Thoughts and images

Lee Graduates from college!

lynnjake — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:56:08 +0000

For some reason this photo chokes me up every time I look at it. The subjects, Boonlert, Lee and Yia Lor were all my students in high school. They are in the upper end of nine kids. Lee is the youngest of these three, and has graduated from Chico State, the first in her family to do so. They have all grown into smart, big-hearted adults who are comfortable with who they are. They are adult friends now, not my students. I am not even sure how to talk about them other than to say I am so glad I know them and that we are still friends.

It’s interesting how relationships change once kids graduate from high school. Some (the majority) you never hear from again. Some check in every so often, maybe some sort of a touchstone for them, and it’s always nice to hear how everything is going. Then there are those who stick around either virtually or in person, and become your friends. They are such a gift. I am fortunate to have several friends of this category. I treasure them!

March 7: It’s Almond Blossom Time

lynnjake — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:09:43 +0000

It’s that time again, when the almonds burst into bloom, eagerly preparing for their new crop. Almonds are a huge crop in our area. Here they are the main crop, in fact. Forty miles south of here they grow fruit – peaches, prune plums, pears, Asian pears, cherries, pluots, you name it pretty much. But in Chico and the surrounding area it is just almonds and walnuts. And rice.

Last year we had some big storms that took out a lot of almond trees. They have fairly shallow roots and a lot of them blew over in the wind. In later storms many of the bloossoms were lost on the remaining trees. For all that they’ve grown here for so long, it seems that being an almond farmer is pretty delicate here.

Just yesterday I read that now more and more farmers are taking out their almonds and putting in walnuts. Also that the CSUChico farm is working on a species of almonds better suited to conditions in this area. Who knew? How did they make it this long?

March 6: Hot Cheetos and Valentina? In your backpack?

lynnjake — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:00:32 +0000

For years I’ve had a vendetta against Hot Cheetos in the classroom. The kids are addicted to them, and they sneak them in daily. They did it in high school too. For the first couple of years it didn’t bother me for some reason. Then one September when a kid held up those red powdery fingers and asked if he could go wash his hands I just had had enough. No more. No more Cheeto fingers, no more going to take a drink of water during class because of Cheeto-induced thirst. I was done.

Since moving to the middle school, I realize that it is the same here. Only here one kid will bring them to share with others, so they are always sneaking into each other’s backpacks to grab a handful of the little treats. They don’t realize that they are easy to smell and nearly impossible to hide from me.

Today right before the bell rang for morning break I noticed some surrepticious activity in a backpack and when I went to investigate Carlos was pouring some Valentina hot sauce on his Hot Cheetos, getting ready for break. He said,” Don’t worry Ms. Jacobs. I’m not eating them in class. I’m just getting ready.”

I gaped into his backpack and then asked him to come to my desk. Scared, he brought his backpack up. I got out my camera, burst out laughing and said, “This is a topper. Your backpack is my photo of the day today!” I took the photo, the bell rang and he was gone, off to eat his Cheetos.

March 5: Karina takes Photos

lynnjake — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:20:27 +0000

I stayed after school to watch the seventh graders play basketball, and as I sat in a chair on the stage, I notice one of my former high school students walk in with her three children. As we sat and talked and watched the game, her youngest daughter, Karina, took the camera and began taking photos of the game. I was impressed with her eye, as she zoomed in and out, centering on the action of the game.

I chose this shot because she is such a picture! Notice how grainy it is? The lighting in our gym is so bad, I had to set the camera for 400ISO, and brighten the flash to get anything to show up much. This really isn’t my preferred way to shoot, but to get a shot of little Karina, it’s worth it!

March 4: My Obsession?

lynnjake — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:49:22 +0000

Last weekend I was showing some of my photos to my friend Steve, and he said that he just doesn’t see the fascination with the sky shots. He said there’s no story there, they’re just pretty. To some degree, and in some shots, I agree with him. But for some reason I am compelled to try to capture what I see in the huge sky under which I travel each day. To me it is as much a part of the scenery of my drive as what is happening on Earth. on the dirt part.

I’ve been thinking about this tonight, wondering why I am so compelled to take shots of the sky. The skyscape. This is not a new obsession. I’ve been doing it for years. There is just something about trees silhouetted against the drama of some really amazing clouds that I can’t resist. The difference now is that I am often driving when I take them, and before I wouldn’t have thought of doing that. Who knew I would turn out to be such a risk taker, such an edge-liver? It’s like I can’t help myself.

There is something so pure and out there about skies like this. They are a reflection of all that is, in some way. They elevate my spirit and I guess I just need to try to capture that lately. Seems like as good a reason as any, and in that lies the story.

March 3: Back door in the night

lynnjake — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:04:39 +0000

“It was a dark and story night…” Doesn’t this photo look like the opening ot a novel? The photo ops just keep on unfolding. Two years ago my back deck was rotting, so my son tore it off and built me a new one. Unfortunately I had a giant mudhole for a good while, but eventually this lovely new deck came to pass. This year I’ll work on some shade for it.

March 2: Circles of Light

lynnjake — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:59:05 +0000

Oh, I love light painting. Tonight I went to Costco at the last minute, and when I came out the lights of the shopping center across the street looked so intresting to me. Having no photo of hte day yet, I decided to take a shot of the. I’m always looking for an opportunity to practice light painting, so grabbed it here. Just after I took this one it began to rain in earnest. So much for my night photography for today!

March 1:Cyclamen

lynnjake — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:52:47 +0000

I think Cyclamens are my favorite flower, at least for my shady yard. They bloom from winter all through summer, and then reseed and come back each year. It is this color that is so sturdy, for some reason. They are a little expensive to buy but are a longterm investment, so worth it! One word of caution though, from my experience: if you plant them in a pot, the squirrels will dig them up to bury nuts below them. Bummer. They seem okay in the ground however.

This little garden will fill up with Hostas and other perenniels as spring comes on. They cyclamen are just its harbingers. So nice.

February 28: The retiring dragon

lynnjake — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:45:45 +0000

At the Bok Kai parade in Marysville this year they retired the old dragon who has served for the past 18 years and awakened a new one. I just love the softer colors of the old one. The ritual dance of the dragons was so exciting to see and hear. Gongs, drums, cymbals and hundreds of firecrackers, the air filed with smoke, the dragons winding tightly, then unwinding to face one another. It was so great. After it was all over, Mayaoel said that she wants to come every year from now on. I’m with her.

February 27: Chinatown, Marysville, CA

lynnjake — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:39:52 +0000

This building is the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Marysville California. Marysville is one of the Gold Rush towns in the 1850w. Some memvers of the Donner party were the early settlers here. During the Gold Rush, many Chinese came here as well. Apparently the Chinese settlement in Marysville was the second largest in California. You wouldn’t know it now; just a few buildings remain today. But it has such a nice feeling about it. I love to go there, even though there is nothing at all to do there. It’s just two quiet blocks. Tomorrow the Bok Kai parade will pass right by this building. The community elders will be sitting on the balcony, overseeing the passage of the old and new dragons in the ceremonial event.