picture taking on the coast

this summer, jonathan and i had some amazing adventures. we spent some time in the monterey, california area with our good friends... 2 of my favorite people in the world and their amazing canine. i was surprised that after a week of the coast, i still couldn't stop taking pics that seemed different than everything i had already seen. seth and christie have quite the knack for photography. seeing the way they approach picture taking, they each have their own style, reminded me how much i love watching the world through a camera. so here are some of the fun pics i took!

my favorite author of the year: elizabeth gaskell

as many of you know, i discovered elizabeth gaskell this year. after seeing some british films made from several of her novels, i fell in love with her storytelling of strong and kind women. mrs. gaskell was a contemporary of and friends with the bronte sisters (emily and charlotte). she was well known to the readers of charles dicken's popular syndicate if their day. after seeing the film "north and south" (no this is not the miniseries with patrick swayzy) I was intrigued by the charachter of margaret hale. i was confused by different scenes and i decided i needed to really understand her. her virtue is a major focus and yet i found her very self-contradictory at times. so i am almost done with the book and I am loving it! jane austin fans would enjoy this novel. i will give more juicy detail later...but at least i have actually started my blog!