And the results are...

It was a cool dark night in the city of College Place. A new moon gave an opportunity for the faintest of stars to shine through the veil of night. The air still held the heat of the day, a warm dry taste. And I come back from a walk with several good images to edit and upload.

The strong orange glow from the sodium vapor street lights gave the images a very dated look. However it was fun, shooting at ISO 3200 with my 50mm f/1.2 lens. All hand held.

Impulse...

For the last couple hours I have been catching up on the blogs I follow, looking at images that have been posted and the like. I guess in a word I have been inspired to be impulsive. Well the last straw that broke this camels back was Diana asking me if I want to go for a walk. Its 2330 at night... but sure... as long as I get to bring out the camera. Lets see what images I can make. Be back in an hour or so....

Words written, words said, words heard and words read.

It is sometimes very interesting the power of words. It has the ability to build up and break down, it can leave you feeling like your mind just opened up a new city complex with added parking and at other times you are lost in a jungle of unknown things closing in on you sapping the very glimmer of that known space you hold on to. Words, nothing but little squiggles on paper or in this digital age on the screen. How is it that these almost insignificant parts of our very existence can have such a great impact on us?

Words like Love, Hate, Loneliness, Passion have such strong emotional ties with the human race that sometimes the very words themselves become unable to describe. Take the word "Love". What does this really mean? We say that we love someone from the 'bottom of our hearts', but all you are going to find there is blood and guts.

What is love anyway? There are actions that we associate with love. But are the actions what the word describes? We say its a feeling. A way of describing how a person feels toward someone or something. But then what is this "feeling"that we are describing? Are we just using one word to replace the other.

What is a 'feeling'? To quote the wikipedia article on this "Feeling is the nominalization of "to feel" ". How does a word encapsulate what a feeling is? We often use words to describe feelings that in the first place we cannot themselves describe. Words are often seen as symbols that carry a message. When you understand the meaning you are rewarded with a bit of information that may or may not both lead you to the retrieval of the information stored in the next set of squiggly symbols and sometimes to a message that is greater than the sum of all the parts.

Words such funny things. They say so much but at the same time so little. A word in context can convey information and out of context simply be another squiggle or sound that passes along with time like water under a bridge.

The running of the...

One of the most famous of all runs is The Running of the Bulls. This event which takes place in several countries, Spain being the most famous of the lot, has spawned off many similar and varied events and sometimes sub cultures. And even though the Walla Walla Valley may not be the center of the Universe it too has its own "run" that is more than a passing fad. 

On Saturday the 16th of May, under blue skies and warming weather the 12th annual running of the ducks also known as the Ducky Derby took place. Organized by the Exchange Club of Walla Walla this event raises funds to promote a safe and secure environment for children of the area.

                                                              

This event was well attended and with over $20,000 in prizes to be won, it was a nail biter. The ducks, 16000 strong took to the water like they were made for it. Overcoming the swirling rapids of Mill Creek, still swelled from the high water coming down from the snow packs high up in the Blue Mountains, the ducks bravely sallied forth. Along the way there were more obstacles; rocks, reeds and twigs, reached out from the banks to snag the unsuspecting ducks. It was a perilous affair.

And yet the winning duck, the brave warrior, unencumbered by the thought of 15,999 others chasing close on its tail, navigated the pools, eddies and tumbling water to arrive triumphantly at the finish tube.

As I was looking back at this event I was compelled to muse on other runners. As mentioned earlier the Bulls may be famous, however when it come to Just Plain Wacky... well, events like The Running of the Santa's, The Running of the Brides and even The Running of the Nudes take the cake. Well you be the judge... and next time go running your self. Who knows it might become a fad in your neighborhood.

Dawn to dusk, a narrative

Color, molded into spherical skins with a single odd shaped tetrahedron thrown in for variety. The cold crisp air of the Walla Walla valley, the blue sky of the late spring and a slight breeze for interest kicked of this mornings balloon launch. As it has been for the past 34 years this year once the balloons took to the morning sky laying claim to the 35th annual Balloon Festival. 

Over the three days balloonist will be launching their crafts sometimes a couple times each day to float gently over the farms, fields and people who look up in awe. To think of ballooning as a form of flying is like to think of floating down a river in a inner tube boating. Yet flying it is.

The blue sky this morning was made more spectacular with the bright colors and patterns of the balloons. And as the day wore on other aspects of the festival each in turn caught the eyes and ears of all those who attended. A classic car show, horse races, and the ever popular booths with both trinkets and food that made ones mouth water and stomach growl even if you had just finished eating lunch. 

The evening concluded with the Night Glow. Balloonist tethered the balloons to the grounds and as the sky took on the shade of a rich deep blue color the glow from the flame lit up the balloons. In addition to the balloons the sky was also lit by the flashing of fireworks. Rockets screamed into the air blossoming into petals of glowing embers that rained back to earth. As the night grew darker and the starts peaked out so did the moon, bright and fully illumination to show the way home to all the weary people who had spent the day frolicking in the sun and enjoying the festivities.

TGIF and Balloons

Its another friday, glorious, sun shining, blue sky friday. And not just any friday mind you. This is the friday that heralds the start of the Walla Walla Balloon Festival. With the next three days of balloons, booths and general funness... this weekend is shaping up to be good. 

However this also brings up a notoriously naughty and deviously dichotomous question; should I use the weekend to rest, sleep and in general enjoy the pleasures of a comfy couch or even a blanket in the sun, with a good book or get out, be active, do as many fun things as possible? Or maybe the answer is a happy median between the two. A little bit 'o this, a little bit 'o that and spread the love around. 

In any case, for right now it seems like the best choice is to get out and enjoy the sun... and maybe have an adventure.... hey nowhere does it say that adventures only happen in books. Besides unless you get out and have an adventure there will not be anything to write about in books anyway... so maybe get out there and have an adventure. It might be even better than some one else's wildest imagination.

11 Lbs.

Just got back from the tri-cities area. I had the oppotunity to meet up with a friend from the wet side of the state as she was visiting friends and family over in the area. Bowling was fun and I have found that a 11 Lb ball is the ideal tool for me. 4 strikes in a row cant be wrong... its just too bad that I found this bowling ball on the 4th frame of the last game. Oh well at least I know what to look for next time. 

The weekend is here and as I am contemplating on what I would like to do this weekend I am also trying to think of the things that I should be doing... like cleaning up the mess in my living room... but that can wait. Its the weekend and its going to be sunny. Cant let something like this go by without taking full advantage of it. 

Life is too short to let days like this go by unused... 

Poisoned water; a PBS special

Over the last two days, I have in spurts and when I have time between other activities, been watching the PBS special "Poisoned Waters". This documentary just came out over the last couple days. This documentary while almost two hours long takes a hard look at the quality of two bodies of water, the Chesapeake bay and the Puget Sound, that bracket this country. 

Poisoned water shows the condition of the two bodies of water and if one were to read between the lines has a very powerful message for those of us living within the Pacific Northwest region. If we were to take the Chesapeake bay as a view of the sound as seen through a crystal ball 50 years into the future it is quite a dismal view. In its current state the bay is dying at a rapid pace due to the urban sprawl that is taking place in its watershed. Here in the Northwest we have not got to the stage where we are so over populated however looking at cities such as Seattle and Issaquah as we become more of an attraction and as the quality of life for those currently living their gets better, more and more people are going to want to get in on the action. What then and how will it affect the sound?

I cant say how the next several years will play out for these two bodies of water nor does this film attempt to do so which gives each one of us a role to play in it. Now as actors in this documentary what will we do to write the next phase, the next chapter or the next scene that future generations will be looking at? What will their reaction to our actions be? Will they say, "wow, thats the year, the month, the day when things were turned around and it started to get better". Will there be a holiday dedicated to us as the day when we took a stand to make our corner of the world be the tip of the spear in the movement to bring about a healthy world? Well I guess its time we do something about it.

Varieties of Apples

Last night I took part in an interesting experiment. With 10 dollars as a basic budget we visited the local Walmart, Safeway and SuperOne grocery stores in search of apples. We were able to procure 11 different varieties and coming home cut each of them up and had a side by side tasting experience. Now for those of you who like me had had an apple in the past and ate it for the sake of getting some nutrition and maybe enjoying the crispness, this is and was an interesting eye opener. 

Each variety of apple has a unique taste and texture. For those of you familiar with the concept this may not be such an earth shattering revelation. However even though I had expected some difference in perhaps taste and or texture the exercise its self was an eye opening experience. In some it was a subtle fluffiness in the texture. Others had a bolder crispness to them. Several had hints of other fruit flavors that seem to be infused and intermingles with the basic apple taste. 

With the weather turning warm and the coming growing season I am looking forward to exploring other local flavors and deluging my taste-buds with a stream of culinary delights both cooked and fresh. 

And as a side note I must also make note of the accompaniments to the apple experience which was a nice chilled glass of mango lemonade and a 40 oz stake that was cooked for 38 minuets. thats right 2.5 lb. of prime cow. its a good thing I had all those apples to balance me out.

A restful weekend

Its hard to imagine that the weekend has come and gone already. I cant confess to having much productive work done during this time but I can claim getting plenty of rest. I also had the pleasure of having people over on a couple occasions for meals. As a self proclaimed foodist I must confess that this is one aspect of my personal life that I find to be very satisfying. Food while at times consumed for the mere sake of obtaining nourishment can also be a remarkable journey that one can take in which sights, smells and taste are but a never-ending series of detours that results in a happy self. 

One of my personal ideologies is that food is the only aspect of a culture that can be experienced by someone outside that given culture and truly feel included. Unlike sights and sounds the mere act of which tends to reenforce the barrier of the two cultures, food transcends that and takes one to an equal playing field. This got me thinking further on this topic this weekend. What is it that in my construct of this idea of food and culture being tied together does the sense of taste take a role that is more important that that os any of the other senses? I feel that the answer is as simple as the thought process is long. With any of the other senses we can only get a memory that can be take away from the experience. This is not the case with food. Our bodies take in the nutrients which then become part of out very being. 

There is the saying that you are what you eat. As someone who enjoys trying new foods then you become more than just a person who can be stereotyped into one box or another. The more you are open to trying new foods the more you expand on who you are. Another saying that has become more and more common during the last several decades is that the world is growing smaller because the barriers of distance and communication are being broken all the time. In such a expanding world we have the opportunity to experience other cultures in the form of the different foods that are available. However I also see a black cloud on the horizon that one must keep a watch for. As with the melding of cultures we must also be vigilant to keep too much of a mix from diluting what are individual and unique cultures. Food once again plays a roll in this as an indicator. 

Driving down the road one would often times pass an ornate, ethnically oriental looking building that has the tag line, Chinese and american dishes. Why is it that we feel that we need to enter an establishment that is distinctly culturally oriented to serving dishes that are different from our own and expect to be served what is traditionally part of our own culture is a mystery. But then again sometimes you just need to make a buck and the food you serve is just another utilitarian aspect that will bring home the bacon to pay for the roof.

1/10th done.

It seems amazing how fast this quarter is progressing. It feels like it just started and its already a tenth done. It is possible that this is because I have not had any major assignments due so far but I guess that will come with time. 

On the other hand spring seems to be taking a while coming. For a few weeks It seemed that the grip of winter was over and that spring was in the air, not so. Old man winter seems to have reached from the icy past and has laid his grip so tight that spring is strangling. But it cant last too long. Sooner or later like the few flowers and buds that have broken through the grip spring too shall spring forth and bring about warm days and sunshine.

Its the weekend and at least I can look forward to some time off to go explore the surrounding hill sides and gage for my self the process of the break out.

What's been going on...

Its been a few days since I have had the time to post here. This is not because I have not had anything to post, more so because I have been very busy this week that I have not had the time to post. And while one might say... it only takes but a few minuets to put something up I must confess that the posting of blogs has become an activity that requires time to think and relax. 

Well having the disclaimer out there... over the past several days I have been quite active at the college in both personal projects as well as those related to classes. One activity, the photo shoot of last weekend, has to a small extent extended into the week worming its way into my time with minor clamor for attention. I have been able to edit a couple images and fine tune them and have posted them on my Deviant Art site. 

In addition to this I would also like to share with you a web-casted presentation that is of interest to me and possibly might catch your attention as well. This presentation which deals with the topic of Environmental Stewardship from a Christian perspective.

Igniting the creative spark

During the past several days, nay weeks since I was last here pouring out my thoughts I have had the opportunity to view some remarkable works of art and creativity. Some of the projects are available for your viewing pleasure on the internet. 

The first such site which I discovered not more than a few hours ago is a flash site dedicated to the painter Jackson Pollock who was born on this day many years ago. This site of his name is an interactive application that allows one to create art imitating the use of gravity and the viscous nature of paint in a very un-messy yet still creative digital medium.

The other links that I would like to share with you are found on the Youtube site and include a fascinating song compilation of street musicians performing the same song.

And the last link of the night is another Youtube video of painting with light and stop-motion photography/video creativeness.

Hope you enjoy as I did and find your creative spark ignited.

Weekend

Its a good thing that we have weekends to break up the monotony and stress of the week. I have to confess however that sometimes the weekend is as or more busy that the week its self however on the whole its a different kind of busy and thats good.

The weather here in the valley has been its usual grey overcast and has gone back to being cold. Makes me long for the warm days of summer even more and look forward to the spring when the sun will be out on a more consistent frequency. Till then think warm thoughts....

Inspired by cut grass.

This afternoon as I stood outside enjoying the balmy weather that the Chinook wind was bringing the valley and enjoying a moment of conversation with a colleague I was regaled with the sound of a gasoline lawn mower. As I looked towards the sound I saw a gentleman in the distance mowing a patch of grass no larger than my living room. This grass which had withstood the crushing grip of a couple feet of snow, locked in its icy cocoon without the light of day was freed from this only to be cut down as it raised its blades to the bright and warming sun that was shining today. 

I was recently listening to a talk by Michael Pollan on the Ted Talks site. While his talk had a distinctive Darwinistic twist to which I cant say I give much credence to I was nevertheless fascinated by his overall idea that we humans though we think of our selves as the king of the hill, top dog in the pound and such similar titles we may indeed be just being led along by the lowly grass, corn... other more intelligent ones.

Among other things though this brief encounter of sound and sight took me down memory lane it also inspired me to go out and spend some time further exploring my environment through the eye of the camera and see what other interesting encounters I might find.