stories of the past

A few days ago my sister posted this photo of my mom, at 18, having caught a big fish like a true Oregonian. I have seen this photo dozens of times throughout my life, but I can't seem to recall the details. Did she catch the fish herself? Was she fishing with my dad (an avid outdoorsman)? I think they had met by the time she was 18, but I can't recall specifically. Was she holding his catch? Was she flirting with him in her nonchalance?

Inspired to dig into my small archive of scanned photos from the past, I came up with these great photos: my Dad in his hometown Chicago, my parents on a road trip across the US, my parents by a lake, and a photo of me hanging out in a backpack while on a hike with my Dad. I love these glimpses from the past, but they're not enough for me. I want to know the stories of each photo, the details, emotions, and a description of what happened before and after. Maybe it's time for my dad to start writing the biography that my siblings and I have been trying to convince him of for years.

travels in siberia

In Russian, the word–Sibir'–is pure onomatopoeia. A shiver begins with the first letter and concludes with the palatalized r at the end, which, combined with the bi preceding it, amounts to brrr. Only a cosmic Dickens of place-naming would have chosen a name with such a chilly and mysterious sound. And yet Sibir', so resonant in Russian, is not of Russian provenance, but whispers of deepest Asia.

Currently reading Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia, the stories of travelers past and Frazier's own experience exploring the vast region (image via).

a taste of turnip

This unassuming vegetable has become an object of my fascination in the past weeks. About a month ago I tried a turnip for my first (!) time. Fresh and crisp with a hint of spice, I was sold. Not unlike my discovery of figs last year, I can't quite explain how I had lived so long without having tasted this vegetable. At the end of the growing season here in Holland, I'll enjoy it fully until the next time around (first image via, second image via).

in the west

Just a few pictures from a Sunday morning walk through west Amsterdam, which led to the discovery of this beautiful piece of graffiti, a bicycle floating in the canal and a close-up look at my favorite empty construction site. A nice step away from the cute scene in the center of Amsterdam, towards something a bit dirtier and familiar. I guess that what keeps me going back to Berlin time and again.

 

two valentines

For the humorous side, a fantastic Valentine's Day cards made by NPR (via constantwanderlust).

For the romantic side, the letter from Captain Frederick Wentworth to Anne Elliott in my favorite Jane Austen book, Persuasion:

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating in.

F. W. (via hila-lumiere)

a photo and a quote

Two things I love: poetic language and a string of lights.

"So avoid using the word 'very' because it's lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don't use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women. And, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won't do in your essays."

– John Keating, Dead Poet's Society (via unicornology)

Weekend Links #17

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed this week: 1. Seeing the winners of the annual World Press Photo contest http://bit.ly/gYoXnh 2. Listening to an NPR interview with Over the Rhine (pictured above), a band whose music brings back memories of a Boston winter and a corner room 3. Tasting Afghan food for the first time at Mantoe 4. Watching the Chinese New Year celebrations in this short video (via wearethedigitalkids) 5. Browsing the collection at La Rosa Curiosa, a little vintage clothing store that is quickly becoming a favorite in Amsterdam (pictured below, image via bheart) 6. Watching this video of the celebrations in Egypt

photo echo

I've been following the photography of the two sisters behind Photo Echo for a while now. The concept is the 'call and response' of an image taken by Kelly and Erin each in their own location: one in Portland, Oregon and one in La Rioja, Spain.

Beautiful, simple and I always get a touch of home in the images from Oregon. This is probably my favorite photo diptych so far, the image on the right of a sign bearing my family name in front of an old stone wall. And the image on the left showing signs in an Oregon forest, one pointing towards the library, the other pointing towards the trail (perfect!).

smorrebrod

Last week a potential collaborator flew from Denmark for an all-day meeting at our office in Amsterdam. Lunchtime raised the topic of the Dutch tradition of broodjes, simple sandwiches, and how they compared with Danish smorrebrod. A Scandinavian colleague informed me that he believed smorrebrod would be the next global delicacy, along the lines of sushi.

Following this conversation, I was delighted to see an article about 'butter bread' on NPR. It reminds me a lot of the German tradition of bread with toppings that Marcus introduced me to, which we have dubbed 'cheese bread'. We start with a hearty bread, toasted then buttered, and apply a mixture of ingredients, some favorites being goat cheese, mushroom and dill; brie and jam or sliced avocado and red pesto.

Photo by Lynda Balslev

Weekend Links #16

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed this week: 1. Seeing over 40,000 photographs over the course of the last week 2. Interviewing photojournalist David Burnett, Geo director of photography Ruth Eichhorn, critic for The New Yorker Vince Aletti and photographer Heinz Kluetmeier http://bit.ly/fs55tx (image above of the studio) 3. Listening to Adele's new album 21 on NPR. Just beautiful. 4. Remembering the Oregon fog in images (pictured below, via for me, for you) 5. Reading about the wonder of winter and enjoying the final moments of the season 6. Listening to the new album by Avalanche City (via home.town.treasure)

Weekend Links #15

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed this week: 1. Seeing the quiet captured in the photographs of Joseph O. Holmes (pictured above, via paper tastebuds) 2. Wishing I were in New York to attend the opening of the exhibition of the work photographer Autumn de Wilde made for The Decemberists (pictured below, via The Impossible Project) 3. Browsing through the lookbook of nümph, a danish fashion label (via blackwhiteyellow) 4. Reading an article about the science behind bacon's power to seduce vegetarians. Makes perfect sense, but I will still resist. 5. Reconfirming that De Nieuwe Anita is one of my favorite places in Amsterdam

Sights on the Street

So far Weekend Links has been a great success, with lots of encouraging feedback from readers. Inspired last week by the most adorable boy in a Bakfiets, I'm going to start a new weekly post titled Sights on the Street. Every day I ride my bike through Amsterdam and see some really odd, beautiful, crazy and/or wonderful things. Maybe like this guy: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xBByy5LTkE&w=480&h=390]

This week's Sights on the Street: a man tossing an umbrella out a third-story window to a grateful friend on the street below. Four Polish men laden down with shopping bags. One man crossing the street with a giant, old school TV in tow.

For me, the idea came from the little boy, sitting in the front basket of a bike with his cute dark-framed glasses. As he spotted something curious in the air, he lifted a pair of binoculars to his face. Words can't do justice to the perfect scene he created, but it is etched in my mind. Maybe lots of the Sights on the Street will be like that, but let's see how it goes.

Also, whether you live in Amsterdam or elsewhere, I'd love to hear about some of the sights you see on the streets of your city. Join in!