Mookie Moo

I found a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end and sent my photo into the Boston Globe. Here’s what they wrote:

Melinda Swenson of Cambridge said she was walking along Memorial Drive when a rainbow came out over Boston and she took a shot. She noted that if you look at the picture closely, it appears one end of the rainbow comes down near the Federal Reserve Building.

“Perhaps a sign that this economic crisis is turning around?” she mused in an email.

 

Day 4 in Boston and we are feeling pretty settled in. Up on the 15th floor of MIT’s Eastgate family housing apartments, we lucked out with front row seats to the whole city. It’s really rough looking out at the river all day!

Staying at the KOA campground, overlooking the Calgary suburbs, MacGregor and I had fun playing with our headlamps and the long-exposure settings on my camera.

Apple Pie? Maybe. But not a la mode. I’d like to be considered as “American as Carrot Cake or Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with a Ginger Walnut crust”. I don’t know what that means, but those are my favorite desserts. Here’s some fireworks shots from the 4th down on the beach at Manzanita. The scattered campfires and smoke-filled air cast a ghoulish, Mordor-ish glow on the scene.

Oh Portland. How you will be missed! All the bike freaks and geeks of Portland came out in full force for the first annual Cirque du Cycling on Mississippi Ave. This is what happens when the sun finally comes out after 9 months of pissing rain. There are no rules, just show up with whatever wheeled contraption you have, whether it be a complete reinvention of the bicycle or a Clear Creek Comfort bike from Target. Throw your kids on the back. March up and down the street a few times. Grab a beer at Amnesia or Mississippi Pizza. Perfect Portland afternoon. Below are some of my favs. You can see more crazy bikes (and the race!) here.

 

My mom and I are on Oahu, enjoying turquoise bath water and white sand, falling asleep to waves crashing on the beach, and eating garlic shrimp from roadside shacks. Before you get all jealous, I should tell you that this was a trip to bury my grandmother’s ashes. She requested to be buried in Punchbowl Cemetery along with her mother and father. And before you get all sad, I should tell you that my grandma died in 1993, fourteen years ago. So… the sadness and mourning is long over.  Now you can be jealous.

 

Yesterday I trekked all over the city (of Portland) looking for some good shots to try out this HDR technique I’ve been hearing about. If you haven’t checked it out, there is a great Flickr slideshow here. It didn’t turn out to be the best day for it, as the light was a little flat, even in the later afternoon. But it was fun to head out with a tripod, a couple lenses, and a new eye for my city. So, I’m posting my first attempt, even though it definitely didn’t turn out how I was expecting. Upon returning home, I found out that my camera has a special feature where I can take bracketed shots. I’ll try that next time. If you’d like to learn more about HDR, you can check it out here. Let me know if you have tried (or mastered) this technique–I’d love to see your results!

There is a gigantic troll under the Fremont Bridge in Seattle. Holding a full VW Bug in its clawed mitt, it scans the grounds with its one silvery, cataractous eye looking for intruders.

Ecuador 200

Click to view my Ecuador album on Google Photos.