blogging – Jolene's Life in Focus

Where have 3.0 GBs of Storage Gone?

August 19, 2012March 27, 2017Posted in lifeTagged blogging, Fort Ebey, Nikon, Nikon D90, Pacific Northwest image, photography, seagulls, Washington Coast, wordpress, WordPress storage6 Comments

_DSC0398 — Taken at Fort Ebey, Washington

After two years on WordPress, I have used 90% of my 3.0 GB of free storage. Those GBs represent the bulk of my creative ideas and favorite photographs – the evolution of ME.

At first I viewed blogging as simply a way to share the pictures I snapped on my cell phone, but it quickly developed into a daily photographic journey with “point-and-click” (as I hear some people say) and DSLRs images. People from all over the world were looking at my work. How cool!

But then came the dark, underbelly of blogging: stats wars, a scramble for followers, and hoping to be “freshly pressed”, which never happened. I went through a time of frustration and jealousy to see the stats of my fellow bloggers climbing beyond what I was reaching despite a lot of time and committment to the site.

I got over it. Blogging should be fun right, not a stat competition?

So, why do I keep doing it after two years? I love seeing the world through the eyes of people in distant places. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet fellow bloggers in person and to connect with others on Facebook. I love writing and sharing my thoughts regardless of who reads them. Blogging is something I can do on my own terms, without restriction, and it stretches my creative writing muscles.

Even after I hit 3.0 GB and have to pay for an upgrade, I will gladly do it. The benefits are well worth the investment!

In Search of Autumn

October 10, 2011March 14, 2012Posted in UncategorizedTagged autum, blogging, in search of autumn, Ireland, life, memoir, photography, sunflower, sunflowers, travel11 Comments

_DSC0057 — I had to Photoshop Andy out of the picture.

_DSC0070 — Can you see the moth and the bee?

In search of Autumn, I found a field full of flowers instead of beautiful fall foliage. I’ll have to try again next weekend. The trees will have more color anyway.

I’m a little sad right now, because a year ago I was planning my first trip to Ireland. People who have travelled there often tell me it haunts them. I understand. I flew there twice in 6 months, and it haunts me still. A memoir writing class is helping organize my thoughts, and I hope to have a completed manuscript about my experience by Spring. I wrote so much earlier this afternoon, I hardly know what to blog about now, and I’m dangerously close to just babbling. And now I’m at a loss for how to wrap this up…sooo, enjoy the photos! More next weekend!

Mr. Isaac’s Penny-Squishing Adventure

July 22, 2011Posted in UncategorizedTagged blogging, boxcar, boy, D90, Disney princess vitamins, flattened penny, humor, life, midwest, mischief, Nikon, penny, photography, railroad, railroad tracks, squished penny, travel, vitamins11 Comments

Meet Isaac, my 6 year-old nephew and professional mischief maker. Prior to my arrival in Minnesota last week, he’d scaled my sister’s refrigerator and downed a half bottle of Disney princess gummy vitamins. Luckily, they were iron free.

My sister, Carole, is now on a first name basis with both poison control and the Disney princess gummy vitamin people, who are sending her a free replacement bottle for her troubles. Someone there must have a six-year-old boy.

Carole will have you know, Isaac isn’t much of the Disney princess type. The vitamins just taste good. In his spare time, while not sneaking large quantities of supplements, he can be found playing with spiders, hunting snakes in the yard, and beating up other little boys behind his school.

So, my sister and I decided a little trip to the railroad tracks up the street from my mom’s house to flatten some pennies would be the perfect thing to distract him from any misadventures on the first day of my trip.

We used to do it all the time as kids…

Of course, maybe teaching him to play around boxcars hauling 1000’s of pounds of potentially toxic material at high speeds wasn’t the best idea.

Train1 — Walking to the train tracks on your hands is much more fun!

Train5 — Run Away! (Isaac and his dad, Caleb)

Train6 — Squishing complete! "Look what I got, Auntie Jojo!!!!"

Train7 — I wanted a better angle, but will a 6 year-old boy stand still for a second shot? NO.

Train8 — He writes his name in the dirt with the newly flattened penny. The adventure is complete!

I’m Back!

June 20, 2011Posted in UncategorizedTagged blogging, Flowers, Jolene Hanson Photography, Jolene's Life in Focus, life, Orange Flower, photography, Rose10 Comments

After struggling to keep up with my blog for several months, I had to admit defeat and step away for a time. But, I’m happy to report that I’ve successfully completed another quarter, and I’m taking the summer off! No more teachers, no more books….

So, back to blogging!

There’s a lot I want to do this summer. I want to get a side photography business started and actually do some writing. I’d like to catch up on world events and read a few good books. Imagine doing that – reading for fun!! And, of course I’ll begin the process of getting caught up on the blogs I follow again. I may actually be able to keep up – for the summer at least.

Let There Be Light!

May 2, 2011Posted in BellinghamTagged Bellingham Marina, Bellingham Washington, blogging, Dirty Dan Days, Fairhaven, life, musician, performer, photography, red ribbons, tulips11 Comments

Well, what do you know? The sun does come out in the Pacific Northwest! It decided to emerge for an entire weekend. This was nice, considering it was Dirty Dan Days in Fairhaven, where I got several shots of some performers this afternoon and enjoyed the Chuckanut Chowder Cook-off. After leaving Fairhaven, I took a walk by the marina for some additional photos – since I generally don’t have time during the week anymore.

For a while I was trying to do a photo a day. However, this just isn’t realistic for me these days. I’m liking the idea of a post a week – maybe an extra one if I have time. But, I’m not going to stress out over it. Having a photo blog should be fun, not a burden after all.

Checking In

March 7, 2011March 7, 2011Posted in UncategorizedTagged algebra exam, Bellingham Washington, blogging, Born into Brothels, Kids with Cameras, Nikon, Nikon D90, Photo walk, photography, railroad13 Comments

I stepped away from the dyslexic chaos I know as logarithms just before all of my grey matter unfolded this afternoon. It’s a good thing, because I need it for my Monday night exam. What? I promised not to talk about Algebra anymore? Oh, yes….my apologies.

I did treat myself to a photo walk this afternoon to unwind, which is also a good thing because I haven’t posted anything in a week. The blogs I LOVE to read have been neglected as well, but I’m afraid I probably won’t get to them until Tuesday. I’m so excited to have a few extra moments to check in and see all the pictures and stories I’ve missed.

One thing I do want to share is that I watched Born into Brothels, the documentary suggested by a couple of readers last week about a project in India which helped children of Calcutta’s red light district get an education through photography. The project was called Kids with Cameras, and through donations and partnerships, continues to operate today. It’s a fascinating, sometimes heart-breaking story that’s worth checking out.

That’s all for now. I’ll check back in mid-week to finally get caught up!

Little Hands

February 12, 2011February 12, 2011Posted in UncategorizedTagged blogging, coloring, colors, Jolene's Life in Focus, little hands, Motorola Droid, photography7 Comments

This post is an experiment to see if I can upload a photo and blog directly from my phone, the original Motorola DROID.

Tonight, I’m at Red Robin in Burlington, Washington with some friends and their children for a birthday. These little hands belong to Rick and Angela’s son, Alex. It was amazing – he sat perfectly still, poised for some serious coloring action so I could take the shot.