RSWL: West End Salvage

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Amanda

Some of the things I enjoy most about being in “the field” taking pictures for our websites, are the stories behind each picture, or the stories we come away with from each field adventure. The stories behind a scene or object give life and depth to our work.

For the same reason, I also enjoy spending time with my husband, Chad, finding items in barns, at yard sales, and even at the dump recycle center! Some people call it picking…some call it finding. We don’t care what you call it, we just like looking for unique items and uncovering their stories. For example, we just brought back from our recent road trip to Minnesota, some lightning rods (unusual in California), old farm equipment, taxi cab lights, and slides of animal brains and blood samples from the Mayo Clinic. Okay, that list may end on a weird note, but they are conversation, statement pieces. We may keep some, or we may sell it all. If we sell it, we will include the story for the future owners and hope they appreciate it as much as we do. Again, the stories add depth and life to the items.

West End parking- We Made It!!!

West End Warehouse

Yes, I’m getting to my point- West End Salvage. West End Salvage in Des Moines, Iowa marries the adventure of photos, textures and stories. This past winter we discovered this gem while watching HGTV, when it aired this series which follows the store, its owners and designers. We were so impressed that we made sure to stop at West End Salvage on our way to Minnesota… and it was worth every minute. We became completely enchanted as we wound our way through each of the four floors of this 50,000-square-foot warehouse. Pleasant surprises and unique treasures live on each floor. As we checked out, ordered amazing coffee from their café and chatted with owner, Don Short, we left inspired by the items, the designs and the stories.

If you haven’t heard of West End Salvage, discover it at HGTV’s website for episodes by visiting HGTV-West End Salvage Otherwise, you can browse and explore the floors of fantastic finds at their home website West End Salvage.

Nate’s Notes: Heading Home

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Amanda

Okay, okay. So I have already confessed that I was wrong about how horrible this road trip would be. I didn’t realize how many super super cool places we were going to see. I mean, they could have told me about the place in Utah where someone spilled all that salt. It sure does sparkle! Or the big big hay balls that are as tall as three of me. Or the old train engines at Pioneer Village you can climb all over. Nobody told me I would see a whole building with corn all over the walls. Yea- the walls are made of corn cobs!! It kind of makes my head hurt a little bit to think that nobody ate all that corn. I love corn. Clearly there is a shortage of proper building materials in that part of South Dakota. I mean, if Momma or Daddy had told me I would see pink rock, broken water, falling water, AND get to run through a rock tunnel at Pipestone in Minnesota, I may have been a little more cooperative. Maybe. It would have saved a lot of crying…by everyone!

What a waste…

All that corn…

Now it’s the end of day 3 on our journey home and I’m trying to figure out if I’m happy about the promise of home just 2 days away…or if I’m feeling like I need extra hugs. I got to do and see a lot on this trip…and we aren’t even done. We get to see some devil rock, some moon thingies, and some ghost towns that I’ll tell you about later. I even get to take some of my own pictures!! But there are long long days in the car…in and out, in and out. You feel trapped after awhile and no amount of books or cars or crackers makes it better. So I SHOULD be happy about heading home, right? I’m going to have to think about this a little. Hmmm… I think I need a hug.

TMG Philosophy: Perhaps I Was Too Quick to Judge

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Amanda

It’s me, Nate. Yea, I know it’s not Wednesday, my assigned day. Before you turn in unhappiness and irritation because I have once again hijacked the blog entry of a fellow writer, hear me out. I may have something worth listening to. Don’t be too quick to judge me or my insight because of my age.

So this whole road trip thing has been something I’ve been disgruntled about from the first day I realized it meant I’d be captive in the back seat. Notice I say captive…not captivated. I don’t know how many times I tried to explain-using toys, color crayons, facial expressions and hand gestures- that caged animals don’t thrive. I would think you big people would get that the only thing worse than a caged animal is perhaps, a caged toddler boy and his baby sister. Some people are slow learners.

Mostly, our sequences of screams and inconsolable outburst have done nothing to burst the happy smiles, excited voices and clicking cameras of my traveling companions. Lyla turned out to be less than helpful, with only one bad afternoon out of 5 days on the road. So the opposite of what we discussed and planned. Clearly her comprehension skills are lacking; like I said, some people are slow learners. But to be honest, I tried to be grumpy for long periods, and acted like nothing was exciting…but THERE WAS SO MUCH COOL STUFF!!! Sometimes I got caught smiling, wide eyed or pointing in joy.

Perhaps I was too quick to judge this whole road trip thing. Perhaps there is a lot to learn on the open road and from that map thing that Momma insists on using. Just as I suspected, there have been a gazillion stops for pictures. And there is talk of many stops on the road back. We’ll see. But so far, this road trip thing has given me many first experiences: My first time in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and now South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho on the way back home; my first time seeing fire flies; my first time riding a tractor; my first time with sparklers; my first time seeing corn fields, huge rolled hay bales, baby cows, bean fields, silos and so many parks; my first time eating cheesecake; my first time meeting more cousins and other family; my first time at a family reunion with so many meatballs and potato dishes…and no beans; my first time seeing a movie in a theater. That’s a lot of firsts and that’s not even all of them!

The journey that brought us to Minnesota was supposed to be horrible. Instead, it was amazing. The week in Minnesota was an unknown for me, and I expected to be overwhelmed. Instead, it was a week that brought me more family to love and be loved by. It was a week that gave me stories of people I won’t get to meet, people who are sleeping in the clouds, but people that Momma says are part of her and who she is. That means they are pretty cool.

The journey home begins today, another 5 days on the road. Instead of making a story about what it WILL be, I’ll just wait and see what it IS as it comes. Momma would think that is very wise of me. This road trip thing has taught me not to be too quick to judge, and the time in Minnesota has been more fun than…than…than playing with all my cars at once, taking a bath, riding a tractor AND eating blueberries. Don’t tell Momma though!

Nates Notes: On the Road Again

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Amanda

On the road again….just can’t wait to get on the road again. Whaaaattt??!!! Whoever wrote that song never spent 5 days in the back of a minivan strapped to a lumpy car seat, unable to use his legs. 5 days. 5 days of my life I’ll never get back, even if we did make it to Minnesota.

The song is stuck in your head now too, huh?! Man…if I never hear that song hummed or sung again, I’ll be okay. I mean, I’m a toddler- we love repetition. We thrive off of repetition. C’mon though… repeating the whole car seat thing is not something that should ever be continual for over 2,000 miles across 7 states. Again, I don’t know what miles or states are, but I do know that my butt will never be the same. Thank goodness for diapers.

And Momma wouldn’t shut up about how cool maps are. “Maps this… maps that. Nate, just wait until you see how cool maps are!” Yea, yea. I have an idea for her maps, but I probably shouldn’t share it. I’m not supposed to say things that are mean or ugly.

Sure there were cool things to see out the window. There were rocks I’ve never seen before, things called farms I didn’t know could exist. Corn field after corn field after corn field. I love corn. I got to see and hear my first lightning and thunderstorm too! Lights flash all over the sky and then people play drums after the lights! I wasn’t scared at all…mostly because Daddy was holding me. Please don’t tell anyone.

There was also a cool place that Momma said is where bad people and kids who don’t listen have to spend a lot of time. Really? Because I thought that place was called a car seat in the back of a minivan. Anyway, there were cool wood ladders, lots of windows with bars, different brick than what we have seen, and big b-balls with chains on them everywhere. Cool! These bad people get to play with b-balls? What do they do with the chain? Hmmm.

We also got to stop at a spot called Pioneer Village. There were so many tractors! And a train to climb all over! And airplanes!! And room to run and use my legs!! And…then they shoved me back in a car. Again. For 2 more days.

As they buckled me back into my prison, they were humming “On the road again…”.

RSWL: Maps

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Amanda

Maps. Yep, they are part of that random stuff we like. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed maps. We took many cross country road trips as a family, and my parents always encouraged us kids to help with the maps and navigation. As a gangly, awkward kid on the open roads headed to the Midwest, I learned about east, west, north and south; I learned about looking ahead on the map, counting the miles between towns; I learned about how to approximate how much time it would take to get to the next town; I learned how what I saw out my window corresponded to what I saw on paper; I learned there was more than one way to get to our destination.

Now, as an awkward adult, I yearn for that open road, a good old-fashioned map (sorry Tom Tom) and the opportunities to learn from the journey. Now, as we travel thousands of miles across a dozen states, through the middle of the country and back, I yearn to share the adventures a map can bring with my kids, even if they are too young.

Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site

This road trip has reminded me how fun it is to use a map, searching for the name of the mountains to our right, finding the name of the highest peak. These miles have avowed the love of maps fostered in me as a child. If I hadn’t been studying the map in Wyoming, I wouldn’t have asked to stop at the Wyoming Territorial Prison where Butch Cassidy was an inmate so long ago. And that unplanned stop was one of the highlights of our trip.

Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site

So grab a friend…grab a map…grab a car…get on the road…and see what you can find!

Nate’s Notes: Here We Go Again: Road Trip- Day 1

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Amanda

Here we go again…on another road trip. Day 1…of 15. Yipee. Yep…still polishing up my toddler sarcasm. This time it isn’t just a nice little 700-mile drive up the coast to Northern Oregon. Oh no. Nope. Once again Momma has sadly misinterpreted my body language in the car to mean I am more than okay with such a journey. Umm….what part of squealing, crying, planned pooping and general crankiness says “more please” to you??? Sometimes I wonder about my parents.

Momma and Daddy have decided I LOVE the car SO SO SO much that we are going to travel one way, 2,027 miles to Minnesota. That lovely distance is without any stopping. I love how they assume Lyla is okay with car trips as well. Way to let us think for ourselves guys. Ya know, I’m not even sure how far 2,027 miles is, but I DO know it will take days and days to get there. Ooohhhh bumpers.

I would be willing to bet ALL my toys AND my baby sister that Mr. and Mrs. Snapping Pictures Photosen in the front seat will have those cameras attached to their faces, stopping a gazillion trillion fifty times.

Go ahead. I’ll just be back here. In the back seat…staring out the window…wondering if I’ll ever get to use my legs again….listening to the screams of baby Lyla…masking my disappointment in my parents’ choices.

Road Trip- Day 1

Sure, they promise fun, adventure, a train here and there, new books, yummy snacks and flashy toys for the car trip. Forgive me if I have my doubts. I mean, animal-shaped crackers and yogurt-covered raisins only go so far. Besides, THEY eat more of my crackers than I do!!* Don’t they realize they are too old to eat anything shaped like an animal???!!! Don’t they realize my brain is still a construction zone???!!! I am not built to sit for hours and hours…and hours. They are only hurting themselves you know. They’ll see. Baby Lyla and I will enlighten them and give them a road trip alright.

I better go…Momma is eyeballing me suspiciously, probably wondering what I’m smirking about. I’ll throw her off by shoving this crayon in my mouth. I’ll update you again soon though…Minnesota or bust!!! Heh heh heh…

*This will be in my crayon memoirs as well.

TMG Philosophy: The Value of Time

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Amanda

Got a second to read this?

Your time is valuable. There is no doubt about it. We all wish we had more time in a day. We all have the same, certain amount of time in a day with lists of items to accomplish within that time. We all have plans that consume our time. Time comes, time is filled, and time passes, leaving us with memories, or even regrets. How often do we say, “If I only had more time!”…or… “I just need a little more time!”…or… “Maybe next time!”?

Yet, how do we fill our time? Do we cherish our time? Do we waste our time? Do we use our time wisely? I’m sure we can check the box next to each of these scenarios at any given time (ha ha) in our lives. I’ve certainly strayed from a project or two…or three by daydreaming about an upcoming camping trip or checking someone’s status update on social media. I’ve wasted valuable time with loved ones by being preoccupied worrying about the future, something I don’t have control over! I’ve made a list for a day, and have looked back at the end of that day wondering where I spent my time and why so little was checked off the list. I’ve been angered when someone hijacks my time. I’ve wondered how often I have hijacked someone’s time. Once time is gone…well, it’s just that- gone. So we multi-task, trying to extract as much as possible from each segment of time. Right now I’m writing this, helping my son with a puzzle, and prepping dinner. That doesn’t mean I’m doing any of it very well! In fact, all too often we cheat our projects and our people when we squeeze time.

It all comes down to how we fill our time. Time is a resource. For most of us, we have a certain amount of control over how our time is spent, whether we want to admit it or not. We get a choice about how to spend these hours. We decide how much we spend, on what, who, and how much we give away. The worst choice is to waste time. When it comes to projects, we want to be able to get a lot of quality accomplished in as little time as possible.

At The Transmogrifier, we are investing our time to assure our users of quality images and inspiration. We are using, spending and filling our time working to help other creative individuals by generating inspirational and supportive ways to save time. If we can help free up just a little more time that can then be spent on other priorities in life, then we are thrilled. And that is our goal: to inspire and to assist. That is how we choose to spend some of our own time. We are happy to do so.

Well, gotta go! It’s time to get back to work.

Nate’s Notes: Our Fort

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Amanda

I’m only saying this here, for you guys only. Basically Momma says I’m not allowed to talk about “fair” and “not fair” in my world. So, I’m just telling you people that it’s not fair. What you ask? The Drawing Game…yea, that one…the one without the color crayons. Here’s the story, and I’ll let you decide if it’s fair. But for now, it’s in the color crayon draft of my memoirs about how my parents dashed my dreams.

So Momma made this biiiig deal about me drawing the first place we would go to for the field adventure in photography. What she neglected to tell me is that if she didn’t agree with what choice I pulled, we wouldn’t go!! Well, imagine my joy and excitement when I drew a picture of a train with some gobbly-gook next to it. I can only assume the destination was to a train. I’ll never know. Here’s why…as I looked to Daddy and Momma with anticipation and wonder, Momma snatched the paper from my hand and said, “Oh no…it’s broken! Pick again Nate.” Total gut punch. What did she mean, “broken”? Was the train “broken”? Was the paper “broken”? Shouldn’t we go so Daddy can help fix it with his super hero skills? The only things broken were my dreams…and my heart.

Still in shock, I obliged and pulled another paper from the tin. I didn’t care where we went now…nothing mattered. With no excitement, I pulled the next destination: Fort Point & The Golden Gate Bridge. Wahoo…not really. Fort Schmort. Unless we were going by train, I wasn’t interested.

I’m only saying this here, for you guys only. Fort Point: Big Bumpers and Holy Bananas!! So. Cool. It’s AMAZING!!! It’s TRAINTASTIC!!! The fort thingy is right by the water and full of tunnels! You can run and run! When you laugh and scream it comes back and hugs you! And there are three levels of stairs! Stairs are fun. Up. And. Down. Up. And. Down. When Momma said , “fort” I thought it was going to be like the forts we make with blankets, sheets and chairs. I’ll never look at our forts the same. Time to find some bricks!

Fort Point

Sheet Forts

Daddy tried to tell me what this fort was, why it was there. He said it was to protect people. He said that it was to keep people safe. He said that he and Momma were our fort, me and Lyla. He said that he and Momma would keep us safe, protect us. Hmmm. Okay. I think I get it.

We ran around and took pictures for hours, until the sun started to get ready for bed. When we left, I watched the fort disappear, thinking that even though The Drawing Game wasn’t fair, this wasn’t such a bad adventure. Of course, I’ll never tell THEM that. Bye –bye Fort Point. It was time to go home…home to our very own fort.

Nate’s Notes: The Drawing Game

RSWL: Day Trips & Adventures

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Amanda

One of the major changes in my life in the last year has been not only how I work or what I work on, but where I work. Yes, I work from home, in my home, etc. More specifically, though, I am referring to the field adventures I take for photographs. I absolutely LOVE these. Sometimes these are quick outings by myself into town or for a particular set of shots. More often than not, they involve one baby on my back (or front), and sometimes they include my husband, Chad, and another baby on his back. These field adventures range from a couple hours to a full day depending on how far away the destination. These day- long trips, or day trips, are my favorite, seeming like a mini vacation, taking us on fantastic adventures.

I keep an inventory of the places or subject matters we need photos of (ummm…like, EVERY THING and EVERY PLACE), and we go down the list. Recently, we made it more of a random pick by writing all the current choices on scrap papers which we will take turns drawing from a tin in order to determine our destination.

Our day trips might take us to the zoo, to a nearby city or town, a lumber mill, cemetery, to the ocean, to historic forts, to nearby state parks, even national parks, to bridges, farmland, wineries, museums and more. We are a curious and adventurous family, hungry to learn and see new things. Our explorations teach us new things, even if it’s to a place we’ve visited 5 times before. Each time, we see it with different eyes. Sometimes, if we’re returning to a place, we’ll take a different route there, exploring new things along the way. There is a surprise around each corner, if you pay attention.

The adventures also get us involved in active learning. Often it is worth it to do some research ahead of time when we plan our destination. Just a half hour on Google before leaving enhances our outing and encourages us to look things from different angles and with a greater appreciation. Day trips let us be adventurous, support our sense of exploration, and give us enough of a break from daily life to keep things interesting.

From our location in Northern California, I think my favorite day trip destination is San Francisco and the surrounding areas because of the vast number of places to see. We could make the 75 mile trip each weekend for half the year and not run out of adventures. We recently went to the Golden Gate Bridge, Crissy Field and Fort Point. If you’re ever in the area, these are a must see for you structure enthusiasts. Nate will undoubtedly write about it soon!

Fort Point, San Francisco

Our whole team at The Transmogrifier is passionate about our day trips and long weekend adventures. We also love suggestions…so anytime you have one for a location that inspires great photos, or a learning opportunity, please let us know.

I’m off to plan our next day trip! What was the last day adventure you had and where did it take you?

Nate’s Notes: The Drawing Game

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Amanda

I know, I thought we were going to be using color crayons too. What do you expect (wink wink- even though both my eyes still close when I try to wink) when you hear “draw”? Well, Momma and Daddy said they were going to need my help with a game. They called it “The Drawing Game”. Naturally, I went to find my color crayons and tried to sneak in some highlighters and markers. Momma quickly took the highlighters and markers away. Not cool. After being ignored when I threw myself on the floor thrashing in an attempt to get the markers back, I picked myself up, forgot about the markers, and decided to see what they meant. I joined them at the table where they were writing on small pieces of paper.

I made a mad swipe at all the papers and ran, eager to see what they were about. Daddy grabbed my overalls and hauled me back to the table. Man. Did I mention they are soooo serious sometimes??!!! After resigning myself to standing there, marker-less and confused, they told me what they were doing. Momma decided our list of field adventures for pictures was long and taking up too much room on the whiteboard in our kitchen. She also said she wanted to add some fun to the family decision-making process and asked me what I thought about that. I blinked at her (not winked) and thought to myself, “she DOES realize I am not even two right? Family decision-making process? What does that even MEAN????” . She clearly took my blinking as a cooperative gesture because she responded, “Good! I’m glad you like it Nate, because you get to draw the first adventure.” Well, who doesn’t like a good game of Pictionary???!!! THIS boy does! So I ran to get my color crayons. Daddy grabbed my overalls and hauled me back to the table once again. They are SO confusing. Do they want my help or not??

Momma said we could crumple the pieces of paper and put them in the old coffee tin. She told me what some of them said as we crumpled. Golden Gate Bridge; Rodeo; SF Zoo; Armstrong Woods; Point Reyes Lighthouse; SF Japanese Tea Gardens; Pier 39; Giants Ballpark; Healdsburg Playground; Monterey; Mendocino; Fort Ross; Downtown Napa; Santa Rosa Air Museum; Angel Island; Alcatraz; China Camp State Park; Yosemite; Camping; Fort Point; Aquarium; Howarth Park; and Spring Lake. Then she explained that “draw” is a complicated verb with many meanings. Yes, I can draw with my color crayons. I could even draw with highlighters and markers if she’d put on her fun-Momma cap and let me. Well, this time, draw meant to pull out one of the pieces of paper from the tin. Whatever- your language is so bizarre sometimes. I’m just trying to learn it.

So, here goes…my turn to draw the first field adventure! Got it! And we’re going to…

The Transmogrifier Blog

find . inspire . transform . create

Author Archives: Amanda