Washington State #tbt
Washington State, between Seattle and Forks, (c) Carole Edrich 2009
The next leg of our IcelandAir press trip was to Washington State. Seattle was rainy and full of memories as I had worked here with some wonderful people years ago, on the risk and tech required for Y2K rollover. It’s all a bit of a blur apart from the Space Needle (I have some horrendous images) and earlier memories of sunny March days and a wonderful suite at the Westin Seatlle.
Outside Seattle remains clear though. The scenery was spectacular and we met some lovely people, two of whom took us on a guided walk of the Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula.
Washington State, between Seattle and Forks, (c) Carole Edrich 2009
One day we were taken in supercars (the ones with wheels higher than children) to the forest. It was one of the few days I had managed to get a front seat. Remembering a pre-chemo trip to Portugal, when as I dismounted from a horse the camera came up and bashed my teeth painfully, I took it from round my neck and carefully put it on the car seat to get down. Of course the next person out knocked the camera onto the ground writing it off in the process, leaving me with just a mobile phone and a commitment to provide images with a feature on walking the rain forest for a commission for Real Travel.
I was forced to spend the next two days shooting exclusively with my mobile phone until I had the time to visit a camera shop in Seattle to get a replacement camera. Phonecams were not what they are today, but I took what I could, submitted images with article when I got back and the editor didn’t ask or comment.
The further back I am in a vehicle the nastier the motion sickness I get. Motion sickness on top of the post chemo nausea, heat fluctuations and other bits was so awful I still remember it, but it never occurred to me to say. That might be silly, but I don’t like fuss, and even these days doubt I’d behave differently.
These images were lifted from my old moblog where they were published with other images on 5th January, 2010. More than a photoblog, moblog is a wonderful community where I made lasting international friends, some of whom I’ve visited and many more of whom are as important in my life today as those I meet regularly in meatspace. More authentic, more ethical and sadly less well funded, I’ve been missing it increasingly as we discover the perfidy of Facebook and the brave new Social world. Contact me if you’d like to know more, because I’d really like to find a way to make moblog great again and extend it to anyone else who wants to share their images in a place of mutual support, community and data safety.