i was born and raised in California. My adopted state celebrates the day that pioneers first entered Utah, and as irony would have it, i spent that day in Yosemite National Park.
The East Gate
A lot of time has past since i lived in Yosemite, and i have been back for a couple of brief visits, but this trip was especially special for the company i keep. Tania and i have been into photography and travel for awhile, and if there was one place that I knew, that offered the best of both – that place is Yosemite.
Toulumne Meadows Lodge
Half my life ago. i had darker hair, a minimum wage income, and no camera. i knew at the time that i would be back, with a fine machine to capture what i saw. In the mean time, real life happened, i almost lost my sight, i gained a house and a wife – and most importantly, someone who i could share this corner with.
Tunnel View
i came on a day my adopted state celebrated an arrival, i came half a lifetime later, i came as half of a couple. i came to a place i called home for awhile, a place alot of people have taken pictures of before – but i came back to a place i felt i knew and missed. i’ve published a few of the captures i’ve managed to process, but here is the story of the man behind the lense.
A sort of homecoming
When i moved to Yosemite, it started the long, slow process of me getting out of the way of me. Remnants still remain, i still shoot myself in the foot and i’m closer to a teenager than my contemporaries that have kids, but the time i spent in the Park released me from the demons of childhood and the mores of my upbringing. Today the influence of raw Mother Nature is a bigger part of me than the tradition of my parents. i’m glad for the fact that my natural mom has a part of my life as my adopted mom – spending time in the wilderness made me believe that i needed both to learn the lessons i would need to make my way in the world.
Today, a safe home and a warm bed are my prerogative. In the Park i was able to park my shoes by a door we pre-paid for.
home for a night
Twenty Four years ago, i found humility and a work ethic waiting on people that used the same amenities that i paid for last weekend. Being the one parking my boots at the door, i realized i did give something – to live in those shoes . . .