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Blatherskite

Foolish gibberish

  • AboutI am also known as CraftyMoni elsewhere on the web. I am a Children’s Librarian. I am a photographer. I am a knitter. I am a reader. I am a wannabe poet. I blog. Sometimes I complain. I like to swear. I have a really twisted sense of humor. I think I might be a Zen Buddhist (Still trying to decide). Not a fan of organized religion. I am very liberal and can be vocal about it at times. I’m a daydreamer. Sometimes sassy. I try to be compassionate. I think I’m pretty nice most of the time. You can delve into deeper waters by reading these posts. You can see my photography on my Flickr page. If you like any photos you see there or on this site and would like to buy a print let me know. I would be happy to sell one to you! I blather about library stuff on  Twitter. You will also find me on Google+ and Facebook. Enjoy your visit!  
  • Creative Folio
    • Photography
      • Pinhole
    • Writing
      • Poetry

recent posts

  • Indian Beach, Oregon Coast
  • Sun Flare
  • Oranges
  • Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice 2024
  • Heidelberg

about

I am a Children’s Librarian living in the Portland, Oregon area. When I am not Children’s Librianing I like to play with cameras and film. I also like playing the ukulele, knitting, sketching, and hiking.
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  • Saturdays are for books

    July 15, 2017

    35772091262_7fffa71270_k I fell down a Sylvia Plath rabbit hole. This article from Lit Hub was in my Inbox and it lead me to a book about the marriage of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. I am not super sure I really want to read a book about Ted Hughes to be honest, so I’m not sure how far I will get with this book. But I really liked Diane Middlebrook‘s biography of Anne Sexton so I’ll give it a shot.

    I have to admit that I am not especially fond of Plath’s poetry. And I’ve never really read Hughes’s poetry. I’m sure this book will push me to read more of Hughes (in fact this morning I read sought out and read “Last Letter.”). As for Sylvia Plath, after reading the Lit Hub article I wonder if my view of Plath is clouded by Hughes’s careful post-humus curation of her work. The one biography I have read of her was Bitter Fame, which was kind of written more in favor of Hughes. It’s been a long time since I read it, but I seem to recall her being portrayed as a the “crazy woman.” Which really sucks, honestly. So I think I will give Plath another try with a fresh perspective. I’d like to read the second version of her unabridged diary next.

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  • So subtle

    So subtle

    July 14, 2017

    35092016585_d11d9cb06b_c.jpgMy husband bought me a Reality So Subtle pinhole camera for our anniversary! We picked it up at Blue Moon Camera And Machine on our way to the coast the weekend of our anniversary and I was very lucky that Pinhole Master Zeb Andrews  was working that day. He sold us the camera and gave me some great tips on how to use it. I spent the weekend shooting the same shot with the two different pinholes to see what the difference in composition would be.

    Here are literally my first two shots from the camera. I took them at the restaurant we went to have lunch. The camera was sitting on the table in front of the same set of forks and exposed for the same amount of time. My husband ended up taking one of the forks  for his lunch in the first photo.

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    Lower Pinhole used
    Forks
    Upper pinhole used

    For both of these shots I used Ektar 100 and the exposure time was 1 minute 22 seconds.

    I am super pleased with the first round of color shots from this camera!

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  • Bumper sticker

    July 13, 2017

    “Blue girl

    Red state”

    Idaho plate.

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  • Newspace 

    Newspace 

    July 12, 2017

    I learned on Friday that Newspace Center For Photography closed permanently. It was all of a sudden with no warning at all. I am still gutted whenever I think about it. It was a big part of my routine when I went to Portland. Drop my husband off at work. go to Newspace and print for an hour. And now it’s gone. I still can hardly believe it. I had to drive by on Monday to see if it was true, and, alas, there is a big “For Lease” sign in the window. I didn’t have a heart to take a photo of that. It just made me too sad.

    Newspace  has played such an big role in my creative development. It was where I learned how to develop film. It was where I was introduced to pinhole photography. I have spent hours in their darkroom. I have used their studio and their high quality scanners. I have felt so much gratitude that I had access to all of this. I have bragged about them to others and taken out of town visitors there to show them around the place. I’ve taken classes there. I enjoyed the amazing artwork that graced the walls.

    I am feeling at a loss and so very empty. It feels like a good friend has died. All of this can never be replaced. I think the community can cobble together things like a community darkroom, but to have all of these things in one place was an amazing treasure that I took for granted. And now it’s gone.

    Here are some photos I took there over the years. Some are pinhole, some are iPhone snaps.

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  • Mountain Festival

    Mountain Festival

    July 11, 2017

     

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    Mountain Festival Kicks off Summer in Sandy. It occurs around the second weekend of July and most of the action takes place in the park, though the whole city gets involved. The festival is a combination of art vendors, music on the two stages, and food booths from the local non profits. Each year for the past several years I’ve volunteered at the Yakisoba Noodle booth, run by Mt Hood Hospice. The fixings for the noodles are donated by a company in Portland so all of the money made at the booth goes to Mt Hood Hospice. The members of Wy’East Zen Center volunteer there on Sundays as a way to show our appreciation for their generous donation of the space (this is where we hold our weekly meditation meetups).

    The photo above is a pinhole photo taken two years ago with my Zero 45. I used the 50mm configuration and a 120 roll back. Ektar film was used.

    Here are some snapshots from the day! I always enjoy spending money at this event. I feel like it’s good karma to support you local artist. 🙂

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