Photo Story: Farmer Ben’s

Hunter, 12, (left) Rem, 8, (middle) Jessica Elenbaas, 38, (right) and dog Lucy head out to begin chores on their 180-acre farm located in Lynden, Washington. The farm, called Farmer Ben’s, is a 6^th generation family farm where Jessica Elenbaas lives with her husband Ben and three children. “No farmer ever got rich farming,” Jessica said. “We don’t do it for the money, we do it for the lifestyle.” Farming is a passion for the Elenbaas’s, and is a way for them to keep their family close. “There isn’t anything that we don’t love about it,” Jessica said. “We love the land and animals, and being one with nature.” They plan to take care of their farm for the next generation. “There is such a sense of peace and contentment living on the farm,” Jessica said.

Jessica, 38, Rem, 8, Chris, 10, and Hunter, 12, work together to set up fences in the field. Every day, the cattle get a new section of grass to eat. “We do intensive rotational grazing,” Jessica said. This means that the cows are turned into different pastures throughout the day. The cattle are grass fed, and the Elenbaas’s do this because of market demand. “Grass fed beef is a healthier quality of meat,” Elenbaas said. “The health benefits are amazing.”

Hunter Elenbaas feeds the cows grain as a part of his barn chores. These cows are called heifer’s, meaning that they have had babies. Once the cows see Hunter coming with the bucket, they line up against the gates and their head gets locked in for feeding. They raise Black Angus cattle and pigs, and have over 100 head of cattle. The cows have babies all spring and summer. Jessica Elenbaas plants lettuce seeds in her green house. They grow all their own vegetables on the farm. On June 28, their family will be hosting an annual Farm to Table dinner in order to fundraise for the Whatcom County Cattlemen’s Association. “It’s going to be night filled with amazing food, music, animals, and a true country living experience,” Jessica said. The event is open for anyone to come. Jessica hopes to educate people at this event as well, and provide information about how cattlemen work to preserve agriculture and the importance of protecting the land they farm. This means ensuring that they test their water. “We do this to ensure that we have a natural healthy balance,” Jessica said. Chris and Rem hold onto the electric fence, playing a game they created to see who can hold on longest. “I usually win,” Chris said. The electric fence is on low. Every day, the children collect the eggs from their hens. “I’m getting sick of eating eggs,” Rem said. “We eat them almost every day.” Rem, Chris, and Hunter sit on top of the water tank that feeds to hens. They are home schooled, and usually finish schoolwork around noon. “It’s nice because we have more time to ride our dirt bikes,” Chris said. Rem likes to ride her horse and has learned how to herd the cattle. All the children love animals.

In Class Assignment

Errin Sprinkle, 31, pushes her baby Andre Sprinkle, seven months, at the Franklin Park. They go to this park together almost everyday. “It’s a nice way for us to get out of the house,” Sprinkle said. Having a baby has been the best thing to ever happen to Sprinkle. “It’s a lot of work at times, but definitely a blessing,” Sprinkle said. Andre just woke up from his nap. “He is always the happiest in the morning,” Sprinkle said.

Photo Illustration

“Can chocolates and cakes steal your memory? High blood sugar increases risk of Alzheimer’s, a new study claims”

link:

http://rt.com/news/256205-chocolate-cakes-sugar-memory/

A new study has found that too many sweets, such as cake and chocolate, may be linked to the deadly Alzheimer’s disease. Washington University School of Medicine published research in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that elevated blood sugar levels could lead to “harm effects on brain function and exacerbate neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.”

Motion Assignment

Evan Yamada, 22, grinds a rail at the Bellingham Skate Park. He has been riding his scooter for eight years. “I like progressing at my own pace and riding on my own terms,” Yamada said. He enjoys practicing different tricks such as the tail whip, smith grind, and heel whip. He broke his arm doing a back flip last year, but that didn’t stop him from doing what he loves. He is a member of Lucky, a professional scooter team. “It’s unlike normal sports,” Yamada said. “I don’t have a coach telling me what to do and when to do it.” Feeling free is what Yamada enjoys most about riding his scooter.

Austin Moore, 14, does a flip on his Razor scooter at the Bellingham Skate Park. Moore grew up in Bellingham and has been riding his scooter for four years.
“I used to skateboard but found out it was easier to do different tricks on a scooter instead,” Moore said. He is a member of a professional scooter team called Lucky.

Honest Emotion Assignment

For this assignment, I captured honest emotion between Alyssa Andrea, 23, and James Kence, 23.

James Kence, 23,and Alyssa Andrea, 23, share a funny moment together after jogging around Lake Padden Park in Bellingham, Wash. They try to go together at least once a week. “I’m working on my summer body,” Andrea said. “James usually can’t keep up with me.” They are roommates and both go to Western Washington University. Kence and Andrea work out together often, and both love to run. “It’s great having a roommate who is active and fun,” Kence said.

Environmental Portrait

Terry Brooks, 69, peers down at his paint pallet to determine what color to use next. On a sunny afternoon, Brooks spends his day doing what he loves. He set up his easel on the sidewalk and got to work. In roughly two hours, Brooks will have completed a picture of Saturna Capital on 1300 N State St. “I’ve always been passionate about painting,” Brooks said. Brooks moved to Bellingham three years ago. He has completed 17 paints of buildings in downtown Bellingham so far, and plans to do around eight more. “I see these streets as a challenge,” Brooks said. “It’s one I’ve been willing to take.”

Photojournalism 2015

For the ice breaker assignment, I asked people in Bellingham a question and took their portrait. This is what I discovered.

The Question:

“If you could spend the day with anyone, who would it be and why? What would you do?”

Margarette Bou, 22 and Josh Snyder, 23

Margarette: “If I could spend the day with anyone, I would choose Josh,” Bou chuckled as she looked at Josh. Her ideal day would be to go on a house boat together and travel to somewhere tropical. This is because it is something she has always wanted to do, and she loves warm weather.

Josh: “I would also choose Margarette,” Snider said. “I would spend a day traveling around with a police officer in his car.” Josh hopes to be a cop one day and would like to have a ‘ride along with a cop’ experience.

Ava Johnson, 24

After taking a few minutes to think about it, Johnson decided she would hang out her my friend Stephanie’s beagle named Skip because she loves him. “We would cuddle, eat some snacks, and take a nap,” Johnson said.

Ken Ohm, 38

“I would smoke weed with Albert Einstein,” Ohm said. He would like to smoke with him in Einstein’s lab, or wherever he wants. Ohm would choose him because he doesn’t think either of them look like they smoke weed. “I think he would have more interesting things to say,” Ohm said.

Conner Adams, 24

Adams would choose to hangout with Chris Farley for the day. This is because he believes he is his long lost brother. “We would do a lot of coke, eat sushi, and drink Tequila together at a bar,” Adams said.

Henry Malcolm, age 56

Malcolm sat alone at Aslan Brewery, looking out of the large panel windows. When asked who he would spend the day with, Malcolm first replied “no one.” After taking a moment to think, Malcolm changed his mind. “I would choose Abraham Lincoln, because I’m black and American,” Malcolm said. “I don’t drive,” Malcolm said. “So I would like to go on a walk with him.”

Myra Ingman, 68

Ingman would spend the day with an elderly man she used to know named Walter. “I would talk to him about my trip to China,” Ingman said. Walter was from China, and died before Ingman had the chance to tell him that she lived there for a year working at a university. Walter was an old friend who she admired.