fiets. bicyclettes. bikes

biking was our main source of transportation - what a life changing experience.
this past fall/winter while living in the netherlands, this family of three relied soley on our loaner bikes.
we got to school & the office this way, we grocery shopped, we went out for dinner, to the library, to the bus & train stations, out to parties, to judo & soccer practice....and even to other neighboring towns.
we even used bikes on all our dutch vacation adventures. (try getting around amsterdam on christmas eve with your six year old and attending an elegant dinner and then a symphony! )
we biked in very hot & humid weather in august to the nearby beaches ( 5 - 7 km).
we biked in the pelting rain more often than i would have liked and actually learned how to ride WHILE holding an unbrella.
we biked in very cold weather, snow & sleet & freezing rain. we even crashed, wiped out, skidded, fell over - all three of us.
but we loved it all. it changed the way we approached everything from shopping to editing how many things to carry on a daytrip to the way we observed life in and around our corner of holland. it pushed our limits,  and  simply put - opened our eyes and minds and strengthened our bodies.

snow white

today is the vernal equinox-  THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING and we are  recovering from yesterdays snow day . the vernal quinox means that now days and nights are approximately equal everywhere and the sun rises & sets due east and due west. during yesterdays storm i made myself get outside into the snow and take a few walks in hopes of some beautiful photo opportunties. it was too blustery for much but i did find some wonderful natural textures like these snow covered twigs.
i was lead back to an all white still life i made one day at home with barnacles, porcupine quills ( that my son & husband graciously collected from roadkill), local farm eggs, yarn & twine - all set into a white glazed dish i made at a friends pottery studio. the white pitchers are from an interiors shoot i got to work on with photographer marjon hoogervorst while in the netherlands.
the snow white landscape is quite beautiful and all looks so clean and austere - but i am ready for spring & green.

green. vert. groen

GREEN
little hints that spring is coming; the grass, the mud, the wet  & the little bits of promising green here & there.
i am reminded that winter in holland is so MILD compared to the northeastern usa and that one
sees grass, GREEN grass almost all winter long. the tree shot was taken on our christmas holiday to
the north of holland. it was taken in Drowen. the vintage volvo was seen on the same trip on the streets of Groningen, a charming city...i just love the boxy simplicity of this model and could imagine
owning one of these. i have to admit, i am missing the daily sight of so many wonderful vintage cars - in the netherlands i saw a few a day - it makes you pine.
the swans and train shot were taken right near our house in wassenaar on my favorite bike route along a canal.
spring is coming.
SPRING = RENEWAL + FRESH BEGINNINGS + GROWTH + NEW LIFE

m u l t i c o l o r & k i d s

color color color kids kids kids.
just back from working on a kids shoot in texas ( lucky me!)
 so much energy & fun & silliness & hard work.
the clothes were vibrant & patterned & inspired.
only two images are from my shoot the others i took recently around town. ( the one of the little one with his back turned..i had to laugh as he was trying to sneak off set thru a teeny space where the set met the wall)
others:   * at my house, birthday party dutch verjaardag paper garland. my mom always had these for our birthday parties growing up. i keep this one up as it spruces up a maine winter interior
* pillows & lime painted wall at a friends house as well as the index cards - recipes from the 1970's in a clear acrylic box.

angela a. & sherwood h. COLOR

angela adams

angela adams and sherwood hamill's extraordinary work are seen above. 

they share a complimentary aesthtic and beautiful showroom & storefront in downtown portland.  angelas bags, rugs, housewares, cards, textiles - (and more) and sherwoods furniture are combined and shown together. the store always has fun, unexpected window displays.

angela has always had an adventurous, amazing sense of color and i was immediately drawn to her painted wood pieces on the walls. ( see above)

i am reminded that in the dead of winter that adding some color to ones life is a good thing and goes a long way.

either in the home with flowers ( i have several bouquets of daffodils arranged around the house now) or painted walls or with your fashion.  i, sadly, can't get away from black & white & cream in this dept but hugely admire designers like trina turk, jcrew  cynthia rowleys colorblocked wetsuit - (gorgeous) and so many others that use color color color.

the dutch are great at incorporating color into everything. see my post kleur

up next i think - YELLOW. 

CHESTNUT BROWN

 KASTANJE.  CHESTNUT. CHATAIGNE

the predominant image and color : chestnuts that we gathered at our writer/artist friend marion bloem's home in the netherlands. it was fall and they covered her lawn. the children were sent to gather them up and put them in buckets to be cleared away. i wanted to photograph them. so rich, shiny, varied, smooth - they feel wonderful in the hand.

also seen here in fragments:  a sherwood hamill table coffee table

the frame of an original vermeer painting i saw at the rijksmuseum in amsterdam

stacked firewood along the road at the wealdon farm

winter white

W I N T E R    W H I T E
embracing winter and seeing the beauty in the everyday.
thats my goal over these few months having just returned
from the netherlands where its much milder and greener.
yesterday i went to scout a house and stumbled upon this image by one of my favorite local photographers, winky lewis. 
the photos i took early this morning of the frosted bits of frozen flora & fauna outside my house seemed to compliment beautifully the shot i took of winkys enormous photo mounted over a gorgeous couch. ( its hard to tell the scale but its BIG, wonderfully so)

( when looking for winkys website i found this great designsponge post on her very inspiring family home. click HERE.)

all i can say for those feeling a bit oppressed by winter is get out there, have an adventure and find the MAGIC in it, its there.....