Visiting Taiwan in 2009 was an unexpected trip and not one marked by much sight-seeing.  My sister had been in a scooter-to-car accident and had to have knee surgury to repair the tendons in her knee. Most of the time I spent there was in a very tiny hospital room watching Hitch over and over on the American movie channel.  Once Julenna was back in her flat, I did manage to take a few walks around Taichung to explore a bit and take photos but most of our time and energy was spent trying to get her better.  

The trip happened to fall over my thirtieth birthday so after Julenna had been on the mend for several days, we hired a car to take us to Sun Moon Lake.  It was a really fun way to travel, not having to worry about bus schedules or iteneraries. Our driver made a special effort to make sure Julenna didn't have to hobble very far on her crutches which was very sweet. On the way we stopped at a beautiful temple and toured the prayer gardens then made our way to the lake.  It was a lovely way to spend my birthday.  

Julenna decided to come home to Ohio for a few weeks to finish healing so she flew back with me.  Our flight was out of Taipei so we spend my last two days in the capital city.  It rained most of the time we were there so my camera didn't come out of its waterproof bag much, but I managed to take a few photos of the market.

When I got home all the photos from the last half of the trip were completely missing.  I was so bummed since that was the only time I had really been able to sight-see. Recently I was cleaning out my hard drives and getting rid of old RAW photos when lo and behold, THE LOST PHOTOS!!! I was so excited and relieved to see them again. Not that they are anything mind-blowing, but they were important memories I would hate to have no record of at all. 

Camera Geek Note: At the time I was shooting with a D200 and a back up D70.  The D70 was much lighter and just as reliable so I left the D200 at home and relied on my 50 1.8 and 18-200 3.5-5.6.  I no longer own the 18-200 and have since upgraged my camera to the D700 and my 50mm lens to the 1.4.  It was so crazy to edit photos from that camera now that I am used to seeing the D700's spectacular depth of color.  It made me want to write love letters to my camera (and its FX sensor).  I LOVE YOU D700!!!! U + Me 4-EVA. Or until I upgrade to the D800 ;-).

You can read about my first days HERE and HERE, witness my culture shock HERE and see all the Taiwan photos HERE.

Comments

This has been a rough week.  We have been on the road a lot and somewhere along the way I fell victim to The Black Lung and can no longer breathe. Because of this I haven't spent much quality time with the ol' Nikon.  

In the photographer community there is a certain stigma attached to photographing flowers and cats.  It's pretty much a dead giveaway that you are an amateur.  So this week I took photos of flowers and my cat and anyone who wants to scoff into their ironic mustache can just go right ahead.  I also could have also posted some lovely photos of my bedroom ceiling. The few hours that I have managed to be upright have been spent playing with Lucy and enjoying the sunshine in pretty much a one block radius.  So without further ado, Internet, I give you My Cat And My Yard: The Definitive Collection.  It's pretty awesome.  Try not to be too blown away as it speaks to your soul.

Comments

Comments

Lucy, Gus, and I have been celebrating the Spring temps by spending more time with our toes in the grass.  I have been loving all the sun and warm air.  Andy and I have both lost love ones over the past few months and watching the dead branches and brown grass give way to fresh buds and lush green reminds me of the importance of being present in the moment and appreciating each precious sunrise.  

***All photos taken with the iPhone 4s and processed with Camera+, Tilt Shift Generator, and Color Mill apps.

Comments