Broad Street Firehouse

This holiday season my family and I had the pleasure of visiting the Broad Street Firehouse in San Francisco. My grandfather, Charles MacCarthy, served as a firefighter at the firehouse. My Mom found out that the house was being sold and contacted the friendly owners. Marilyn & Robert purchased the firehouse once a new firehouse was built a block away. They have lived happily in the firehouse for over 33 years! You can read more about the history here.

Mom & Jenna in front of Engine #33:

 

Marilyn & Robert have made a lifestyle with their 1950's Mack firetruck. They offer tours through San Francisco: for information, check out their website.

The firehouse is decorated with all kinds of fire paraphernalia. This is a view on the way to the Captain's quarters. Check out the stained glass hanging in the window-Mom bought it!

Marilyn & Robert dress in themed attire for the San Francisco tour. We were so lucky to catch them right after they returned from their day. The wall behind them is dedicated to artwork of the Golden Gate Bridge.

This is my favorite photo from the night! Jenna found out that Marilyn was a childhood actress and tap dancer. We loved the dance studio she set up in their bedroom on the second floor of the firehouse.

They were preparing for an estate sale and we had so much fun looking through their extensive collections. We had fun looking at all of her photos in her scrap album.

The kitchen was Jenna's favorite part of the firehouse. It had a home like feeling. As expected, it was firefighter themed. Of course, they have a candy drawer for the kids that visit!

Just when I thought the tour of the firehouse was over, Marilyn & Robert took us down to the basement. How cool is the chalkboard on the broiler?

Overall it was a wonderful family outing and the experience made me feel closer to my grandfather. And to top it off, we have two new friends that we'll remember for a life time. If you would like to see more photos, check out my flickr set.

New Years Tradition

Spending New Years Day at the beach has become a tradition for my mom and I. The rolling waves, colorful rocks and white sand were picturesque today. We met a friend at Moss Beach and spent a few hours taking photos while searching for glass. It was an overcast day with an occasional misting.

Low tide always makes for an exciting experience.

 

This part of the beach reminds me of Devil's Golf Course at Death Valley: looking south towards Mavericks.

The water was a beautiful color today and it was fun being a professional beach bum. The best way to start out a new decade!

In 2009, I chose the word simplify as my One Little Word. Instead of trying to keep up with a new years resolution I found myself reciting this word and trying to keep it alive through out the whole year. I took a year off but I am ready to play again. I chose a word that I find myself saying frequently.

My word for 2011 is balance.

I struggle with balancing my hectic schedule. My work life, family life, friends, and personal time. I want to find a happy balance and maintain it in a healthy manner. Since I started dancing recently I have noticed that my balance is not as strong as it can be. I want to improve that too. If you would like to learn more about One Little Word, take a look at Ali Edward's blog. She's always an inspiration!

I hope that I can balance my time and blog more frequently. I really enjoy this space as a place to share my photos, creativity and document what is happening right now. Here's to 2011!

Photo Final

I went shooting in San Francisco after the Thanksgiving holiday with my mom. I shot a whole roll of 35mm Illford XP2 in the same lighting. What a difference that makes when it comes to printing (or editing) batches of photos. Considering how I usually shoot, I will have roughly 2-3 different types of lighting on one roll of film. Printing went by so quickly that I was able to get 3 decent prints in one night. Typically that would take me 2 nights of classes to accomplish. At the final I got some wonderful compliments. My classmate Doug said my printing had improved noticeably!

This semester I got wonderful feedback from my classmates and professor so I wasn't as nervous. My final was this past Wednesday and things went well. Check out my flickr to see more.

The Darkroom

Taking a semester off from Black & White photography was a difficult thing for me this past spring. Color Photography caught my interest again and so I shot loads of color film. I enjoy color but I find that it distracts your eyes from the lighting. The best kind of photo remains strong, even when you de-saturate the color from it.

Being back in the dark room printing in black & white made me realize that is my happy spot. I enjoy the smell of fixer, the sound of the water, the low light, and watching a photo develop right in front of my eyes. It slows the photographer down. Especially when you spend 8 minutes fixing a photo so it will last a hundred years.

We had our midterm tonight. I spent the past several Wednesday's preparing to show some of my strongest pieces. I will admit, I always get nervous when it comes time to put my work out there for critique. My classmates have a potluck and that makes it easier. Tonight was a wonderful class for me and I'm very happy with my final prints. Hope you enjoy!

Right Now

10 Things I like right now...

1. Lemonade with mint leaves
2. Gelato
3. Driving with my windows down
4. Dresses
5. Reading before bed
6. Blasting music during my commute
7. Watching Arrested Development
8. Running on the beach
9. Dreaming about where to travel next
10. Stretching

What are you into right now?

Go Giants!

The San Francisco Giants made it to the play offs and I was lucky enough to go to the first game with some friends. We took the train into San Francisco, grabbed some snacks, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Here is the view from the pier behind the ballpark:

 

Can you believe how amazing the seats were? We had first row seats. I haven't sat in the bleachers in a long time and the atmosphere was incredibly energetic! We talked to so many people and gave out high fives to everyone. It was the best game I have EVER gone to.  

I love this photo of the four of us. The usher and people in our section were very friendly and took lots of photos for me.

The characters sitting in our section photo bombed us a couple of times. :) I laughed so hard at some of the surprise memories captured.

We saw several people we knew at the game and had a few visitors since our seats were so great. The best part was that our team won! After that we headed to Tres Agaves to celebrate with a bunch of fans. We made a lot of friends, including on the train ride home. What a night!

26 Things

Before 27...

Here is my list of things that I'd like to do or try before I hit 27!

1. Make home made gelato
2. Learn Spanish
3. Sew something
4. Finish a mini album
5. Take self portraits
6. Bake more
7. Exercise
8. Pay off my car
9. Take a road trip
10. Visit Michelle in Canada :D
11. Go on a tour of Alcatraz
12. Find a different photo booth location
13. Enter in a photo contest
14. Get photo website together
15. Eat healthier
16. Spend lots of time on the beach
17. Sleep
18. Read my library books
19. Get a massage (maybe several)
20. See the Pixar Art show in Oakland
21. Save for my dream camera (currently Nikon D700)
22. Make a new friend
23. Visit the De Young Museum
24. Avoid buying any external/internal hard drives
25. Go on an adventure
26. Be more spontaneous