Well, it’s been a hot minute since I last posted and so much has changed over these past few years. The only thing I really want to touch on right now though is our move to Alaska! As my youngest daughter commented this morning after seeing the sunrise colors reflected against the mountains across the Cook Inlet, “We live in a masterpiece.” It is simply jaw dropping up here.
However, its vast beauty can be difficult to capture with photography alone. I can look at pictures that I’ve taken, along with images made by others, and I can objectively say that they are beautiful photos. None of them take my breath away though, as I experience on a near daily basis here. In other words, you just have to live it to truly understand how awe inspiring this far northern land is.
Everything is larger than life in Alaska and it’s a truly humbling experience just to walk around and attempt to take it all in while staying alive. There are so many ways to die up here, which I realize sounds terribly morbid, but that constant buzzing of fear every time you step out your door (seriously, I was almost trampled to death by a moose in my own front yard…in the suburbs) makes you hyper aware and appreciative of the beauty and brevity of life.
Yep, people have died here, too. Beware the mudflats around Anchorage!
We’ve been easing our way into safely exploring our more immediate surroundings. A Volkswagon Vanagon has joined our family. Our weekend jaunts in “Savannah” are the highlight of our summer.
We’ve all taken up Nordic skiing and absolutely love it. I’ve discovered that what I always suspected about myself was correct…winter is my spirit season! In my mind, there’s nothing more wonderful than watching the snow fall, skiing through fresh tracks, sledding with a thermos of hot cocoa, ice skating on a lagoon, and driving up into the mountains to watch the northern lights.
I only wish I had more images of the winter up here. Sadly, I have not been shooting nearly as much these past couple of years. As I said at the beginning of the post, so much has changed and not all of it good. My father passed away in the summer of 2020 and seeing as he was the one I shared such a strong connection with through photography, it was almost painful to pick up my camera again. What was the point if I couldn’t show him my life through my lens?
Handed the camera off to my husband here. This was after competing in the Alaska Ski for Women while representing my Scottish clan with our tartan on my kilt!
And so I’ll leave it here for now. I’m determined to shoot more and rekindle the joy I used to find in capturing my life and surroundings. I have some big goals this year for my photography, from getting into another publication for some of my fine art to restarting my business for families. Wish me luck and I hope all is well with you and yours, wherever you may be in this wild world!
