagination got away with me when I turned around and saw an extended arm reaching out of the fireplace! - This image I chose for the assignment of "disturbing."
Clothespin photo by my son, Kahlil Hudson. The class assignment was to find a photograph (taken by someone else) that was one of the most powerful and riveting images I'd ever seen and explain why the picture was so meaningful.
She never lined her drawers with scented liner sheets, incense or sachets of fragrant dried flowers. Mom loved the smell of fresh air in her clothing. A clothesline in winter didn’t stop her from hanging out the laundry; by golly, they were freeze-dried if it took capturing that fresh, natural scent! How many of us make the time to hang our laundry outside on even the sunny days to capture the wind, sun and predicted rain? When Mom first came to Colorado for a visit the first time years ago in 1993, I had discovered how she was always eager to do the laundry and hang it out to dry (probably because it was always sunny in the town we lived). I didn’t know this about my mother because we didn’t have a clothesline when we were growing up (because we didn’t have any land to make a clothesline post). When I first laid eyes on this photograph, I cried. It brought up the firm reality that I will never see my mother hang my (or her) laundry again, as I no longer live in Colorado and she has become too fragile to reach for a clothesline. This image also reminds me of a time not so long ago in our own home town of Juneau where we weren’t constantly rushing about and actually took time to “smell the roses…” When’s the last time you saw clothing swinging in the breeze?
