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Paris, a room with a view…Europe 2017 volume 1

 (ELISA SHERMAN)

Ah, Paris! City of Love…served as bookends for our 2017 European adventure: #WEeurovacay.

We flew roundtrip to Paris, hitting the classics the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, and Arc de Triomphe.

We partook all – croissants & a cafe au lait, to croque madame (or monsieur if you prefer). Not to mention eight Euro Coca Cola’s – yes, Paris may be the city of love – at a premium price. Well, noone will ever mistake it for a bargain city, that is for sure. Nonetheless, it is spectacular. I will have to make it back sometime, and expand beyond the classics.

Anywho, we started at the Le Derby Alma Hotel where we had this lovely room with a view of Le Tour Eiffel (aka The Eiffel Tower). After our long flight we walked around the neighborhood before we could check in…later followed by a nice nap.

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After our nap it was time to take a ride…to the top, Le Tour! We had 5pm reservations – and it was a gorgeous day. Views were far and wide. From the modern city skyline, to the pander for future Olympiad, to the River Siene.

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…Later in the evening, we continued to enjoy the view from the ground… (Elisa Sherman)

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The next evening, we took the high speed train to Brussels. Before that, we squeezed in Notre Dame, and a stroll through the Latin Quarter…

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…Fast forward through the rest of #WEeurovacay, and we are back in Paris, this time just off the Champs-Élysées by the Arc de Triomphe…so much we have soaked in thus far (in blogs to come)…but Paris, is the perfect end to a perfect trip…innovation, fashion, culture, croissants…and really big traffic circles…

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Au revoir Paris…le sigh…


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2017 – Delete your account

Wow, that title sounds a little dramatic, no? Well it was that kind of year. If you’ve been following me on instagram, most of this is no surprise – though, the social world, as you can see, likes the fun stuff most – unsuprisingly :) And, I mean, sure, there was some awesome stuff like a 2+ week euro tour, with images that are still pending backlog editing. and well a new house(and new car) – yay! But, there was also crazy things like: thyroid cancer, broken ankle and the surgeries that came with each…Not to mention awesome treatments of radioactive iodine that had an accompanying diet of well, unexciting food, along with a get out of jail free paper to carry around with me lest I get flagged for radiation at a government checkpoint. Oh and an abscessed cyst in an unmentionable location. So health wise, yes, it was a crappy year. That said, hey, I’m still here, and I have photos of everything, the pretty, the ugly, and the pretty ugly, or the ugly pretty?! not sure.

Anyhow, am I glad to see 2017 in the rear view? You betcha! My goals for 2018 – to be healthier – which has gotten off to a rough start – but I am hopeful! And to finish processing images in the backlog from the euro tour before we hit the year anniversary – I am guessing I will blog each location separately – so much to look forward to! As well, an upcoming Alaska cruise where I will be revisiting these awesome sights and more :)

So 4months gone, here is my final adieu to 2017: don’t let the calendar hit you on the way to the recycle plant – lol – and, oh, never lose your humor!

Starting with the good, parts of what made the ugle pretty if you will…one of the most interesting parts of our euro tour was our Berlin visit, and specifically the Berlin Wall, or rather what remains of it. The most interesting part was, to me, near the Bridge of Spies: the portion of the wall that was re-appropriated as art installations. To keep the concrete there, so we never forget the sin, yet use it now to make statements worth future consideration. So smart, and beautiful, from something so ugly.

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And while we are talking ugly – how about a post surgical selfie? Because, why not…The story about how this came to be, is interesting. I was told that I had some small nodules on my thyroid found as ancillary findings on a CT scan of my neck from late 2016(was scanned for unrelated issue). And, that I should have a follow up ultrasound to baseline them, no rush, as they were very small. I eventually got around to it in March ’17, just before the order was to expire, and oh lucky me, at least one looked larger than thought from the CT, and suspicious, so needed a needle biopsy. At that point, the surgeon doing the biopsy, luckily head of the department for such things, knew pretty much as he was doing the biopsy, that this was a bad nodule. So it was no surprise when I got a call the following day, confirming the results. I mentioned we had a trip planned to europe in less than 2months…and doctor said, well, just had a cancellation for the following week – and I’m like sign me up! This gave me just enough time to have a full 6 week healing period, before our trip…see, upside. Other than it being a major pain in the neck. And moral of the story, follow up on doc recommendations, even the random ones.

 (Elisa Sherman)

Given the sore neck, I used this as an excuse to buy a new fangled mirrorless camera – ha ha! I chose Fuji, because it was cutest (j/k)… The camera and I got to know each other up in Skagit Valley this spring, ahead of our euro tour…
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Rewind a bit, to the beinning of the year, I did get to get my fashion on, at the Yves Saint Laurent exhibilition at the SAM – so gorgeous. And the iphone did well, as the camera I had with me at the time!
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Fast forward, back to summer, I so awesomely scheduled a group baseball game on day one of my low iodine diet (required for aforementioned radioactive iodine treatment).

Hey, who says, beer, rice cakes, and apple slices don’t go perfect together. Oh well, friends are the best!
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The summer ended well, I mean, we did buy a HOUSE! It’s perfect for us: it is a one story ranch, around the corner from where we were living in Duvall, Washington…And we closed on our anniversary, because, we are: those people…lol :)
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Thankfully, the house was one story, since that is when the other big downer happened, about 2wks post move in – I broke my ankle – awesome. See my now franken ankle…and hey the pretty decorations on my new scooter, because you gotta make this shit fun!(the latter, my husband decorated :) )
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With that, I bid goodbbye to 2017…and a final goodbye to our two adopted kitties: Thelma & Louise…xoxo miss you always.
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Signing off with a random 2017 collection of photos…


Archives

Air Cooled…Vintage V-dub 2017

Bugs and buses abound…out of order these images are, Europe photos continue to marinate, Volkswagens are ready to come out into the light!


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~Slideshow full screen – link~



Archives

Seattle Pride 2017 ~ Rainbow Wonder

 (ELISA SHERMAN)Pride is wonderous. From the obvious pop culture reference, to the historical roots. This parade tradition that began in riot, proceeds in Love, and embraces protest.

This years festivities began, not unlike the last few…with the holier than thou protest, met by Queens. This year, the perfect diffuse antidote was a furry stalking with an arrow “GAY AF” sign, #enoughsaid.

…And about an hour in, we had a “pause” due to a #BlackLivesMatter protest – for 30 minutes in reverence. I was out of image range, in opposing riser, about a half block away, where police were hesitantly looking on. The parade emcee Queens in charge were able to help diffuse, allow us all to listen and peaceably give address to the protest. Well done Seattle. Because Black Lives DO Matter. It’s real, and whether we pause for 30 minutes or kneel as we listen to bombs blasting in air, we endeavor to be and do better. To that, I pledge allegiance.

So, onto the Wonder. Love, delayed as it maybe (sorry!)…Be that as it may, I do dedicate the love here, and the wonder, to all of those that are still recovering from horrible forces of nature and unconscionable forces of man…I pray in love and peace for all to see the Wonder of many tomorrows.

Pride and Strength march on. The following is brought to you by the small but mighty (thanks to the rented 55-140 2.8) Fuji X-T20, and maybe a wee iPhone shot or two-ish…


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~Slideshow(click for Full Screen)~



Archives

Happy Earth day, Power to Science and finally, Beautiful Tulips!

 (ELISA SHERMAN)Greetings earthlings! Yesterday was Earth Day – so we went out in it. Many marched for Science – and I am so thankful. Science has allowed me to heal, and I am forever grateful to everyone who practices it everyday, everyone who discovers and all who push to the next frontier. Good science means good Earth. Yesterday, I finally felt well enough to go out amongst the tulips sprouting up from the damp earth, shooting some new electronics.

Today was the first day, clicking the new shutter of the Fuji X-T20 out in the world (& instantly instagramming!) – beyond our cat Thelma(lol). I wasn’t able to trounce through all the fields yet, but we did make it to the 2 main gardens up in the Skagit Valley – Roozengaarde and Tulip Town. I have 2 lenses so far – the kit 16-50mm and the Lensbaby Trio 28, the latter capturing most of the images(all the blurry and swirly backgrounds).

The Fuji is a huge change for me equipment wise – it’s mirrorless and a crop 1.6x sensor. I really wanted to shrink my kit size, and was looking at the mirrorless. They are all advanced now, and some great photographers are using them. I had focused the full frame Sony’s at first, but between the size, cost, and current tech, I just couldn’t pull the trigger. For mirrorless, one of the best was the Fuji line – but it was crop. So I researched, and found, that the performance, image quality, and body/lens styles all fit what I was looking for, so I took the leap. I am awaiting a fish eye to add to the kit for my travels to Europe next month. I imagine I will eventually replace the kit lens with a 16-55 2.8, and ultimately add a fast prime like the 50 2.0, and a longer fast zoom like the 50-140 2.8. Oh, and I still have access to the big 5d2 as it stays in the family;)

So anywho, let’s get to it – Tulips! For looks back – 2008, 2011, 2013.

Earth Day 2017 was a bit overcast and damp at intervals, however, the Tulips shown through!


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Full slideshow ~




Archives

Fashion! YSL exhibit at the SAM…extraordinary

 (Elisa Sherman) Fashion in its purest form. This curated exhibit was stunning to behold – we are so lucky to have had it at the Seattle Art Museum. We, the hubs and I, caught it in the waning hours as its run came to a close. The book, The Perfection of Style, was sold out (much like the tickets were within an hour after we picked up ours), but I was able to find the book in stock online at Barnes and Noble (back order at the SAM and on Amazon) here. I highly recommend – it has everything from the exhibit and more. A must for any fashion historian and lover of the art of fashion, in my opinion.

So, fashion is in my heart, if not in my closet at all times. I graduated with a degree in Apparel Merchandising and Textiles from Washington State University. The study of it fascinated me from childhood. The textures, the business, the artists. So while my career path has decidely gone in a technical direction, my heart beats a little faster at illustrations of some of the greatest couture ever created. And make no mistake, Yves Saint Laurent was one of the great artists in this arena that is fashion, couture. YSL are initials that live beyond his life.

This exhibit brings the full arc of what he brought to our lives. Grand at it’s minimum. Stunning is yet an understatement.

I didn’t take my big camera because I wanted to take it in…but as is so often in life, I couldn’t help but record snaps of my own. Come with me as I tour(ed) the fabulous views of what was exhibited.


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Archives

2016 in Review

 (Elisa Sherman)It’s been a year.

Massive love, happiness, fear, frustration and more ~ highs and lows. There haven’t been that many clicks of the big camera, that is for sure. But I always say, the best camera is the camera you have with you. And just like everyone else, I have my phone with me all the time. So, if I want to review the year faithfully – that is where I am going to look.

It was a lot of fun actually going through the year, reliving it a bit…from pulling over to capture a sunset, marking the first snow of the year, trying to capture a speedy little one, taking the ever elusive perfect selfie, maybe taking one or two or too many kitty cat pix, perhaps gratuitous food images(sorry! lol), lot’s of wedding prep, pix of Wade – so many lol, and so much more. The images that recorded life through the year tell the story of the year fairly well I think. Here’s to 2017 – who knows what we will see.

Leading off with the best of insta’s, more @elisasherman.

For the big camera blogs ~ Big Island, Pride, Wedding.

Now for the year in my life ~ 2016.

…someone may have gotten me this interesting sunny side up egg stencil? lol…


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There may be a few (or endless) snaps from our honeymoon location in Puerto Vallarta…

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House sitting…kitties. (we miss you Bonçuk! xo)

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Sunrise over the park…

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…did I mention kitty cat?!

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Paradise…well, Nuevo Vallarta – same same.

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…the hubs at sunset – xo

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…wedding gifts were fun, I’m not going to lie….

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…the cutest shower gifts…

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…lot’s of sunsets….

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Louise, close up!

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Selfie, because…

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First-ish snow of the year – yes, this is out of order…

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Magnets…

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Because – lol.

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The farm that would later be where we got married…

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The Grand opening of the 520…it was so cool to walk out over the lake…

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Crabs…or rather crab.

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Puppies seem appropriate?!

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First engagement ring pix…because, well endless wedding references and photos…I warned…

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At the gorgeous church in Puerto Vallarta…

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…this was a missed pic, that I love the colors – shall we call it art? lol…

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Those are just a handful of my faves…until the end of 2017….

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…see ya;)
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And the full year…start to finish…



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Lava, Luau, Loco Moco & Love…Big Island Hawaii 2016

 (Elisa Sherman)So, where to start…

I decided last spring that I wanted to spend my next birthday in Hawaii…because, well, sun, beaches, sunsets and paradise;) It’s good for the soul, and glorious for the camera sensor.

It really is peaceful excitement when you first set foot in paradise, and this trip proved why in many ways.

Let’s get the big excitement out the way first, #engagement…it was perfect and photographic all at once. We were walking around the Japanese garden in Hilo. I was like, why aren’t you taking more pictures…?! LOL.

Then he gave me a gorgeous book of all the pictures and fun we have had together over the last 2+ years, a birthday present I thought…and wrapped it up with a perfect proposal. There is much more backstory to the what led up to that, but for now, we’ll just say it was a perfection in paradise.

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In photographs, the vacation bookends the perfect engagement setting with bountiful beautiful gazing sights. Just don’t forget the mosquito repellant!(serious Dengue Fever has the island in a current state of Emergency)…

From lazing on the beach, glowing crater, sea arch, and this apparent island specialty – Loco Moco, it just got better and better.


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Oh, and there was a luau, a sunset or two, a sunrise with steam rising, palm trees and waves…and even the southern most point in the whole U.S. of A…not necessesarily in any of that order…


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And maybe, some turtles, Banyan trees and oh yeah, that one Japanese garden…

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So much gorgeousness…it’s endless ~ enjoy the slideshow – xoxo…


Archives

#LoveWins – Pride 2015

 (Elisa Sherman)

#LoveWins…this was the hashtag that I used, instictively, the morning of the SCOTUS ruling ensuring marriage equality from sea to shining sea in the United States. For those opposed, it was controversial and mystifying. For the rest of us, the masses, we can celebrate, because, as it should #LoveWins.

Just 2 days after this landmark decision that guarantees marriage rights for all, Seattle Pride took it’s turn in the sun, to celebrate, to love, to bask in the glory. Even if it actually was a little over cast, the sun shown through. In this most recent set I pushed the exposure just a little further than is technically appropriate – purposefully. Love it, hate it, it is my artistic commentary on how I saw this day. For years past – enjoy the Pride Archives.

For now, join me in the afterglow – #LoveWins.

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Pride 2015 – Images by Elisa Sherman

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White Reaper opens at Neumos in Seattle 6-13-2015

 (elisa sherman)Oh my…first post of the year at practically the half way point…oops! Well, I suppose I will start off with something fun:) I got the chance to come out to Neumos to help support my friends nephew’s band White Reaper. They were on tour here opening for Electric Six. So fun – and loud. Makes me think I might need to get back out there more…we’ll see! It was a family affair as my friends sister, the lead singers mom, was also came out here to Seattle for the show…good times.

They are fun young band…good looking young guys that clearly enjoy playing music. I hope to see and hear more from them – their newest record ‘…does it again’ drops this month from Polyvinyl records.

…my camera heads to big apple in a couple days, so likely images from the concrete jungle will follow next week, and then Pride the following weekend at the end of the month – rainbows will abound!

For now – enjoy the fun pix of @whitereaperUSA


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White Reaper at Neumos 6-13-2015 – Images by Elisa Sherman