A September Morning

It's quickly turning to autumn here in Amsterdam. Yesterday evening I biked through the rain to a colleague's wedding, wondering if my dress and hair would survive. They did and it was a lovely night, which has led to a slow morning. But now the sun is peeking through my window and it's time to throw on a scarf and go for a walk.

Along with the rainy weather, the trees have started to change. Quite early, isn't it? I'm missing my camera at this moment - hard to believe that I work for a photography organization and am currently cameraless. On my trip to Portland in December, purchasing a camera with be task #1. For now, I'll dip a bit more into Flickr for visual inspiration.

First image from here. Second image from here. Third image from here.

Carson Ellis illustrations

I was thrilled when I read that the cover of The Mysterious Benedict Society, a wonderfully imaginative book, was illustrated by Carson Ellis. How could I not have known? Carson is best know  to me for her amazing work on the albums and concert posters of The Decemberists. Her illustrations from another book, Dillweed's Revenge, are showing at Nationale gallery in Portland from 8 September - 3 October. If I were there, I would certainly stop by.

A Small Thought

All I need right now is one, small thought. I am on deadline to come up with a big idea for a little project.

This image is from an exhibition three years ago in Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum. The pencil on the floor was barely noticeable, just lying on the floor surrounded by larger works that screamed for attention. I just need to find that little detail in my mind that can make people stop and take a second look.

A Place to Live

Ah, I want to live here. Most rental apartments in Amsterdam - like mine - come completely furnished, down to the teaspoons and bathroom towels. Kind of weird, eh? The sense of impermanence for foreigners in this city makes it hard to get the motivation to do a redesign. But if I did, this would be it (image via spaceships).

Cosas mínimas (little things)

Fall has arrived in Amsterdam and it's time to write a few letters delayed by the summer weather. I posted the first one to my grandfather in Oregon yesterday - I hope the ink survived the rainy trip from my jacket pocket to the mailbox.

Plans for this weekend include helping a friend move to a new apartment (my first chance at the Dutch system of moving through the front window with a rope hanging from the rooftop - very exciting!), trying a new recipe with the fresh fish bought at Noordermarkt, Café Brecht tonight for 'a trip through German music history' and some Czech beer, reading from Dreaming in Hindi, camera shopping (Sarah recommended the Panasonic LX3. Any thoughts?) and writing a few letters, of course.

I'm loving the postcards and images by Blanca Gómez, a graphic designer and illustrator from Madrid, from her project cosas mínimas, which means 'little things' in Spanish (via elephantine).

Back to Dresden

When I came to Europe for the first time in 2004, I stayed in Dresden for two weeks, en route to Rome. I had friends studying there - translation: a free place to crash - which made Germany the perfect place to start and end my trip. Little did I know that the time I spent in Dresden would spark a love of Germany that continues today. While living in Amsterdam for the past four years, I have spent a fair amount of time exploring other parts of Germany, especially my Lieblingsstadt Berlin, but I always venture back to Dresden at some point. Even for just a day.

On the recent trip to Berlin, etc. Herr Pfeiffer and I spent two days in Dresden, getting reacquainted with the city I once knew quite well. Our lovely hosts Bill and Jule took us around the city and introduced us to Loschwitz, a neighborhood teeming with aging houses and rustic color. We spent the evening in Neustadt, 'new city', for drinks and dinner, which allowed us a peek at the graffiti blossoming in the vibrant neighborhood.

Eine Frau, graffiti in Neustadt, Dresden, Germany.

Mural in Neustadt, Dresden, Germany.

A beautiful house in the Loschwitz neighborhood of Dresden, Germany.

A lovely building with a word puzzle. Laden (store) Galerie (gallery), Ausstellung (exhibition) Verkauf (sales). I'm not sure the purpose of the repetition: store-sales, gallery-exhibition. Confusion reigns no matter how long I study. Any ideas?

A blue gate leading to house number 20. How I would love to walk through it at the end of each day.

Peeks of Summer

It was a great summer and I didn't post nearly as many photos as I had hoped. Here is a short collection of the best moments. The photo above was taken in Münster, a colorful row of boats floating in the Aasee. Marcus and I went there at the beginning of June to see The Knife's opera.

The ceiling of the opera house glowed with small lanterns.

Lounging at NDSM, a wharf area in North Amsterdam known as a place for underground culture and accessible via a lovely little ferry ride.

A translucent onion cut in preparation for a BBQ in the park.

A drink to go along with the BBQ.

A cold, but beautiful day at the beach. Summers in Amsterdam are reliably fickle.

Waiting for the film to start at the open air film festival Pluk de Nacht.

Out In the Open

The annual open air film festival Pluk de Nacht begins today - seize the night! On screen will be a selection of international films that didn't quite make it to the mainstream, kicked off by short films as the sun goes down. The atmosphere is wonderful with campfires, beach chairs, music and blankets to stay cozy. Rain or shine, I'll be there on Friday for Bibliothèque Pascal, a Hungarian film by Szabolcs Hajdu.

Biking in the Rain

I'm loving the photography by @amsterdamized of the bicycle culture in Amsterdam. It's by far my favorite thing about this city and what I always focus on when other aspects of life here seem less favorable. Like when it's summertime, but the weather has reverted to spring with sporadic rain, wind, and occasional moments of sunny warmth with a chill in the air.

Despite all threats of a drizzle, I have still been hopping on my bike to do summery things. Up this weekend, my favorite festival of the year. More on that to come. Photo by Amsterdamize

Rope and Summit

Just bought tix to see Junip in October. They're playing at Trouw in Amsterdam, but also have a lot of UK dates on tour. I saw José González play a solo show in Amsterdam about two years ago. Looking forward to see him with his old band. Here is 'Rope and Summit' from their EP of the same name, to be released in the fall. Enjoy*

[audio http://smallsight.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/01-rope-and-summit.mp3]

Contraband by Taryn Simon

Over the course of five days, Taryn Simon took 1,075 photographs of items seized by customs at Kennedy International Airport. Some items don't come as a surprise (drugs, weapons, counterfeit Louis Vuitton), but others are just plain odd - and fascinating (cow dung toothpaste, insect larvae, a pitcher of salami). Her work will be published this fall in a book titled Contraband.

Memories of Seoul

All this talk of South Korea lately had me sifting through my photo archive today. A colleague headed there over the weekend and, having lived in Seoul for a year, I was called on to give my advice on all that is Korean. Rusty as my knowledge is, I was also proud that I could remember how to navigate from Gyeongbokgung palace to Jogyesa temple, where to find green tea ice cream, how to say basic phrases, and why sundubu jjigae is the best.

Above: A small alleyway in Insadong. Below: Colorful lanterns in celebration of Buddha's birthday; rocking in Hongdae; dining on curious cuisine on the islands; a rock star and a monk; and looking over Oido.

Light Boxes

Browsing the shelves of the bookstore this weekend, my eyes landed on Light Boxes by Shane Jones. A small book and the only copy in sight, I nearly missed it. Once I had seen the cover design, I was sold. Isn't it intriguing? Just like the description:

February is persecuting the townspeople. It has been winter for more than three hundred days. All forms of flight are banned and children have started to disappear, taken from their beds in the middle of the night. The town's priests hang ominous sheets of parchment on the trees, signed 'February'. And somewhere on the outskirts of the town lives February himself, with the girl who smells of honey and smoke...

Fascinating. And my post-purchase research tells me that Spike Jonze is making an adaptation.

Yellow and Red

Just walked in from an evening of badminton in the park and I had to appreciate the fact that summertime is here in full force.  Fresh fruit every day, bbqs galore, beach trips on the weekend, flowers throughout Amsterdam and long hours of daylight to sit on a terrace and enjoy a drink and conversation. I won't censor the sweat and humidity, but the sun is setting now and the misery seems far away. My holiday to the lakes and forests of Germany doesn't come for a few weeks, but until then I plan on fully enjoying the city. Lovely photo by James Nord.

The Pacific

The Oregon coast is one of my favorite places in the world with its long open beaches, scant visitors, dramatic weather and unique vegetation. Some other reasons I love it: the entire beachfront is public (no gating off sections for beachfront properties), sleeping on the sand next to a campfire is a normal (and awesome), and, with an average water temperature around 50 degrees Fahrenheit/10 degrees Celsius, swimming in the water is for the truly brave at heart. A fact that gives me a great deal of respect for the surfers who take on the icy waves. Another reason why I like Jake Stangel's project The Pacific which captures the beauty of the surfing culture in Oregon. Mmm, yes I am missing home a bit now (via GOOD).

Soccer City Stadium: Germany versus Ghana

Second best to working with the amazing journalists of Twenty Ten here in Johannesburg has been watching the Germany vs. Ghana match last night at Soccer City Stadium. After nearly one week in South Africa, it was my first World Cup match. And what a match it was. A happy ending for Germany, who won the match, and also Ghana, who advanced with Germany to the next round as second in their group.

Fans from both sides were ecstatic with the end result.