Fav 5 on 5 - November 2013

My 5 on 5 for this month brings lots of randomness. 
>My picks include cooking, game night at grandma's, elevator waiting, shower views, fall leaves and one of my favorite people.

{ On a complete sidenote, I can't believe it is already December?! 
How did that happen? Where did this year go? }
Take a look at what caught my eye in November and then continue to the end of the post to follow the Fav 5 on 5 "blog circle". The next person up is Alison and she'll lead you to the next photographer who will lead you to the next one, and so on, until you end up back at me.  It's a fun ride, don't miss the link at the end of this post.

See? Kind of random. Especially that shower one. I liked the darkness and the pop of color from the fall leaves outside. It reminds me to try new places, new subjects and new light just to see what I might get. Not the most mind blowing photo but interesting to place into this November mix.

Thanks for following along.
Up next is my friend Alison.
Keep the circle going by taking a look at her picks for this month at Alison Bents Photography >

Seattle - hello/goodbye

Seattle - EMP

A three part series. This is part III.

Of course no first time trip to Seattle would be complete without a trip to the Space Needle.  If we had more time we would have gone up. If we had more time we would have also gone to the neighboring Chihuly Glass Museum. We were on limited time so we had to make a choice and we decided to spend our time at the EMP Museum.  The building alone was enough to make our decision easy. 
What an amazing building. The shapes, the colors and the reflections. EMP stands for the Experience Music Project and the building was designed to express the attitude of rock 'n' roll and sound and movement and creativity. Spending our time here was well worth it.

After a few hours at EMP we headed back downtown. We walked some more and ate some more. What I'll remember most about Seattle are its grey skies and colorful everything else. It really was a whirlwind trip, what I have left are a blur full of fun memories.  I would definitely do it again.

That wraps up our short Seattle trip. If you missed parts I and II see the previous posts.

Seattle - The Market

A three part series. This is part II.

Of course the next morning started with a trip to the public market.
First stop: Breakfast at Le Panier where I picked up a Pain au chocolat and a chocolate macaron 
(um. yum.)

Then a stroll through the market. We need to talk about the flowers. I had heard about the flowers and what you hear is all true. Gorgeous bouquets for $5, $10 or $15. And these are not your average grocery store bouquets. First, they are huge. You'll be carrying them in your arms. Second, the arrangements are all so unique with flowers that you don't see everyday. If ever in Seattle you must treat yourself to one of these. 

Then on to more strolling with a stop at the famous fish market. Next, on to cheese tasting. Then fruit tasting. Then wishing we had more room and time. I was hoping to try Piroshky Piroshky and Daily Dozen Doughnut Company. However we came, we saw, we ate, and now it was time to move on.  We had more exploring to do. Any guesses where we headed next?

Seattle

A three part series. This is part I.
 
It was the end of October and a big birthday was about to happen. I knew I wanted to do something "different". We decided to do a quick getaway, a really quick getaway to somewhere we had never been before. 

Seattle was our destination. 

With less than 48 hours we had to take in as much as we could. We walked the city. I didn't mind the grey skies. They actually gave the trees a neutral background to show off their fall leaves. We walked and walked. Then ate and walked. Found a happy hour and toasted to our good fortune. 

Our adventure had just begun, we knew we had more exploring to do. With a full day ahead of us we wondered what would tomorrow bring?

Fav 5 on 5 - October 2013

Oh October. You've been so good to me.
Red. Yellow. Orange. Brown.

This month's installment of my favorite 5 on 5 includes many of my fall favorites (so far). There has been so much color this year, like I've never seen before. Much of it was found during a quick trip I took to Seattle where color was exploding above and below (you Seattleites don't know how good you have it!). Color and fog are such a good mix. I'd be interested to see if you agree below.

After a quick trip through my October fall keep on trucking to the next photographer's favorites for last month. The link to Alison's picks are at the bottom.

Tell me, do you heart Fall as much as I do?

Saying goodbye to October and on to November where I will be focusing in on gratitude.

Find out what everyone else was up to in October by following the photo circle.
Up next is Alison, view her favorite 5 on 5 at  Alison Bents Photography >

Fav 5 on 5 - September 2013

Hello! It's  Fav 5 on 5 time once again.
Five of my favorite photos (that I took) from September are here. View other collections of fav 5 on 5 by clicking on Alison's link at the end of this post.  She'll show you her fav 5 and then take you on to the next collection.  Get comfy and enjoy the ride. 

The above "Hello" was taken while out on a "photowalk" with a friend. This was one of only a handful of photos I took that day. Sometimes photowalks are more about catching up than actual photo taking (you can quote me on that).  I love the layers of this photo. I love seeing things that I didn't see when I was there, just look at those two tiny love birds up at the top.

I am considering blowing this one up really, really big.   Don't you think those deep reds would pop on a neutral wall? (who prints BIG really well?) 

One weekend in September we decided to take a drive. We drove until we reached the city of Alameda. I love this little island.  We spent time on the beach and then went downtown for dinner and gelato. We haven't been here in years and now wonder what took us so long to return?! 

This image reminds me of home and that early morning stillness, when no one else is awake, when the new day light has just started peeking through the curtains. 

One of my 365 photos. It's the end of the day, after a long day of work, I'm tired and see this. There is something about the chaotic wires and the last bit of light that like.

That was a look at my September, find out what everyone else was up to by following the photo circle.
Up next is my friend Alison, view her favorite 5 on 5 at
Alison Bents Photography >


Join us again next month for another round of fav 5 on 5!

Fav 5 on 5 - August 2013

Oh August you just flew by. Can't believe it is already time for another installment of our favorite 5 on 5. This is our photo circle where once a month we gather to post our favorite 5 images of the month. You can get to the next photographer in our circle by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

For the month of August I was sick for most of the time which is probably why when shooting I was on the hunt for comfort food and bright warm colors. All of these images below were taken with my iPhone. I blame being sick for not wanting to take out the "big" camera. It's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Below is the day that we sold our first home. I always loved the long shadows found in our driveway. It was a day to say goodbye but also a day full of relief and hope for the next chapter.
Always look up. Color found on a deary day.
Simple quick comfort food. Wishing on stars and hoping to feel better.
Always amazed at nature's color palette. I keep thinking this color/combo/pattern would make a great print for a shirt or skirt. Dark and light purples, hint of yellow and white with a bit of green - there is definitely inspiration here.
One of my favorite things to bake: banana bread with chocolate chips.
Note that the chocolate chips are key. Downside to making banana bread is that I am usually the only one constantly cutting away at it bit by bit. I then realize that I've practically eaten the entire thing, by myself!

(Sixth image alert!) An extra image just to note that we did get out and about this month. August did hold some wonder and magic. This was a day well spent at the museum.
Thanks for taking a look at my colorful fav 5!
Continue the photo circle by finding out what Alison was focusing on in August >

Fave 5 on 5 - July 2013

Another month has passed and it's time for another round of Favorite Five on Five. This is where I gather with a few of my photographer friends and we each pick our own favorite five photos for the month. It's a photo circle, so at the end of this post there is a link to the next photographer. Be sure to visit Alison to see her favorites picks this month.

I love this photo. Mostly because it's me and my Mom during her last visit. We came across this heart and I'm so happy that she paused with me for a moment so that we could take this quick photo.

"Notice: People Watching Zone"
I love all of the blue in this photo in the water, the sky, the sign and that amazing floor!  What a perfect little spot.

Summer back seat reading.
A good kind of quiet coming from the back seat.

It's a red glitter bike (which reminded me of Dorthy's shoes). I loved that pop of red and the pigeon who slowly walked into this scene.

Treasure Island Flea Market
I love going to a good flea market. Here's a little "where's Waldo" moment with a reflection of me.

Next up...
Keep the circle going by visiting Alison's favorite five on five!

Food Trucks

Check this one off of the list. I have wanted to go to a food truck meeting for quite some time. I've heard how some of these are "Sooo Amazing". Could they really live up to all of the hype?! I'd say yes. Maybe it's because I was at a flea market, maybe it was because we were on Treasure Island, maybe it was because we were looking at the amazing bay view, whatever it was this food was GOOD.

We started with dessert first. If you see Harvey's Gourmet Mini Donuts you must run to this truck. Hot-fresh donuts that are covered in chocolate served in a paper cone that you eat with a spoon are in fact pretty "amazing". My mouth was not quite prepared for this holy goodness. I only had three but the word "mini" makes me think I could have eaten the whole batch. Run I say. Trust me.

Now, if you ever come across a food truck called "The Chairman" eat there. They sell Gua bao, or bun sandwiches. We tried two: Coca-Cola Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage & Preserved Yellow Mustard Seeds on a steamed bun and Spicy Chicken with Toasted Sesame Purée, Pickled Carrots-Cucumber & Cilantro on a baked bun. More than just an average sandwich. Both were so tasty. I surprisingly preferred the steam bun. The Chairman will not disappoint.

Again it could have been the fact that I was outside with the bay breeze blowing through my hair that made me think that this was the best day ever. Eating interesting food on the lawn while listening to live music WAS pretty great. Thinking about it I'd have to say that the Treasure Island Flea Market was worth the drive. While I didn't really find any treasures at the flea market the stop is worth it for the views, the possibility of finding treasures and the great variety of food. Heck, I'd head back just for the mini donuts. (Run I say. Run.)