My last road trip with dad

I had a conversation today with a fellow photographer about the pros and cons of taking a road trip with another photographer. And like taking a road trip with anyone, you'll either love them or hate them by the end. Then randomly (?) I started looking at images on my long neglected website and Flickr feed and found a set from a road trip I took in 2008.

When my husband couldn't go because of work at the last minute, I invited my dad to go as I was heading to Mt. Shasta to meet a fly fishing guide, and perhaps he could get a day or two of fly fishing in while we worked on Shasta Trout's (then) new website. He was beyond gung-ho and drove to Portland and picked me up.

We opted to take a meandering route to have a look at Crater Lake, which I'd never seen and planned to stay the night in Ashland so I could take him to a fun English Pub my husband and I discovered the year prior. We encountered forest fires, thunderstorms, downed trees that blocked highways and a balloon festival. And through it all my dad never once complained about my wanting to stop to take a few snaps or a few hundred, for that matter. He was as easy going as could be. My dad passed away suddenly last September. My heart is utterly broken and I've struggled for months to put my thoughts and feelings into words. I'm grateful for countless adventures we enjoyed and for his patience and love. I miss him more than words can convey. Thank you dad.

Roamin'

Over the summer, we've been having lots of fun. On various outings, things take an expected turn and almost always result in amazing adventure.

Before we even left the house for adventure one day, our neighbor brought over a tiny kitten she found sleeping under her front stairs. She asked us to watch it while she ran some errands. She had to go but promosed to return later to help find the rightful owner. Of course, with a tiny haggard kitten to play with, we were all over it - it was quite fun. The doggies were suspicious but eventually we just went through our day and the kitten napped in the dining room.

Our neighbor returned and with the help of a group of people, the original owners were found and all was good. The owners didn't seem particularly distraught and were busy with their dog and a newborn for most of our encounter. It seemed like the kitten was just not getting attention.

A few weeks passed and "Roman" (as a play on words for "roamin'") faded from memory.

Then, one night while walking through the park across the street, we walked past a tree and an an animal scurried up the tree about ten feet to the first nook. Upon closer inspection it was Roman again, this time quite dirty and with some dried blood on his chin. He was slowly heading to feral, it seemed.

Well, we took Roman home, cleaned him up and set him up to sleep in the basement with Bobby, since it's full bedroom and away from the doggies. He snuggled right in and probably slept a lot better than outside in the grass. I'm unsure where Roman will end up longer term, but we'll hold onto him for a few days and see if he sticks around when the door is open.

Sounds

Have a Listen!

Summer Solace

Hello again, dear friends and family. The summer is full blast and we're through the first week of above-100-degree weather. No word on if another will hit us, but right now things are delightfully balmy.

We've been busy. Here's a summary:
I got ordained as a minister and officiated two friends' weddings. They didn't want to do anything complicated or large, so having a friend help out was impossible to ignore. The big days were flawless, and everything went just fine. Hanmi shot the weddings and the photos are beautiful.

Han's working on some new websites. They are not only well-done, but quite informative. If you're in the area, give these businesses a visit
FixYourOwnBack.org: using doctor-approved gentle exercises.
Shasta Trout: When you want the best trout-fishing excursion possible.
h2meyer.com: The most beautiful photography ever.
Padre Pio: Cool Tunes
Diamond-Cut Life: Sustainability Blog and News. Great ideas for living great the low-impact way.

We're both back to full climbing season, with 3 or 4 trips out per week, getting set for nice trips to Smith Rock, Leavenworth, and Red Rocks.

Han is now selling "The Hotness" BBQ Sauce. If you want some, just let us know. We have testimonials from all over our circle of friends: This stuff is THE best BBQ sauce you'll ever try. It's hot, not too sweet, and full of a flavor.

Padre Pio has a show coming up! If you're in the area, stop in and let us entertain you.

Until next, time, be sure to kiss your chick.

Sunny

Well, it's Spring again. After the cold and wild Winter of 08/09, the trees are showering us with beautiful flowers. As usual, our piecemeal status updates are dropping into other channels than this area. We're on facebook and email, but nothing really pours into online channels - too many real-life people to chat with, thankfully.

Han's documentary concepts are forming, and she's been working with Reach, a community development non-profit to help with their photos and presentations. Her web development skills are now powering quite a few sites, including Shasta Trout, Diamond-Cut Life and the Spring's latest project, Padre Pio. It's quite amazing to see her branch out and use barter for smaller transactions, which helps everyone build great relationships and stay connected while the official economy tanks.

My own projects has revolved around music this Spring. Starting in Feb, I switched from guitar and MIDI-based songwriting to a more social band atmosphere. Although I still like dabble, the fun of collaboration for writing, play and recording has been awesome. All the usual drama around a "band" comes along, which is fun in its own way.

The house transformed for a few weeks into an amateur studio/rehearsal space while the band prepped for a few performances. It may still convert from time to time, but for now, its (almost) back to a full dining room.

I've gotten knee-deep into the world of online music promotion, ranging from a few social networking sites to more of the marketing and selling sites. I've also stumbled across a ton of great musicians along the way.

Also, I've had to realize that 38 is old in the music sense. A lot of the folks who have the most freedom to participate are young and subsisting on their parents' resources. In other words, there's a lot of people about 3 years away from reality smacking them in the face. I'm happy to split a "day job" with true focus on music in a realistic sense: ability, creativity, sociability. I'm glad to have been introduced to some similar folks through Han's musician links she's made over the years.

In the non-music news, we've been taking "NET" classes for a few weeks now. NET is a regional version of the federal "CERT" program that teaches citizens preparedness, light rescue and medical techniques for getting through a large-scale disaster. Here in the NW, our particular dangers are from volcanoes, earthquakes, windstorms, and possibly fires. When a "big one" hits, the professionals have realized that they will be overwhelmed, and so these classes become essential to getting the most number of people to survive. We're learning basic techniques to getting through such events, from how to use certain equipment, to organizational/communication skills to psychological concepts that can arise. It's wonderfully fascinating, even if the subject matter is scary and morbid. Look for this in your town - it's amazing.

The economic depression has hit our way, just like everywhere. We've scaled back on travel plans, taken a 10% hit on income, and re-formulated our cost-of-living. Also, we're re-financing on a much lower rate, which should offset some other losses. In the end, though, I'm happy to see that our cost of living was already so low that just a few changes were necessary to keep us going. We're able to still save in case of something big, and we're still enjoying all the activities we always have (biking/climbing/gardening/cooking/music-making).

In the future generally, Han and I are both bracing for even more narrowing of our spending habits. But for now, with the Spring in full action (no heating bills) and no big projects on the list, we're confident we can weather the dollar drought.

PDX Debut

Padre Pio played its first show this past weekend. It was a blast! We sounded great and had a really fun time onstage. I'm grateful to all the support from friends who came to see us. Of course, I have to hand it to Mr Mosey for grabbing this project and slamming it through to realization.

More photos...

We're are planning our next show and working on a new set of songs. Look for them getting flushed out over the next few months, and then a new recording coming up in the Fall!

Dining Room Music World

We recently gutted the dining room and converted it to an impromptu practice area for creating music and stuff. I collected a pile of gadgets and wired them together just to have some fun.

This is the standard setup for the keyboards and other noisemakers.



Kev was awesome to empty the drums out of his closet and set them up. We will be jamming more over the coming weeks.



Malo and I take a break after a practice (gear still unpacked from move) and read teh interwebs.

Padre Pio

Just stumbled across some good tunes. Padre Pio is making news with a retro-pop sound that is reminiscent of Roxy Music, David Bowie and Jonathan Richman. As an ongoing project of David Mosey, Padre Pio was recently in New York to record and release "The Madeline EP" which has been catching some great press.
Each song starts simply and swells through some catchy pop that keeps you moving and delivers some contemplative lyrics. Combining upbeat rhythms and classic pop orchestration, David's baritone voice is a compelling storyteller.
All songs are available digitally, check them out!

Snowy Exploring

The next day, we're out and about exploring the town. Up to about a foot of snow has fallen and is now receding. Most businesses called off for the week, and everyone has decided to move by ski or sled. Hanmi tries getting used to the new cross-country skis, the dogs are having a blast, and the kids enjoy every short hill in town.

Winter Walk

Hey all! Winter is comin' on strong here for the past week or so. It's been a mixture of snow, rain and lotsa wind. The city is moving slow and everyone is meeting in living rooms for big pot luck dinners and board games and music. Here's a short silent film of a walk to get some food.

Thanks All

Well, after our trip East, I wanted to send a gracious Thank You to the whole family, for meeting up for a great party and wonderful food. I'd like to send a special Thank You to my Aunt Jeannine. Her enthusiasm and interest in my latest doings with her keen interest on how each step of my life has made me feel was heartwarming. I'm really glad to catch up with her and learn all about life in central PA, the latest with Steven and how her and Dan are joined at the hip from home to the office. Here in Oregon, we're drawn to the mountain places on our weekends, so we'll have to make a point to visit their mountain home on our next trip back east.

The trip was good - the doggies went along and were rock stars the whole time. We need to carry autographed B&W shots of them - so many people want to meet them.

As usual, my parents were gracious hosts to both us and the big gathering - we're always thankful to stay with them and spend time. While we no longer even try to beat Dad at pool any more, its nice to know he still pursues the APA masters league. The food was great, as Mom makes a great mix of things and everyone brings a interesting dish.

We also had a dinner with Dan & Jen at their home. The kids are adorable, playing and curious all the time. Dan is loud and proud, as we know him. I'm proud as well of everything he's achieved - seeming all at once (school, work, sports). I'm sure we'll connect up again soon.

We took the time to sit and talk with both Rose and Gmom, who has been feeling under the weather but seems to be back home and doing well. Rose's pasta lunch was yummy (the pumpkin martinis were great) - and we've made our own baked apples since returning, a new favorite dessert.

Lastly, I personally wanted to thank my Mom. Mom has been the grease to the wheels of the family for as long as I can remember. She keeps us in the loop when family news is rolling by, makes plans for our visits, and always keeps the food, drink and conversation ever-present and delightful. Over the years, Mom has seen Dan and I grow into unique adults (neither of which grew up on a farm!) but we've been able to each keep our family ties in the styles that fit us best. I'm very thankful for how its all worked out and for how accepting and loving she has been of all our choices, questionable or admirable, over the years. Mom is the first to defend our decisions and the most reluctant to deliver the "I told you so" after-comment. For this and so many other reasons, I must express my deep love and thankfulness for her care. We're truly blessed in having parents that have supported us so far and away from where we've started. Thanks so much!

What's your cut?

The Railroad Analogy

Royce Butte Wildfire

Royce Butte Fire, originally uploaded by Hanmi.

Here is a set of images from the Royce Butte fire last month. When we drove around a bend in the highway we saw a small puff of white smoke... by the time we neared Crescent Lake Junction, it was a large white plume. A couple minutes after we pulled over it was a big, black, ominous cloud. In fact, when we slowed down to speak to a state trooper, I could feel the heat of the fire (though I couldn't see the flames) on my face. After I took a few shots we got back into the car, and stopped again at the top of the hill where I took a few more shots. The fire was clearly spreading very quickly. Pretty scary stuff. Click the image to see more.

Montague Balloon Fair

Montague Balloon Fair, originally uploaded by Hanmi.

More pics from my road trip with dad... The morning we were planning to head home was the first day of the Montague Balloon Fair just north of Mt. Shasta. This was good incentive to hit the road early, and about the only thing that could have gotten me up at 4am... We arrived before dawn and got rock star parking so dad could enjoy the show in comfort while I spent 2 1/2 hours wandering around taking pictures [and freezing my tookas]. Click the image to see more on my Flickr page!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hanmi/sets/72157607614482080/

How bad can it get?

If you've found yourself wondering, "what if" amidst all the hype and nonsense related to the upcoming election, here's one point of view...

I'm Voting Republican

Road trip with Dad - day 1

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Mt. Shasta, California to visit a client [and now friend] to climb, learn to fly fish, take some pictures, and get to know each other. Originally Jim was going to come along, but his work schedule is tight and he had to bail. As Craig [my client] is a fly fishing guide, I started thinking my dad might really enjoy going with me. Sure enough, he was game and we took off on Tuesday.
The plan was to drive from Portland to Ashland the first day, with a detour to take us past Crater Lake. The drive ended up being much longer than planned, but our luck prevailed and we narrowly dodged the Royce Butte wildfire (the road was closed 5 minutes after we passed), falling trees, and a lightening storm on our side trip. We arrived safely in Ashland a couple hours later than planned, but had a great meal at the Black Sheep Pub [a discovery on last year's road trip with Jim], and topped it off with a Guinness float. Naturally, I took a lot of photos...
There will be more photos and details to come...

Climbing at Beacon Rock

Anna Climbing, photo by Hanmi.

Last weekend we took our neighbor climbing at our favorite local crag. She's been climbing indoors for a while at school, but has only climbed outside once or twice. You'd never know it based on how she attacked every route we put her on, though. She's definitely a natural, and I'm sure we'll be seeing her out on the rock a lot more in years to come. Nice work Anna!

Jayzus it's hot!

Wow... as I type it's 100°F and climbing and the forecast is even hotter tomorrow... My home office feels more like a place to bake cookies than make photos. The chickens are miserable, standing around under the deck panting. I gave them some ice water and some frozen blueberries, but they still look very unhappy. And poor Delilah is molting... although, losing some feathers in this weather doesn't sound so bad. Chickens are notoriously grumpy when they are molting, and she's gone from the friendliest to down right mean. I tell her it will be over soon, but she looks at me incredulously, then tries to take a piece out of my hand. Poor girl.
I'm sure the tomatoes and peppers are enjoying this, though. The rest of us will just have to lay low [like in the basement...] and wait it out. And probably watch a lot of movies.

LA Beach Trip

We were out of town this past week, enjoying the wonderful company of some old friends, and a few new ones, in Newport Beach, just south of Los Angeles, California. We attended the wedding Jeff and Nicole at a local boat "clubhouse" - really a very cool hotel and convention center along a marina. Their ceremony reminded us very much of our own, and their live singer and DJ were very cool indeed.



For the rest of the weekend, we visited some friends from up here in Oregon also traveling, another friend who recently re-located to LA [again] and hung out around the beach where we were staying. The beach was crowded but beautiful, clear and warm. We met a sea lion swimming by the pier, watched the surfing and ate some fish. Very fun!