the word hope...

On this past Sunday, I read about a mural that was painted in downtown Greenville over an 8 hr period the day before. I hate that I missed the opportunity to get a photograph of the artists in action.  But I did stop by on Sunday afternoon to get a photo of a portion of the mural.  The word hope rings as true today as it always has. Here is an excerpt from a blog post that I did several years back:

hope - to have a feeling, chance, desire, expectation or wish to do something or to make something happen...

Without hope, our lives would be meaningless. We all have hopes that get us through the day (week, month or even year).  Hope is something that transcends all things.  Let me say it again...  Without hope, our lives would be meaningless.

I love this excert that photographer Robert Adams wrote and how he relates it to hope. "Of all the sacred places on the coast, none is more comforting than where rivers join the sea. By the river's disappearance we are reminded of life's passing, while by the ocean's beauty we accept it, in a hope we cannot explain."

We could all learn something from this.  Maybe by trying to focus a little less on the fleeting failures in our lives and focus a little more on the hope in our lives that eternally matters.

exposing my weirdness...

I know I am weird. I was passing by a spot in my office and noticed the sun and my shadow. Knew that I had to take a picture so I grabbed one of my SX-70s and framed/shot the image above. Something so simple, yet potentially complex. So little detail, yet so much about me...

just look up...

So many things to stop and photograph along Hwy 287. I've traveled this road from Decatur to Childress for over 25 yrs every time we go to our hometown to visit family. I've talked (and thought) about stopping to photograph hundreds of items along the way. On our way back home (over the Christmas holiday), I convinced Sherri to let me stop twice to take photos. This sign (and many just like it) has been softly speaking to me over the last several years. I can now check this one off the list...

add a little light...

My goal this year is to get back to my blog and add photos along with the story and only add the photos to Instagram (mostly the same pictures without the stories). This is my first one of 2017. A photo of Allister taken today while her and Pyper spent the day with Sherri and me. It was our last day off from work/school/daycare. Most of my instant photos are taken in bright light, but this one was captured with subtle window light in an otherwise dark room. Wow, the results were spectacular!  I love how I have so many closeup pictures of these two girls. Someday, they will all look oh-so-good in an album for everyone to remember the years of the girls growing up...

memories...

The main reason I buy cameras/film is to create tangible memories of the ones closest to me. I absolutely love that Sherri and I have so many memories of the 24 years that we have been married and I look forward to every year (and memory) that is ahead of us. Took this photo when we got home from a day spent together eating brunch and searching for unique things for our house...

together...

It's always good to be together again as a family. It warms my heart to see these two talking and laughing with each other. It takes me back to simpler times when they were growing up...

smiling makes you cooler...

Took two shots to catch Allister smiling for the camera, but this one seemed to work. Catching her (because she is always moving) with a manual focus instant camera is sometimes luck at best. We were down in Stephenville yesterday visiting Sadi and I was outside of a boutique keeping Allister occupied. I love her emotions that are developing. Of course, smiling is the best indication of her happiness when she is this age. She seems very happy (and therfore very cool) here...

from above...

Took this one tonight as the sun was setting. This is exactly why I had my Holden SX70 converted to a 600 camera by @2ndshotsx70service . It makes the camera so much more useable and versatile. As you can see, the exposure is perfect! The beauty of an "instant" print in your hand is beyond compare...