keri coles

Beloved Japan. Part II- Action.

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale This quote really struck a chord with me. The recent events in Japan have been so tragic and overwhelming. I had trouble carrying on as usual because so many people were no longer able. I reached a point though when I realized that my empathy was resulting in personal immobility and not useful action. As you can imagine, that wasn’t helping anyone. So I brainstormed…

Beloved Japan.

Gene and I took Ella to Asia when she was 3.5 months old. I will forever be grateful for the experiences we had there, especially as new parents navigating the waters of “how to be a good parent”. Being immersed in other cultures while we were raw and evolving in our new roles was such a gift. We got to witness over and over again that a “norm” is culturally based and not static, which gave us the courage to challenge assumptions and norms from back home. The biggest one of these for me was integrated community. Everywhere we travelled,…

65 Red Roses – a benefit concert for cystic fibrosis

I first heard of Eva through a friend of mine that directed me toward her blog. Eva documented her battle with cystic fibrosis with such heart and such grace that the world fell in love with her. Eva touched so many people and brought such energy and determination to the fight against CF that support has proliferated since her courageous battle came to an end last March. I attended a benefit concert on Feb.13th that was in honour of Eva. Many of the bands that performed had a personal connection with Eva which made the event extra moving. When I…

Morning at the Track.

I was in Vancouver on Tuesday and thought I’d stop by the track to say hi to a friend and to get some shots of the horses as training begins.  Some of the horses were pretty wild getting back out there!  I can’t wait to go back in April when the races start. So much fun!  I really miss working with horses. It was nice to be around them again, even if it was watching them from afar 😉

Beauty at the Base Lounge.

I had contacted Alice at the Base Lounge to see if I could rent their gorgeous space for a photo shoot. We worked out the details and Alice asked if I would photograph her family when I was done with the first shoot. Alice is lovely and radiates health and well-being. I was excited about the opportunity to meet and photograph her family. On the day, the natural light poured in and the family magic began 😉

Growing Grain on Vancouver Island

In 2010 Gene and I bought a share in a grain co-op that was being hosted by Makaria Farms just outside Duncan. We learned how to plant, grow and harvest grain. At the end of the season we were rewarded with harvests of organic Red Fife, Spring Wheat, and Rye. True Grain Bread, the fabulous organic bakery in Cowichan Bay was kind enough to let us use their gorgeous stone grain mill to grind our grain into flour. If you have never been to the bakery, drop what you are doing, go there and bliss out on their luscious organic…

Something about that tutu.

Tutus have never been part of my repertoire. Growing up, I was a horse girl through and through. Which meant that I was usually mucky and smelly. Quite far removed from the delicate loveliness of dance recitals and ballet shoes. So I have never related to the tutu and thus it never occurred to me to put a tutu on a munchkin. But then this little darling showed up wearing one and my heart melted into a little puddle of tutu adoration. Isn’t she scrumptious?