Good-bye...

Remembering someone that has gone with god is a sad occasion for families to gather and meet again.

This past summer my ex father in law passed away, I hadn’t seen this side of the family in about 15 years, sit was a bittersweet reunion.

 

 

I’m really intrigued with the fact that formal funerals have kind of gone to the wayside.  This get together was more like a picnic and a celebration of the life of Dave Nelson.

 

I really watched how my children interacted with their relatives; it was almost like no time had gone by even though most of the family members live miles and miles away.

 

My son, Keith, looks exactly like his dad, who in turn looks just like his father.  This photo with Keith and his grandpa solidified for me the family resemblance.

 

I was asked to take family photos and it was surreal for me, seeing my ex husband with his new family and me with mine there, I have appreciated still being able to get along with Jeff after all these years.  

 

Seeing the photo of Jeff (my ex husband) , Dave (his father) and Jeff’s truck, we had our first date in this truck, brought a flood of memories back to me and made me realize I’ve never really left this family, because I still consider them all family. 

 

 

His wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, friends will miss Dave Nelson, but his memory and legacy lives on through the lives of his offspring as they go out into the world at start having their own children…his great grandchildren.

Interview with Tom Duncan - Final Project

My final project for PhotoMedia

 

Spokane Crèche

Every year the Mormon Church hosts a function that shows Nativities called Crèche.  This allows members of the church to display nativities they have acquired through their travels around the world.

We are always greeted by missionaries singing carols at the front door.

When you walk into the gymnasium it’s amazing to see all the nativities on display.  You’re greeted by someone at the door then you just start walking through looking at all the displays.

This 5 panel cross stitched nativity took three years to make it was a gift from a granddaughter to her grandmother.

This crèche was purchased at a rummage sale for 25 cents.

  

Families come in and gather around the scenes and observe all the different nativities in their splendor.

So many of these nativities are from all around the globe and are beautiful and unique.

They even have a room dedicated specifically to quirky nativities people have picked up on their travels.

The Church even has a special room devoted to children.  In here they can dress up like Mary, Joseph and the wise men.

 You find small children playing with the nativities that are set up for them, obviously happy to be there.

This year they expected more than 10,000 people in the Spokane Community will visit the Crèche and they all come from different backgrounds. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints holds this event in communities all around the United States to help bring the true meaning of Christmas to the neighborhood.  I have attended for the last 6 years and am still amazed at how beautiful and spiritual this occasion is.   Merry Christmas!!

Family and the Holidays

As the years have gone by it seems like I only see my extended family on Holidays anymore.  We used to play together now we see each other once or twice a year.

This year it happens that Blake’s birthday was the day after Thanksgiving so we celebrated with a cake for him on Thanksgiving.

His little brother Jake loved having his photo taken and eating chocolate cake.

 It’s now a tradition to take a family picture outside every year, My Uncle Gary, Aunt Cindy and their kids always take a photo of themselves for their Christmas cards and they always look great.

We went out in the snow this year and did our family photo, every year it gets bigger and bigger.  My family can be quirky but I do love them and miss the ones that have left us.

Natural Beauty by Belinda Elton

Life and Death

Most people would find my attraction with cemeteries somewhat morbid.  I try to explain I am merely fascinated with them because they are filled with history, and I love history.

My favorite cemeteries are the ones that are old and kept up by the families of the people that are buried there.  I will often stroll through the cemetery looking for the oldest date of birth I can find.

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While I am walking through a graveyard I am always wondering what the individual laid to rest was like.   I try to deduce what the person was like from their name, what’s written on the headstone and how old they were.  This tombstone makes me think this was someone that enjoyed slot machines and maybe wanted to pull that one armed bandit just one more time.

As soon as I saw these markers I was instantly taken back to the days of Wyatt Earp.  I visited a ghost town in Montana a few years ago and on the outskirts of the dusty town was the cemetery.  Most of the tombstones were made from wood; most of the names had been worn out from years of exposure to the severe Montana weather.

I love these three Crosses, I found them to be simple and understated.  When I saw these I felt that these were people of faith and needed nothing fancy, they knew they were going to be with god and that’s all they needed to leave behind.

When I came upon this grave it was immediately apparent it was a child.  I always become emotional at the graveside of a child.  All I need to do is imagine what it’s like to be this childs parent. Having to endure that loss weighs heavy on my heart.

After paying my respect to those that have lived and died I will normally wait for the sunset, it’s very symbolic for me.  We are born, like the sunrise and then we are here for a very short time before the sun sets on our lives.  I don’t know these people personally but I do feel a diminutive bond with them.  The flowers, flags, toys and cards that are left graveside are an indication of how much they are loved and will be terribly missed.

My Spokane

This is my first attempt at making a documentary style movie for my Photomedia class.  I created this using Final Cut Express.  I hope you enjoy it, it's not perfect but remember I am a beginner.

Hate in Spokane

Today the Pacific Northwest was invaded by the hate mongering group known as the Westboro Baptist Church. 

These "Christians" protest the funerals of the very men and women that give them the right to protest.

 

It was inspiring to see so many people, from all walks of life in Spokane, out showing their contempt against this hatred.

There were veterans, riding motorcycles, showing their support for our soldiers.

This couple sent a clear message that Phelps (leader of this church) can take his message and leave town, now!! 

Their words of hate, anger and ignorance were met with signs and messages from the Spokane community letting them know that they are not welcome here and neither is their message. 

The people out there showed they support our troops.  God loves all!!

So before you lie down to rest tonight say a prayer for our soldiers and for those that have given their lives for our freedom.  Pray that this hate will stop, that the Westboro Baptist Church will stop protesting at funerals of the fallen soldiers that gave their lives for them!!

Motion of the Carousel

Motion, we are in constant motion.  Even while we are sleeping our world is spinning around us.  To capture that in a photograph is actually not as easy as it would seem.  When I saw the carousel spinning round and the extravagantly decorated horses going up and down, I knew I had to photograph it for a lesson in motion photography.  The movement of the carousel is similar to how the earth rotates.  I found it amazing how the camera showed the people on the ride so clear and yet the horses show the sweeping effect of movement.

My Spokane - Seen Through the Eyes of Belinda Elton

I was born in Spokane in 1967; 84 years after historic Browne’s Addition had been established by John J Browne.  The history and splendor of Browne’s Addition is one reason I love Spokane.  This is where so many beautiful homes were built for Spokane’s well-to-do just before, and immediately following, the turn of the 20th Century.  A short walk on any of the streets in Browne’s Addition will take you back in time.  The original street paving bricks peek up from the gutters and through segments of streets long ago covered with asphalt. 

The most famous home in Browne’s Addition is The Patsy Clark Mansion.  This home was built in 1897 for Patsy Clark (Spokane mining millionaire) and his family.  It is adorned with sandstone from Italy and stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of Tiffany & Company founder. 

Directly across the street from Patsy Clark Mansion is Fotheringham House.  This residence was built in 1891 by designer David B. Fotheringham.  Fotheringham went on to become Spokane’s first mayor at the age of 35.  This home with its white picket fence and beautifully adorned English style gardens is now the scene of many wedding receptions.

Located next to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture is The Campbell House.  It was constructed in 1898 for Amasa B. Campbell and his family.  Campbell made his fortune in mining exploration out of Coeur d’Alene Idaho.   This home was given to Eastern Washington State Historical Society and Cheney Cowles Museum in the 1920’s by Helen Campbell, wife of Amasa Campbell, and is open for public tours.

The Wakefield House, built in 1889 for W.J.C. Wakefield, is considered a Mission Style home.  This home was inspired by the early Spanish Missions of California.  Wakefield was a prominent Spokane attorney who hired Kirtland Cutter, one of Spokane’s most famous architects, to design this home for him.  Cutter's work, which includes, The Davenport Hotel, Patsy Clark's Mansion, and The Spokane Club, is listed in several State and National Registers of Historic Places throughout the United States.

The Edgington House is an example of American stylized Queen Anne architecture which became vogue in the 1880's.  This home, erected in 1889, was built for mining operator and investor Thomas J. Edgington.  The wraparound porch, stained glass windows, overhanging eves and polygonal tower are indicative of this Americanized style.

Browne’s Addition, named one of the nation’s top ten neighborhoods in 2009, is populated with inhabitants from all walks of life.  You can’t help but feel the pride in this community as you stroll along its tree-lined sidewalks, making your way to the park, coffee shop or one of the quaint restaurants it has to offer. 

 

                                   

After 120 years these buildings still stand, as if frozen in time.  When you visit them you feel the spirit of a time long gone, an era filled with grandeur and etiquette. The memories are hidden in the oak walls and marble fire places of these majestic homes.   When you stroll the sidewalks of this historic neighborhood you may even catch a glimpse of J.J. Browne’s wife and daughter walking hand in hand,  admiring the legacy of a neighborhood that her husband could only dream would one day be such a momentous part of Spokane’s history.