The Rewards of Investing in Professional Memberships and Education as a Professional Photographer

A moon or two ago, I realized that to reach the ultimate in happy meant making a living with my camera.  To be brave, and reach for a dream.  Not one to shy away from a challenge (or anything else for that matter), I started to set up “virtual” shop.  You learn a lot about yourself in a process like this (bad AND good), especially where something so personal as your art is concerned.  This is not a venture for those faint of heart, or with thin skin…   You will learn a LOT about your mistakes (if you’re smart).  I must be pretty smart, ’cause I’ve learned I made a lot of mistakes.

I once thought anyone who earned money from their photography was considered a professional. Yes, kids… I’m afraid I was that dumb.   That’s like saying anyone who can boil water is a chef (and we know how ugly THAT could turn out…)   I have since moved to the front of the class, and along with the other front row kids, I now know making money with your camera does NOT make you a professional, nor does a spiffy business card, or a schmancy website, or a bazillion megapixel camera, or all the trendy software in the world.  Nope.  It’s simple,  anyone can make a buck here/there with a camera, but not EVERYONE can be a professional. Not everyone truly understands the art involved in composing, and creating a beautiful image with a story, not all respect the industry and all it entails, not all strive for or meet excellence, not all have the grit necessary.  Additionally, I’ve learned that serious professionals invest in continuing their education.  The topic of education is something that’s weighed heavily on my mind for a while now, and here, on the heels of the Evergreen School, I figure it’s about time to share my thoughts for anyone interested.

Like the saying “They can take your guns, but they can’t take your spirit”, the same applies to education.   No one can take what’s in your mind.  The investment is monumentally less than the rewards you will reap.

My educational journey began with a somewhat accidental membership to the Professional Photographers of Washington (PPW).  Accidental you say?  OK – so I joined to attend conference at a discounted rate.  Let’s face it, I love a bargain… what woman doesn’t?  I wanted to attend conference and hear Parker Pfister, Jeff & Julia Woods, Michelle Celentano, etc..  I had no idea the windfall I’d really get.

While the speakers I’d gone to hear at spring conference were great, the real jewels in this PPW treasure chest were the members, and the unabashed generosity with which they shared information, offered help, the encouragement and direction given/offered, etc.  It was like a homecoming, like finding a family you never realized you had!   During these few days, I also developed a very deep, and sincere conviction to do everything in my power to respect the photographic industry, and operate my business as a true professional.  No one twisted my elbow, I just realized, in my dealings with the folks at PPW, the way I was running my business, (along with most folks I knew) was not the right way.   I also realized there were many professionals with whom I interacted who never made an effort to educate me about photographic business practices, and industry respect.   I soon realized I had a lot of mistakes to correct, and my business ship had better make a very hard and fast turn if I wanted to avoid becoming a pirate and sinking like a stone.

My first step was to join the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in addition to my new PPW membership.  After that, I volunteered to help with the 2010 PPW conference as a print handler.  I had learned so much attending and watching the ‘09 judging, I wanted to be a part of the print competition for 2010.  Still I needed/wanted more interaction, so I began looking at the District groups.  Not much was happening in my district (Olympic), sooooo I volunteered to take  the job of Olympic District Representative.  As I began to schedule the quarterly meetings, I made more contacts, and began developing treasured friendships.

I am studying for my CPP (Certified Professional PHotographer) credentials, another step in the direction of professional photography – and this CPP certification requires a percentage of the necessary points come from print competitions.  This means the entered prints must receive a certain minimum score from nationally recognized judges – the bees knees of the industry. YIKES!.   That scares the bejeezus out of me, as the competition judging is T*O*U*G*H, and these scores are not handed out like candy on Halloween!!  I rather like that,  because if/when you get a good score from these nationally respected judges, you know you have really done something, you’ve truly earned merit. Those points have a LOT of value!

Education takes on a number of forms.  Thus far – participation in professional groups, self study for professional accreditation exams, participation and competition amongst your professional peers have been covered – but there’s also more formal professional education.  It’s important to constantly learn, to train – not just on your own, but under the tutilage of a master craftsman.  I have attended two separate week long schools under Master Photographers this summer – and I can say these were EASILY the best decisions I’ve made in my photographic career.

So how do you study under a Master?  That’s the simple part – You attend AFFILIATE SCHOOLS.  Affiliate schools are intense, usually week long workshops that darn near drown you with information.  Your brain will hurt, and you will grow stronger than you ever imagined.    The half day, one day vendor seminars that pass through town like the traveling circus can, in no way, hold a candle to these Affiliate schools.

Look, I am the queen of the seminars.  Ok, I admit it.  Every seminar that passes through the Seattle area, by every vendor from Adobe to ZookBooks – I go.  I learn, I see the same people – many of whom I know, not so much by name, but by sight.  They all have businesses.  I don’t think I see any of their names on the PPW roster (which, btw, is a warning – I will find you and attempt to recruit you, even if I have to come to a seminar!).  I must say that after going through my books, and totaling the cost of what I spent on these seminars for one year – I could easily attend a week long affiliate school.  I will, undoubtedly, attend more seminars – but my dollars will first go in the direction of affiliate schools.

This summer, I first attended Image Explorations (I.E.) in British Columbia – started and managed by the uber amazing Master Photographer, Don MacGregor.  At I.E. I attended a week of instruction in the class of Doug Box, another AMAZING Master Photographer!  It was one of the WISEST investments I’ve ever made in my career.   My head was swollen with information about marketing, sales, lighting, posing, business practices… My world had been turned upside down.

My intellligent decisions continued this past week, proven by my attending the Evergreen School.

For the Evergreen School, we spent August 16-20th on beautiful San Juan Island, off the coast of Washington state.  We were a manageable group, about 14 of us.  This school was taught by Don MacGregor (who has more photographic mastery initials after his name than this blog will hold…), the subject being Location and Lifestyle Portraiture.  Whew!

What did I get from the Evergreen School?  Well, besides a little more than a dozen AMAZING photographic friends, I compounded the education I received at I.E. – building an incredible amount of knowledge regarding posing, lighting, finding locations, marketing, presentation, studio operations  – just off the top of my head. Practical application of a number of important aspects of photography, and also different ways of thinking, learning to escape my own boundaries and find new, and better creative expressions.

When you find yourself wondering how to get to that next level, how to start and/or run a photography business properly, with industry respect (given AND received) – join the PPW (or the Prof. Photog. chapter for your state) and PPA groups.  Respect the industry, allow yourself to bring your talents to the level you deserve.  A level you’ll never reach without the support of professional peers.  You will learn from them, and they will learn from  you – and in the interim, the relationships you develop will be glorious.  You will find yourself with a network of friends, mentors and wells of inspiration, and you will be the same to others!  Your sense of value, strength and knowledge will grow, and your work will reflect this growth.  It will be evident, immediately.

You might even come home with a mantra like I did!  Yup, I got a mantra at Evergreen… Two feet, two eyes, keep them moving.  I’d love to explain, but you’d just have to be there to really get it…Maybe I’ll see you at the next Evergreen School….

Be Careful Out There!

Wow… imagine my surprise when mathman (aka husband) looked at our online banking, only to discover we’d made one heckuva purchase from paypal!

Seems some kind person name Bin Gao pulled a HEFTY amount from my account for facebook poker chips.  Like THOUSANDS.

Well, anyone who knows me would know a) I don’t play poker, and b) I would totally stink at it because I can’t hide my emotions, and c) I have my H.S. photo (or maybe junior high) pic on Facebook and WHY on earth would I want pokerchips with my facebook pic on them!?!??!?!?! DUH!

Anyway, in my overzealous attempt to outthink the phishers, I deleted two emails where PayPal was communicating regarding my recent non-purchase.  Wiley crooks, I will delete your feeble attempts at phishing my account!  Yeah, well, seems they were actually trying to tell me “Hey, some dork is trying to get you for a BIG sum of cash!”

Luckily PayPal’s modeling software realized that I normally don’t make purchases over 50.00, maybe 100.00 via PayPal, and flagged the transaction as suspicious.  My cash is in Paypal’s bank while they finalize the “Yes, this was a fraudulent transaction” paperwork, before they refund my money.  From 3-10 days to get my bucks back. <sigh>

Meanwhile, I sit here B*R*O*K*E until Payday.

In the future – PayPal will not be paid from my bank acct… only a credit card.  I can’t find ANY way this phisher could have accessed my account.  I don’t use it anywhere but my home PC, and I’ve not made a purchase in almost a year… Strange but true.   As they used to say on Hill Street – “Be careful out there…”

Love and loss in the hurricane season….

My mother was a 26 year breast cancer fighter.  I am so fortunate to have been able to care for her up to her last week of life, and I was by her side the entire time until she passed.  When mom passed, to settle the estate, I had to go home, to Texas, to put my childhood home on the market.  When you’ve suffered such a huge loss, the last thing you expect it another loss, and I got a double whammy.  Not only was selling our family home truly a devastating thing, to have gone through the likes of Hurricane Ike, and see the wreckage and tragedy dealt to my home community, friends, old haunts, and favorite places was just overwhelming.

I’ve been home in Washington about three weeks now, and have been wrestling with images I shot after the storm.  The photos in this show, all but about four, have deep value to me.  They may be homes of my friends, restaurants and places where we spent loads of time playing shuffleboard, eating crawfish, drinking beer, places we loved to fish, hang out, images of friends doing their job to help others – they each have a special place in my heart.  Assembling the images was not easy, but it was healing.  Just as critical for me, was the accompanying music selection.  Each song, I feel, is representative of the mood, the emotion, and/or the situation, without being too poppish, or familiar.

The show can be viewed here, with the ability to go full screen, or watch at the bottom for a tiny version.  The one at the link, well, the file is just too large to post. :OP

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=3049888&alb=143065

If you choose the link, once you’re on the photodex site, right click and you’ll find an option to view full screen.  The first 26 seconds have no music, but they are questions, comments, and headlines I heard/saw during that time.  You’ll have to go full screen to read them.

I’ve omitted, from the show in the link above, the first 26 seconds because that portion cannot be read in such a small area as allowed for video within my blog.

Thanks for watching, and please leave comments.

nina

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An Outing on the Peninsula

We live in a beautiful country, and there is no state that doesn’t posess beautiful vistas, some are an acquired taste, some are an instant favorite, and I live in one of those instant favorites.  I have to admit, I live in one of THE most beautiful places in North America.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of driving an hour and a half north, with some friends, to photograph Crescent Lake and Sol Duc falls.  Aside from the pleasure of great company, the shooting was wonderful.  The damp and grey here can really get to you, so it’s important to get out as much as possible, regardless of the weather.

We were blessed with cool temps (well, cool temps here are a given), clear skies (off and on), fog, and beautiful foliage and locations.  For me, one who is more comfortable photographing people, animals and events, the outing was yet another challenge – nature.

My trip to Texas taught me a lot about shooting landscapes.  Your brain has to process in a completely different manner, you have to think about light differently, and factor your exposure calculations across multiple values.  I now understand more, the reason many folks lean towards HDR photography… :O)  (I’ll save my .02 on HDR for another entry…)

The smell of wood smoke hung heavy in the trees, while the cool temps made a polartec fleece jacket the best thing since your childhood teddy.

Looking out from the house now, I see the Olys have had a kiss of snow since last weekend, a sure sign that winter is moving  in, planting herself until July of 09, when we’ll all scurry back up to see the alpine flowers in bloom.  I’ll be dragging the other half up there in winter to snowshoe (Ok, really it’s just a HUGE excuse to take the jeep up in the mountains in snow and play with the 4wd a bit… ).

I’ve left a little show of what the fall has yielded for us here.  Hope you enjoy.

nina

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Trying to catch up…

Soooo busy, finally home, work is killing me. UGH.  I thought I’d start going through images, and post, backtracking since I last left off.

This will be quick/dirty. When we received the evacuation notice, we headed to a KOA in San Antonio.  My oldest boy was there visiting (he lives in Victoria), so he was sort of stuck going with us (neither of us complained! LOL)

We share many of the same interests, so exploring off the beaten path is soemthing we both enjoy.  I love graffiti, and he’s got a serious interest in it as well.  Not jsut ANY graffiti, but that special work you see that makes you do a double-take, to say “OMGOSH, why is this person NOT working!?!?!”   There is some serious talent out there.

One club in San Antonio, the WHITE RABBIT, is an awesome place!  Not just anyone gets to paint their building, as you will see in the show below.  Ya gotta be pretty uptown with paint to make those walls….Many thanks to the owner/managers for letting us in to prowl around in the morning during the closed hours, and take photographs.  See, Texas is special because of many things, but the people just put the cherry on top of the sundae!

Also included are some funny oddities we discovered prowling around at 0200 in the morning (hey, when you work all day, just ’cause you’re at a KOA doesn’t mean you’re on VACATION…. get what ya can, when ya can!)  Puffin’ Paul’s, the beer drive thru, etc… The image of the smokey stairwell was taken as Brian (my oldest) and I wandered around, and passing a club I noticed a door with a mail slot.  I asked him “Wonder what is in here…” While he said “Ma, don’t do that!” I had to peek, and voila!  There it was, a stairwell filling with creeping cigarette smoke that breathed through the club walls, traveling upward to a destination unknown.  Handheld, Canon, your 24-70 f/2.8 L is my true street friend.  My second best friend on the pavement would be the TOKINA 12-24mm f/4 aspherical  – an AMAZING value for the buck!

Tonight, I’m working on bird shows from the trip… boring for some, but ecstasy for someone like me.. :O)

(Oh, also, tucked away in here are some places with delish eats (SAMS!!!!!)

The murals were all shot in multiple shots, as many of them were in tight confines – alleys, or just areas not condusive to photographing.  No wide angle would do any of these justice, so a lot of images had to be stitched.  The actual size of all the panoramic murals in this show are anywhere from 58-64 inches long – BIG files.

Hope you enjoy San Antonio’s art!

nina

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A bittersweet return…

It’s no secret that were my husband, middle boy, and dog to show up in Texas, I’d have happily turned my back on everything inside, and including my house in Washington, and stayed here in Texas.  Alas, that’s not the way the story’s supposed to go, so like the Beverly Hillbillies, the Jeep is packed, and we’re on our way home.  It’s a sad departure, but I am anxious to get home.

Last night, we made record time driving from San Antonio to Van Horn, Texas.  In spite of Sarah being on her last pair of contacts, tearing one, and me scrambling trying to find a place to get an eye appt and contacts on a Sunday.  Traveler tip:  When you hit the road, and you’re all happy because you have your insurance cards, car insurance, etc.. Make sure you have a copy of your vision prescription. Life will be easier, and about 150.00 cheaper.  Yeah, I could have waited until today and had Sears fax the script somewhere – but… I could not imagine spending the entirety of a day, not being able to see.  The woman at the Sears vision center in San Antonio did her best to talk me out of it!!!  Finally, I asked her – how would YOU feel, not being able to see much of anything for a couple of days, eh?  Money well spent, I’d do it again.  Thank goodness for flexible spending accounts – I can get reimbursed, but even if I couldn’t, I’d spend teh bucks all over again. :O)

So we arrive in Van Horn about 10:30.  I will not put in writing, how much time I cut off the trip. ahem.  I love a state with 80mph speed limits! <sigh>  But doggone it, that 80mph is only during the day, which allowed me to meet a very nice Texas Highway Patrolman last night…so polite, uh, luckily I was given a warning, and now I’m in “da man’s” system here, so until I’m out of the state, my foot must be on a strict diet…  90 in a 65 isn’t too awful bad, is it?

Last night, we did travel through the MOST intense electrical storm I’ve experienced in man years.  The rain fell so hard, it sounded like rocks hitting the car.  The winds were incredible, it was a “two hands on the wheel and muscle” drive for about 45 minutes.  I think top speed in that storm was about 45.  There was NO one on the road but the RV in front of us, which made it very eerie.  The lightning show was amazing, and the strike ahead of us on the road was enough to make us both squeal like girls.  It was a very serious piece of driving, looking back, it was also an incredible event to witness.  The type of thing that makes you feel small, very very small.

Today we’re  headed to Albuquerque by way of El Paso.  Man, i do NOT want to go through EP.  Nothing about that city intrigues me… however, I need an oil change, and the only other option is to go 125 miles in the OPPOSITE direction, so El Paso City, by the Rio Grandeeee-heee, he we come.

I’m lookin’ for birthday boots and an oil change.  I’ve been hitting boot stores for a new pair, and haven’t found “the ones” just yet.  Rats… Maybe El Paso will redeem herself by presenting me with the perfect boots.

YIKES! IT’S IKE!!!!

Well, as Ike continues to barrel towards us like an angry monster, I’m barking orders to my kids to get their stuff together, and in one spot.  Take only what you cannot live without, take just enough clothing for the weekend.  We CAN do laundry in San Antonio, I’m quite sure!

The storm is projected to make landfall about 45 minutes from here (well, 45 if you drive like I do…).  Natural disasters are natural disasters, they’re all bad.  I would take a hurricane over a tornado, earthquake, etc. any old day – at least I can sit here and watch it to death on the TV before it arrives!  I guess it’s the age old act of picking your poison. <sigh>

We’re leaving once we board up these last few windows, and heading to a KOA campground tonight. 

I hope this old house is standing when I come back. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

An Afternoon on the Island

Last weekend I took a break from cleaning on this old house (more to preserve my sanity than anything…).  Sarah wanted to stay home, and as much as I would have loved her company, I told her she could stay, and Brian and I were off to Galveston.

Arriving on the Island, we headed down the infamous Broadway (street of crimes).  Grabbing a drink from Sonic (what’ll I do without my cherry limeades from SONIC!?!?!?!), we journeyed to the cemetery on Broadway.  I thoroughly love cemeteries, and this one will NOT let you down.  it’s chock full of beautiful craftsmanship, story graves, above ground burial chambers, and favorites, lots of statues.

Leaving the cemetery, we headed for the seawall, taking in the changes, sights and sounds, stopping for such infamous places as the Mermaid Pier (which has sold seashells and tourist souveniers since I was a wee tot), The Balinese Room, The Flagship Hotel, & Hotel Galvez.  The Flagship is an amazing beast, built on pilings, and extending out over the water from the seawall – never did I notice, until today, the very DETAILED women (mermaids, I think) on the building… You’ll see them in the slideshow. ;o)  The Balinese Room is an interesting place, or was – I went there once, long ago, longer story… Many bands have played that venue, including the likes of ZZTop in their very early days (they also reference teh B-Room in their songs).

We strolled through the UTMB campus (University of Texas medical Branch) in total awe of the extensive growth the place has experienced!  UTMB has grown, and now has numerous LARGE clinics across the Texas Gulf Coast.  Brian and I walked to OLD RED, and viewed the exterior of the gorgeous building, in pristine condition, i might add.

Leaving UTMB, we headed back down Broadway to see the beautiful Sacred Heart Catholic church, and then on to Harborside Drive, which, at one time, was called Port Industrial Blvd.  Now that all the cruise ships come in there, and the once empty fields are parking lots for happy sailing families, I guess the city decided it should have a schmancy name. :O)   Along Port Indust/harborbside, we found hotels and restaurants, and also a WONDERFUL place to photograph birds.  While at the docs, we watched the loading of John Deere farm equipment into a large container hull, and just smelling the smell of the ocean, listening to the cry of birds, watching cormorants air their wings, and pelicans make spruce goose-ish landings.

It was a great trip, felt like we were gone forever, though it was only a few hours.  It’s fun to explore with your kids, especially when they’re old enough to appreciate your perspective, the history, and nuances of places they’ve not seen.

So there was much ado about nothing regarding Gustav.  NOAA is working on their ability to predict intensity and fine tune their processes.  Their reporting and tracking is fabulous, but the intensity and speed predictions were a teeeny bit off.  Gustav was supposedly arriving Wednesday, he came Monday.  Hannah is a busy girl on the East Coast, and now we have Ike meandering around the Caribbean, and another after him.

Growing up here on the coast, we never left for a storm.  I was born shortly after hurricane Carla.  My parents lost everything in that storm.  They saved the house, but everything except what they’d hurridly packed in suitcases was gone.  I have many photographs mom salvaged that are stained and water damaged.    My mother often had a tear slip from her eye when talking about how they returned to a house full of mud, and water marks 9′ up on the walls.

There are so many areas here locally that once were home to many rice paddies.  Rice farming was big business here along the Gulf Coast.  Rice, Cotton, Soy Beans, Sugar Cane, and other crops… in our area, I remember LOTS of rice.  Now, out on 646, where there were once rice paddies that would treat us to the odd spoonbill or egret from time to tiem, there are a multitude of big homes, a huge elementary school, and a number of businesses and strip shopping centers.  With all the growth in just the last ten years, where WILL all the water go, if we have rains and storm surges from a category 3 storm (IF it reaches that…)? What if it pulls a Carla, and sits here dumping rain on the coast, beating us with wind?  That’s a LOT of water, and it has to go somewhere. Of course, there are the post-storm tornados that kick up.  The Diversionary canal was dug years ago for such an instance; however, one canal can only hold so much water.  Considering how much water would normally be displaced by all the growth in the area,  I doubt that canal could maintain runoff from a major rain making storm, coupled with a pushy storm surge.

When the local news spoke of bringing buses into Texas City and Beaumont for residents to use in evacuation, I found that quite shocking.  We drove through Texas City, and marveled at the 200 buses parked in that school lot… it was unnerving.

Mom nature has her own way of cleaning house, we may not like it, but we should at least be thankful we’ve a means of knowing when chore day is coming.  (Thinking of all those complaining because they were moved out of New Orleans).  Here, I think of the wonderful homes in Bayou Vista (probably one of my most favorite places), and along the Bolivar Peninsula/High Island area.  I also think of the lowlands in Brazoria County, and how they’re pretty much a sitting duck for water to come rushing in, the flat lands along Chocolate, Bastrop, Middle, Halls, and Mustang Bayou all off FM 2004.  These are all amazing places, teeming with wildlife and a rugged beauty.  No matter where you live, you’re subject to a natural disaster of some sort.  Some give no advance warning (Earthquakes, avalanche), some give little (tornados & floods), some give quite a bit (Fires & Hurricanes).

Saturday, we’d also taken a short drive down to the Texas City Dike.  I wondered as we passed through, were we to have a storm, how much of what I see will be gone?  I also began to feel a higher sense of urgency when driving by the Texas City High School, and seeing all those enormous charter buses parked in the football stadium lot.  For those who don’t have a means to leave, the sick, elderly, poor, for those who can only pack so much, or take what they can carry and board a bus, my heart bleeds for them.  To have your home, all your life’s posessions in one location… and have to walk away with only the chosen items packed in your car, or worse, in a bag so you can board a bus with strangers… it ain’t summer camp, kids.  How would you pack, were you to have to get your most precious items into a duffle bag?  What would you take?

Two slideshows.  One of the Galveston Cemetery, and one of the other things I’ve been shooting/seeing.  Uploading is a slow process… so check back if there’s only one show.  These mpg files are what I use due to space constraints.  Unfortunately, their quality is lacking…   You can go here, and see the shows as well:

Show 1:  http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=3016519&alb=143065

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Brazoria beauties and Houston Oddities

It hasn’t been too terribly hot, in the 90s, but the humidity has been horrific. We’ve had so much rain, and that rain, when it stops, turns to pure steam. I was taking an auto tour loop through a wildlife area, and w/o my sunglasses, i thought “What IS this haze? Pollution?” Then I remembered… it’s called HUUUU-MID-I-TEE. I tell ya, It was so muggy that stepping out of the car, your shirt immediately clung to you, your denims begin to feel as if they’d slide to your ankles from the weight of the moisture absorbed from the air. Tendrils of hair immediately cling to your face and beads of sweat begin to sparkle at your temples. It is MISERABLE. For the first ten minutes anyway… Then you’re used to it, and it’s no big deal. It’s BAD if you are constantly going in/out from air conditioning to heat, vice versa. Get outside, get icky for 10 minutes, and you’re ok. Hell may be hot, but I’d hazard a guess that it’s a dry heat…

Again, I am going to pick up the boy in Victoria, and heading on to Hou-Town from there… Leaving girly girl at home with a phone in her ear, and her gameboy, and tv. It just isn’t fun with someone who complains about mosquitos, heat, humidity, heat, and oh, heat and mosquitos. I think I covered all the things she’s complaining about. She is not an outdoor gal… My oldest, on the other hand, i don’t think is a HUGE outdoor guy, but he has that same gypsy gene his mama has, a wanderlust, and constant desire for exploration and adventure. He sees the details, finds the humor… I mean, he *IS* the one who found the ice cream truck – you know, the one from a couple of days back with the bars on the windows, and the hand written (in spraypaint) “ice cream” at the back end… LOL Wicked eye, that boy has! :O)

Our goal today, was to see many things in Houston. We’ll probably have to resume our agenda next weekend… there’s a lot on it, and Julie, the cruise director isn’t here to keep us moving along. I call Sarah “Julie the Cruise Director” after the gal on Love Boat. Sarah’s always nagging “COME ON MOM!” or “NOT ANOTHER PHOTO!”

Well, I was a wee bit late… For starters, I overslept. I just couldn’t sleep last night, and nodded off around 0400. It was laborious to get out of bed at 0800.. UGH. Since I fail at both night owl and early riser I’d make a piss poor hippie/starving artist; however, I am not a happy clam rubbing elbows with the “my career is my life” crowd either… Maybe I need to go get fitted for that beret after all.

So I started Saturday, late as usual. I visited the Brazos Wildlife Refuge, before picking up Brian. OMGOSH, it was FABULOUS. I cannot extol the virtues of BWR on a level it deserves. You have to be a completely mad bird watcher to feel this way, and I looooove birdwatching – through my Canon 500 f/4. I spotted Whistling Ducks, Blue Heron, Ibis, a water moccasin (in the Ibis’ beak, but it still counts), and a black necked stilt. It was hot and muggy (duh) and I probably inhaled enough fumes from all the OFF I sprayed to shellac my lungs. I’ll be heading BACK to this place sometime this week, I see at least two more trips out. :O) I spent too much time here, so the 11 a.m. arrival time in Victoria is completely shot to hell by now.

After BWR, I picked up the boy, and we headed back to Houston on 59. OMG, i didn’t think we’d ever get there. Along the way, Brian introduced me to a delicacy from Jack in the Box. Fried macaroni and cheese. OMGOSH! Is there ANYONE who DOESN’T like macaroni and cheese? Is there a Texan who DOESN’T like anything fried?!?!?! I was in HEAVEN! That crispy crust – bit into it to reveal al dente elbow macaronis swimming in a goo of melted cheese… Ahhhhhh We stopped for them twice between Victoria and Houston.

Coming into Houston on 59 is EASILY the worst way. I hate hate hate that area – it is SO congested, even on a Sunday afternoon. First stop – to see a 60′ saxaphone built from VWs and VW parts. After that inspirational piece, we drove a few miles to enjoy a most amazing giant armadillo whose shell is made from mirrors, and he has longhorns. BTW – the customers of GOODE’S BBQ a few feet away thought I was a nut case while taking photos – luckily I can always chalk it up to my WA license plates. They’re probably thinking “Damn Hippie….” :O) Post armadillo magic, I toured the boy through River Oaks (I’m suprised you don’t need a credit check to pass through those streets!), and on to the piece de la resistance – a house covered in, and decorated with tin from beer cans and pull tabs. If you’re not old enough to know what a pull tab is, I’m sure you can figure it out from the slideshow – there will be a test. :O)

This morning, I got up and slid into church 15 minutes late. God even loves the tardy… he’s very forgiving. Luckily, most baptist church members are real talkers (at least in Texas). So, church had not yet started… I sat with Mr. & Mrs. McBride, long time friends of my parents, and who were kind enough to invite me to their home for lunch with another visitor, Mrs. Griswold. I listened to great stories about East Texas, and Mr. McBride’s time in Army, training in the desert with Patton before he went overseas, and his recounting the experiences with the Army’s first JEEPS delivered. (If you know me, you know I am a DODGE and JEEP girl…) – These stories were wonderful. :O) Before I knew it, it was six o’clock! What a lovely afternoon with these three! I find it disturbing the number of people I know, who have no time (or respect) for our parent’s generation. There is SO MUCH to know, to learn from this group. They are wonderful people with fascinating stories and knowledge to share. Thank you mom and dad, for instilling in me a respect for my elders, and also, teaching me to listen. I may have been a real screw up in my twenties, but I didn’t forget what you taught me, and I’m still trying to make good for all the stupid crap I did earlier. :O) After leaving the wonderful company of the McBrides and Mrs. Griswold, I came home, snagged the boy again (remember, wondergirl doesn’t like birdwatching, or mosquitos, or heat), leaving the girl at the house. Off we went to Flamingo Isle to look for more spoonbills. I forgot to check the tide chart, so it was pretty far out when we arrived. Dang! I did find a bird perched on a fencepost – another first (you can tell I’m early in my bird career…) pretty sure it was a whipoorwill (SP?) – I need to get my Sibley’s guide out of the car and 2x check (later). I had to thumb through my Sibley’s Guide because I just knew he had to be an insect eater, he didn’t have ANY sign of shorebird about him. Imagine my suprise (and laughter) when I saw “GOAT SUCKERS” as a category… OMGOSH! What a gross name… Folklor has it was once believed folks used to think these birds would sneak in the barns at night, and suckle goats. Ewwww – I cannot EVEN begin to think WHAT would make someone come up with THAT story… Must’ve been a BAD batch of homebrew? Also, on our trek, we passed (how DID i miss THIS one!?!?!?)… Brandy’s Beauty Palace – with a plastic Gorilla in front, and a sign on the door that says “ABSOLUTELY NO CHILDREN UNLESS YOU ARE BEING SERVICED – QUESTIONS – PLEASE SEE MANAGER”. Strange but true… We toured Carbide Park – and I must say, any gardener would falll head over heels for Carbide Park’s Master Gardener test garden – HOLY COW! it’s beautiful! There is also a pecan orchard there in the park as well. The old pool is gone, it doesn’t have the same air about it, seeming more “county parkish”. The old Carbide Park was GLORIOUS. Finally, we stopped at Quick Pantry for gas. Now you might think all mini-marts are the same; however, QP isn’t. I could buy Boone’s Farm there as a teen (handy being tall), and they’d sell us smokes and cigars too. If Boones Farm and cigarettes were all we had to worry about with teens these days, the world woudl be a much better place, no? :O) Anyway, there’s a very special place in my heart, and to this day, everytime I think of the QP it makes me laugh. I knew these two fellas for many years. They were Alta Loma’s “HAROLD and KUMAR”, prime candidates for Darwin Awards. They were scoundrels, but lovable ones… One summer night, the two friends Ricky & Randy decided to break into the QP. Atop the roof they cllimbed, and somehow managed to create a hole in the roof through which they entered the darkened world of Quick Pantry. Climbing in, armed with a hefty bag, like anti-Santas, they filled the bag with cigarettes and candy. A black hefty lawn & leaf bag will hold a LOT of smokes and candy! That evening, the robbery was reported, and when the police arrived, they were initally baffled that the store had been robbed with no visible signs of forced entry, and it wasn’t until Santa Fe’s finest reached the back of the building, and found the ladder (also stolen). They climbed, and solved the mystery after finding the hole in the roof. Scouring the grounds with flashlights, looking for clues, the police noticed a trail of candy and smokes… Yes, it was a trail of candy and cigs. The trail lasted a whole one and a half blocks from the store, ending at a humble mobile home, rented by Ricky whoshallremainnameless. Inside were the suspects, smoking weed, and eating candy. It was a very limited crime spree, somewhere in the neighborhood of about four hours, I think. For some reason, to this day, when I see Jason Lee, or the show MY NAME IS EARL, these two boys come to mind. In fact, Earl’s brother Randy bears a striking resemblance to Ricky… Where could they be now? Well, I know one has been a frequent guest of the state (room and board paid!), and the other actually quit his evil pot smoking ways, got a job, and I believe is gainfully employed somewhere (with a burglary charge on his sheet…). We all make mistakes, we all manage to be late at times. Some of us more than others. Life still continues to go on… the path may change as a result, veering left,right, up, or down… Often, it’s not the path we’d have preferred, but life still goes on and another laugh, cry, or adventure awaits at each turn. You make it what you want.

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Things that make you go Ahhh…

I don’t get out as much as I’d like, which means I am most definitely NOT taking a vacation. Seems I spend most of my day, ok ALL of my day, working. The two hour difference is killing me… I look at the PC, and I think “Oh, it’s 2, almost quitting time!”…Later I realize, it’s really four, and I’ve been here since 0400Pacific/0600 Central – SHAFTED – AGAIN. <sigh> Beginning next week – this WILL stop. I’ll start promptly at 0600 central, and quit at 4. I refuse to head back to WA w/o having visited some friends, and seen a few old haunts I miss.

Today, I found some odd places… Things I found interesting, stuff you won’t you-know-where. I love the signs churches display – always have. The amusing anecdotes and whimsical rhymes that remind you where you are, and where you should be… Since we are NOT short on churches here, you will be seeing these from time to time, and already have if you’ve looked at previous slideshows.

Today’s slideshow is brought to you by the Comfort Zone Washateria. :O) There’s a few things you’ll see in the slideshow that are very special to me, and some you’ll see are just “unusual”, in a Texas sort of way.. :O)

In the slideshow, you’ll find Hitchcock Elementary School, well, it used to be HES… It was also the place my parent’s church used to meet when I was a wee one. In the cafeteria we met, Sunday morning and evening, like all good Baptists. Eventually our numbers grew, and we began spending saturdays after breaking ground at another location, where my parents, their friends, and many others began building a church. I remember those times with great fondness. Hot summer and autumn afternoons, running and playing, eating your fill of good pot luck food, our bellies full of kool aid and sweat tea. Until you had to pee. As a child, I was NOT into the great out doors (even now, I prefer, when camping, STATE Parks (state parks have bathrooms!). Does a bear *(#@& in the woods? That’s nice, Smokey, but I prefer to drive to town, even if it’s 30 miles. Once, my mother brought this camping contraption to the work party (that’s what we called them). It was a toilet seat on a fold up stool frame (no pun intended), and there was a bag… you get the picture. She constructed a sheet “tent” that hung from a tree. Ahhh, I knew life was good when I could pee in private. I could not have been more than five at the time… I even remember wondering who took care of the bag, and being glad it wasn’t me.

Throughout this trip, it seems I’ve been exposed to more and more creative uses of a “Lowe’s storage building” type structure. First the park in Moab, then in Aspen, and now, in Freddiesville, at God’s Rainbow Baptist Church. Why God’s Rainbow Church needs an 8′ fence with barbed wire at the top, I’ll never know… but they have a porta-potty, so they’ve been very efficient with the use of space in the church proper.

Freddiesville has always had it’s share of problems. For those who DON’T know, Freddieville is just outside Hitchcock, a few miles before you reach Bayou Vista on HWY 6, heading to Galveston. When I was growing up, it was a community ridden with poverty, and rich with heritage. Greater St. Matthew’s Baptist Church was there, and our congregation worshipped with them from time to time. GSM was a black congregation, and ours was all white. I’m sure to many, that move was outrageous and unforgivable. What a ground breaking thing for our churches to fellowship together. It was a very different world in the late 60s/early 70s. One I’m glad my children will never experience. I still remember the food from those fellowships – like manna, it surely came straight from heaven. Ahhhh

I also remember feeling glee as a child, because the GSM Church didn’t have Sunday night services, they stayed on the grounds all day, eating dinner on the grounds, and having fellowship in song until late afternoon. This meant I could watch Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday night, right after Wild Kingdom. My lust for Disney as a child was terrible. I would feign stomach aches and malaria to stay home and watch that show. My neighbors, Lillian and Sharon, were catholic. They went to church on Saturday night. I was green with envy, how I wished I could enjoy their fate in life, sitting home and watching Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights… to the point I once asked my Dad if we could become catholic. I was six when I did this, and I remember it as if it were yesterday. My father, an ordained Baptist minister, and solid Christian man, looked at me puzzled, and asked why I wanted to be Catholic… His face is forever frozen in my mind… somehow he just could not digest the importance of being six, and wanting to see WWOD on Sundays… it was so easy, just become Catholic, and go to church on Saturday night – it doesn’t get any easier than that… or so I thought. :O) Love you Dad.

BTW- did you know the headquarters for the Holy Ghost are at the LIving Word Community of Faith on HWY 6 in Hitchcock??? Neither did I! I don’t think the Holy Ghost really has “headquarters”… do you? The sign probably raises many local eyebrows with it’s forward attitude… Many think Texas is Heaven on earth, but I highly doubt, were it so, that God would pick Hitchcock as his home base… Fredricksburg, or Wimberly yes, but not Hitchcock…

Next to the tracks, two blocks from my house, was a Santa Fe RR Depot. Right next door to Tibaldo’s Feed Store, and across the street from Slone’s lumber, and Lack’s Hardware. The intersection of HWY 6 and FM 646 (aka Main). As the town grew, the Depot was threatened, and so it was moved, just a few miles south on HWY 6 where folks could still drive by and see it… Can’t go inside.. not sure why not. It does bear a Texas State Historical Marker. I like that we have historical markers all over the place, makes it easy to see why we’re crazy about our state. The Gulf, Colorado, and santa Fe Railroads gained right of way through Emily Hitchcock’s land by platting land and naming a town Hitchcock. Oddly, the depot was built on land that was Alta Loma, and later annexed and incorporated to the city of Santa Fe. Unincorporated portions fo Santa Fe are still referred to as Alta Loma, I believe (not sure).

Jack Brooks County Park is huge. It has THE most amazing mountain biking trails known to man! These trails, and the ones in Houston’s Memorial Park used to be the shiznit of Mtn Bike trails. I still have scars from those trails. I remember one time, hitting a dry mud rut, that sent me flying end over down into a gully full of blackberries. I was so terrified to move, I almost cried. I was so scared of where I’d landed, I didn’t even feel the pain of the thorns that had ripped my shirt, shorts and flesh. It was a boggy area, perfect for water moccasins and/or copper heads, or even a rattle snake… it was HORRID. I had two black eyes from that wreck. Oh, did I mention that I’d played hooky from work, feigning illness, so I could go ride bikes? (I was TOTALLY into biking then… Washington drivers squelched my desire to ride) I stayed out a week so my eyes and flesh could heal. It was still fun.

I also learned to drive on this property. Long before it was turned over to Galveston County, it was property of the Army Corps of Engineers. It had been used for something governmental a bazillion years ago, can’t remember exactly what. Anyway, my dad had keys to every bit of govt land on the Gulf Coast, and he’d take me back there all the time in our ‘72 Pontiac Lemans (with AM radio and vinyl seats!). The roads were paved, and two lanes, I learned to do a mean 3 point turn on those roads. Dad was so cool, he’d let me speed, slam on the brakes, do all kinds of stuff Mom would’ve never let me do in a car… Dad’s thought was the better you know what the car will do, the better you can handle it. Thanks Dad – to this day I am undaunted when driving, and I owe it all to you.

Years later, the county relocated the fair grounds from Runge Park to just outside this govt land and then the park was cultivated. I bet nobody else in Galveston county learned to drive on those roads before it was a parK! LOL (BTW – I think they relocated the fairgrounds because it just didn’t get muddy and nasty enough at Runge Park! I mean, come on – hosting the county fair in April in Southeast Texas? Madmen, I tell ya.. Mad! It ain’t the fair if 10″ of rain doesn’t fall the first two days (or two days prior) making it a veritable SWAMP)

Happy memories always bring a feeling of peace. Besides happy memories, one of the things that brings me a peace and comfort beyond words is photographing birds. I spend days photographing eagles near my house each spring during the extreme low tides, and am always racing to grab a camera and capture my yard bird collection digitally… Today i drove out to what used to be called Flamingo Isles. In the 60s, some big shot developer had the twinkle in his eye for mega bucks, and a schnitzy development called Flamingo Isles. The fact this land is like a giant sponge, where salt grass and peat grow in abundance, sitting in wait for a nice storm surge to make it the new shallows of Galveston Bay I’m sure had NOTHING to do with the failure of this business venture. That, or, he spent all his money on the fancy sign and the bridge over the RR tracks.

Speaking of fancy signs, well, Flamingo Isles’ entrance was guarded by an ENORMOUS sign that consisted of a HUGE pink flamingo (100′ tall) and wording that read: “FLAMINGO ISLES”. As a child, I was mesmerized by the giant bird when we’d drive past on our way to Galveston to buy school shoes at Eiband’s. I’ve not been out there since, well, since my late teens when we’d drive out there to throw rocks, fish and drink beer. Now they’ve put in a marina and “yacht club” (you’d have to see the area, you’d laugh too if you saw “yacht club”). Just a stone’s throw from Tiki Island (BIG money homes right on the marsh edge of Galveston Bay). I pulled over, and enjoyed photographing some willing models: a Neotropic Cormorant, a pair of Green Herons, a Great Egret, some juvenile and adult Cattle Egrets. I was THRILLED to see a beautiful Ibis fly over late in the day, as well as a large flock of great egrets (20-30). Saving the best for last, I had the joy of watching Roseate Spoonbills feeding in the flats as the tide retreated. There is no bird more beautiful than a spoonbill, there is no bird more interesting to watch than a spoonbill. I remember living in Bayou Vista, and taking my kids out in the john boat in the evening. We’d eat dinner off paper plates, I’d sit back with a beer and a kid’s story book, and after we ate, I’d read them stories. We’d drift in the marsh and salt grass as spoonbills would surround us. The few times my kids were quiet, we’d sit there bobbing in the water, mesmerized as the bird flock would surround us, their bills swooshing back and forth seining for food in the shallows.

It doesn’t take money to make life beautiful. All it takes is a minute to stop and focus on something beautiful, to close your eyes and smell the air, to listen to the sound of a distant train, wind in the trees, or light from the setting sun as it’s final goodbye illuminates the clouds. These are a few of my favorite things, and the reason I like being here.

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