Lakeshore Trail

My time at Holden has come to an end... again. But before I left the Railroad Creek Valley, I went for a hike. As Josh Ritter sings, "It's been a long time coming but now the snow is gone." And after a winter in which 27 FEET of snow fell from the clouds, its a big deal when the trails are clear. Unlike I usually do, I did not hike alone. Instead I hiked with one of my best friends, Brian, a fellow Holden-ite.

It was a special time for a hike, for several reasons. The first being the one night we camped was the night of the recent supermoon. Second, my sister was due to give birth to her first child (first time uncle, for me) at any time. And finally, it was just really nice to end my time living in the mountains with an overnight hike.

arizona hiking

A week before I left for the Northwest I went for a hike. A pretty great hike, actually. More than 2,500 feet elevation gain in less than 2 miles. Pusch Peak, very demanding, but a view that is more than worth it.

a fresh start

I've been away for too long. Away in the sense that my mind has been far from my soul. It is time to move on and improve my life. I returned to the Southwest of Tucson, Arizona. While most of my family is here, I don't think it is a place I can stay and build my life. I'm sure my attitude would be different if I had a job of my own, but I do not. I will be leaving Arizona and traveling back to the Pacific Northwest for the next six months. I will do my best to keep posting new photos, but the internet is not so great in the Cascade mountains. Not to worry, the camera will still keep me busy.

dream

I almost never remember my dreams.
Last night I remembered two.
One about love, one about love lost.
I wish I only remembered one.

"dreams can chase you down
the winding worm sleeps in a bed of clay
and all that's lost is found to be made
of the broken little bits of yesterday

so i wait in the wind with my hands hung out
i weep and spin in the shadows of my doubts
shed my age as the lights burn out
finally it settles into my little heart
that dreams can chase you down"

The Low Anthem - Dreams Can Chase You Down

mpls at night

I finally took some photos around the city at night. Well, not around the whole city, just one area. Of course I had to wait until my last few days in the city to do this project. And because I was just walking around close to home, it may not have yielded the variety of shots I was hoping for. But I think all in all they turned out pretty well.

glass half empty

What I've been up to lately...

It's just been one of those days / months / ...

my fourth

For the first time in a long time, I was actually looking forward to the 4th of July. To me that meant spending the evening with some good friends, grilling some meat, drinking some beer, and taking pictures of the fireworks. And just to get three out of four would be great on any other day, except yesterday. I let the fact that I didn't take pictures of fireworks bother me, and I think that bothers me more than anything else. I had a good time last night. So what if I couldn't manage a great viewpoint for fireworks pictures. The view we had was special in its own way. The fireworks just peaking around the trees and over the bridge. It was just us, no strangers. We were right on the Mississippi River, for crying out loud! The crescent moon setting on the horizon. Why would I want to give that up for a better spot to take pictures??? Plus, I still think I got a couple decent shots of the night.

 51oz of (really) good beer

grilling some really good meat

sunset on the mississippi

all the festivities in the sky i need