let's drink some more beer!

I have neglected the blog as of late, mostly because I haven't done anything really photo-worthy. Instead, I've been doing things like snowboarding (fun & painful) and paintballing (more painful than fun), which don't particularly lend themselves to artistry. I did, however, have a backlog of some shots I took a few weekends ago from my visit to Woodinville, a town a bit northeast of Seattle.

Looking for something different to do, we decided to go to Red Hook Brewery, a local beer company. We underestimated its popularity though, and finding ourselves with a few extra hours to kill until the next available tour, decided to visit the winery across the road, Chateau Ste. Michelle. It's a lovely little estate, with all the charming touches you would expect from a winery. Plus, I can never pass up a free tasting!

Any sophistication points we racked up for doing a winery tour were quickly eliminated at the brewery, where we proceeded to liquor ourselves up some more. The brewery tour delivers some serious value - for $1, you get pretty much unlimited samples of a variety of Red Hook beers, plus a hilarious tour guide who taught us not only about Red Hook's history, but useful life lessons about Jagermeister (be careful - one moment you're taking a shot, and then next thing you know you're waking up in a tree...).  And after every 10 minutes or so of commentary, we drank some more beer. Sweet deal.

In other news, I will be making a long-awaited trip to NYC this weekend! Hoping to see old friends, check out new restaurants, and get in some good photos. Can't wait! And please please please don't snow!

walkin' in the rain

I don't know how the weekends always slip away so quickly. One moment it's Friday, and the next it's Sunday? Sigh.

I tried to stretch out my Sunday afternoon by continuing my Seattle coffee tour at Herkimer Coffee in the Green Lake neighborhood. It was a pleasant enough place to spend an afternoon with book & coffee in hand, but I ended up enjoying my walk to and from the shop more than the shop itself. In typical Seattle fashion, it was snowing when I walked in but sunny and clear by the time I headed out. Go figure. The remnants of the snow/rain mixture, however, left raindrops hanging everywhere like tiny jewels.

Seeing golden clouds in the sky, I made up my mind to drive to nearby Green Lake Park to see if I could get in a good sunset view before heading home. Lucky for me, it was one of those golden and rosy hued sunsets that I love so much (yes, I am a sunset junkie). And as I was going through my photos, I couldn't help noticing that the pink on a Ford I saw parked on the street was almost exactly matched by the pink in the sunset.

If only it were warmer! My fingers were about to fall off by the time the sun had gone down. I've made a mental note to return in the summer - I can already picture myself picnicking by the lake and then diving in for a swim. Only...oh 5 more months til the summer. It's not too early to start counting down, is it?

    

getting back into the groove

It feels like an eternity since the holidays rolled around - I know I've had more than my share of days off in December! So there is something comforting about getting back into the daily rhythm of the workday, although it does leave less time for exploration. I haven't shot much lately - I didn't take a single picture while I was in Vegas, which I do regret a bit. The bright lights of the strip and the surrounding desert would have made for some good subject matter. So instead, here are a couple shots that I took while I was showing my family around Fremont. Seeing a bit of color really brightens up my day when it's so consistently dreary!

10 for 2010

2010 was a tumultuous year for me, with lots of lows and highs. If you had asked me in January 2010 where I would be in January 2011, I'm certain I wouldn't have guessed that I would be in Seattle. But here I am!

I found myself in many places in 2010 - NYC, San Francisco, LA, South Dakota, Italy, Las Vegas, Seattle - and going through my pictures, I was struck by all the beautiful moments that I've soaked in this year. In many ways, I've been very lucky in 2010, although I've learned some tough lessons as well. I'm hoping that in 2011, I will have the wisdom to learn from my past mistakes and the courage to keep trying new things.

Here are 10 favorites from 2010. Happy new year.

From left to right, by row:
1. Sunset at sculpture park, Seattle
2. Brooklyn Bridge, NY
3. Roman ruins, Rome, Italy
4. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, NY
5. Venice Beach, LA
6. Bremerton lake house, Washington
7. Custer State Park, South Dakota
8. Waiting for sunrise on the Spanish Steps, Rome
9. Walking along the canal (Fremont, Seattle)
10. View from the Duomo, Florence, Italy