Quilts and Photography; a blend of two worlds

Perhaps an explanation is in order. The last five months have been very quiet in my quilty world. Yes, the passion is still there, however I needed to get out and explore. That doesn’t mean the whole world but my home territory. Isn’t it amazing how we live in an area and our day to day stuff keeps us from seeing the beauty that surrounds us? Well, no more! A decision was made that outside I must go at least once a day.

Let me back up. When I was about 10 years old my Christmas present was a Kodak (?) camera. Yes, a camera just for me. I grew up with that camera and it went away to college with me.  Then on my 21^st birthday a real live Kodak 35mm was given to me by my aunt and uncle. Can you imagine the world that was opened? I carried it to every beach, family and friends gathering, etc. I loaned it to someone and it was stolen on a beach in Mexico. I grieved over my camera because it was like a death in a foreign land.

A few years went by and the rectangle thingies hit the market. Convenient, yes, but not something on a daily basis.

Then the Pentax K1000 entered my life to ease the trauma of putting my son on a plane going to Purdue University in Indiana. A mother has to do what a mother has to do……perhaps more lens would help. It did. We lived on Vashon Island for 23 years and oh how I loved our water and mountain views of the west side passage. Of course Mt. Rainier felt the shutter almost daily until my daughter told me that we lived on the Rock and no more pictures were needed. We’re still talking about a camera that uses film. Did that stop me? Not on your life because that’s all I knew.

Life changed as we knew it when the digital point and shoots hit the market. Yes, of course I had several and still do but it didn’t calm the flutter of the shutter desire of my heart. There is no comparison over grieving over a camera stolen on a beach and a husband of 40 years. By the time I had been a widow for 14 months I purchased a Canon with a couple of lens. Not an easy decision. My son has shot with Nikon since he took a photography class in summer school in elementary school in California. (Oops, we’re transplants from CA, FL, NC, MI, WV. Should I go on?) Do you realize how many states I’ve had a driver license? Since I go on photo shoots with my daughter who has a Canon, I decided on a Canon also. Plus it fit my hand perfectly. I’m willing to go with my son but we’ll be blended shooters if we do. OK with me. Son, call or text your Mother.

What’s this got to do with my quilts? Absolutely everything! I’m constantly taking quilts to the mountains, beach and parts in between to take pictures of them. I have one quilt, “Summer at Woods Cove” that has been to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains and also to Nooksock Falls in the Cascade Mountains near Mt. Baker. One quilt has draped on the guard rail with a ferry boat docking. A quilt doesn’t always have to be on a quilt rack or a bed, at least in my neck of the Woods it doesn’t. Some of my Asian quilts will be taking a trip to the Japanese Gardens as soon as this wind stops. They love field trips.

Waiting for the Sunset at Chambers Bay

Temporary buildings up for the US Open in June.

 Sunsets never disappoint.

In the meantime, Mickey dog and I go out almost every night for sunset shots at Chambers Bay, a little over a mile from where I live. Each time I meet such interesting people and of course, their dogs. and sometimes their kiddos. Yes, and some are photographers too. We’ve been to Owen Beach, Ruston Way Pier, Titlow Park/Beach (all within a few minutes of home) and all points east, west, north and south. I am, however, this little lady with her tripod taller than she is and the pooch.  We are never too busy to say hi and arf.

Yes, I do have a few quilts almost finished.

Carpe Quiltiem friends and keep on shooting.

Woodie