tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82956709943445621532012-01-28T15:21:07.267-08:00F-stops, bokeh & miscellanyDawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.comBlogger3261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-29554992182119140882012-01-28T15:11:00.000-08:002012-01-28T15:21:07.278-08:00

You may know that I love taking pictures of signs. While in New York there were a number of signs some amused me, some puzzled me, and some were informative. Here are a few of them.What are you supposed to do when it says walk and don't walk at the same time?We had breakfast at the Stardust Diner with my aunt, uncle and cousin. A very fun place but not good if you want to actually have a

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-77360061212520268912012-01-16T18:38:00.000-08:002012-01-16T18:50:21.071-08:00

There were lots of things to celebrate this week. Sunday is the 1 year anniversary of the adoption of Tag & Koda. I tried to commemorate the day by taking their pictures. Tag is cooperative:Koda not so much. It was cute to see her playing she doesn't do this often but doesn't make for a good picture.Later she was sitting on the bed and I though oh this is perfect. As soon as she saw the camera

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-87181067066230552132012-01-07T18:44:00.000-08:002012-01-07T18:54:30.258-08:00

This year I'm switching the 52 week project up a bit. Instead of 1 photo I will post multiple photos from the week. Some weeks all photos will be taken at the same shoot others will be over multiple shoots. This week all photos are from my New Years Day stroll along Alki beach in West Seattle.The light hitting the mountains was spectacular. The clouds always make for an interesting

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-88076633774938371742011-12-31T15:18:00.000-08:002011-12-31T15:45:00.615-08:00

It's hard to believe 2011 is coming to an end tonight. What a difference 12 months make. It is hard to believe how much my life has changed since last year. Last year at this time I was living alone now I share my home with 2 monsters, a big yellow beast, and my new fiance. Luckily I have a nice new bigger kitchen to accommodate the new additions.I did a little bit of travel in 52 weeks I took

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-653096105355217602011-12-30T19:47:00.000-08:002011-12-30T19:57:40.268-08:00

Wow what a sense of accomplishment writing that blog title. Week 52 yup that's right I did it. I managed to take at least 1 photo every week. I'm not sure whether my photography got any better along the way but I did challenge myself. I am going to try and keep this going next year. There's already a lot planned for the year trips to NYC in January, Russian River Valley in February, Boston in

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-2478350675186636912011-12-24T21:40:00.000-08:002011-12-24T21:53:11.957-08:00

I apologize for not sending Christmas cards out this year. I had every intention to take this photo before I went on vacation but I didn't get around to it. Once I got back I had other things on my mind. While I wasn't able to go home this year for Christmas I am very lucky to be spending the holidays with people that I love. Merry Christmas from me, Dave, Paddy, Koda & Tag (the cats were smart

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-70794112470801449622011-12-17T13:33:00.001-08:002011-12-17T18:32:49.465-08:00

This week's photo was supposed to be of Antarctica but as some of you probably know I didn't quite make it there. Mechanical difficulties with the boat prevented me from reaching my 7th continent. It was a bit of a stressful week not knowing whether the cruise was going to leave and then trying to figure out what to do instead. After looking at all my options I decided just to come home early. It

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-6182642958608703662011-12-17T13:19:00.000-08:002011-12-17T13:30:48.243-08:00

The trip I've been planning for a year finally arrived this week. A week in Argentina - Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego. I did a catamaran tour around penguin island and saw all sorts of wildlife. Such an amazing place with the mountains surrounding the boat. I did remember to put the camera down and just enjoy the scenery at times. So many pictures you just can't capture. I will definitely go

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-23418511205982087932011-12-17T13:13:00.000-08:002011-12-17T13:19:23.383-08:00

Second yearly tradition of going to a Seahawks game the Sunday after Thanksgiving with my dad.Got great seats for the game. Too bad the weather wasn't better, a teeny bit cold but that's what you get for football in November in Seattle.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-55217185648550542132011-11-24T12:07:00.001-08:002011-11-24T12:27:07.610-08:00

I am hosting my second Thanksgiving in Seattle in a few hours. What started out as a meal for about 12 has grown to 20 people over the last few days. I think there is plenty of food and if not I'll make PB & J sandwiches. This is what the place looks like now. In a little while it will be filled with friends and food.I have a lot to be thankful for below is just a small sampling of what I am

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-34836282296247327832011-11-19T11:07:00.000-08:002011-11-19T11:11:58.846-08:00

Earlier this month a big yellow beast and her owner moved into the condo. The monsters have been slowly getting adjusted to the big yellow beast. There has been a great deal of progress and Tag has been feeling rather adventurous this week and spending more and more time around the beast. I would like to take this opportunity to introducing my readership to P-Doggy AKA "the big yellow beast" or "

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-48447879571351447342011-11-13T12:22:00.001-08:002011-11-13T12:26:30.187-08:00

On Friday 11/11/11 I had the honor of attending the wedding of my friends Clint & Leigh. I also had the honor of photographing the wedding. I don't normally photograph people and I've never photographed a wedding so I was very worried. The ceremony was great and I was happy to be a part of their day. I am thankful that some of the shots I took came out well. I will post more after I have a chance

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-27990847279123880332011-11-02T20:22:00.000-07:002011-11-02T20:40:45.606-07:00

Sunday was an important day in Football the New England Patriots faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. Normally this game means nothing to me, what changed it this year is Dave is a die hard Steelers fan and he really dislikes the Patriots. The intense dislike comes from the fact that the Patriots typically beat the Steelers. I wanted to wager on the game but Dave was too afraid to place an actual bet

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-9558217456160910662011-11-02T20:17:00.001-07:002011-11-02T20:21:37.228-07:00

If you're not already jealous of me you will be now. This is the view I have from my cube. I know poor me having to look out over the Space Needle every day. Location: Seattle, WACamera: Android

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-30083916743611990972011-11-02T19:31:00.001-07:002011-11-02T19:58:56.066-07:00

For those of you that know Seattle may be familiar with the viaduct. A double decker road through town. There is currently a large construction project under way to tear down the viaduct and replace it with a tunnel. On October 22 the viaduct was closed and pedestrian traffic was allowed on the bridge. I was very excited at the opportunity to walk the bridge. I was prepared for the worse in terms

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-17991689603534441162011-10-26T18:45:00.000-07:002011-10-26T19:00:35.841-07:00

Fall is pumpkin season, so my photo club went out to Jubilee Farms in Carnation for some seasonal shooting. Saw a catapult throw a pumpkin, fell down a hill and took some photos. My favorite though was this sign. I found it funny that pigs think fingers are food because I think pigs are food. BACON! More photos from this day are on my Flickr phot stream Camera: Canon 7DLocation: Seattle, WA

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-58714012652163983642011-10-25T21:22:00.000-07:002011-10-25T21:34:45.573-07:00

I agreed to go to Kansas City even though I had knocked Missouri off my list of states in June for 2 reasons. 1) I was promised a trip to Kansas so I could cross that off the list and 2) While in Kansas I would indulge in some of the best BBQ in the states. Imagine my surprise when I was taken to a gas station in Kansas for lunch! To be honest I was told ahead of time that Oklahoma Joe's is in a

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-54167955973936232592011-10-01T16:40:00.000-07:002011-10-01T16:51:33.178-07:00

Last weekend I went non-digital. Took out my polaroid and fisheye and enjoyed a beautiful fall day with friends.Week 38: UFOs at Discovery ParkSaturday I got together with the Flickr Peeps for a lo-fi stroll in Discovery Park. The sun was shining so it was a good day to take the polaroid out. I do love the impossible project the film always produces some interesting artifacts. This one there

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-81298485990954781152011-09-26T20:13:00.000-07:002011-09-26T20:39:09.058-07:00

I'm a little behind on my blog posts. That's because I've been busy celebrating my birthday this month. I decided instead of only having a single day or a birthday week I was going to celebrate all month. If I was going to celebrate all month it couldn't just be in Seattle there had to be multiple cities and not just cities but countries.Week 35: A Room With a ViewI kicked off the birthday

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-85091463992936540632011-08-27T09:34:00.000-07:002011-08-27T09:39:08.828-07:00

Wednesday evening I went to the Brandi Carlile concert at the zoo. It was a great show and an amazing sunset occurred during the encore which made it even better. As the sun was going down Brandi Carlile was singing Johnny Cash, maybe I should have shot video instead of a photo so you could hear the soundtrack to this beautiful sunset. Camera: Android Location: Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-74579320178826684322011-08-14T14:32:00.000-07:002011-08-14T15:19:17.991-07:00

I just love getting up at 5 AM on a Sunday followed by strenuous exercise. Today was the triathlon I've been training for. This year I decided to do a longer distance tri but still a sprint the total distances were 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike and a 5K run. That's a lot of exercise for early in the morning. The weather was perfect today about 60 degrees the water was about the same temperature so

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-27352224596962846982011-08-13T09:52:00.001-07:002011-08-13T10:02:01.378-07:00

One of my goals of this 52 week project was to get over to gasworks park to take some photos. I've been there a couple of times but never have taken my camera. This week provided me just the opportunity I needed, a friend from the UK office was over and wanted to go on a photo stroll. Luckily the weather co-operated for us. I really wanted to make this my photo of the week as I do love

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-66592001882198692212011-08-07T13:10:00.000-07:002011-08-07T13:29:53.223-07:00

I dedicate this blog post to my sisters Amy & Melissa. While we have had our shares of fights and drama it always works out in the end. I consider myself very lucky to be your middle sister. I would like to say I will save this wine until we are all together to drink it but who knows when that will be so instead just know that I will be thinking of you as I drink this.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-76696472071890960092011-07-30T10:36:00.001-07:002011-07-30T10:45:53.413-07:00

Things have been quite hectic lately so my apologies for not updating the blog. I've been on the road the past week a mix of both pleasure and business. We'll start with the pleasure. I went back to where I grew up for my high school reunion. It's amazing that it has been 20 years since I graduated, it doesn't seem like it at all. It was great to catch up and reconnect with friends I hadn't seen

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-33635461817112396892011-07-17T10:37:00.000-07:002011-07-17T10:49:42.591-07:00

Saturday night decided to try something completely different for dinner. Original intention was to go to Dahlia Lounge but unfortunately we didn't have reservations it was an hour and half wait for a table and there were no seats at the bar, as a result Dave & I ended up at Lola right across the street. A quick glance at the menu and I noticed the tangine section, I immediately knew what I was

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-68980368115445140622011-07-10T09:48:00.000-07:002011-07-10T10:00:09.703-07:00

Cooking for 50 people isn't easy. Cooking for 50 people without a functional kitchen is even harder. I agreed to help a friend with a BBQ on the 4th of July, he has an amazing rooftop deck that looks out over Lake Union and the fireworks. Luckily I was able to borrow a kitchen on Sunday night to cook the pulled pork, went the easy route with the pulled chicken (bought rotissere chicken and pulled

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-6857253654550741392011-06-27T17:06:00.000-07:002011-06-27T17:32:49.107-07:00

Wow, first off I can't believe that I am halfway through my 52 week project. While I admit I haven't been prompt about getting the photos posted I am thoroughly impressed with myself that I haven't missed a single week yet. The last three weeks have been rather busy for me two road trips and the start of my kitchen remodel. More details in the photos below..Week 24: Sekiu at NightJune 17-18 I

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-23652936577097260082011-06-12T09:28:00.000-07:002011-06-12T09:32:52.797-07:00

I have very little will power when it comes to cupcakes. This week I indulged in a Rhubarb Raspberry from Cupcake Royale. It tasted as good as it looks.Camera: Android camera phoneLocation: Seattle

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-11271537717002236262011-06-06T17:27:00.000-07:002011-06-06T18:03:34.318-07:00

I am incredibly lucky to have two sisters that are among my best friends. Seven years ago we instituted a tradition of a sister vacation. Last weekend marked the fourth annual sister vacation and it was a blast. These trips are a great way for us to unwind, relax, laugh, be silly and catch up. The destination for this year's adventure was St Louis, MO. Why there and why in the middle of a heat

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-57949570941649837432011-05-29T11:39:00.000-07:002011-06-01T18:40:09.878-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Seattle. I spent the afternoon at a BBQ at Carkeek Park with friends. Wandered down to the shore and snapped these two unsuspecting souls. I rarely take pictures of people but this scene caused many things to run through my head. Who are these people, what are they talking about, did that they know were being stalked by a photographer?Location: Carkeek Park,

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-49353727455717777652011-05-19T18:17:00.000-07:002011-06-01T18:39:39.100-07:00

Tonight after work I went hunting for geese, more specifically goslings. This is all a result of my co-worker Greg. Yesterday morning he sent out an email with photos he took on his bike ride into work featuring 2 baby goslings. I decided I must go find them. This morning I packed my camera in my pannier with the plan to hunt these goslings down after work. The plan was successful and I shot a

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-57329577536800710582011-05-13T21:31:00.000-07:002011-05-13T22:08:04.697-07:00

I had a very quick trip to NYC to attend a conference on Monday and was lucky to be able to squeeze in a great dinner at Loeb Central Park Boathouse with my cousin Sheila. If you've never been the view is amazing and the food is just as good, I highly recommend it. For dinner I had the mixed green salad, Jumbo shrimp with roasted fingerling potatoes, garlic confit and parsley sauce. Topped off

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-20852054048582973232011-05-07T16:54:00.000-07:002011-05-07T17:20:48.603-07:00

This week has been super busy not with work or travel but with a new project I have taken on. as a result I have not had a chance to go out with my camera. I have decided to renovate my kitchen which has resulted in this week being filled with meetings with my designer, researching stuff on line, interviewing contractors, viewing samples of counter tops and cabinets. Holy moly this is a lot of

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-79801437485987889652011-05-01T16:14:00.000-07:002011-05-01T16:24:16.588-07:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day for a hike. A 1.5 hour car drive and a 15 minute ferry and I was at Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island for a 6 mile hike along the bluffs. Clear blue skies & big white clouds, it really doesn't get much better than this. I have a feeling this is going to be the first of many hikes over the next coming months.For more photos from the hike check out my photostreamCamera:

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-42080695770597080102011-04-23T13:12:00.001-07:002011-04-23T13:22:33.452-07:00

Today I woke up at 3:45AM to drive up to Skagit Valley with my Flickr peeps. A very early hour but needed in order to catch the sunrise. The trip was well worth it got a lot of great shots. This is one of my favorites of the day.Camera: Canon 7DLocation: Skagit Valley, WAMore photos from the trip can be seen here.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-32330293778961118012011-04-17T12:06:00.000-07:002011-04-17T12:49:30.983-07:00

It is amazing how much a place changes throughout the day. I tend to get up early even while I am on vacation to get shots without lots of tourists in my photos as well as take advantage of the "golden hour". This enables me to get photos such as this. About an hour later this isn't possible as there are just too many people milling about. At night there is a much different feel to places and

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-70832688833981033182011-04-14T19:19:00.001-07:002011-04-14T19:25:35.506-07:00

Sunday evening sunset from Piazza Michelangelo. This is the last picture I took on the trip, a beautiful way to end the weekend. Florence is a wonderful city and I had a great time wandering around, climbing the bastille, biking through the Tuscan countryside and eating a gelato or two.Camera: Canon 7DLocation: Firenze (Florence), Italy

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-18097686596427083822011-04-07T04:35:00.000-07:002011-04-07T04:54:34.733-07:00

My travels around Europe this week have taken me to Darmstadt, Germany and Milan, Italy. The photos for this week aren't the greatest but rather they contrast the two experiences I had in Gemany & Italy. The hotel room in Darmstadt was a little on the small side. I'm used to small hotel rooms but this seemed tinier than usual. I think my dorm room in college was bigger than this. I had dinner at

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-10331363785778421812011-04-02T09:21:00.000-07:002011-04-02T09:56:40.474-07:00

Week 13 means I am officially 25% completed with this project. I am probably going to jinx myself but I have to say this has been pretty easy so far. For those of you paying attention to the blog you may notice that I've changed the layout and format a little bit. My blog posts will now include which camera the photo was taken with and the location. In 13 weeks I have used 5 different cameras and

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-55065099847960338052011-03-20T19:14:00.000-07:002011-04-02T09:21:21.120-07:00

This will be the only self portrait I post during this project. Today I participated in The Big Climb to raise money for Lymphomia & Leukemia; 1,311 steps up to the top of Columbia Tower. I finished in a little over 20 minutes. This is me after the race with the tower in the back. Gotta love my double chin :) Camera: AndroidLocation: Seattle, WA

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-77717266961753848582011-03-20T16:13:00.001-07:002011-04-02T09:21:02.684-07:00

Impulse purchases are the best. In Glazer's on Thursday to pick up some supplies they had some Lomography Fisheye 2 cameras so I picked one up. Had a bit of fun shooting with it over the weekend. I do need to get used to the framing of it and remember to turn on the flash. Many of the shots were too dark even though it was 800 ISO film.The photo below is of one of the lovely trees in bloom on

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-86845425277389005572011-03-12T09:06:00.000-08:002011-04-02T09:20:40.411-07:00

This week work took me to Philadelphia and Minneapolis. Ike came along for the ride and I think the pictures say it all. Ike's in Love!Camera: Canon 7DLocation: Philadelphia, PA

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-52438370522536671192011-03-05T12:58:00.000-08:002011-04-02T09:20:04.570-07:00

I can't believe I am 9 weeks into this project and haven't yet posted any photos of the new additions to my family. I adopted Tag and Koda in the beginning of January, they were supposedly a "bonded pair." Not sure I agree with that. They don't seem to spend any time with one another unless they are fighting. As a result I am unable to get a photo of the two of them together. So for week 9 I am

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-63054756428770068572011-02-25T20:38:00.000-08:002011-04-02T09:19:39.036-07:00

I inherited a Polaroid 600 from my friend Leilah last week. She has too many cameras so I volunteered to help relieve her of the excess. You might be thinking why would I want a Polaroid they stopped making film a number of years ago, but film is still available. A group called The Impossible Project still produces film. I picked up a box of their Silver Shade film at the local camera shop and I

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-83864714477270989592011-02-18T20:26:00.000-08:002011-04-02T09:18:56.575-07:00

For the past 2 nights I've packed up my camera and tripod, drove into West Seattle to photograph the full moon. Last night the clouds did not co-operate and there was no moon. Tonight was a different story. An hour standing outside in the freezing cold paid off. My favorite photos from the past 2 evenings can be found here Camera: Canon 7dLocation: Seattle, WA

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-3384163170441143112011-02-10T18:55:00.001-08:002011-04-02T09:18:32.591-07:00

I'm cheating a bit and combining weeks 5 & 6 into a single post. The photos were taken across the 2 weeks as the weeks for the project run Sunday to Saturday. I'm also cheating by including more than 1 shot for each week. I spent last weekend in San Francisco, the weather was great. I took a nice bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito on Saturday. Prior to the bike ride I had

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-48547442532016031822011-01-25T21:18:00.001-08:002011-04-02T09:18:02.673-07:00

BirdyOriginally uploaded by expatdawnAs a change of pace this week's photo was taken with my droid. It makes a handy multi-purpose point & shoot. Without the droid I wouldn't have been able to get this shot since as soon as I walked into the aviary room at the zoo my camera lens fogged up. Just a teeny bit of a temperature difference between the outside and the inside.Camera: AndroidLocation:

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-87371361988417007842011-01-23T10:46:00.001-08:002011-01-23T11:04:17.408-08:00

This week I got the 2 rolls of Kodachrome I shot back from Dwayne's. When I looked at the scanned CD I was incredibly disappointed with the quality. The pictures were all faded and had a very bluish tint. Looking at the slides themselves they seemed to be fine.I took the slides and headed over to Glazer's to see if they could scan one in so I could confirm that the scan job was done incorrectly.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-57327747267797721422011-01-16T19:36:00.001-08:002011-04-02T09:17:40.943-07:00

Breakfast timeOriginally uploaded by expatdawnLast year I was bad and didn't take Ike out any of my outings and adventures. This year as part of the 52 week project I plan to take him out more often. Expect to see him in more photos as the year progresses. For those of you not familiar with Ike you can learn all about where he came from and the adventures he's been on.This picture was taken at

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-41510876604204146942011-01-10T19:05:00.001-08:002011-04-02T09:17:17.197-07:00

Week 2 - NeedlesOriginally uploaded by expatdawnYesterday I took a crash course in B & W photography at Photographic Center Northwest offered via Groupon. It has been years since I had been in a darkroom and developed my own prints. This is a scanned copy of my print. I definitely miss printing in the darkroom and am considering etiher taking a longer course at PCNW or getting a membership

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-4269849272979413172011-01-02T20:09:00.000-08:002011-04-02T09:16:56.527-07:00

This year I have decided to undertake a 52 week project, I will take at least 1 photograph a week. I know that probably doesn't sound hard given the amount of pictures I take. This blog will be resurrected to document this endeavor. Today I went for a walk at Lake Washington and captured this one. I don't know why they didn't just say birds instead of waterfowl as birds would have fit on one line

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-63688522868554246882010-07-11T12:16:00.001-07:002010-07-11T13:26:15.748-07:00

For some inexplicable reason I decided to participate in a triathlon this summer. I found an all women's super sprint in Federal Way 1/4 mile swim (410 yards), 8 Mile bike (13K), and a 2 mile run (3.3K). I've always stayed away from triathlons because of the run, I'm not a big runner but I figured I could easily walk 2 miles so I decided to go for it. The worst part about the race was having to

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-91352481591638256422010-06-12T07:53:00.000-07:002010-06-12T08:08:15.511-07:00

It's hard to believe that I left England one year ago for Seattle. It has been quite an eventful year.I bought a condo in SeattleSold the house in MATook sailing lessonsHad Lasik surgery and am now glasses free (I should have done this years ago)Went to the OlympicsVisited 2 states I had never been to before - only 16 more to go before I've seen all 50 statesTo celebrate my 1 year anniversary

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-56076636991296131912010-02-21T18:18:00.000-08:002010-02-21T19:16:43.417-08:00

The last week and a half have been rather adventurous. I decided in November to finally have Lasik surgery. After getting a consultation and finding out I was a good candidate I had to wait about 2 months for the surgery. As of Thursday February 11th I am glasses free and now have 20/20 vision. The surgery itself was quick I was in the procedure room for only about 10 minutes, each eye took no

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-8341856210670382792009-12-31T18:55:00.000-08:002009-12-31T19:22:34.667-08:00

Yes that's how often I've been blogging lately, and my apologies for not having kept up with this. I have no good excuses and it isn't that my life has been uneventful lately. I'm not making any promises but I will try and do a better job of blogging in 2010. Wow it's hard to believe that 2009 and another decade is behind us. When the year started I wasn't sure if I would be staying in London or

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-61540428997092982512009-10-01T21:31:00.000-07:002009-10-01T22:27:07.635-07:00

I have definitely been doing my part the last few weeks to stimulate the economy. Bad things happen when I am given a car for a week and can do all the shopping I want. A quick trip to my favorite store - Costco - there's no way to get out of there without less than spending $300. If I had avoided the wine section I might have been able to do it, but what fun would that be. As of this week I

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-31815675213934958772009-09-08T20:33:00.000-07:002009-09-08T20:48:24.495-07:00

I left work early today to go and get my WA state driver's license. I read through the site and thought I had everything that I needed. As you can guess that wasn't actually the case. The web site says you need to bring the following:1) Proof of Identity2) Proof of Washington state residence3) Social security numberAs it turns out my MA driver's license did not count as proof of ID as required

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-72440829679980148662009-09-06T09:48:00.000-07:002009-09-06T13:47:53.058-07:00

This weekend I took a couple of steps towards becoming a true Seattlite. I attended Bumbershoot on Saturday and registered to vote. Bumbershoot is a music and arts festival that takes place Labor Day Weekend at Seattle Center - bands, comedy shows, food, and more. I ended up leaving before the evening bands took the stage as I was exhausted after being there from when the gates opened. I

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-8474178197232757082009-08-31T18:38:00.000-07:002009-08-31T18:51:14.450-07:00

First off my apologies for not blogging in the month of August, it isn't that nothing was happening in my life I just wasn't feeling up to writing. I've settled into my new place quite nicely. The first few weeks I went on a spending frenzy buying all the necessities - grill, chairs for the deck, stereo speakers, receiver, DVD player, bedroom furniture, a spare bed, a bike (OK so the bike

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-66874535137408243952009-08-02T17:50:00.000-07:002009-08-02T18:28:56.287-07:00

After about 20 hours of unpacking, moving, trips to the shops, etc the condo looks somewhat inhabitable. The movers did a great job and almost everything was unpacked and set up when they left after 4 hours. While items were out of boxes they still needed to be put away which takes time especially when I kept getting side tracked. I would go into one room to move something I would get

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-5814196449249632842009-07-31T20:58:00.000-07:002009-07-31T21:16:16.188-07:00

I finally got the keys to the condo today at 4 PM. It was such a relief to finally have them in my hands and know that everything was worth it in the end. When I got to the condo the first thing I did was measure the space for the television. I've been worried that the 46" television I bought was too big and that the space was only 36" imagine my surprise when the space measured 44" the

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-65663694205687862062009-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:002009-07-29T16:25:03.115-07:00

Today was the hottest day in the history of Seattle. Temperatures at SEA-TAC reached 102 - now that's hot! In other news after a week of anxiety and running around in circles Chase finally decided to approve my mortgage. I'm not sure if it set a record for the most run-around and incompetence ever encountered for a loan but it sure felt that way. I know that the housing market is different now

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-2413024542519408832009-07-24T19:48:00.000-07:002009-07-24T20:10:04.232-07:00

OK I'm not really homeless but I haven't yet closed on my condo and it was supposed to happen today. On Wednesday and Thursday morning I got the bank everything they needed from me so I thought we were set. At about 10 AM today I got a phone call that information was still needed from the condo association and insurance agents. I'm not 100% sure what happened and why they were not asking for

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-31125968289108700662009-07-23T15:39:00.000-07:002009-07-23T15:53:40.246-07:00

Yesterday was not a good day for me. I woke up showered and checked my blackberry before heading to work. There was an email from my mortgage lender with an update on the closing which is supposed to be taking place on Friday. Starts out that the loan is out of underwriting - yippee, oh wait keep reading there is a long list of conditions and the closing needs to be pushed back a week.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-53990839897133133462009-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:002009-07-21T13:26:24.219-07:00

It is funny how quickly you forget things. Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time in about 2 months and was at a loss while looking at the equipment. No I hadn't forgotten how to use the equipment I wasn't sure what I should be using for weight settings. You see in London the weights are all listed in KG while here they are in pounds. After some trial and error I think I managed to

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-51283209213262275062009-07-19T17:02:00.000-07:002009-07-19T17:31:20.870-07:00

Woo-hoo! The flight from Boston to Seattle gave me premier status on United. I would have had it months ago except for a minor snafu on my return flight from Singapore. The flight home brought up a couple of interesting points. First some questions:1) How is it possible for an airline to oversell a flight by 25 seats? I can see 5 or maybe 10 but on a flight with 120 seats how can you oversell

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-36380714924539152622009-07-17T16:20:00.000-07:002009-07-17T16:41:02.859-07:00

Today was the day that my stuff in storage was to be packed up and sent on its merry way to Seattle. I got the call yesterday that they would be at the storage place between 12:30 and 1:00. I then got a second call saying we'll be in touch as we may be sooner but should be there by 1. Great so I made plans to visit a friend in the late afternoon. I went out and did some errands in the

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-41736369996083298722009-07-05T15:50:00.000-07:002009-07-05T16:13:41.330-07:00

After a shaky start this morning with the Zipcar I did end up having success with the furniture adventure today. I got to the car, plugged in the handy dandy GPS and low and behold no power to the device tried everything a could and no luck. Called Zipcar and they were able to change my reservation to another car which was good. The new car was a mini - never having driven a mini before I was a

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-82729292627121739272009-07-04T11:35:00.000-07:002009-07-04T11:55:37.198-07:00

Another milestone in my repatriation today. My first 4th of July! To celebrate the long weekend I am spending lots of money. Yesterday I went with a friend to Fry's and bought a snazzy new Samsung 46" LCD HDTV quite drool worthy. I was torn between the 40 and 46" but in the end I decided the space is large enough that it can handle the larger TV. I am so tempted to open the box and set it

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-27453600870266037912009-07-01T11:23:00.000-07:002009-07-01T11:43:40.051-07:00

Today an electrician came and inspected the condo I was hoping to buy and good news. Everything is fine, this means all systems go YEAH! The sellers are very motivated to sell and actually had an electrician in earlier this week to fix some of the minor issues with GFIs not installed and broken outlets. The agent also relayed information on how the arcing in the fuse box happened. It has nothing

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-68719430768232147932009-06-28T18:02:00.003-07:002009-06-28T18:24:07.276-07:00

It's really hard to believe that I've only been in Seattle for 2 weeks, ok to be precise it's been 16 days. It seems like it's been so much longer, probably because I've packed so much into this time. Before I go on any further here are some of the pictures I've been promising. The apartment I'm currently staying in: The hill I have to walk down and up every single day, I probably should

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-72509716592781814262009-06-25T18:32:00.002-07:002009-06-25T19:00:32.546-07:00

Wow it seems like I've barely had any free time and that's probably because I haven't between trying to find a place, work and travel I've been going crazy the last week. I had to go to NYC for meetings earlier this week and had an impromptu visit with some family. It was great. I hadn't been to NYC in about 3 years, since then travel has sure changed. Taxis in NY now accept credit cards it

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-4313223653302360192009-06-17T16:25:00.002-07:002009-06-17T16:45:11.506-07:00

Wow my first blog as a re-pat. That just doesn't have the same ring to it as expat. First off let me apologize for not posting sooner but the Internet connection at my apartment is absolute crap. If you are ever tempted to go with a service from Clearwire run away don't do it. The speed has been worse than dial-up if I can even get a connection. Last night I did go out and get a Verizon

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-45842149737568046622009-06-12T02:54:00.003-07:002009-06-12T03:25:34.092-07:00

Today's the day in a couple of hours I'm off to the airport thus ending my adventures as an expat. I've thought for a while about what I could possibly say to summarize my time here and the words just don't seem adequate. It has really been an amazing time and I am so glad I had this opportunity it is sad to see it come to an end. There are still so many places I didn't get to see, but I guess

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-74244241138911198302009-06-10T09:30:00.003-07:002009-06-10T09:43:48.463-07:00

I've gotten a lot of questions about the move so I figured I would take some time to answer the questions.When are you leaving?Friday June 12th at 3:15 PM.Are you happy to be going home and being closer to your family?I'm not going home. Home is on the east coast. I'm going to Seattle, that's on the west coast. I am no closer to my family in Seattle than I was in London. Still a 6 or so hour

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-72879959148214364722009-06-09T05:13:00.003-07:002009-06-09T05:21:48.947-07:00

Taking a quick break today from the re-patriation related posts. I was checking out my Google Analytics account today - yes that's right I track all the readers of my blog and my photography site. Today I looked at the search terms that have taken people to my blog, in the past 30 days there have been 30 visits sent via 30 different keywords. While the keywords are different they do fall into

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-51020913799264561512009-06-08T08:28:00.003-07:002009-06-08T08:36:22.307-07:00

It's surprising how many boxes your life can be reduced to ( or maybe it's how few). The movers came today and packed up everything I decided to take to Seattle. Shocking how quickly they work. They started at 8:30 and were done by noon. Only 1 minor problem but that was quickly resolved. When I checked out the kitchen I realized they had emptied a cupboard that they weren't supposed to. I

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-63293334328273545822009-06-05T05:59:00.003-07:002009-06-05T06:10:01.641-07:00

Exactly one week from today I'll be sitting in the lounge at Heathrow preparing for my journey back across the pond. Last night I started going through the items remaining in my cupboard and fridge. It's amazing some of the food that just purely needed to be tossed - they've been sitting in my cupboard for 2 years, a few more items to clean out tonight.Between now and next Friday there is still

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-41425008200983518792009-06-04T09:56:00.002-07:002009-06-04T10:06:10.952-07:00

The call came this morning at about 8:45, the landlord has finally decide to re-let the apartment. This is almost exactly 1 month after I gave notice that I was leaving. I have absolutely no idea why it took this long. It's incredibly frustrating as I am responsible for the rent until July 7th or until new tenants are found, as the landlord took so long to start advertising the chances of finding

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-67603926040187555982009-06-03T06:16:00.002-07:002009-06-03T06:26:12.236-07:00

Today I read an article that made me realize I did a really poor job of negotiating my relocation back to the US. The ex-boss of Vodafone received £500,000 to move him and his belongings from the UK back to the US, I'm getting slightly less than that. Some of you may think that there's a difference in our roles; he was running a company for 5 years, saw profits of over £10 billion, and made

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-52402271769318016082009-06-02T02:42:00.002-07:002009-06-02T02:49:38.382-07:00

I had to jump through hoops today to cancel my TV License. I had called a month ago but you can only cancel the license 10 days in advance. Now here is where it really gets interesting. In order to process a refund they will mail you a form it takes 10-14 days to receive the form - hmm this means that you will likely be gone by the time the form arrives. No worries there is a form on-line to

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-38506978017742790322009-05-31T06:32:00.002-07:002009-05-31T06:43:39.744-07:00

I received a letter in the post on Friday indicating that the checkout for my flat has been scheduled. Along with it was a list of notes of what will be done and the condition the flat needs to be in. In speaking with others I was aware that much more needs to be done when checking out of a flat here to ensure the security deposit is returned. Here is a list of some of the items:Furntiure must

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-62916580342048639252009-05-29T04:02:00.002-07:002009-05-29T04:12:23.784-07:00

My final rent payment was made today and the checkout of the flat has been scheduled for June 12th right before I fly out. I'm very glad that is all sorted. Most of my bills and services at the flat have been cancelled. I did have a bit of an interesting conversation with Virgin Media. I called to cancel the services in mid-May as they required 30 days and was told that I would be notified

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-85592745211698888992009-05-27T12:30:00.005-07:002009-05-27T12:57:02.522-07:00

The weekend flew by and it's hard to believe it's Wednesday. I guess that's what happens when ever minute of the 3 day weekend was pretty packed with cleaning and preparing for the move. The flat doesn't look like my place anymore. Most of the pictures have come down from the walls, all the furniture has been rearranged as it all had to be returned to the rooms it was in when I moved-in, and lots

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-33617923088951351982009-05-22T05:31:00.002-07:002009-05-22T05:39:24.848-07:00

Wow it's been a busy week. I must be crazy to continue to work and try to move house all at the same time. The days are filled with meetings, the evenings are filled with cleaning. Luckily I think by the end of the day today I'll be mostly done clearing what I need to get rid of. All the furniture that I haven't managed to sell is being collected on June 1st. It's surprising how difficult

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-25001346799410788572009-05-20T07:29:00.002-07:002009-05-20T07:33:21.144-07:00

Last week I got an email from United Airlines offering me 4 upgrades for flights within the US. If I wasn't in the process of moving back to the US this wouldn't be any help to me, but since I'm moving I might actually be able to use these. Now my question is how did UAL know that I was moving back? I haven't updated my address yet and my one-way flight to the US is booked on British Airways.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-1242914620275753342009-05-19T03:01:00.002-07:002009-05-19T03:08:51.649-07:00

Even though I was suffering from jet lag over the weekend I managed to get quite a bit accomplished for the move. I am mostly working on organizing what I am taking, what is going to charity, what is rubbish and what I can sell. A rule was implemented that if I haven't used or worn something since the move I am not moving it back with me. I have however made a few exceptions to this rule -

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-46340717423919649912009-05-17T04:01:00.004-07:002009-05-17T04:21:13.686-07:00

I've realized over the past couple of weeks that the way we communicate has changed drastically over the years. When I accepted the product manager position in Seattle I immediately wanted to share the news with all my friends and family on my blog and my Facebook profile, what better way to quickly share the news. Unfortunately I had to wait. The problem is certain notifications had to be made

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-28349975179659513902009-05-15T12:20:00.003-07:002009-05-15T12:30:40.862-07:00

It's been a busy week. On top of all day meetings I had to find time to sneak in things I need for the relocation. I met with a realtor and started looking at condos, I've gotten a good idea of where I do and don't want to be which is good and I'll resume the search when I arrive. I've put a deposit down on temporary accommodation when I arrive while I look for a permanent place. I have a bank

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-48811793396593683172009-05-13T13:08:00.002-07:002009-05-13T13:16:01.805-07:00

Okay so I'm not actually leaving today but my time as an expat will be drawing to a close. I have accepted a position at our headquarters in Seattle and will be moving in June. I am a whole mix of emotions at the moment regarding this move. In some ways this seems harder than when I moved to England. I've had an amazing time and met some great people but it's time for me to move back across

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-69598597929296990462009-05-01T07:18:00.004-07:002009-05-01T08:04:15.726-07:00

I haven't done a photo Friday in a while so I thought I would reintroduce it with a special edition. Can you identify the body of water or at least where it was taken? In no particular order. 1) 2) 3)4) 5)6) 7)8)9)

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-58683270311825624132009-04-30T08:51:00.003-07:002009-04-30T08:53:40.873-07:00

Another lovely sign I've found in a hotel bathroom.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-72214408227321711632009-04-29T11:38:00.002-07:002009-04-29T12:01:09.325-07:00

As you may guess from the subject I'm in Madrid this week. Went out for tapas at lunch and had some amazing food. Thick & creamy gazpacho (made by the addition of bread) & Iberico ham - some of the absolute best I've had. I was very surprised and touched when my colleague bought me some to take home with me. Right now I am thinking it will be nice to share with my sisters at our annual

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-20887397826072263842009-04-23T12:58:00.002-07:002009-04-23T13:17:57.809-07:00

St George is the patron saint of England and today is St George's Day. Unfortunately unlike Ireland who get a bank holiday on St Patrick's Day England isn't so lucky. No day off no parades not really much of anything, just a lot of English flags flying around. This weekend however the mayor of London, Boris Johnson has decided that it has been too long since London celebrated St George's Day

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-86750155033446998312009-04-22T10:45:00.003-07:002009-04-22T10:59:13.421-07:00

I don't normally write about a program I've watched on television but I just have to make an exception here. Last night I was watching a BBC documentary entitled Drinking With the Girls overall the program didn't bother except for one American woman that was interviewed. Her responses clearly revealed to me why people may have a misunderstanding about Americans. Now I'm paraphrasing here so

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-42306228599643115362009-04-14T11:56:00.010-07:002009-04-14T12:47:47.835-07:00

The past 2 years I've taken full advantage of the long Easter holiday with getaways to the Virgin Islands and Florida. This year was no different but instead of jetting off to an exotic location I decided to explore England and went away with some friends to Cornwall. We couldn't have better weather - beautiful blue skies and warm weather the entire weekend. We rented a cottage in St Tudy which

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-81953428265098943142009-04-09T03:17:00.002-07:002009-04-09T03:23:13.588-07:00

Just a quick note before I head off for a long Easter weekend. One of the great things about living in the UK Good Friday and Easter Monday are official bank holidays. I decided that since I have done almost no exploring of England outside of London that I would take advantage of the long weekend and head down to Cornwall. I've rented a cottage with some friends for the weekend and plan on

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-7571563336032109922009-03-24T11:46:00.008-07:002009-03-24T12:03:42.661-07:00

It was a very educational day for me today in Copenhagen. Here's a list of what I learned.Even though it's spring Copenhagen still thinks it winter. One minute there are beautiful blue skies the next it's snowing. My coat has a hood if I wear it I stay warmer. My travel agent likes booking hotels for me in the red light district. Car tax is outrageous - it can be up to 200%.Cars all have a

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-38045956488193634652009-03-20T11:30:00.003-07:002009-03-20T11:32:44.711-07:00

Happy Spring

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8295670994344562153.post-79572085054628784882009-03-17T13:07:00.003-07:002009-03-17T13:09:15.745-07:00

The photo and the title says it all. My new sofa arrived today. I don't think I've ever been this happy for a furniture delivery.

Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14954612593725189477noreply@blogger.com2