The Self-Agency

2011-09-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Japanese style garden at Bellevue Botanical Garden.

It was warm and humid this day and walking by the tree on the left with the tiny white blossoms was like walking through a cloud of jasmine purfume. So pretty.

Vancouver Sightings: Museum of Anthropology at UBC

2011-08-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure what these things are... but I do know that you are looking at the largest collection of them in the world! Can you believe your luck!

Cute little suckers, huh?

One of these things isn't like the others.

Siamese twins.

All together, now.

Such a happy family!

Mt Si

2011-06-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly meticulous trails.

This is where the view of Mt Rainier would have been if I hadn't been surrounded by a giant cloud, but that's okay. That big'ol'mountain would have just distracted from all the wild flowers just starting to bloom.

The trillium is stealing the show for now.

Curtains of moss everywhere!

The new maple leaves look like they're glowing when you see them from a distance.

NW OUTDOOR GROUP: Paradise & Longmire, Mt. Rainier

2010-04-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

I had snowshoes on my feet this weekend! I got to traipse over 24 inches of snow without sinking to the bottom of the hiking trail. It felt like walking on water. Especially because I was the only one in the NW Outdoor Group to rent them; everyone else around me was sinking to their knee-caps in the snow while I seemingly floated over the trail.

I originally rented them because I was the only one without hiking boots (no hiking boots in the snow!); I wore the closest thing I could find to hiking boots: raggedy-ass sneakers. I thought it was going to be fine -- clearly, I haven't hiked a lot. I mean, I knew there was going to be SOME snow and I thought that if I wore enough foot warmers (they were double stacked in my shoes, thank god) I would get through it but that thought started to vanish once the car started the climb up the mountain; the delicate powdered sugar tree branches began to look increasingly Siberian the higher the car climbed. The tree branches were sagging, exhausted by the load and the piles on the ground began to grow. Pretty soon the piles became crusty, white walls barricading us in as we drove the final stretch to the parking lot.

Once we parked "we" started changing into our hiking shoes. At this point I'm starting to panic a little bit, and I'm feeling like the naive country mouse. I was just getting to know the guys I was hiking with, and I wanted to give a good first impression. In my head I'm like, "Seriously, Noal?! You're hiking on the mountain and it's barely spring. I mean, you can see the snow on the mountain from Tacoma. Geez." So while everyone else was putting on their tough, leather boots I began to amend my shoe situation in the only way I could: putting toe warmers in the feet of my well ventilated sneakers.

I do this, though, behind the screen of my backpack -- I want to delay revealing my silliness for as long as possible. I had accepted that my feet were going to get soaking wet and freezing cold, but they didn't! The sneakers got soaked, of coarse, but my feet stayed warm and dry! How, you say?

Plastic bags.

The ranger, after recommending I rent snow shoes, told me to stop by the gift shop and beg for plastic bags to put my socked feet into; I didn't even hesitate. She - was - my - savior. I looked homeless on that mountain with the green plastic spilling out of the cuff of my pants, but it was worth it.

The whole trip was delightful -- the sun was out, it was breath taking from every angle, and my new friends were not incredulous over my hobo-chic hiking boots. Yay! I get to keep my membership!

Sugar Packet Quilt

2010-03-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

Completed May 2004.

Sweet-n-Low packets and Splenda packets stitched together to form a wall hanging based on a hound's tooth twill weaving pattern. Inspired by trends, fashion, and the traditional quilting practice (i.e., use of plentiful and inexpensive material). Composed of 12 quilt blocks that measure a total area of 4'x5'.

Aerial Quilt

2010-03-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Completed in February 2009.

I pieced this quilt together by hand from a pair of my old clothes: a green button down shirt and a blue pair of pants. The pattern was based on a traditional Amish pattern known as Solomon's Puzzle -- the squares were rearranged to give an impression of an aerial view of landforms and bodies of water.

Silicone Knitting: Twill Weave Mania

2010-03-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Completed October 2009

In this piece I enjoyed playing with expectations that knitted objects should be soft and functional. The black and white squares were knitted from silicone "yarn" I made and arranged in the pattern of a twill weave. The squares were mounted on a 3'x4' board that was framed and hung as a painting. The orange and beige wool was inserted into the squares to create appearance of a twill overlay.

Knitting Silicone Caulking

2009-08-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

The start of a new project: knitting with silicone caulking. It will be just one element I'll use in the final construction, but working with it has been so much fun that I needed show it off!

Sita Sings the Blues

2009-03-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Hindu story of Ramayana told with a 20's era jazz twist.

Do watch the full movie courtesy of Reel 13 which is courtesy of the artist, Nina Paley.

Angus & Julia Stone on Hollywood

2009-03-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

EP released today...

My New Friend!

2008-04-19T08:41:00.001-07:00

I got this magic green egg from Jean before I moved and just recently I took advantage of the LA sunshine to encourage its glossy green hair to grow... fast!

This is 2 days later... time for a haircut?

Tinsel Bear

2008-04-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Look at this funny thing I found planted along the canals in Venice, part of a Christmas display that hasn't been removed.

Behind Hollywood

2008-04-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

Fruit Bird House

2008-04-05T09:35:00.001-07:00

Quilt Progression

2008-04-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

Finished! (one year later -- sigh)

Mixed Masonry

2008-03-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Screwy brick-work in an apartment building wall in Manhattan Beach

Birth of a quilt

2008-03-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

Beginning of a quilt I'm making...

Game Hens (?)

2008-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Pico Street Apartment Bldg

2008-02-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

(detail)

More tiling... the side of an apartment bldg on Pico Street.

Brick Weaving!

2008-02-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

I found this beautifully painted wall while walking to the subway from my house.

2008-02-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

Pink Peppercorn Tree

2008-02-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

A branch from the Brazil Pink Peppercorn tree growing in front of my apartment building. An edible peppercorn with a sweeter & milder taste than black peppercorns (I just learned at the link below)---Isn't that exciting!? I can't wait to eat'em!

www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Schi_ter.html

Chinatown

2008-02-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

A collection of parasols in Chinatown.

Chinatown

2008-02-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

There are several galleries along Chung King Road in Chinatown. This Jesus mobile was in one of the galleries.

Chinatown

2008-02-17T17:20:00.001-08:00

Fu dog behind bars.

Chinatown

2008-02-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

This Chair was outside of a charms and trinkets store in Chinatown. I'm in love with it...

Echo Park

2008-02-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

With our powers combined...

Pasadena

2008-02-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Stairway with beautiful tile accents.

Bougainvillea!

2008-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

Overgrown bougainvillea at Venice beach at the beginning of January... with that red chair & pic-nic table? Come-on... that's amazing.