“As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in Midsummer.”
—William Shakespeare
Today we celebrated May Day by watching a group of 8th grade students dance around in the pouring rain. It was a lovely morning and a wonderful reminder of beauty and connection. I hope you enjoy these photos and let me know if you have a favorite.
my clenched words released
burn holes in the good pillows
where my mascara ran
where I slept propped up
where you don’t see me
I can’t shapeshift anymore
my grandmother’s lava burns
where hands pressed down
where softness was cut out
where I hit the window
slow my words down
float upon the current
where light seeps in
where questions are pain
where the answer is love
“It is at the edge of the
petal that love waits.”
—William Carlos Williams
I’ve been having a lot of big feelings lately and so today I present to you a distraction in the form of flowers, cute animals, and one shot from the prom photos I took last Friday. Let me know if you have a favorite and I hope you have a great day.
Here are some of my favorite photos from my birthday trip to Dillon Beach. This trip was about connection and reflection. Cloud cover allowed for only one sunset and it was an odd one. The sun flattened to a bowl shape and was swallowed by the sea. I found it inspiring and somehow fitting for the place I am right now. Bring on weird!
Let me know if you have a favorite photo.
“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.”—Franz Kafka
The power of the pink moon wakes me. Stumbling out of bed, I wander barefoot through half-lit rooms looking through distorted glass while my eyes attempt to adjust. What if I let them stay blurry? What if I simply see what’s there? Maybe beauty does exist in the imperfections. The flowers tell me so. I follow the sounds to the beach and surrender.
“Oh moon, I have begun
to envy you
your terrifying
powers”
—Henry Virgin
The fourth full moon of the year arrived on my birthday while on vacation at Dillion Beach. The moon proved elusive and all my photos turned out distorted. I had no choice but to embrace the imperfections and play with them.
Let me know if you have a favorite. These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
I write because I want to understand. I write because I don’t understand. I write anyway. I write to think. I write to feel. I write because my body is mostly water.
I write to translate water. I write like I’m swimming. I write deeper and deeper to find my breath. I write to remember I never lost it. I write the silence of being underwater. I write rhythm. I write tides. I write endless grains of sand. I write to honor the twisting cypress trees and my grandmothers. I write because the moon doesn’t give up on me. I write because I don’t give up on me.
I write because I was a child with an imaginary friend. I write to remember her. I write to remember me. I write stories moving through my body. I write to hold them tighter. I write to let them go.
I write because you didn’t see me. I write because you did. I write to hold your hand in the dark. I write a thousand tiny hearts in the margin of my notebook.
I write to play. I write to dance. I write because a song made me cry.
I write because I’m afraid I’ll forget everything. I write because I’m afraid I’ll be forgotten. I write to leave my children pieces of me to hold onto when I’m gone.
I write because the world is filled with contradictions. I write because I’m filled with contradictions.
I write to understand how gravity and time change depending on who I stand beside. I write as one who has been hurt and who has hurt others. I write to understand forgiveness.
I write because my fingers and jaw need to unclench. I write because the wind told me to.
I write because of beautiful journals and smooth pens. I write because words cost nothing and I’m broke. I write lies. I write truths. I write as if you have been by my side the entire time.
I write because I hope you will like me. I write because it doesn’t matter if you do.
I write even though the words must be extracted with bloody fingertips and it hurts and I get angry. I write certain you will figure out I’m a fraud, but hoping you won’t care. I write because sometimes I touch something like spirit, like source, and it’s intoxicating. I write because we are all this vulnerable.
I write as one who learns and forgets over and over. I write as if I’m going to never stop. I write because someday I will.
I write because words, like me, are imperfect, and yet I still love them.
My good friend Neil challenged his readers to write a list of why they write. I turned 47 today and I decided to celebrate it by answering. I’d be honored if you took up his call and wrote your own list. Let me know if you do and thank you for reading.
yesterday sunlight told me
put away winter things
pay attention to thirst
grass wants to be green
yesterday body told me
old stories can die
swallow up light
trust what flowers say
today I listen
This is my final Washington photography post and it’s of the iconic Pike Place Market. If you’ve never been, it’s a daily market known for its produce and fish-throwing vendors. In my opinion, these are the best photos I’ve ever taken. I usually focus on macro shots, but I’m learning to step back and let the scene tell a story. I’m excited to see this growth in myself and look forward to continuing to learn new skills.
To those who have visited all six posts, thank you. This trip felt transformative to me in a way I’m not sure I understand yet. Next week is my birthday and I always get introspective this time of year. I’m not writing my novel, I’ve not published anything yet, but I’m still creating. Maybe that’s enough.
“…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” —Vincent van Gogh
Can you believe I didn’t get a single photo of the Space Needle? Neither can I. Next time…
“I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.”
—Robert Frost
On the last morning of my stay in Seattle, I strolled the city alone with my camera. I took photos of things that caught my eye and allowed myself to be an explorer in a big land. It was the most creative and alive I’ve felt in a long time.
I hope you enjoy these photos and please let me know if you have a favorite.
One of the major reasons we visited Seattle was my daughter’s obsession with the video game The Last of Us. The second game takes place largely in Seattle during the year 2039, a city abandoned and overrun with infected (think mushroom zombies). It’s a story of found family, hope, love, and revenge.
Using a list of locations by the blogger Sam, we traveled around the city replaying the game. A lot of places we looked at but didn’t photograph, those include Columbia Center, Seattle Municipal Tower, Pioneer Station, the Convention Center, and Lumen Field. I also took plenty of pictures of the Great Wheel, but I’ve already shared them in previous posts.
Let me know if you are a fan of the game or the HBO series. Be sure to make it down to the hotel photos where I share a bit about our stay in another famously haunted hotel.
Also, in case you’re wondering, I’m a huge fan of the game now too!
1. William Kenzo Nakamura US Courthouse on Fifth Avenue
“If I ever were to lose you, I’d surely lose myself.” —Joel
“I’m just a girl. Not a threat.”—Ellie
“Oh Ellie, I think they should be terrified of you.”—Dina
4. Capitol Hill Crosswalk
“My friends’ problems are my problems.”—Jesse
5. KOMO Plaza
“If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at that moment… I would do it all over again.”—Joel
7. Historic Hotel Sorrento, built in 1909
This gorgeous hotel was our home while in Seattle.
We didn’t know this until after booking the room, but The Hotel Sorrento is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the city. Supposedly the ghost of writer Alice B. Toklas haunts room 408 and many people stay there hoping to get a glimpse of her.
The elevator was broken at the time of our visit so nobody was allowed to stay past the third floor. We stayed in room 308, a spacious two-room suite with a gorgeous marble bathroom down a short private hallway. There was a nice little window nook I sat in each morning to drink my coffee.
On the second night of our stay, I woke up at 1 a.m. to someone walking very loudly in the room above ours. It seemed they were having a party. The walking and dancing went on for over an hour, waking up my mom and daughter as well. I finally said loudly, “I really need some sleep” and the sound stopped. I chalked it up to coincidence and went back to sleep.
The next morning when we were checking out I mentioned that our upstairs neighbors were quite rowdy and the lady gave me a startled look. “Nobody was in the room,” she said. It turned out we were staying directly below the famed haunted room of 408. Did Alice B. Toklas have a party? I’d like to think so.
“What is the downside to eating a clock? It’s time-consuming.”—Joel
This was our favorite location to visit because so many pivotal scenes in the game take place here. My daughter even bought a stuffed shark exactly like the one Abby gave Lev.
Thank you so much for taking this adventure with us! And here’s a bonus for those who love Grey’s Anatomy, the building Seattle Grace Hospital was modeled after. Not the best shot, but it was fun to see!
Bridgette Tales 