Developed - Llano - Young Settlers

shot on : fuji superia 800

when we moved to texas two and a half years ago we knew exactly one person, someone who we had only met a few months before while visiting. fresh to austin and newly married we wondered where we would fit in this city. luckily this one friend quickly introduced us to a very welcoming group of people. 

growing up on the east coast and spending six years in philadelphia before moving to the lone star state being introduced to born and raised texans was a shock to us. these people wanted to be our friends right off the bat? they were genuinely interested in us and our stories? we witnessed first hand what everyone refers to as southern hospitality. back east friendship and trust is earned over time, down here it is given automatically. 

once a year these folks make a trek out to some family land on the llano river for a week of camping, fires, swimming, food, guns and booze. i was lucky enough to make it out for a night for the third year in a row. 

we regretfully don't get to see this group of friends as much as i'd like, but that never seems to matter. regardless of how long it's been since we last saw them they are always welcoming; just as gracious as they were when taylor and i wandered up to their front porch two and a half years ago. texas has a hold on us, from day one we felt like we belonged here and these people played a huge role in making us feel like this was our home.  

Arizona

cruising up highway 17, hair blowing in the wind, arms reaching far out of the windows towards the saguaros and the four of us gals laughing nonstop; it's like a scene from the movie crossroads.

we are unshowered, running on two hours of sleep and sore from dancing for hours on a rooftop bar in phoenix the night before. we are running on giggles and adrenaline at this point, so as soon as we get to sedona, we are ready to hike. we set out on Sterling pass trail. the 1,050 feet elevation gain provided views of the red rocks in the distance and the pine covered mountains surrounding us.

after sterling pass, we checked into our hotel, and like four mid-twenties aged gals should, we cannon balled into the pool. we then got ourselves dolled up to go get some well deserved dinner and drinks and of course do some turquoise shopping (because what better place than sedona?!)

when we got back to the hotel, we started planning our next day, and what would be my last day of the trip. we knew a sunrise hike had to happen. we set our alarms for five a.m. and set out for devils bridge trail. i have done quite a bit of hiking in sedona over the years but never until this trip did i know that there was a natural bridge in the area! we shared stories and laughed the whole way up to devils bridge. once we got to the top it hit me, and probably all four of us, that not everybody is so lucky to have such beautiful people in their lives. our thoughts and feelings matched so closely. kindred spirits. soul sisters. to that we popped a bottle of champagne!

there couldnt have been a better group of ladies to dance all night and hike all day with. i feel super lucky to have such strong and beautiful women in my life. cheers!

Field Trip - Texas Wildflowers

in

"we only take pictures of the things we are afraid to lose." i read this a while back on somebody's instagram and really identified with it. up until that point i could never really define why i took the photographs i did, i probably would have classified myself as a "landscape photographer". and while it's true that i do take some landscape pictures, i take them because of what i'm feeling that moment, standing there with my wife seeing something new for the first time. 

kneeling down in a field of flowers trying to take some pictures for this post taylor asked me "what's wrong", i answered "i don't like any of these pictures, but i'm not really sure what i'm hoping for." here i was taking a technically great photo in the early morning sunlight and it just didn't feel right to me, it was no fun, there was no emotion involved. it wasn't until we climbed up a hay bale that i really started snapping away.

there are times i'll go somewhere without taylor, camera in tow, and not take a single picture. not necessarily because i'm having a bad time, but because my heart is just not there. and if i don't want to take pictures of what i'm looking at why would anyone even want to see them?

all of the photos you see on america y'all were taken because i was feeling something at the exact moment i clicked the shutter, feeling something that i never want to forget. 

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico.

in

 the weather is finally changing and with the warmer temperatures our wanderlust is kicking back into gear. winter months had us taking small day trips but the bulk of our weekends were spent cuddled up at home dreaming of summer. 

with an original plan to roll out at midnight, excitement kept us from sleeping and we ended up hitting the road at nine. driving through the darkness the sun began to rise just as we were in the lincoln national forest, in the distance we spotted a massive white spot in the middle of a sea of brown; white sands national monument.

 we've been to the sand dunes out in west texas before, but we weren't prepared for what lay ahead of us upon entering the park. miles and miles of bright white sand dunes, looking like rolling hills covered with a light dusting of snow. driving further our minds started playing tricks on us, with the morning clouds still hanging low it was impossible to tell where the dunes ended and the sky started. 

a saturday, especially the first weekend of spring break, usually means very crowded parks. white sands is so vast that you can easily walk an extra hundred yards into the dunes and escape everyone into a sea of gypsum that goes on for miles with a hazy, almost unreal, mountain backdrop. 

in our travels we'll sometimes go to a park and know that exploring it once is enough, sometimes we end up going back because it's close or we want to show a friend, not an hour into our drive home we were already talking about going back to white sands in the future.

Developed - New Hampshire

in

shot on : kodak porta 400

"my little horse must think its queer to stop without a farmhouse near. between the woods and frozen lake, the darkest evening of the year. he gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake. the only other sounds the sweep of easy wind and downy flake. the woods are lovely dark and deep, and i have promises to keep, and miles to go before i sleep, and miles to go before i sleep."

new hampshire isn't an adventure to me, new hampshire is home. visiting is like running into a really good old friend, i pick up exactly where i left off, like i was never gone.

my first day there eighteen inches of fresh powdery snow fell covering the old mill town i grew up in like a thick white blanket. my mother and i started off the day by shoveling out her car, then headed to a diner for coffee in meredith. after, we shuffled our feet over the frozen lake to look at the bob houses scattered over the ice. 

the rest of the visit continued to give me the winter and family fix i sought. sled dog races, an evening walk in the blizzard, a snowy drive to cape cod, warming up by a wood stove, cup after cup of diner coffee, while getting my mother all to myself.

as nice as it is to be back in austin, laying on my hammock in shorts while writing this, a big piece of my heart is always left behind in new hampshire. this shred comes in the form of a big sister who i find more in common with every visit we have, i truly enjoy her company. a little brother, so wise beyond his years that i can honestly say i look up to him and the support he provides me means the world. two little sisters who keep me laughing nonstop and know how fun doing donuts in moms car is.

and most of all, my mother, who is my rock. it took a while to get to the point we are at now, but as i have matured i realize everything she has done for me and still does for me. no amount of time is ever enough with her, but every time is always quality time.

good bye, and keep cold.

Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge

in

with my better half up north visiting family in the snow globe that is new hampshire, i decided to venture out on my own. my last trip out of state was to louisiana back in september so i've been itching to see something new. looking at some maps of surrounding states i noticed a spot of green designating a park right over the border in oklahoma, wichita mountains national wildlife refuge. 

leaving at midnight i drove north through the dark and lonely highways for six hours, just me, my dogs and the full moon above. arriving at the refuge before sunrise i took in the bright comanche moon reflecting off an ice covered lake slowly setting behind a set of mountains while the sun began to rise over my shoulder. 

i drove the sun drenched roads of the park taking in the sights, pulling over and doing short hikes whenever i saw a trail marker. without a real plan i just meandered up and down the rolling hills passing grasslands, massive granite peaks and numerous man made lakes built by the civilian conservation corps between nineteen thirty-three and nineteen forty-one.

i was also on a mission to find and photograph some of the bison herd that call the refuge home. i am not usually one for wildlife photography, but the bison has an allure that i cannot escape. thunderous and steadfast these massive beasts exude the feeling and freedom of the west.

the park was empty for much of the morning, allowing me and the pups to roam free without having to worry about running into anybody while we explored. after six short hours in the wichita mountains we were headed back to texas and the rv's and minivans had just started to make their slow procession into the refuge.