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

seven - four - eleven

Not your average set of stars and stripes...

Hopefully some fireworks photos will be added in the next few days.

Happy 4th of July!

brighter than sunshine

My apologies for not blogging lately. My computer had a virus which caused my files to 'disappear'. In reality, they were not gone, but I could not find them. I knew they were still around as my iTunes could still play my music, even though I could not locate the files. My biggest fear, however, was that all of my photos were gone. Sure, I could just keep taking new photos, but what about the thousands of photos I had already taken. Luckily, these photos (and many others) were saved. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

22° halo

The week after I left Holden Village I celebrated my birthday. My brother and my sister also celebrated their birthdays. Yes, we all share the same birthday; we are triplets. Unfortunately, we are not together for our birthday every year. But this year I did get to go whale watching with my sister. Before the boat left, I captured a picture of this fairly common optical phenomenon, the 22° halo. It is not that uncommon, but still quite a sight to see.

Not long before I left Holden, I went for a hike to Copper Basin. I took this picture of Copper Mountain, which seems much less significant the closer one gets. That is not why I posted this picture. What amazes me is what appeared in the photo, especially when it went unnoticed to my eye as I took this picture. After review my photos from this hike I notice this photo has a rainbow in the bottom right corner. Many times when I take pictures, I take several within just a few seconds. I did at this point also, and the photo I took just seconds before did not have this rainbow. But this one did. I can't help but think of the story from Genesis of Noah and his ark. God made a covenant with Noah that the rainbow would be a symbol of God's reassuring presence. It makes me happy to think I caught a glimpse of that myself.

the mercury is rising

It's hot outside. Okay, so maybe not southwest desert hot, but triple digits is still triple digits. Apparently, Minneapolis broke (or melted) a record by hitting 100 degrees yesterday. Today is even hotter. But really, it doesn't seem all that bad. I am still able to enjoy the great outdoors by biking, walking and (thankfully) swimming in rivers. This would never happen in Tucson. Mostly because there is no river. Or shade.

Anyway, pictures below are what it feels like outside. Clearly they were not taken in Minneapolis. They were taken in Arizona near the Utah borer.

me, a wedding photographer?

Do I think I could make a living as a wedding photographer? Maybe. But a more important question, would I even want to make a living as a wedding photographer? Not at all. Weddings (and open-bar receptions) are to be enjoyed. Not spent stressing over getting the right shot (especially at a "once-in-a-lifetime" event). Sure, it is different to have an assignment rather than taking photos at a friends wedding, but I'm not sure its something I want. I like to shoot at my own pace. I don't like to set up props (or people). At the wedding I attended this last weekend, the event coordinator for Viceroy Palm Springs asked if I was the photographer. She also asked if I was local and available for other events. Even if it's something I know I don't want to do, it's nice to know I can pretend, or at least have people assume, that I am a professional.

a southwest summary

Palm Springs (and a gracious family) welcomed me with warm weather (and open arms). While a week in Palm Springs is about seven times as much luxury as I can afford, I was reminded of how priceless a family's love truly is.

its a dry heat

sure palm springs, ca is no tucson, az

but at least i am going back to the southwest for a week.

probably no posts between now and next tuesday.

hopefully i'll be back with a few decent desert shots and a tan.

it's the end of the world as we know it...

...and i feel fine

after spending a year isolated from the outside world, it was easy for me not to get caught up in media created hoopla. within the first two weeks back into the real world, i am finding it hard to ignore the commentary regarding the supposedly upcoming rapture. and honestly, i can't help but laugh. this guy, harold camping, must be crazy. after incorrectly predicting the rapture nearly 20 years ago, he is convinced the next 15 minutes will be all that remain of the world we used to know. it is amazing how much attention he has received. whether these followers are seriously convinced or just using camping as a punch line, it's sad that we can not gain this type of attention and commotion about positive things in the world. why is it that we only react when triggered by fear? if that is the case, then (assuming, of course, that camping is once again incorrect) i am predicting that unless i sell $300 worth of prints from the few photos on my blog in the next month, i will never blog again. please don't let that happen. for you, your friends, and your neighbors. that may really be the end of the world as we know it, and i might not feel as fine.

i've put this off long enough

a tucson moonset

this is something i probably should have done a long time ago. but it's finally here. the first post on my photo blog.

i owe my passion for photography to my brother. he was into photography for a while before my interest really developed. but because i wanted to do just about everything he did, i started to borrow his camera and take pictures. a couple photography classes and a few years later, i finally purchased my own camera. a canon rebel xsi. nothing fancy, but it has been a good start.

this photo is one of the first i ever took with the camera. well, one of the first i was really proud of. the moon setting on an early tucson morning.

brother, i hope you can be proud of these photos!