Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Minnesota Edition
So, it turns out that developing film takes a while. Oops! Regardless, it was a lot of fun to use Brother Luke’s vintage Minolta XD5 and shoot film for the first time. No, really, I’d never shot film before and was terrified that none of these pictures would actually turn out. But they did turn out! So here they are. Finally.
This is the view from the window in my childhood bedroom. It’s been a lot of fun to watch this crabapple tree grow over the years– it’s so big, now!– and it’s especially pretty in the spring.
Jet lag has been a welcome gift these past two weeks. It’s been nice to rise early and get work done from bed before the rest of the house begins to stir and the day falls into place.
lt’s also nice to enjoy a quiet breakfast alone. Avocado toast is my favourite.
The crabapple tree is next to a lilac bush that my grandmother gave my father for his birthday one year. Together, they make our yard smell amazing.
I was beginning to feel very insecure about the fact that the light meter in my brother’s camera didn’t seem to be working, so I re-read the manual and decided it would be best to only shoot in spots that are very well lit. So here’s the floor. And my feet. And some sunlight.
A bird (or a bird couple?) has built a nest on the flower wreath on the front door. I’m terrified that one day, the door will open, the nest will fall, the eggs will break, and the baby birds will die. Silly birdbrains!
It’s been raining daily since I got here. I wasn’t joking when I said I brought the English weather with me. :(
This is my chauffeur, Luke.
He’s also one of my younger brothers and, when I twist his arm enough, he drives me around, fans me with large palm leaves, and tells me I’m fabulous. On this afternoon, he took me to the Mall Of America. Why?
Because I wanted to see this guy: my older brother, Neal. He’s a (fantastic) personal shopper at Nordstrom. If you want to spend way too much money on fabulous clothes that you probably don’t need, he’s the guy for you!
After enjoying a sushi happy hour, we got down to business…
If shopping counts as business, I mean. These are my new shoes. I love them!
After my MOA adventure, I went to visit with my friends Angie (remember Angie’s TWV?) and Marlo. They’re basically the most creative people on the planet and Angie’s house is the perfect place to play a game of I Spy because she has the coolest stuff. Like these photo slides!
Over wine and cheese, we chatted, laughed, and dreamed together.
We also hung out with Angie’s GIANT dog in the backyard where this yellow chaise lounge lives. I think this is a double exposure. I mean, I know it is. Kinda cool though, right?
And then we talked some more even though we were beginning to feel sleepy.
And then we said goodnight to Angie’s antlers and to each other. It was a lovely evening– a lovely day. And it was great to learn that film photography is not as scary as I thought. It’s just kind of expensive. But fun!
So thank you for being patient with me this week, dear reader, and thank you for spending my Tuesday with me. I’ll be back in the UK on Monday and will be back to posting regularly next week. Have a great weekend!
xx