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Cadillac Mountain


Beal's


College of the Atlantic

cadillac mountain

maine massacre

Beal's, Southwest Harbor


Bar Harbor

chalk talk

I came across this little piece of street art in downtown St. Louis today. I shot the picture because of its light, color and general interestingness, but as I thought more about it, it really ties into my life right now too. My life in St. Louis is "TO BE CONTiNUE......" I leave in a few hours for Bar Harbor, where I'll be teaching until July 7 for National Geographic Student Expeditions. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to blog; I'm hoping at least some. So, farewell landlocked St. Louis. I'm ready for the coast, lobster and eager minds!

lost moments now found

I met Trel Brock in college. He was taking photographs on the set of Killer Diller, a movie his sister was directing. My friends and I were crammed into a sweaty gymnasium with hundreds of extras for a scene, and Trel's camera caught my eye. We bonded professionally almost immediately and ended up hanging out in the days following. He gave me a roll of crazy film from a place called RGB in Hollywood. It was something called 5246 Negative color film. You process it ECN 2 DX, which means you get a negative plus a slide. Crazy, huh?

I took the roll with me to California about six years ago on a Fourth of July trip. I shot the 36 frames during the trip and sent the roll to Hollywood for processing. I never got the roll back, or so I thought. At the beginning of May I went to D.C. to help my sister and her husband move to a new place. In one of their boxes I found the missing roll of processed film; Waiting that long to see the images made the pictures even better!

I haven't taken a picture with a film camera in years. Holding the slides up to the light and taking the negatives to get printed made me a bit giddy. The slide quality is flawless. The exposure is dead on. The color is super vibrant. The negatives maintain that color but have a lot more grain. Here are two of my favorites. The picture of my sister and her husband makes me smile. They shared this beautiful moment in Chinatown. A year later in the same city Kyle proposed to my sister in Golden Gate Park. As for the seals, you can still find them at Pier 39.

the queen of corn

The Midland, Kansas City

Popcorn makes me happy, at a 2 por 1 movie in Costa Rica where we call it palomitas, hot off the stove from the Whirley Pop cooked in oil or fresh from the West Bend Poppery II and covered in real melted butter. I associate different types of popcorn with different stages of my life. My love of the salty treat started with a primitive looking cast iron pan my mom used to pop the kernels. We then graduated to the Poppery II. Air popped corn tasted good, but the real melted butter and salt elevated the taste to slightly addicting. In high school and some of college I went through a sad stage in which I ate the microwave stuff they call popcorn: 100 calorie mini bags, Butter Lovers, really good cheese flavored stuff in Costa Rica (I haven't found this in the U.S.), Newman's Own Natural. To spice up the 100 calorie mini bags, I'd add Lawry's seasoned salt. Thankfully, a boyfriend pulled me back onto the right path near the end of college, introducing me to the Whirley Pop. I still own one today.

I also judge movie theaters based on their popcorn. This weekend I met the popcorn bar, which allows you to add the toppings and seasonings of your choice. Wow. Game on.

gaga

My grandpa, known to us as Gaga (pronounced guh-guh), died 14 years ago. Today his ashes were joined with my Grandma Barb's and the two were laid to rest. After the memorial service we gathered to share our memories. I particularly enjoyed these two photos. The image of Gaga at the beach is the quintessential image of my grandpa - cigarette dangling from his mouth and a mischievous grin. He loved jokes and had me convinced he was one of the soldiers raising the flag in the famous photograph at Iwo Jima. Oh, Gaga, missing you.

falcon, storm, song

Today we gather to remember the life of my Grandma Barb. My mom didn't call her mom but "frother" – a combination of friend and mother. Traditionally, Barb is her stepmother, but my mom would never use the word. She and my mom's mom became close after my grandfather died. As the obituary reads:

Barbara, along with Robert (Bob) Abare’s first wife, Marion, will be remembered as a model for blended families. They agreed to “make it easy” on the kids by planning holiday and family gatherings together. Later, after Bob died, Barbara and Marion became good friends, traveled together, and as Marion’s health deteriorated before her death, Barbara offered her care.

In a few hours my mom will open a memorial service in Topeka, Kansas, with the following poem from Rilke's Book of Hours, and we will smile on the life of Grandma Barb.

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I've been circling for thousands of years
and I still don't know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?

diego and david

Two boys came to town and livened up my week. The Ds get on their bikes tomorrow and won't get off until they reach Oregon. Tonight, their bikes sit in my house ready for the trek. I hope they'll always remember where their journey began. Strangers a week ago, friends today.

Read about their adventures: Travel-Blogue of Weather-Beaten Bones.

un buen día

Spin



It was a day of sunshine, gray blue water, family, pizza, wine, gelato, pedicures, memories, kittens, good conversation, crab cakes, music and more.

nailed

When I was a kid my dad told me the story of how he once stepped on a nail. I couldn't imagine that. Stepping on a nail?! After a long morning in my yard yesterday, I can finally "imagine that." I was walking along and...ouuuuuuuch. When I lifted my foot a rusty nail was protruding from my heel. Don't worry, my Td is current, and I won't be wearing sandals for a while...!

johnny

To most people, he's John. To me, he's Johnny, my little brother. About two weeks ago he packed his car and headed west to Lake Tahoe for the summer. He'll be studying invasive species introduction and cultural eutrophication through an internship with the Great Basin Institute and Academy for the Environment at the University of Nevada-Reno. A smart guy, he left with enough time to stop in the Rockies and Arches National Park on the way for some exploring. I asked him to share some of his travel snaps with me. This is my little way of saying I wish I could have made the trek with him. Suerte this summer, Johnny, muy buena suerte. (And stay away from those bears!)


Bear tracks | Colorado


Arches National Park | Utah

a little belly

tart cherry pie

She makes famous pies. Some say the apple crumb is her best. I tried the tart cherry (with Missouri cherries!). I know why she's famous.

the country

april showers

... bring June flowers.

magazine = wallpaper

I've read the magazine, but I've never seen it used as wallpaper. This bathroom actually exists in a home outside of DeSoto, Missouri. Many of the covers are from the '80s. As you use the toilet you stare into the eyes of the Afghan girl that National Geographic made famous. I think if I lived here, I'd go the bathroom a lot.

a man and a mojito (deluxe)

Until a few weeks ago I had never heard of a mojito deluxe. My Malaysian friend Marc mentioned it one day, and it became our unofficial mission to find a place in St. Louis to serve us this drink. What makes the mojito a deluxe? It's an ordinary mojito, just substitute champagne for the club soda. After several stops during the past few weeks, we were triumphant. Serendipitously, this happened at a place called Triumph.

night light

octopi

Chinese grocery store excursion. The octopi looked the coolest. The pork uteri was a close second. I stocked up on noodles and sauces then splurged for Taiwanese preserved plums. My friend says they are sour delicious. I'm still wondering why pork blood looks so scary.

green eyes, red velvet

miami

Come July, my friend and I will be Miami bound for three short days. We're weighing options for accommodations - college friends, CouchSurfing or ... well, have a look. This email from Brad is too good not to share. I couldn't stop laughing.

I found a really cheap hotel that we can stay at in central Miami if need be. It's a Days Inn. Here are the reviews online. Tell me what you think.

REVIEW ONE: This place isn't bad if you're a junkie. In fact, there are lots of available pawn shops in the area as well as several dealers that can hook you up without a problem. Watch out for police jump out crews and try not to worry about the roaches, they're small, but the big ones might make the appearance if you leave something sweet out! Enjoy yourself, relax and try to score some good dope if that's what you're looking for! Again, watch out though, the Dade County cops are merciless!!

REVIEW TWO: dont hesitate to stop and admire the concrete floors in the hallway and fresh blood stains ingrained within.

REVIEW THREE: I have personally stayed at this hotel many times, and being a white boy, I must say that it is NOT for the faint of heart! Expect to bring at least a Glock 9mm and a sawed-off shotgun to make it through for at least one night. For a longer stay you might want to stock up on ammo! Besides the security risk, I must say that they have the best selection of HOES in the entire MIA-FLA area! If you are into "punks" they have that too - but I don't "swing" that way. Have fun and ALWAYS watch 'yo back!

REVIEW FOUR: This is a crack whore infested hell hole. If not for the beautiful receptionist I would have left. I swear I heard shots being fired as I left. Stay away.

REVIEW FIVE: I went there but had to cancil my reservation. City Inn is haven for all prostitutes and homeless people in North Miami beach area.‎

dine around with helga

Clockwise from top left: Wei Hong Bakery & BBQ, Cafe Mochi, Emack and Bolio's, Cafe Mochi, Cafe Natasha’s Kabob International, The Vine Mediterranean Cafe

Helga. Who's Helga? Actually, it's a camera effect on the iPhone that mimics a Holga. I hit the international dine around event on South Grand tonight and left the camera at home. My friend John came to the rescue with the iPhone to document our night of crazy food and drink fun. [Photos made by or with assistance from Juanito.]

I feel fortunate to live within walking distance of such a vibrant food community. Cafe Mochi's crunchy bagel roll made with fresh salmon, cream cheese, avocado and eel sauce caught me by surprise. 'Twas a beautiful combination of flavors. It's served hot but maintains the "freshness" of a cold sushi roll. The baba ganoush from the Vine also makes the evening's headlines. Consider picking some up for a party if you live in the area. Yum. This place also has spinach pies, hummus, grape leaves and other goodies to go. Urban's Purple Rain martini rises to the top of the drink list. It's a refreshing mix of mint, berries and lime. A perfect summer mix.

Scavengers hunts, food and friends. It's a buenaso combination. And, no, I didn't eat the duck heads from Wei Hong. Next time!

yoga ball soccer?

Yes, this is for real. The picture would be better if I hadn't immediately put down my camera to hit the field. So fun! Note that some people are wearing little boys underwear on their heads. It's undies vs. no undies. For real!

four leaves

There must be a four-leaf clover here. Looking for my luck ...

putney, vt

Enjoyed three days of good food and even better company in Putney, Vermont. I think every high school student should be required to go on a trip organized by this place. Putney Student Travel, you rock.

shake it like a ...

... Polaroid picture! My roommate dug up her old cameras last week. Among the gems were two Polaroid cameras and about 100 shots worth of film. I cannot express how nice it felt to hold a print in my hand. I take pictures almost every day. The images cycle onto memory cards and hard drives. Very rarely do I print the photos I make, but the feeling of a picture in my hands is something I have to make a more regular occurrence.

[Check out my beautiful herbs!]