On March 1st, 2013 eleven of us flew in from California, Washington DC, and New York. We took the earliest flights, hoping to be on the beach by noon. Although she didn’t know it, Puj was getting engaged; Matty had spent the weeks leading up to the trip planning every detail and we had successfully…
All Stories
thanksgiving thoughts
“Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water. And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like…
Johnny, Tommy and Joey
I had the best time taking photos of these three brothers while in Detroit last week. We arrived at the park just before sunset, and I pushed my camera’s capabilities to the limit as the light disappeared. I loved watching them run and climb and squeal. Thankfully their Aunt Bridget was always ready to catch them should they…
Graduation Part Two
In my last post I shared excerpts from Robert Krulwich’s speech, but I should quickly elaborate on COA’s graduation lest you think COA’s graduation is typical: it’s not. We do not wear the black caps & gowns that so often signify academic achievement. Many have flowers in their hair, and some walk across the stage barefoot. After receiving…
Graduation Part 1
On the first Saturday in June, my class said goodbye to our College of the Atlantic community and walked into the next part of our lives. Robert Krulwich from NPR’s Radiolab gave the commencement speech. He urged us to find our pleasures, surround ourselves with “Yes” people, and get back up when we get knocked…
Autumn in Maine
For two days I wandered around Mount Desert Island. Sometimes with my best friend Sarah, but often alone. It was my first time on the island with no commitments other than to take photos. In places I hadn’t been before, I wandered. At Hunter’s Cove, I spread my body in the shape of a star…
24
I turned 24 today, and I must admit, despite the drop in temperature and the shorter days, my birthday has caught me by surprise. 20-freaking-4! I feel… old. The new song “Live While We’re Young” popped up on youtube, and I was overcome with this sense that maybe, just maybe, I’ve missed my chance to…
Great Duck Island
This summer (summer of 2012) Sarah—another recent graduate and my best friend—and I hopped aboard COA’s new boat the Osprey to check out what people were up to on Great Duck Island. Upon return, let’s see, 11 hours later, I had a new appreciation for land. Yep, I got really, really sea sick. The trip…
Back in Maine
Photography? I am super excited because after a brief stint away in Europe, I am back on Mount Desert Island, living in Bar Harbor, and accepting photography reservations for family, couples, engagement, and portrait sessions! My life as a photographer began years ago taking photos of my family, friends, and school. But now I’m available…
So I got pooped on… twas the secret magic of creation calling
… while reading under a tree in a park here in France. This tree, actually: Doesn’t that look like a great spot? I picked it because the ground was covered in flowers that looked like this: SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I still can’t believe it happened. And the craziest thing—-something inside me KNEW it was going to…
Elle me dit, on ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur.
Death. Flying makes me think about death. I’ve always heard it is safer to fly than to drive. Still, I get nervous that my plane will crash. I comfort myself by imagining possible scenarios and how I like to think I will respond. A terrorist stands up? I’ll call for help and tackle them. Something…
Bon Voyage a moi!!!!
Last Thursday my Dad brought me to the airport for my flight to France. After meeting Sarah and Bethany in Philly, we flew together to Paris. For the next two months, we will be in Vichy studying at Cavilam. On the way, SG and I watched The Descendants and tried to sleep. The Descendants was surprisingly…
Life is pure adventure…
Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art. – Maya Angelou Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves,…
summer comes, yeah, as loud as hope…
I am always so inspired by other people’s blogs so here I am, six months after my last post, hoping I won’t forget about this place that exists somewhere out in cyber-land, hoping I can contribute something to the world that might add a little beauty. It’s just every time I sit down at my…
What is the winter for? To remember Love.
New York Blizzard of December 2010 I ventured out into the blizzard to take some pictures. I wore the dress my mom gave me for christmas (which, for all that I just said in my last post, I still love and if it proves to be durable enough, will most definitely become the dress of…
now my heart stumbles on things i don’t know, this weakness I feel I must finally show
This video (with no intentional connection to Christmas) makes me think of the way Christmas should be: people appreciating and celebrating life by showing beauty and love to those closest to them as well as to strangers. I have the song Awake my Soul by Mumford & Sons stuck in my head. It describes me…
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, they call me on and on across the universe.
Driving alone is a good time to cry. You can sob as loud as you want, turn up the volume when an appropriate song comes on the radio and scream or whisper the words—depending on the type of crying. But you can never completely let yourself go (that kind of crying is best saved for…
Love’s not afraid of what it finds in the dark…
Every night Mama Eula wakes up, gets out of bed, puts on her stockings, shoes and coat, opens the blinds and turns all the lights on. Sometimes she does it multiple times a night. My grandfather usually gets up with her, turns off the lights and tries to get her back to bed. Last night…
all the trees of the field will clap their hands
Insurance Company… My grandmother is not doing well, and as I sit here typing I can hear her answering questions for the insurance company. Right now, the nice lady (loudly and slowly) asks my grandmother if she knows what day it is. Silence. She asks louder. Still, I can’t hear her response. The lady moves…
September 11th, 2010
It’s been 9 years. I don’t have anything special I want to say to commemorate today or the lives lost. I just need to write. It’s been two months since I’ve been on here; I had to try a few different passwords to log-in. I’ve written since then, mostly about my grandmother and our time…
I’ve got to figure this out before I lose you, love…
“Honey, I want to go home.” I look away from my book to meet her eyes and answer, “we are home.” “No. I want to go…” she motions with her arms in a direction, presumably towards Mount Vernon where she grew up. “This is home now, and we are here together, and we’re going to…