52 Frames (November 2022)

✍️ 🕑 November 2022 • Series: 52 Frames • Tags: ethicsSurinameMiamibeaches

November 2022 was a heck of a month. Not only did we have some U.S. Elections (ending with the Democrats narrowly holding onto the Senate,) but we also got to celebrate my choice for my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. And, besides those things, I embarked on my first trip outside of the United States and Canada since the summer of 2019!

It has been a busy month, made all the more so by travel that was probably faster than it ought to be. So, some of these frames were taken on stopovers, or brief moments where I was catching my breath and had phone service. And so they are pretty interesting.

Let’s get into it…

Olympus Test and Wow: A Weekend in Portland, Oregon with the Olympus 25mm f/1.2 Pro Lens

✍️ 🕑 September 23-26, 2022 • Tags: gear reviewsconcertseurovisioneurovision 2022flowersrosesgood eats & 2 More Tags • Places: Doug Fir Lounge International Rose Test Garden, Washington Park Mt. Tabor Park

When Chelsea and I first sat down and watched all of the entrants for the 2021 Eurovision song competition, Maro was one of our favorite entrants. Her soulful voice made its way into our hearts.

When Chelsea saw that she was playing a show on a particular friday night in Portland, the decision to spend a weekend down there was an easy one. I hadn’t really given Portland a proper visit, only stopped by a now-closed storefront for a chocolatier, so I was eager to get to know the city better.

Image hosted on Flickr
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Meanwhile, I had a great experience borrowing the 300mm f/4 PRO Lens through the Olympus Test & Wow Program. The program has a few other lenses available that I wanted to try – mainly the f/4 zooms. But, I was also interested in the 25mm f/1.2 prime lens.

I used this lens for all of my photography around Portland, from flowers to woof-woofs to the concert. Man, was I impressed!

Just like my last Olympus Test & Wow Post, all of my images (more than I’ve embedded in the post) can be found in a Flickr album.

Labor Day Weekend at Osoyoos

Canada's Hottest Lake, and the Southern Edge of B.C. Wine Country

✍️ 🕑 September 2-5, 2022 • Tags: holiday weekendsBritish Columbiasacred placeswinelakesborder crossingsmountains & 6 More Tags • Places: Osoyoos, B.C. Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Center, Cellars, Restaurant Moon Curser Vineyards sw̓iw̓s Provincial Park (Haynes Point) Spotted Lake Old Molson Historic Site Leavenworth, WA Leavenworth, WA

A view from an overlook of Lake Osoyoos and surrounding vineyards
A view from an overlook of Lake Osoyoos and surrounding vineyards open_in_full   info

Picture this:

You’re Steve. You want to go out of town for Labor Day weekend, and you don’t want to go somewhere too crowded. Also, you’re going to be bringing your comrade Chelsea along, and so you ought to actually plan something and make reservations.

Originally, I hadn’t been thinking of leaving Washington State; what advantage was there to visiting Canada when they have the same bogus Labor Day holiday on the same exact day as the United States. But, when spitballing ideas, Lake Osoyoos came up.

Though its slender body crosses the U.S.-Canada border, most of the infrastructure, accomodations, cool stuff to visit, and indeed, most of the lake itself is on the Canadian side.

Perhaps 'Desert Surfside' is not what immediately comes to mind when you picture British Columbia
Perhaps 'Desert Surfside' is not what immediately comes to mind when you picture British Columbia open_in_full   info

So, why not book a hotel six minutes across the border, and try a few wineries? Why not enjoy “the last weekend of summer” in a spot that is home to Canada’s warmest lake?