Oh, man

Just when I thought I have all the kinks sorted out on my new website it still will not work properly.
All the work I did behind the scenes apparently means nothing right now and we are days away from The Grassroots Wedding Fair where I will be showcasing my work.
This is not a good time to be adding another stress onto an already stressful time.
I am going to go to my bed and hope that all can be resolved in the morning.
Fingers and toes crossed.

Chillin' with my little one.

My kids love our great big king-sized bed. They drive me crazy every morning with their bed jumping and mother-avoidance antics. They hide under the covers with their little dirty feet.

I am not always cranky mom when it comes to the bed. It is a great place for laughter and silliness. It is also a great place to just sit back and really pay attention to my kids, especially my little one as she moves in her body and becomes more and more capable in life.

Political messages

I was just leaving a small contract job when my eyes caught the bright yellow sign with familiar artwork.

I met Jurgen when I was photographing Bridge to a Cooler Planet. He had a similar sign with him then. A friend of his does the artwork while he directs.

Jurgen is an independent contractor who is tired of government antics. As he sat in his truck on Robson Street amidst the glam and the street traffic he brought a smile to my face.

When I first asked him if I could take his picture and then if I could post them on my blog he was very pleased to get his message out to a wider audience. I am sure I will see you again Jurgen. It was nice chatting with you.

Fort Worden Part 3 - Our officer's quarters

Leading away from our house into the wilds of the Fort is a path that speaks of adventure.
We didn't always need to leave our humble abode to find adventure. I do not believe our children stayed still very long this holiday time. They had each other to keep their imaginations rich.

Our home for three nights is just in the background. I can't seem to help posting these photos in backwards.

Again the antics of these two little ones constantly amaze me. It is not easy being the mom and not being needed for 4 days. As long as they were fed and sung to sleep my kids kept themselves pretty busy.

These two existed in their own little world.

This stairwell alone was the source of amazing adventures.

And what about the little hide outs? I cannot stress enough how kid friendly this space was. The little ones found more than one secret hideout.

Friends reunited. I wonder how their friendship will unfold. They slip into their little world so effortlessly. It humbles me.

Oh how I love to just sit and watch my kids. Okay, photograph too when they let me....

Our festive abode.

Fort Worden Part 2 - Discovery

Here are images of our two days of exploring the old batteries and hidey-holes of Fort Worden. Now, I am a pacifist by nature, but I cannot deny the excitement of exploring the old tunnels and hallways of this wartime structure that never came close to actually seeing any real battle.
Fort Worden was barely used in its whole history and now acts as a meeting place for various groups and individuals looking for a getaway. Port Townsend has quite the artistic community and has actively used the Fort for workshops and other such creative ventures.

My dear friend hiking in very stylish yet ill-equiped footwear.

The two other mamas on this adventure.

Little one desperate to go to those same places where the big kids venture to.

My little one on her very excellent carriage.

For the kids this place was the perfect adventure with underground bunkers and tunnels to explore. They all did so great with walking in the darkness with just their headlamps to guide them.

Of course, geo-caching was amongst the activities of the day.

I cannot help to try to capture this one's serious face of scepticism in my picture taking.

My eldest was very concerned that I would not end up stepping in this hole.

And up she goes with no fear. Me, I am trying to allow the tether strings to be stretched on this adventure.

My little one before she is strapped in to her harness for the morning shift.

Fort Worden in 3 Parts - Structure

Playing with my camera is a lot of fun. I believe I even feel recharged creatively. Fort Worden is a place like no other and I highly recommend a visit. The diversity of landscape and structures is inspiring. The town of Port Townsend beautiful and intimate. I had a great time simply playing.

The batteries in all their ancient glory.

Fort Worden is renowned to be haunted. I can believe it in this space of cubby holes and long dark passages. I do not believe any disaster happened here though for ghosts to want to haunt, but you never know.

It is really really hard to limit the amount of photos produced when I have my own creative time for 4 whole days in a row. It is actually excruciating.