8. 'Til Daylight is Done

Sergey and Nammy check the alignment of the frames.

Greenhouse construction continues! This time, we make the best of the last two hours of daylight in order to install the last of the two frames. There is something very satisfying about working outside until the light is gone. Especially around the farm, there's a feeling that you are moving along with everything else around you. This greenhouse team is a fun bunch. They are easy-going, hilarious, and pragmatic fellas. Thanks for showing me around, guys!

7. The Beginnings of a Greenhouse

 These frames are strong enough to hold a swinging human!

Eye spy with my little eye some ready to pick zucchinis!!

 There were so many tomatoes that were just asking to be picked... They were delicious.

Fellow Engineers Without Borders coworker and friend Adi was kind enough to show me the greenhouse that is being built down by the Center for Urban Horticulture. The UW Farm approached EWB last winter in hopes of designing and building a space that would allow for more food to be grown over the cold winter months. Over the past couple of months, the two groups have been hard at work in finalizing plans and construction began in spring. I visited the site when seeds were still being sown, and it's pretty incredible to see the change that happens just over a matter of months. Zucchinis, tomatoes, jalepenos, carrots, kale, arugula, basil, squash, onions, garlic, chard, and other veggies that I can't even name are abundant and thriving. Once the greenhouse is done, we will able to harvest these beauties all through the winter too. I am excited. 

6. We All Grow Up

Photos from Heather Lake Trail.

5. CEPicnic

"You look like a rainy day."

4. Sourced

 "Dam(n)!" Let the water puns begin.

 No leaning over, please.

And so it begins. Exactly five weeks from today I will be on a plane to Amman, Jordan, gearing up for four packed weeks of exploration surrounding Jordan's water engineering and management practices. Before any of that happens, however, it was natural that we first learn something about our own water sources here in the Pacific Northwest. It's a little crazy (and by a little I mean a lot) that this is where my drinking water comes from: snow melt that (barely) gets treated with chlorine (1ppm), some UV rays, and ozonated gas. In other words, this water is really ****ing clean. Sometimes I forget that I live in such majestic, green, and rain-soaked landscapes.

3. Algae Biofuels

What I've missed most about being a photojournalist is asking passionate people questions and seeing the wheels turn right behind the spark in their eye. Rose Ann Cattolico was no exception, and I loved every minute of hearing her explain the gritty details of her research. The chemistry threw me off for some parts, but I knew enough to understand the implications... You can't expect everything you learn in school to stick forever!

2. PRIDE

I'm proud of this city. And proud of its people.