Hello again, my darling Sun-starved! Ryan and I have been very busy with work and soaking up every ray of the sun that took a bit longer to bring Summer along to Seattle. I'm back this time to report a lovely photo stroll that I took with some lovely ladies yesterday. We picked Pike Place Market to wander around with our cameras before heading down to SAM Taste at the Seattle Art Museum for Happy Hour (@tastesam). Want to try a fabulous cocktail? Order their FBR Manhattan, featuring their fig-infused Maker's Mark blend! 

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Nostalgia: a yearning for the past. In the present? I believe most photographs are made of nostalgia.

In San Francisco, you stroll and walk over, underneath or besides magic on a regular basis. I have never lived there but I miss it. I long for it. It's a city that mesmerized me by its delicate sense of distinctiveness in individual details, like no other place in the United States has. 

I found that magic lingering in a language I heard a passerby speaking, but I didn't recognize. I found it in a palace in the middle of the city, very close to the red bridge. It might slip into your bag of Mexican groceries or come in the form of blood orange sorbet. It might be in the menu at the Nicaraguan restaurant or left abandoned on a corner of your seat at the streetcar. It might taste like apricot preserve or smell like sand and water or a cala lily. It can come to you in many different costumes. 

I know it sounds like the fog sirens that whisper to the city all day.

In San Francisco, you want to outline the houses you walk by using just your fingers. You want to climb the palm trees in Dolores Park. Every inch of the city is alive in its asphalt, people and forms. After all, it's a place where its voices, tragedy, hope, and pride are weaved together into a beautiful, intricate map.

I wanted the glass in my lens to spill ink and produce words as fine as the imagery around me. But I ended up with images I later tinted with a dollop of golden hour.

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Spring holds hands with a gentler sun. The length of daylight jumps on the clock hands, pushing them further. There is a burst of curvy colors and lush, sinewy leaves. I feel I want to touch every velvet-like texture nature gifts us with during this Season. I'm not a flower or a landscape photographer; what I am, is a fervent enthusiast of Spring and birth, of green, pinks and maroons. As a perennial sun-starved, I feel I bloom during this time of the year. Yes, I feel like a plant. Or a flower. Or both.

The sun played coy and winds marched around town yesterday in Seattle. Still, there's nothing that can be done to prevent the new season to be welcomed into our town. I'm celebrating it by making images
and gathering music. 

This music selection ranges from an "opening dream" to a "happy dance".  All the musicians featured are dear to my heart. Please, enjoy this tunes while the photos tell you about my day yesterday.

¡Feliz Primavera!

[Insert a big smile]

One of my favorite guys in Pike Place Market. Caught him on his day off. He works for Choice and Produce Pepper, one of the produce vendors at Pike Place Market. He confessed me this was his first time at The Gum Wall!

...and that he cares for this pretty gal!

Parts of Post Alley are my favorite "Industrial Sublime" corners of Seattle

Welcome, tulips!

My student Meghan, visiting from San Antonio, TX, and loving Seattle

Primrose. Victorian Lace. Stunning. 

Ah, green!

English Daisy

Hearts made of flowers

All the photos were taken at Pike Place Market, Seattle.

Get to know the musicians featured on the playlist:

I Monster

New Buffalo

Hot Chip

Goldfrapp

Kings of Convenience

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I believe my most photographed subject is Seattle.  I have visited many cities as a photographer, but it's my current hometown, this lush Emerald City, the one I find the most photogenic.  Accesorized with quirkiness, breathtaking landscape and colorful people, Seattle is easy on the eyes and to walk around. I wanted to share a few photographs I made these past two days on a several special Shutter Tours we are giving to the attendants of the National Arts Education Association Convention. We have been enjoying a generous, golden sun and crisp days. This is a small sample of what it has been like. 

One of the tour attendants, an art teacher working in Beijing

Benaroya Hall's 2nd Ave facade. Beautiful during the Winter

Pike Place Market sells Harina P.A.N. That means we can make and eat arepas at home

Pansies at Pike Place Market

One of the main attractions at the Market are the stunning flowers

One of the characters that makes Pike Place Market a magical place

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Just wanted to share a few images of this golden, post-downpour afternoon in Seattle.

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Today is the last day of #UnaFotoXdíaX28días. The last assignment is "A message for Venezuela."  My photo is simple. On a background that offers nothing but emptiness, I chose to place children holding hands and flowers. My message is a request: it's my way to ask for peace and understanding in my country. I won't delve deeper into this, as lately, my feelings about what is going on in Venezuela are too stirred up to talk about it. 

Instead, I prefer to talk about photography. A few posts ago, I talked about participating in the photo challenge #UnaFotoXdíaX28días with my school in Venezuela, Roberto Mata Taller de Fotografía. For a photographer, this is a perfect challenge as it keeps participants making images everyday (one of my most important pieces of advice for those going into photography). Also, it spurs creativity and awakens the sense of urgency that spices up a photographer's life. For me, it fueled my need to pursue a story.

It was twenty eight photos for twenty eight days of February. I made photos for the challenge in four different American cities. Some days I hated the fact that I had to poke my brain, grab my camera and figure something out. But most of the time, I was elated; I fulfilled a daily deadline with something of my own creation.

I am pleased with most of the photos and moved to tears by a couple. Also, a very interesting "indoor" series unfolded in my imagination due to the lack of time to go out and shoot. I'm blaming the quality and lack of brightness of the outdoor light that happens on Winter gray days.

This series was done with the help of my wired gadgets (laptop, desktop and smartphone). Some of the images were arrangements of my own photos or those found on the Internet. Some I collaged on the "virtual desktop" of my computers. This last option allowed me to work around "Appropriation", a style that has produced some million-dollar images like the re-photographed Malboro Man by photographer Richard Prince. 

Not that I had those million dollar signs in my head. I utterly enjoyed developing a new body of work that I plan to keep exploring from now on. 

This is the original photo I shot for the last assignment, with my own photo taken in Trujillo State, back in 2005.

These are some of the photos I made by using imagery found in Internet: 

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He never used it other than on pasta until I suggested, two years ago, to try it on bread as the base for bruschetta. It is perfect that way: great texture to hold the cheese, not too runny but liquid enough for the bread to absorb it and soften just the right amount. It's also an excellent complement when combined with sauteed mushrooms. We have tried it with rissotto, too. It goes well with any Italian classic dish.

Today, Ryan had a brilliant idea: to pair up the Arrabiata with lightly breaded chicken breasts and fresh parsley inside Grand Central Bakery's soft and fabulous hoagie rolls (try them, try them and try them!). Believe it or not, it was a light combination, perfect for a quick bite. We enjoyed them very much!

When I posted this photo on Facebook, I immediately got a few compliments. In one of them, I was suggested to "be good to my man." 

Yes, I will be good to my man...and he'll keep the best homemade grub coming!

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Ryan is my favorite subject. Ever since we started dating, I've been after him, torturing his patient self with my camera.  

I think he is handsome. Very handsome. He's not an easy subject to photograph because he is usually running away from me. Only after I gave him my old DSLR, he understood how much of an addiction photographing your significant other can be (now I'm the one running away from his camera all the time).

One of the assignments I had for the #UnaFotoXdíaX28días challenge I talked about here, had to do with hair (or lack of it). Ryan has hair, I know. I always tease him about it. Long story short, I had to beg him to show me his charming self with...you know, a little less hair in some parts of his head. Spanglish in hand, I made him "water" his hair for the photo and forbade him to come close to a comb. 

I think the final image came out wonderful and way more intense and powerful that I ever anticipated.

I love photographing my husband!

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I have been in San Francisco for the past week, exploring the city and falling in love with it.  And while in here, I embarked in a 28 photos x 28 days project with my photography school from Caracas, Roberto Mata Taller de Fotografia, where I started my photography studies back in 2004.   This entry is to show one of the photos I made for Day Uno. The assignment was to find a "T-Rex" (yes, the dinosaur!) and photograph it. Fortunately, my very talented and good friend, artist Ytaelena Lopez, has a piece with a cigar-loving, black and white and kick-ass T-Rex I couldn't pass or resist. Here's the photo of said gentleman.

Also, and thanks to Ryan, I was introduced to Mixtape.me.  Here, people can create playlists and share them with the world.  Because Ryan and I are married thanks to music (we met back in 2007 on Last.fm), I now have a stronger love for it. Sharing music gives me a pleasure I can barely describe. Let's leave that to a small, 6-track mix tape I created to share with people.

Enjoy!

Ryan @ Last.fm (he listens to really great music, no wonder I ended marrying him, right?)

Valentina @ Last.fm

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via travel.nytimes.com

I miss my winter trips to Venice...

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Our fair city was enveloped by several inches of snow yesterday.  It was mayhem!  Ryan and I had to work in an event at Bell Harbor Conference Center, by Seattle's Waterfront. The event was very entertaining and refreshing, and we got to hear Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO, talking about their Delivering Happiness project. 

Besides the photos I had to make for work, I got some images of what was going on around.  Thankfully, the photos are of nicer moments.

After the event, we were able to safely run some errands (swap a Tres Leches for homemade Chicken Stock, bring donations to Goodwill and shop for groceries we need for Thanksgiving), and when we heard things were getting very complicated around town, we headed home.  We spent about 2 hours in traffic, nothing compared to some of our friends' commutes of 5+ hours.  Once at home, we tried to keep people updated with information about I-5 (which we can see from our building), alternative roads and retweeting useful tips as much as possible. 

Ryan is also telling me that the Link Light Rail (Central Link) worked smoothly during the "Snopocalypse". It's good to know this, as it proved to be the safest way of communting during an event like this. 

If you want to read a recap of what happened yesterday, find the #snOMG entries on Twitter.  From desperate commuters to more serious information, to businesses offering specials to stranded people, this hashtag compiles a good amount of information about Seattle Snow Day 2010. 

It looked serene at the Waterfront

A "not so usual" image of the train tracks

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A bite of The Chocolate Tres Leches I'm baking for "Will Bake for Food".

Of all the events I will have attended this year in Seattle, this is the one I'm looking forward to the most.  

 Organized by The Jennys, two friends and Seattle-based bloggers, it began as an idea that developed into a fun, large event.  A fair amount of bloggers will put their culinary skills to work on Saturday, November 20th.  It promises to be a morning and afternoon of sweet and savory delights ranging from gluten-free to fully loaded treats.

Jenny Miller is the pen and heart behind Rainy Day Gal (@rainydaygal1). Jenny Richards is the charming chica behind Purple House Dirt (@purplehousedirt).

The wonderful cause this event will benefit is Nortwest Harvest, Washington's statewide hunger relief agency. Read here for more information about how this event will impact their work.

The beautiful ladies organizing Will Bake for Food put together a list of useful information you will need to get to us!

The Event

Who: Seattle food bloggers, Northwest Harvest, and YOU!

What: Food bloggers from all over this fair city will be baking up their favorite tasty treats with proceeds benefitting Northwest Harvest.

When: Saturday, November 20th, 2010.  10am-2pm (or until we run out!)

Where: University Congregational Church

Ostrander Hall

4515 16th Ave. NE

 Seattle, WA 98105

Why: Because everyone needs healthy, nutritious food. Northwest Harvest supplies over 300 local food banks and food programs in our community.

If you want to tweet and spread the word about Will Bake for Food, don't forget to add the following hashtag: #Bake4Food

Hope to see you there!

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When I moved to Seattle I was ecstatic about a few things.  The air quality, the stunning scenery, the ever-green look of the city and the fact that I could walk to run my errands if I wanted to.  Surrounded by water and mountains, Seattle seemed to me like this natural, magic place where no one can ever get sick.

Plus, every time I visited before moving, it was sunny here.  Of course, I used to scoff at the "rainy city" legendary fame of the Emerald City.

I arrived to my new hometown on June 2nd, 2008, after a marathon-like cross-country drive from Atlanta.  We entered Seattle during a serious downpour.  The rain didn't stop for days.  Yes, Summer 2008 wasn't very sunny.

All right. It rains in Seattle after all.  I began to "mentally prepare" for this, and I thought I had it worked out. I didn't. 

Pounds began to slowly crept and pile up in my body.  My hair began to fall more than normal.  I wasn't very motivated.  I was very sensitive.  At some point, I didn't even know what I was doing in Seattle.  I knew I was (and am) madly in love with the reason I was in Seattle (take a guess!). I adored the city.  Still, something didn't feel quite right.

Then, Fall and Winter came.  I wished I had a special power to make the clocks stop at 3:30 in the afternoon.  Days became short and tormenting. And that feeling of something not being right kept growing.  I found myself wanting to turn into an ostrich, when I'm naturally a festive salsa dancer, for example. One thing I learned back in that time is that I will never use the word depression lightly. 

I grew up and lived until 8 years ago in the Caribbean region of Latin America.  Sun was a given and a companion we soaked in everyday.  Atlanta, my first hometown in the USA, was also mostly sunny.  I never imagined that that orb that I was poetically enamored with was so necessary for us to feel healthy.  Not until I was fiercely deprived of it.

I went through all the ordeals of the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD syndrome).  This is what people colloquially calls "the Winter Blues".  I wish it was as fleeting as a song is but it wasn't. It got etched in me.  I was a sugar monster wiping anything sweet from the face of the earth.  Pounds were out of control, hiking to the top like nobody's business.  Crying became so easy I didn't really needed a reason to do so, and being away from the family during the holidays didn't help.  I also began to suspect that the lack of sun was "killing me softly".

People advised me to do a handful of things to avoid being eaten by SAD.  Some worked, some didn't.  Winter went away and I was still feeling under the weather.  At this point, I still wasn't fully aware of the Vitamin D deficiency syndrome, and that lasted until almost a year later.  When my doctor finally tested me, I was down to 12 ng/mL of blood. The lowest level acceptable is 32 ng/mL of blood and people shouldn't even be there.  When in Caracas, my levels were usually over 60 ng/mL of blood.  No wonder I felt like I was slowly dying inside.

I was prescribed 50,000 IU for three months. Then, and while I live in Seattle and have no access to sun, I was recommended to take 5,000 IU a day. When I began the treatment, it was like I was being injected liquid life.  It was a slow recovery, but every day kept being better and better.  

Taking Vitamin D helps in many ways: is good for bones and joints, and helps with calcium absorption, something very good for preventing osteoporosis; it's been shown it helps preventing certain types of cancer; there's a study by the University of Minnesota that links successful weight loss with healthy Vitamin D levels.  There are many other benefits associated to healthy level in Vitamin D.  

This journey prompted Ryan to start this blog, as a diversion for me, and to document all the "Vitamin D inspired" adventures we embark on.  Some of them include cooking, which we're trying to do as healthy as possible, especially since I began my weight loss program (I gained 50lbs during the process).  Also, traveling has been crucial for my well-being.  I went to Caracas in February, and sat under the sun for two weeks.  We also took a trip to Vegas in March, where I became a walking solar panel.  Sunlight is life: the warmth, the brightness, the soft tingling on the skin. But the best part is the smile it powers for me.

This year, I'm bringing my love to my Caribbean birthplace.  I'll make sure we pack on lots of natural Vitamin D, so that cabinet might take a vacation as well.  Sun and smiles, that's how we are planning to enter 2011.

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor and this is my  personal story, it reflects my own experience.  I am not giving or pretending to give any medical advice on this post.  If you feel you have similar symptoms or want to know more about Vitamin D deficiency, talk to your doctor.  Never take supplements or any medicine without your doctor's advice.  Also, I wasn't payed or approached by any of the brands of vitamins in the photo. It's just an everyday shot of one of my kitchen cabinets. With lots of Vitamin D bottles, I know.

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TEDxRainier took place on 10.10.10, one of the handful of independently organized TEDx happening around the globe that day. If you're not familiar with TED, take a look at what they are doing. For me, it is becoming a cultural phenomenon you can't miss!

I won't be talking about the talks here. The words I heard at this event are still coming down and I am still waiting to digested them.  It was a wonderful event. Even though is started slightly late, it stuck to the schedule very well, an the speakers packed great talks and emotions on their time slots. Most of the talks were powerful, meaninful, provoking and some even moving.  A few were more on the "advertising" side, but, hey, you must let your sponsor spread the word about their products, right? (I confess I'm intrigued by the Volunteer Phone!)

The environment was a key theme that was brought into several of the talks.  Water, as part of this concern, showed up regularly in the presentations.

Overall, it was the place to be on 10.10.10.  I left inspired and moved, and thankful that I was able to participate in such a versatile get together.

Here are some images of the event. The mood is very palpable by looking at the speakers' photographs. Enjoy!

Opening remarks

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Ryan and I got married in Seattle, on Earth Day 2009.  We were fortunate to have a beautiful, small ceremony, and later to get together with friends to toast to our new adventure together.  The only downside was that our families couldn't be with us. 

That's the reason my family-in-law decided to put together a Pensylvannia wedding banquet for us.  We go to Philadelphia every year for Thanksgiving, which worked out perfectly to gather family and friends.  It was lovely!  We had Italian food (a traditional and favorite for Ryan's family), loving hugs and all sorts of conversations on the sunny, crisp Fall afternoon we had our second wedding day. 

Curtains were open, the warm light shined on wine glasses, keeping company to all the affection we got on that Friday. 

(On a side note, I am pretty sure will have a third wedding party in Caracas, where many are waiting to hug us and wish us much happiness. Aren't we lucky, lucky, lucky?)

My camera stayed home and the only camera on site presented a few malfunctions.  That's why the only photo we have is a cellphone one.  I blessed the day our portable phones got cameras on them. I'm a fan and I'm not.  I confess I edited these photos to look "handsome".  Aesthetics aside, I'm grateful for these.  I didn't document just our wedding day celebration, I also snapped some photos while roaming the streets of Philadelphia.

So here they are.  My Philly cellphone photos. Some were taken to remember, some to tweet our whereabouts.  Either way, I see them and say ¡gracias!

Our wedding cake was from Cramer's Bakery.  Located in Yardley, PA, Cramer's has been open since 1946.  My family-in-law has also gotten cakes from here for my father-in-law Jeff's 50th birthday party (custom made with a Philly's logo), and other important events like Grandparents' weddings and birthdays.  The piece that you see there...humm, I pretty much polished it down myself. It was...creamy...delicious...perfect.

For the second time, my darling husband came with me to buy my bridal outfit.  Like the first time, we stayed away from the white dress shop, and he even helped me picking up this burgundy little number (or numbers?) to "walk down the isle." 

An all-American tradition I honored for the first time: the corsage.  Simple, beautiful and elegant.

Us. Perhaps this is the only photo we've got that day.  Handsome husband, right? 

Cosmo, my family's 13-year old dog.  He's a cool "cat".  I thought this was a "picture perfect" quiet moment. 

Oh!  Adventures in Philadelphia. We pick a different Philly Cheesesteak vendor each year.  2009 was Jim's Steak's year. This fine establishment has been serving the famous sandwiches and hoagies for 70 years.  We went to the location they claim is at "the hippiest street in town", South Street (which is a fantastic area to go for food and a stroll).

You might find this very interesting, but I grew up on Cheez Whiz (Yes! In Caracas!). Combine with a warm, just-out-of-the-oven arepa, and you will see heaven.  When I saw this "restaurant-sized" can I almost, almost stole it from the counter. 

The "assembly line" view from the "hunger line".

Capuccino time at La Colombe Torrefacction on Rittenhouse Square.  If you go on a Sunday, this place will be still crowded.  They serve their coffees in beautiful Italian coffee china. It seems all the cups and saucers are different.  After you're done enjoying their "culinary coffee" as they like to call it, stroll around the Square.  We watched a large group of people dancing tango. On another Philly sunny Fall afternoon. Couldn't be better.

If I were your photography professor, I'd challenge you to go around Philadelphia, find these signs, and submerge yourself in developing a series of photos of these.  Both Ryan and I are passionate about history.  Philadelphia oozes it.  And these signs help you remember about it. 

Dinner next time we visit. That's what he said. I pray he was serious about it. 

¡Muchas gracias, Philly!  This one was at Reading Terminal Market. Our quest for fresh and local doesn't stop in Seattle. And this place is amazing.

I am telling you just in case and for when you visit the Reading Terminal Market.  We heard this is something you don't want to miss. *Cries*

"Hi Rachel at Pike Place Market, I'm here at the Reading Terminal Market. Cheers!"

I found the name of these little guys to be funny (hello frogs and toads).  Also, I found out these are called "The Best Choice" when it comes to sustainability, as Croakers fisheries have a minimal impact of ecosystems and the environment. 

Sylvester Stallone commissioned this 10-foot tall statue of Rocky to artist A. Thomas Schomberg.  Rocky wasn't liked at first at the Museum (is he art or just a prop?) so he was moved to the Wachovia Spectrum in the South end of the city.  It kept visiting the Museum, and brought for the filming of several iconic movies such as Philadelphia. Rocky found his way back home in 2006, and lives here. 

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Hot dog, Seattle style: make sure it has a good amount of cream cheese.

Of course, I almost died and went to heaven when I found about this very Seattle way to consume a perro caliente. The first time I tried one was after a Wolf Parade show at Neumos--the Crystal Ball Reading Room--one of the city's most regarded indie music venues.  

(Side note: Wolf Parade is a Sub Pop! band.  For those who don't know, this is a famous Seattle-based indie music record label, which is also the producer for Coco Rosie, Beach House, Album Leaf, The Postal Service, Iron and Wine, Fleet Foxes, Go! Team, among others).

Back to the dogs.  Hot dogs stands are ubiquitous in Seattle as they are all over the US, and in cities like my hometown, Caracas.  Down there, we call them asquerositos (little filthy things) and they are pretty different from the ones you buy in the US.  Let's say they are "slim" in comparison.  

The time to eat hot dogs in Seattle seems to be mostly at night.  As nightclubs begin to get their rivers of bare legs and popped collars in line in Belltown, or lines of legs "painted" with jeans--those pesky skinny ones--stand in and outside bars and music venues in Capitol Hill, the hot dogs vendors pop here and there. These carts have several meaty options such as Kielbasa and Bratwurst, some also offer veggie wieners.  And all of them, always, offer the heavenly, creamy cheese that taste oh-so-good when paired up with sausages.

When walking by any of these hot dog vendors, an interesting mix of customers will be grazing the sidewalk with their presence and chewing: preppy guy with pretty girl; hot girl in ladder-high heels; the papito suave on that girl's arm; University of Washington Husky fans; one of two nearly-extint mohawks barers asking for a second round of kiebalsas. 

Hot dog stands can also be found in some of the city's Farmers Markets.  Dante's Inferno Dogs is a regular cast member of the Ballard Sunday Market. They also attend block parties.  I took the next three photos during one of these--also in Ballard--back in May.

Stick 'em up!  The "Cream Cheese" pistol! (Dear Santa...)

I swear there is cream cheese underneath all that goodness!

At least I have some to show (on Ryan's face).  Here, with our dear friend Maribeth when she came to visit last May, enjoy some Dante's Inferno Dogs

Some prefer to be steady, and open their stores.  Po Dog did so a few months ago, a refreshing addition to the war of the cupcake/ice cream locale proliferation.  They use brioche buns.  That makes any other attempt to review the place unnecesary because this type of bread makes the world a better place (and their dogs phenomenal).  Great ingredients are used here, and that, gets a lot of smiles and happy tastebuds. 

Why, hello, Po Dog's Po 'Nam: Sliced carrots, daikon and Vietnamese herb culantro topped with homemade lemongrass vinaigrette, sesame seeds and cilantro (current special dog as of September 20th, 2010. Please, can it be part of the regular menu? ¿Por favor?)

My dear BFF (Best Food Friend) Hoolie showing us how to eat a dog with lots of glamor!

Which is your favorite hot dog, Seattle?

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