Get me out of the grassy dunes

To one direction cliffs breaking into clear waters and snow capped mountains, to the other waist high grasses blowing in the breeze, lush greens climbing up the sky, and sand dunes you can literally get lost in. The perfect place for a photo shoot, but for 18 holes of championship golf definitely a challenge to test your character. Chambers Bay just outside of Tacoma, Washington needs to be on the “must play before I die” list.


No carts or vehicles are allowed on the course, so travel light on equipment and work that cardio for the month prior. The course has over 100 foot elevations on a number of single fairways, but when you get to the top the view can only be described as “breathtaking!”.

Puget Sound sits just to the west with the Olympic mountains in the background. For sunset the emerald green fairways drape straight up like a giant cyclorama. If you are partial to sand and waist high grasses the dunes are your dream realized.


Designed by Robert Trent Jones II on the site of an old mine you can acquire insight to yourself and crew. On my fourth stroke in the 200 yard dune not frustration but non stop laughter proved what we were made of. The landforms bank around the greens giving the impression of the largest most phenomenally gorgeous billiard hole as you fly up the fast and hard fairways. You will be hard pressed to ever experience anything like this again outside of Ireland. Get there soon, the 2015 US Open will showcase this spectacular location to the world and then tee times will be scarce.

Minneapolis is a fabulous location!

The people incredibly helpful and always a new jewel to be discovered. One of my “must stop if we have time” places is the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden. http://www.walkerart.org/index.wac . A museum possessing a bronze Henry Moore (the Walker has Moore’s “Reclining Mother and Child” http://garden.walkerart.org/artwork.wac#head ) gets return visits. The sensuous curves wrapped in light always bring inspiration to my images.

Checkout The Lunds Grocery Store on Lake Street. Beautiful produce and packaging. Open 6am till midnight. At many of their locations you can email the order and pick it up at the drive thru which can not be overrated when you are running a busy full day shoot. http://www.lundsandbyerlys.com/

The light and the lines!!

Oh my goodness, wait till you see the amazing light captured by Renzo Piano's creation of the Modern Wing for the Art Institute of Chicago. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/modernwing/green

Of course being a photographer, the light filling the new space took my breath away. It wraps sensuously around the sculptures, paintings and patrons. The "flying carpet" roof you have heard so much about works with photocells to let the perfect amount of light into the third floor galleries.

The view from the Balcony Cafe! Right through the light raining in through Griffen Court and out to the Aon Building soaring above the Pritzker Pavillion. It has been many years since the Standard Oil Building (now the Aon) looked so majestic and prominent in the city.
I understand it is free admission from May 16-22.

Off to warm sun on lava rock.

We just returned from Kona, Hawaii where hair in the spring grows to full, humidity filled heights. The textured black rock makes in incredible background for almost any subject. As someone who has spent a great deal of time there over the years, I have to mention my three greatest finds this trip.

On a rainy afternoon I headed north for a round of golf at Makalei. A beautiful course that looks down at the ocean and on a clear day you can see Haleakula on Maui. To my suprise the course is full of the most incredible peacocks I have ever seen. Of course the loud high pitched call of a male standing next to my cart is the memory that will stay with me forever. They are very comfortable around people and could be a beautiful addition to any image.

http://www.makalei.com/golf/proto/makalei/

One of the ultimate locations for a tropical beach with volcanos in the distance and beach cabanas, hammocks, palm trees, and quiet is the Mauna Lani resort. ttp://www.maunalani.com
Set in the dry part of the island with the sun setting over the ocean, it makes the perfect location.

Then a great vegetarian dinner at Jackie Reys back in Kona. Their Ali'i Mushroom Bowl is fabulous! And as with most other Hawaiian stops, the umbrella drinks make the evening complete.

http://www.jackiereys.com/

The perfect way to welcome spring….returning from the Arctic Circle.

Crystal blue sky over pure white tundra!

Ok, so I am in the minority who loves to shoot in the cold, travel in the cold, and drink my hot coffee outside in the cold. But just envision the silence, the crystal clear air, the incredible blue sky and the pure white snow. And did I mention the stars?

Flying into Helsinki? Look into the performances in the crypt of the Helsinki Cathedral. I usually don't get goose bumps before the show begins, but when the crypt went dark and the singers rustled their way to the stage I slid far in my seat away from the aisle.Who knew the acoustics could be so amazing in a crypt? Don't miss this! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Cathedral

The Lumi Linna snow castle, our destination in Kemi, sits on the frozen Gulf of Bothnia, a wide expanse of perfect white backdrop. Though there are a number of snow and ice castles near the Arctic Circle, the Lumi Linna offers a clear backdrop of the gulf that leads to Sweden.Each year it changes form, but an incredible creation is the standard.http://www.snowcastle.net/en/homepage/

North at 25`you will find the Rovaniemi Bridge and the Rovaniemi Arktikum. The Arktikum has a distinctive structure of a glass tube 172 meters long. Though the blue sky is again spectacular, when the stars come out magic happens. http://www.arktikum.fi/en/index.php?/arktikum/architecture/

Three most important lessons learned

1) Carry extra, extra everything! The number of stores in the Arctic Circle is very limited. Don't forget the protein bar stash for the vegetarians, vegetables too are limited.

2) Reindeer lose those beautiful antlers in spring, so if you would like your Dancer with 2, get there in the winter.

3) All vodka is better in a glass made of ice!

The white bearded fellow

Who knew what an impact a man dressed in red would have on me. He takes many forms with varying assistants, but when December approaches I am thinking about meeting him somewhere new.

When I was little St. Nicholas would always come to my house before I awoke on December 6th. My stocking would hold the most wonderful chocolates and cookies. I thought he traveled alone, but when I visited Krakow I learned of the angels and devil that travel with him. Probably good I never awoke to see the crowd.

The Netherlands seem to be the last stop. He arrives with Zwarte Piet by boat from Spain. The celebration seems to last a little longer in Amsterdam. We attended a Sinterklaas celebration on December 7th, but then he did have a glass of wine in his hand.

I have yet to encounter Krampus (Frightening devil-like figure with St. Nicholas in Austria), but it is on our list of places to celebrate December 6th.

Check out this fabulous web site if you are looking for the man in the red suit and can't wait until December 25th. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=76
For the best place to secure a hand carved statue of the angel and devil explore the Christmas Market http://www.cracow-life.com/poland/krakow-christmas-market