My friend Yuli drove all the way from Eugene to Seattle with her mom for a quick weekend trip. At Volunteer Park, I made Yuli, who’s always a good sport, crawl through Noguchi’s Black Sun. Oof!

Love the expression on these kids’ faces. They’re wondering when we’ll leave so they can play.

Volunteer Park’sgot some great big trees, and Yuli’s mom enjoyed seeing the varieties. As we walked around the park, she pointed out unusual bark, leaves, height, branch formations. We take these things for granted in the Emerald City, but back home in Taipei, nature is practically non-existent.

The Chinese camels guarding the front of the Asian Art Museum are replicas, perfectly okay for climbing. The marble originals, from late 14th-mid 17th century, are housed inside the Seattle Art Museum downtown.

I’d never met Yuli’s mom before, and I was struck by how much she looked like my mother. It wasn’t just her eyes, nose, mouth, or her hair and the shape of her face. It was her mannerisms too, and what she wore and how she walked. The resemblance was so strong it was kind of freaky. Maybe in 25 years, Yuli and I will look alike too!

My East Coast nephews and niece flew into Seattle yesterday, a long trip made even longer when some passenger decided he didn’t like the sound of the plane’s engine. Everyone had to get off the plane and wait for the plane to be checked out — it was fine — before getting on with the flight. I’m surprised that passenger wasn’t mauled by everyone else on the plane.

Jack, 8, was beat by the time we checked into his hotel room. Poor kid. Pretty nice view of downtown, though, from the 32nd floor. He did perk up later when the hotel employee brought up his luggage and he unpacked his Star Wars action figures.

Sadie is One. Lucky. Dog.

She’s got two doting parents, Kristina and Brandon, and more toys than some kids. At Volunteer Park, Sadie was beside herself with all the people around her playing soccer and Frisbee, and the squirrels and crows to stalk. At one-and-a-half, she’s got tons of energy and loves to play.

Kristina’s always wanted a pet, but her parents wouldn’t let her have one growing up. (Too much work!) Her mom even tried to talk her out of getting Sadie, but now Sadie’s grown on her.

Sadie’s favorite toys are balls, Frisbees and new people. When she meets a new person, her tail wags so hard her back legs bounce back and forth too.

Brandon wanted a dog who would fetch, and fetching is Sadie’s speciality. Even if she misses the catch and the ball smacks her face, she doesn’t seem to mind.

High five!

Our niece Nora, 6, is seriously missing some teeth! She says she can still eat crackers and other hard things, by chewing on the side of her mouth. We had pizza when she came to visit, and she did all right.

Nora had a big weekend in Seattle: visiting the aquarium and Volunteer Park, watching Star Wars and playing princess dolls with her aunt and uncle. Here’s a nice note she wrote:

Bill and Jenny welcomed their new daughter home in October — an early Christmas present, Jenny says. Riley, now four months old, has already attended a cello concert and visited the art museum. She is a well-cultured baby for sure, and so sweet and utterly content.

See those white socks warming her feet? Her parents say Riley has a gift for shrugging off her socks. When she starts crawling, Bill jokes, they’ll be able to find her by following a trail of socks.

Riley has a good grip for a little baby. She can lift up her head by herself, but for now, her round belly thwarts her efforts to crawl.   

Look at those expressive eyebrows!

Tiny fingers…

…and tiny toes. Jenny showed me a pair of the cutest little Merrell hiking boots — they were a gift — that likely won’t get much use. (But who can resist buying ridiculously adorable baby gear?)

Head to head with Bill.

About an hour into pictures, Riley started yawning and yawning and yawning. Modeling is exhausting work!

Bill cradled Riley in his arms, and pretty soon, she closed her eyes and was out for a nap.

Congrats, Bill and Jenny, on your beautiful new baby!

I met Merilee and her family at the Seattle Asian Art Museum for some family portraits. The courtyard was set up for an afternoon concert, but luckily no one was in the board room. We used available light from a big picture window.

Like my family, Merilee’s family includes two sisters and a little brother. The youngest one is the tallest!

I’d hoped to make some pictures in Volunteer Park, but a persistent drizzle sent us down the drive to the Conservatory instead.

For my last week at The Bellingham Herald, I stayed with Gus’ family. No matter what kind of day it had been, I knew it would have a good ending. Little feet raced to the front door as soon as the knob turned, and I’d be greeted with a great big smile from this little guy. Somehow, it always helped put things in perspective.

I photographed my other niece and two nephews this morning at the beach.

Thomas, 1, is has the bluest eyes and is cuter than any Gap model. I saw him two months ago at our wedding, and already he’s gotten so much bigger! Look how grown up he is, with his polo shirt and cargo shorts.

Morgan, almost 5, has beautiful curls and the sweetest smile. Here’s a joke from Morgan: “What kind of dog has no tail?”

Answer: a hot dog.

Jack, 7, is a terrific big brother. He taught me (well, tried to teach me) how to throw a baseball. Here’s a joke from Jack: “Have a nice trip! See you next fall!” (Get it?)

We walked around Fire Island along the water. The beach was so stunning it looked like a movie set — and it’s within easy reach of Manhattan. Except for one stretch of nude sunbathers, we practically had the whole beach to ourselves.

At first, Thomas wasn’t sure if he liked the sand. Mom piled it over his feet so he could get used to wiggling his toes in it. A few minutes later, he took off in a wobbly run down the beach and didn’t even need the reassurance of his mom’s hand.

And one more joke from Morgan: “Why did the boy throw the clock out the window?”

(He wanted to see how time flies.)

A picture of the whole family. Morgan started feeling under the weather, so after some snacks at the beach, we headed back along the boardwalk.

Understandably, Kathy was a little worried about the two people driving around in her Honda. One was her teenage son, Jake, with a learner’s permit; the other was me, a city transplant who hasn’t driven in three years.

Jake drove back to the house without hitting anyone, and I got a great tour of West Seattle. It was the most beautiful Saturday in weeks, the perfect day for doing senior portraits.

Jake suggested this picture against the concrete wall along his driveway. I like the way it turned out. We did get some funny looks from Kathy, who pulled into her driveway to see me sprawled out flat on the ground to make this picture.

Just finished making Matt, Jan and Nora’s pictures into a photo book. There’s something I love about turning printed pages, and I’m not just saying this as a former newspaper designer. It’s one thing to hand someone a DVD with jpeg files, but it’s much, much nicer to leaf through a book of pictures.

Besides, the book gives me extra chances to show off pictures of my niece!

The finished book ended up with 26 pages. I could have easily gone on many pages beyond that, but I restrained myself with some good picture editing judgement.

I’m planning on bringing over the book next time we’re in the Tri-Cities — I hope they will like it!