Waves

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Photography: Little Whale Cove

I took these photos at a private cove near my dad’s house in Oregon last month. While I walked around with my camera, my daughter sat in the sand sifting it for agate. It wasn’t the trip I wanted. My dad was sick, ultimately needing to be transported by ambulance to the hospital. My daughter was about to turn 18, and things between us felt different. Everything felt…off.

As I edited these photos today, I felt all of it again. My dad is okay now, but he uses a walker, and the time for us to have the relationship I’ve always wanted is slipping away. My daughter and I are good. We’ve grown in new ways, but I worry about her all the time. I don’t know how to change things. I don’t know how to be right now.

Hard conversations are sitting inside me, and last night I dreamed they suffocated me, and I woke gasping for air. I couldn’t get back to sleep, anxiety eating at me with sharp teeth.

So, I’m going to take a minute and return to the peacefulness of this beautiful place. Will you join me? Let’s look at how light moves through things, reflecting and illuminating. Tell me, do any of these photos speak to you?

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
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Photography: Road Trip


This week I was reminded again at how complicated emotions can be, at how we can hold both tremendous grief and overwhelming love in the same breath. It was a week of tragedy, connection, rock camp, fairy doors, bubbles, car talks, and two panic attacks. 

Would I argue with the rain or clouds or the ocean itself?  I see faces, I see shapes, I see love wanting only to freely bloom.  I think I won’t complain.–Neil Reid

I’m still struggling, but I’m finding my way forward. Part of that path involves showing up here with you, even if I have to fight myself to do it.

About a month ago, my daughter and I drove up the coast of California into Oregon and Washington. Although this trip wasn’t what I had hoped, I got some pretty photos. Here are some of the best from day one.

I’d love to know if you have a favorite photo; can you guess mine?

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
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Photography: Dillon Beach

In 44 days, my book will be out into the world. A book with my words inside and my name on the cover. It’s a strange feeling still buried beneath all the details of self-publishing, but I wanted to acknowledge it here. With you.

This week, I got the Library of Congress number and started Instagram promotions. Next week, I’ll receive my proof copy, meet the bookstore manager to plan the book signing event, reveal the cover, and begin pre-orders.

It’s all happening.

It feels like it did when I published my first blog post—terrifying. Will anyone but my mom buy it? I recently came across an interview with David Bowie where he said, “If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

I’m going out of my depth, and it’s scary.

So for today, I’m going to share with you photos from a recent trip I took to Dillion Beach. Photos of water, birds, and starfish. These photos make me feel safe and I hope you like them. Let me know if you have a favorite, and I’ll see you next week with my heart in my hands.

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

Over on my Instagram, I’m showcasing the vibe of each of the short stories in my collection. I hope you’ll consider checking it out.

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Photography: Ocean Love

Fall into the waves with me before we dance among the bowed heads of the pink flowers. Did you see the deer? The starfish? The seagull? What did they have to say to you? I thought I heard them giggling. Perhaps they know more than I do about what’s to come.

“I spent uncounted hours sitting at the bow looking at the water and the sky, studying each wave, different from the last, seeing how it caught the light, the air, the wind; watching patterns, the sweep of it all, and letting it take me. The sea.”
—Gary Paulsen

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  • The last photo is of my brother’s dog Henry. He’s such a good boy! All photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
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Photography: Dillon Beach

Here are some of my favorite photos from my birthday trip to Dillon Beach. This trip was about connection and reflection. Cloud cover allowed for only one sunset and it was an odd one. The sun flattened to a bowl shape and was swallowed by the sea. I found it inspiring and somehow fitting for the place I am right now. Bring on weird!

Let me know if you have a favorite photo.

“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.”—Franz Kafka

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
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Photography: Dillon Beach

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Happy Wednesday! The last few months have felt like a blur, but maybe I’m coming out of this new phase of healing. I’ve had several wonderful conversations with old friends and made plans to meet two more later this week. I’m ready to trust and rebuild connections after feeling like my world was simply too tilted to stand straight. It’s a nice feeling.

These photos are from my trip last week to Dillon Beach. I’ve been here hundreds of times, but there’s always something different to see and photograph. Perhaps there’s a life lesson in there somewhere. Please let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a fantastic week.

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
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If you are interested in seeing how my photography has grown, here are some photos I took at Dillion Beach last year.