Blue Dog Day

Saturday. Starkly white sky. It hurts my eyes to look out the window. The sun is shining but I can't see it through the clouds, only its blinding glare. I'm slow to start today. My mind is in hyperdrive, but my body is not.

I'm not "feeling the love", so to speak, for my "big guns". Some days I just don't want to lug around the camera with its big lens - the one that always makes strangers go "oooh, that's nice".  I like the funky grainy imperfect results of shooting with my cell phone on occasion. Maybe today will be a cell phone day. Or maybe I'll just be like the dog and stick my head in a snowbank.

Remembering Matt

I fell asleep on the couch last night. I'd never slept there before. When I awoke, the first morning light was just beginning to peek through the window. I lay on my back and stared at the outline of the lights above me and the corner of the window. It was lovely light, and although it was a sight unfamiliar to me, there was something very comfortable about it.

Today I learned of the sudden death of a young (much too young) friend. He was a smart, kind, gentle person...someone with great promise. His passing is a tremendous shock and loss to all those who knew him. When I think of him now, I imagine that he has awakened in a place unfamiliar yet comfortable too. It makes me smile in spite of my sorrow. We love you, Matt, and always will.

Wanderings

I can't tell you the number of times that I've been faced with a vast landscape and found it almost impossible to capture it as an image. Don't get me wrong - the landscape itself is stunning, amazing, overwhelming, breathtaking. Over and over I've tried to grab it all and create an image that would make my heart soar. But the actual image always seems to fall short when I remember the landscape as it truly was. And so I go to the other extreme...deep into the details. I can stand in an area that is 50 yards by 50 yards and find a thousand lovely images to call my own. What a gift we've been given in this world.

A River Runs Through It

The easiest way to get to town is to travel down a deep rocky canyon with a river that runs alongside the road. I can't count the number of times I've wanted to kick myself for not having my camera with me. But not today. It was freezing cold and I had left the house later than planned but remembered to grab the camera as I dashed out the door.

The drive is about 30 minutes and the whole time I kept my eyes peeled waiting for that perfect scene to appear. But it wasn't happening. Although it was clear and blue at the house, as I dropped down in elevation it became apparent that there was an inversion in the valley below. The air was hazy and I could see that my imagined photo wasn't just going to present itself like a surprise gift.

Frustrated but determined not to give up, I decided to pull over as I approached the foot of the canyon to see if the river had anything to offer me. I walked back and forth a few times looking at the boulder laden stream below... nothing really grabbed me. Just the "usual" little waterfalls and rapids as the river tumbled downhill. None of the rich vibrant colors that had screamed at me in the fall.

I thought to myself, 'what the heck, I'm here; I might as well try to do something with the water rushing between the ice capped stones'. My fingers were stinging from the cold and I could barely push the shutter button. I grabbed a few shots but wasn't really satisfied that I had anything I'd like.

I should know better... sometimes I just have to put a little space between shooting and editing. Thankfully, today was no exception.

Inside Looking Out

Some days it's just too cold to venture out, no matter what promises you made yourself about shooting every day... thank goodness for warmly insulated houses and windows.

Fire and Ice

Another reason I love the new year ... I get to burn my old tax files. I didn't realize how cold it was until I went outside in my PJs to look at the fire - 5 degrees. Brrr.

Happy New Year

There's something about New Year's Day...kind of like a clean slate, a fresh start. Today couldn't have been a more perfect example of it. The air was crisp and cold (single digits), but the sky was blue and clear, the snow white and pure, the sun brilliant.  But even on a day of new beginnings, occasionally there are remnants of the past we have just left...or haven't quite left yet. And that's OK too.