A deep connection with the outdoors

From the time she was born she's needed to be outside. 

Everyday. 

Rain or shine, it doesn't matter.



 
Any excuse, just let her be outdoors.

She gets lost in nature.  Plants, birds, butterflies

I did it...

I stayed home.  I passed up a change to take pictures. Winter pictures of my girls sledding and playing in the snow. A drive to the mountains and a day in the cold.

Nothing.  No winter wonderland photos. No sledding.  No funny crash scenes, cold noses or sun shining through the trees.

Nothing. A break from everything and a quiet house.  Some time to work on some writing and relax.

But, even as I try to enjoy the solitude I keep thinking that I'm missing out.  Not on the cold fingers, or numb toes or wet clothes of course.  Missing out on the squeals of delight, the screams of excited kids and the opportunity to freeze those memories forever.

If only I could escape....

Sometimes I wish I could just leave.  Run away. Travel.  Escape.

It's not because I really want to run away.  More of just something calling me.  I want to be out.  Somewhere quiet and undisturbed.  If you've never seen Jason Bell's website, you should check it out.

http://www.jasonbellphoto.com/#/photographer/Jason%20Bell/Landscapes/

He's one of my heros.  Really.  The landscapes are particularly amazing.  They make me feel small and insignificant.  They show me that there is so much out there I haven't experienced (or photographed).

There's just something about his photography that is inspiring, and humbling.  It makes me want to go.  Explore.  And just be.

And, of course,  I'd take my camera.

Summer travels

This last summer we took the girls on a vacation to California.  

Yes, we packed up the travel trailer and spent two weeks "camping."  Which means hours upon hours of driving and a daily dose of Dramamine for the youngest who never fails to get car sick.

In case you were wondering...  we must have looked like tourists.

In other words we had the GPS on the dashboard, a stack of maps in hand and a panic stricken look as we drove for hours on end through places we've never been.

The highlights?  The Redwoods, Disneyland and California Adventures, and Yosemite National Park.  

If you ask our kids what they enjoyed most it was campfires and smore's, meeting the Disney Princesses, and swimming in the river.

But the photographer in me was in heaven.  I created a memory book of photos for my daughters on Snapfish, and built a collection on Dreamstime titled "All Things Disney!"  http://www.dreamstime.com/all-things-disney!-rcollection18857-resi3427385     

So many memories.  I wonder where the journey will take us next.