The Lost Coast of California. I'm still dreaming about it.

ellievsbear
art blog(derogatory)

oozey mess
Stranger Things
DEAR READER
YOU ARE THE REASON
Peter Solarz
No title available
Monterey Bay Aquarium

PR's Tumblrdome
noise dept.
almost home
d e v o n
Cosmic Funnies
Game of Thrones Daily

tannertan36
styofa doing anything
Jules of Nature

shark vs the universe
taylor price

seen from Germany

seen from Indonesia
seen from Poland
seen from Malaysia
seen from Spain

seen from Finland
seen from United States
seen from Iraq

seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from Azerbaijan
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
@lizcondo
The Lost Coast of California. I'm still dreaming about it.
I spent my first week in Suriname in the country's largest city, Paramaribo. It's a fascinating town but like most cities, also quite noisy and crowded. As the week went on, I became more anxious to escape to the vast wilderness of the interior.
Finally the day came to depart, and after weighing in with our luggage (can't be too heavy in a small plane, so no overpacking), we boarded the aircraft. After an hour or so, we touched down on the grass landing strip carved out of miles of unbroken rainforest.
Shortly after dropping the luggage in our cabin, my travel companions dug out their swimsuits and jumped in the river. I stood on the dock. Maybe it's growing up in the US, or maybe just Ohio, but I have never felt comfortable swimming in rivers or lakes. You can't see the bottom, there are fish swimming around your ankles, which you can't see either, and who knows if the water is even clean? We have been dumping nasty chemicals in our water (Hello Cuyahoga River!) for hundreds of years, so maybe I'm not wrong to be cautious.
Suriname is a different story. Their rivers are beautiful and incredibly clean. Indigenous villages are settled along rivers, and they rely on its water for everything. It is their main source of drinking water. They eat wild-caught fish for a large portion of their diet, use the river water for cooking, and bathe and do laundry there too.
According to a blog post by Rebecca Field of Conservation International on the larger Guiana Shield, “This region contains about 25% of the planet’s remaining intact forest and produces as much as 10–15% of the world’s fresh water.”
Unfortunately, small and large-scale gold mining operations have been moving further and further into the interior, threatening the health of the water and the people that rely on it. The biggest threat is Mercury, a byproduct of the gold mining process. Thankfully, there are people working hard to protect Suriname's fresh water, but they are sure to face challenges tackling such a large and complex issue.
Learn more at: http://blog.conservation.org/2013/09/protecting-surinames-wealth-of-water/#sthash.1XZvtBlf.dpuf
I grew to love swimming and bathing in the rivers. It took time to get over my fear, but I broke down the second day after a long boat ride spent baking in the sun, when nothing looked more inviting than that cool river. Careful to avoid the current, I dipped a toe, I looked into the shadows for eels, and then I stepped in. By our last day, I relished my twice daily swim. After a six hour hike, drenched in sweat, there was nothing better than diving into that clear water, goose bumps rising on my arms as I scattered the fish.
One of the reasons I was looking forward to moving into the Raleigh-Durham area was its vibrant food and farm community. There are so many people doing such innovative things. I love the spirit of entrepreneurship here that is constantly asking how we can make things better. From how to raise animals humanely and with the least environmental impact, to increasing access to processing of those animals for small farmers, to making the best hamburger out of local, grass-fed beef. Whatever it is, it seems like someone is working at every aspect of local food these days.
But it all starts with our farmers. That's why I was so excited to go on the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's Eastern Triangle Farm Tour this year. There were a whopping 27 farms on the tour, but having limited time, I could only make it to three. I visited Green Button Farm, Hundred Acre Wood Farm & Sanctuary and Prodigal Farm, all in the Rougemont/Bahama area just North of Durham. It was great to meet the farmers in person and see the passion they have for their work. I also got to come home with a cooler full of cheesecake, fresh chevre, pastured eggs and a big slab of ribs. The cheesecake and chevre were gone that night, some eggs the next morning, and we're having the ribs tomorrow! Yum!
As a child, I spent hours exploring every inch of our backyard. Digging up ancient rocks, hunting for wild animals, hiding under the canopy of overgrown bushes. Though the size of an average city lot, it felt vast and sprawling. It was the wildest place I could imagine.
Somewhere high above Suriname, flying over one the last and largest expanses of ancient Rainforest left in the world, I felt a pinch from my seven year-old self. That familiar joy, that sense of wonder and awe, filled my soul. It is an incredibly special place, one that should be protected for current and future generations.
I covered some fun events this weekend for the local papers, a swim meet and a 4-H horse show. As often happens with these kinds of assignments, my favorite moments happened away from the action.
I'm so happy for this break from the rain! It's nice to see sunshine again, even if it brings with it 90 degree days. To celebrate I made a visit to Tim's Garden, my very favorite pick-your-own CSA, where I spotted these little guys lighting on the zinnias.
Dancers audition for a scholarship to the American Dance Festival's six week school to be held this summer in Durham, NC.
Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/24/2777224/summer-dance-program-scholarship.html
I wasn't entirely looking forward to my first Saturday assignment, as it was outdoors on a cold and rainy morning. Despite the dreary weather everyone was in good spirits, trudging through the mud and puddles to raise money for the IRONDOG Charity. This is one of my favorite frames from the day. I love the bright colors, the joy of running in the rain, and the little dog in the hooded raincoat.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/23/2702330/irondog-race-raises-money-to-defray.html
I have always had a photographic soft spot for cowboys and rodeos. In the past I've covered outdoor rodeos. Low-budget affairs behind someone's house out in the country. The World's Toughest Rodeo is definitely on a different level, more of an entertainment event with fire and spotlights and a heavy metal soundtrack. These riders are pros. On the road for 30 weeks a year, they live out of horse trailers and hotel rooms. The bull and bronc riders get most of the glory, but there are a couple of very talented cowboys in the ring every rodeo, wrangling the horses and keeping the other cowboys safe. They're called pickup men. I profiled one in particular for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a cowboy from Minnesota named Jeff Rector.
"Rector is the only black professional pickup man in the country. In fact, as far as he knows, he’s the only one in history."
Read more at: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/188897081.html
A few days ago I covered the 12th Annual African American Cultural Celebration at the NC Museum of History. It was a wonderful celebration of music, dance, local artisans and history. One particular group from the Tryon Palace Historic Site in New Bern made for great photos. They processed through the lobby, reenacting a Jonkonnu celebration and filling the museum with their beautiful voices and rhythmic drumming. Jonkonnu was celebrated by enslaved African Americans in the 1800s in eastern North Carolina. The tradition died out in the early 20th century, but has been revived for the visitors of the Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens.
Nature can put on some beautiful displays, often where you'd least expect it. I was lucky enough to be able to witness such a wonder last night, in the middle of downtown Raleigh, on a rooftop.
Thousands of chimney swifts gathered in the air above our heads, flying in circles as their numbers grew. For 20 minutes or so we watched as they circled the chimney in front of us, the light fading. Until, one by one, they dropped from the fast flying ring and into the chimney's small opening to roost for the night. Unable to perch on branches because of their small feet, they stay in the air all day long, until they find a chimney with rough brick walls they can cling to for the night.
Chimney swifts used to nest and roost in large hollow trees. After European settlers felled their shelters, the birds adapted and began nesting and roosting in chimneys. Unfortunately, chimneys are now being capped or torn down, leaving the swifts no where to go. Scientists believe they are declining at a rate of 2% per year.
To see how you can help the NC Science Museum build their own roosting chimney and to learn more about these wonderful birds, go to: http://www.wakeaudubon.org/boty.htm
I joined my first CSA (community supported agriculture) a few years ago in Louisiana. The way it generally works, you pay up front for your vegetables in exchange for a share of whatever the farmer produces for a season. It takes some of the financial burden off the farmer, and means the CSA member gets a great selection of fresh produce at a good price. We had a great CSA. I loved the farmers we bought from, we got the chance to help plant, weed and harvest and learned a lot in the process. But, there were weeks we couldn't eat 2 pounds of yellow squash, or 3 pounds of eggplant, and food went to waste. So, when we came to Raleigh, we decided buying at the farmer's market just what we needed each week made more sense.
Until last week, when a friend brought me to Tim's Garden, the most flexible CSA I've ever heard of. You pick your own, just what you want, in the amounts you want. There is no start or end date, you come when you like. Add to that the farm is beautiful, close by, bursting with delicious produce and run by a smart, funny lady who is also a part-time chef. (and who already sent me 2 great recipes!)
If you're in Raleigh, you should think about joining. If you're not, you should find a CSA near you. Local Harvest has a great search, www.localharvest.org
I was thrilled to get a call from the Atlanta Journal Constitution a few weeks back. The assignment was to get a portrait of a woman who was declared dead by one of the big three credit agencies. As you can imagine, that has caused her some problems, and she is suing to get it fixed.
Bonnie was incredibly sweet, and we had a great shoot, trying out a variety of poses and backgrounds. I saved the living room for last, as I knew it could be a great photo and wanted to take my time there. This was one of the final frames of the day, and my favorite from the shoot.
As an aside, the Columbus Dispatch did an in-depth investigation into credit agencies and related problems. Great investigative journalism, we need more of it: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/06/credit-scars.html
Every first Friday of the month downtown Raleigh hosts its monthly art walk. Galleries and museums are open late, with many serving refreshments and providing music. There is so much to do and see I've had to break it into sections, exploring a new area every month. This month was the warehouse district, and it might be my favorite yet. There are great galleries and art collectives in the area, and I saw a lot of really interesting pieces. My favorite stop of the night was a show at the Flanders Gallery. They had fantastic big, installation pieces that left me wondering how the artists made their visions a reality.
To begin the entire facade of the gallery was covered in yarn. The artist knitted the whole thing in a multi-colored camouflage pattern. As you entered the gallery space you walked under a wavy tunnel made of 10s of thousands of coffee stirrers woven together. There was also a giant pink mural of a potentially dead animal, (I missed the artist description on that one) a tractor encased in a knit pattern, and some beautiful three dimensional portraits of Ravens, which were so intricate a photo would not have done them justice.
I love that the art scene in Raleigh is so vibrant and full of artists I can draw inspiration from. I don't think I'll be knitting in the front of my house just yet, but it helps me to question what is possible, both in photography and in life.
One of the great joys of backyard gardening is the daily inspection. I make my rounds, looking for the subtle changes that start happening more rapidly as the days warm. I find such a thrill in these discoveries - a delicate flower bud on the eggplant, the first signs of red on a plump, green tomato, or the tendrils of the cucumber vine reaching farther and farther up the trellis.
On my rounds a few days ago I happily discovered this little guy munching the last of our dill plant. A few of these caterpillars showed up last month, devouring the dill in a day or two before disappearing, perhaps becoming food for the many baby birds in the yard. So, imagine my surprise to find another one, even larger than before, clinging to the bare stems of our battered dill. He might seem a bit ugly to some, but he will shortly be transformed into a beautiful Black swallowtail butterfly.
I am completely in awe that these butterflies located our single dill plant, in a city full of ornamental bushes and grass lawns, to lay their eggs on. Like the monarch caterpillars, which only feeds on milkweed, Black swallowtail larvae need dill, fennel or other plants in the parsley family to munch their way into adulthood. So, if you got a little space in your yard, or a lot of it, consider planting dill, fennel or milkweed next year.
It's been a while since I've posted, and that's because I've been off having adventures! Not big, exciting international trips, but lovely little excursions to watch birds in the mountains, visit family up north and aid in a little research on the coast. These photos are from a fantastic weekend of birding in the mountains near Boone.
I'm still definitely a novice when it comes to birding. But my lack of knowledge doesn't keep me from appreciating the wonder I feel at hearing the joyful song of a Bobolink, studying the bright and varied colors of the warblers, or seeing a tiny, camouflaged hummingbird nest in sharp detail through a spotting scope. If you don't spend the time looking for it, it's surprisingly easy to miss. Life is happening all around us.
We took a trip back in time last weekend, traveling to the part of our new state that looks the most like our old one. So much about Merchant's Millpond State Park reminded me of canoeing in Louisiana - the still water, the cypress trees draped with Spanish moss, the mosquitoes. But there were wonderful differences too - it was quiet during the day, no boat motors, no gas pumps. At night we were surrounded by thousands of frogs calling to one another, the songs rising and falling like waves until it became a wall of sound. On our second day, as we meandered up a creek at the edge of the park, we saw a beaver up close! I was trying to be so still, i didn't dare reach for my camera. He watched us a for a minute before slipping into the still water and disappearing. Canoeing remains my favorite way to explore a landscape and to spend time in nature.