My beautiful sister and her family invited me on a trip with them last weekend to the ocean. For a moment, all the worries of life were swept to the side. I got to be a kid with a camera. Dogs. Forts. Dance parties. Card games. Laughs. Deer. A hornet bite on my neck (not so fun). Reading in bed. Coffee on the balcony. Seagulls. Snuggles by the fire. A sea monster sighting (maybe). Salt water taffy. Mint tea. A stunning sunset.
I’m starting to feel words swirling inside me again. They seem almost ready to come forth. Yesterday, one of the local indie bookstores, Bloodstone Books, emailed “can you bring more books to the shop? We are officially out.” I can almost forget sometimes my book is in the world, but people are buying it. Slowly but surely. Taking more copies to them today, which feels fantastic.
My daughter is having some scary health struggles and my son is getting his wisdom teeth out tomorrow. Life continues to throw things at us, but damn, I sure do love seeing it all through the camera lens. For those taking the time to view all my photos lately, THANK YOU!
Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a fantastic day!
As summer winds down, I took my nephew to a few local museums. By far, the Aerospace Museum of California was his favorite. He loved seeing all the planes and playing with all the interactive materials (Legos and other type of building supplies). We spent almost four hours exploring and playing together.
The museum holds another special place for me. My father was in the Air Force and worked at McClellan Air Force Base my entire childhood. It’s also the place a budding journalist (16-year-old me) got to meet President Bill Clinton and see Air Force One.
Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a great day!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12#13#14#15#16#17#18#19#20#21#22#23#24#25: My nephew wanted to take my photo because I “looked like a toy” next to the giant plane.Also, the Man of Steel now has a permanent place in my van.
These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
For tickets and information about special events, visit aerospaceca.org
A few weeks ago, I went camping with family. Our campsite was surrounded by large bushes which attracted birds, we spent an afternoon at the beach, and I hiked up some big sand dunes.
Although these might be some of my favorite photos, it’s hard not to beat myself up because I’m not writing. I made an attempt at working on my middle-grade novel recently, and it was rubbish. And although I’ve sold over 100 books, more than I thought I would, I can’t seem to get people to review it. My mind tells me it’s because people don’t like the book, which is fine, but the small hopeful part of me is a bit sad. But you know what? Two local bookstores carry my book and I’ve been selling about three copies a month in store, from people just browsing and liking it. That needs to be celebrated. As I’ve always told my kids—comparison is the thief of joy.
So, let me brush this all off and say, I’m not writing currently, but I’ll be back at it soon. In the meantime, enjoy all these photos. And as always, let me know if you have a favorite. Have a wonderful day!
This will be the eighth time I’m sharing photos with you of Dillon Beach, a place I’m lucky enough to visit several times a year. It’s crazy how each visit is a little different. This visit we saw thousands of tiny crabs, met a lot of really sweet dogs, and shared the early mornings with fishermen and surfers.
These photos are for Heidi, as she showed me again how magical this place really is, and for Sephera, for always being my exploring buddy on the beach.
Hope you all enjoy these and let me know if you have a favorite.
One of the highlights of our recent trip was spending a night in the longest continuously operating hotel in Washington State, The Shelburne Hotel. After a few difficult days and missed connections, this place waited for us like a refuge.
It was our third time visiting and my first time staying in the most haunted room. You can read about our earlier experiences here:
An overturned truck on the freeway delayed our arrival, and we checked in 20 minutes before the small bar closed. I had been hoping to write in the bar drinking a cocktail called the Bee’s Knees, but instead only scribbled a few poetry lines on a napkin while drinking the renamed cocktail, The Bee Sting. How perfectly fitting for this trip.
The house has two attic bedrooms, both said to be haunted by a spirit named Nina. After our encounter in Room 6, we had been looking forward to what might happen in Room 5. However, after all the stuff the trip had thrown at us, we both felt pretty emotionally drained and just wanted to sleep before making the 10 hour drive home the next day.
The little nook my daughter was going to sleep in had a door in it (photo below) looking way too much like a Coraline door, so we ended up sleeping together in the main bed and blocking that door with the extra pillows.
The room, like most the house, has an old feeling and is filled with quirky things. I put white noise on my phone and collapsed almost immediately, too tired to really take it all in. Around 2 a.m. I woke because my white noise stopped. I looked around the room and saw nothing, but I heard what could only be described as a low moan. It wasn’t coming from my daughter, and I tried to tell my brain it was something outside…maybe a truck? It got louder.
“I can’t do it tonight,” I said out loud to the room. “I’m too sad and tired.”
The sound instantly stopped and the white noise turned back on. I went right back to sleep. It was probably a dream, but I like to think Nina was taking pity on me. The next morning I took a bath in the clawfoot bathtub and took a few photos outside in the beautiful garden.
This is the last photos from our trip, but I have some beach and camping photos coming your way in the next few days. Let me know if you have a favorite photo among these and have a fantastic weekend.
I took these photos at a private cove near my dad’s house in Oregon last month. While I walked around with my camera, my daughter sat in the sand sifting it for agate. It wasn’t the trip I wanted. My dad was sick, ultimately needing to be transported by ambulance to the hospital. My daughter was about to turn 18, and things between us felt different. Everything felt…off.
As I edited these photos today, I felt all of it again. My dad is okay now, but he uses a walker, and the time for us to have the relationship I’ve always wanted is slipping away. My daughter and I are good. We’ve grown in new ways, but I worry about her all the time. I don’t know how to change things. I don’t know how to be right now.
Hard conversations are sitting inside me, and last night I dreamed they suffocated me, and I woke gasping for air. I couldn’t get back to sleep, anxiety eating at me with sharp teeth.
So, I’m going to take a minute and return to the peacefulness of this beautiful place. Will you join me? Let’s look at how light moves through things, reflecting and illuminating. Tell me, do any of these photos speak to you?
This week I was reminded again at how complicated emotions can be, at how we can hold both tremendous grief and overwhelming love in the same breath. It was a week of tragedy, connection, rock camp, fairy doors, bubbles, car talks, and two panic attacks.
Would I argue with the rain or clouds or the ocean itself? I see faces, I see shapes, I see love wanting only to freely bloom. I think I won’t complain.–Neil Reid
I’m still struggling, but I’m finding my way forward. Part of that path involves showing up here with you, even if I have to fight myself to do it.
About a month ago, my daughter and I drove up the coast of California into Oregon and Washington. Although this trip wasn’t what I had hoped, I got some pretty photos. Here are some of the best from day one.
I’d love to know if you have a favorite photo; can you guess mine?
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12
These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
On Monday, I spent the morning at the Sacramento County Fair with my camera. As a former 4-H member, I had a wonderful time chatting with the kids about their animals. I was especially interested in the goats, as I’ve started working on a re-write of my middle-grade novel which features a tiny goat by the name of Grizz. Research and cuteness—double win!
Let me know if you have a favorite photo and I hope you have a fantastic day.
Note: I’m sorry my blog has been so sporadic the last year. I’ve been terrible about reading blogs and posting. So many things are happening. I had my second book-signing. The poetry book honoring Neil Reid is halfway completed. I’m working on launching a new monthly newsletter. My daughter, my baby, is turning 18. I’m not giving up on this blog or my connection to this beautiful WordPress community. I’m working out ways to be more involved soon. Stay tuned and thank you for continuing to support me. It means the world to me!
It can be hard right now to think about light streaming through ribbons, flowers, and youthful hearts, but the world still contains all the beautiful things it always has. Let me take you away from the news for a moment as we dance around the May pole and celebrate the spirit of spring. Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a wonderful day.
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” —Rainer Maria Rilke
I haven’t chased the moon for ages, but this morning I did. With my daughter in the passenger seat, we drove through country roads looking for ways to capture the beauty in the sky before us. The pink moon, the moon of rebirth and change, played with us. It hid behind the puffs of a factory, near a barbed wire fence, between trees, within flowers, and amongst the birds. It even tried to compete with the sunrise. I found it for you. I hope it reminds you it’s never too late to try again. Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a fantastic week!
Pulling us closer into its orbit, shining the light of its fullness into the room, we turn to hold in our hands each other’s face as if for the first time, and the last— Pink Moon, Egg Moon, Moon of New Grass. —Cathy Song, April Moon
Bridgette Tales 