Ayla Happy with Jo

There is a sense of comfort being near your mother as a young baby or child. The closeness, knowing the care taken to keep you safe. At that age, you receive something from her different from anyone else in the world, even you father. A nurturing and familiarity. As if the outer world could evaporate away and you would be none the wiser. It can cease a crying spell or bring a smile to an otherwise mundane moment.

The best part of witnessing this take place with your own child is watching your daughter soak it up and seeing what it does to your wife. Here is one of those moments caught on camera.

One of Those Moments

Franklin, TN

Me, Dad, and a Blue Sky

No one else really wanted to get up early that morning. Maybe it was the fact that it was vacation and you are supposed to sleep in, but my dad and I had other plans. Both being fans of photography, we knew the best light is in the morning and evening. But beyond that, I think we both knew it was the most dramatic part of the day as well. Like a symphony starting with a tap of the sun's wand on the pedestal. Then a slow addition of instruments as new corners of nature came to light with each wave of the conductor's arms. Why would we miss it for a few more hours of warmth and rest?

When we got on the road, we could see the sun was already on its way up, as if approaching the stage. So we took off up the mountain and when we realized we were high enough and the and sun was ready, we pulled off and gazed at the shadowed valley floor with the thin silver stream weaving like a serpeant toward the town below. The morning light peaked over the jagged horizon, catching a glimpse of who was willing to sacrifice their bed for the start of the show. And there we were, with no regrets for our beds, but enjoying a little father-son time...and the best show money can buy. I actually think I remember the rapping of the conductor's wand on the music stand.

The following picture is not the symphony, but two happy concert goers reveling in the brilliance of the show. And we weren't even thinking about our beds.

An Early Morning Symphony

Rocky Mountain National Park

They Were Simpler Times Back Then

Ayla is coming up on one-year old and what better way to commemorate her birth by looking back at the first year. It is really bizarre to think about how much she has changed. She can roll over on her own, shoot, she can stand by herself too. She has 2 teeth, eats solid food and is can hold her liquor with the best of them. Just kidding. But all these changes, though they are good, makes life a little more interesting around the old homestead.

So I wanted to post a photo of when times were simpler. When she pull things off the shelves and follow us all over the house. A time when she wouldn't throw food off her tray. A time when the worst thing that could happen would be that she drooled like a...well, a baby.

Simpler Times

Franklin, TN

The Redemptive Chipmunk

When we were kids, my family took a couple of vacations out west. But one in particular sticks out in my mind: we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. I was young and not the accomplished, world-class photographer I am now, and my dad let me try taking some photos with his camera. Now this was the fully manual kind. No auto-focus... or auto anything for that matter. And keep in mind I was young.

So as I was learning with my dad's SLR, I saw a chipmunk sitting right beneath me on a rock. I had him through the viewfinder, I set the exposure, I focused, I focused, I focused. I couldn't get what I thought was 'in focus'.
And then...he ran away.
I missed the shot.
What makes matters worse is that my sister has not let me forget about it for these almost 20 years.

But a couple years ago, I was back in Rocky Mountain National Park, with my own camera and quite a bit more experience.And what do you think happened to be sitting on the side of the trail? That's right, a chipmunk. (Probably a distant relative of the chipmunk of my childhood.) So what did I do? Did I panic and waste the shot? Did I break down and cry under the pressure? No, I snapped 20+ photos of that thing. And though my sister still likes to make fun of me every now and then...I have been redeemed!!

The Redemptive Chipmunk

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

465 mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6