THE KID IN US

Face it. We grow up. We’re told to “act our age.”. We tuck our shirts in, give firm handshakes and live up to the modern code of maturity. Well, I’m calling bullshit. We all have a kid inside of us and you gotta let em out. I have 3 kids…and if there’s anything to learn from having kids, then it’s the constant reminder that we already have the game of life figured out when were born. It just takes the next 30 years to slowly lose touch with it. Then we spend the last 30 trying to find it again.

I live in the “old” part of Lake Mary. We sit on the edge of urban sprawl, but can look out over the lake behind our house and pretend that none of it exists. Just across the lake, through the mucky marsh lands and pine forest there lies the gated golf community of “Timacuan.” It’s a nice little slice of domestica with well-manicured lawns, kids playing in the streets and businessmen driving high-powered, customized, personal golf-carts. It’s really nice and serves our purpose as growing family’s. But, I can’t help but find a little irony in the fact that we are even willing to name our urban blooms after the Native Americans that once lived here. I wonder what they would think of that country club.

Anyways….back to being a kid. Last Saturday night, my buddy Thomas (who lives in Timacuan) asked me to come over for a beer. It was 10:30pm and I just didn’t feel like taking the traditional way. And by that I mean the city’s paved thoroughfare with painted lines and street lights. So I agreed to come over, but would communicate via photo text message only to track my route. I believe he was baffled.

So…if you will….follow me on my journey…


what sets us apart


my boots


travel necessities


my vessel. Now this reallys feels right. To Timacuan in a canoe. I bet thats how they first found it.


into my own private wild


one dead soldier and little leak in the boat.


right after this photo was taken jason voorhees came out of water pulled me in.


landfall


the water level is down, so it was pretty dry


my headlamp reveals my obstacles.


tracking my progress.


mud. and no thats not a bone of some sort, but it looks like one.


entering the forest section of the adventure.


I’ve hit the Timacuan perimeter. A pretty green fence to keep us safe from people like me.


ahhhhhh….sidewalks


the kid in me


in the hood.


crossroads.


despite some cold, wet feet…I made it.

Now I know that wasn’t crossing the Rubicon or hiking Everest for God’s sake. But, for me it stood for so much. Just the simple fact that there is always an alternative route to get somewhere. Take the path less traveled, dream up an adventure and take it. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find. If anything, a little inner peace and that kid that’s been just dying to get out.

FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT

First off…Happy New Year. its gonna be a good one. Just say it.

I really enjoyed the time off. I hope you did as well. Family time for days and days. But just as usual, I eventually start to get the itch. The itch to pick up the camera and shoot something. So Like Clark Griswald, I take lead and mandate a family photo shoot in the front yard. “Be in front of the garage in 10 minutes.” Alone, of course… I scramble with gear, schlepping stuff into the driveway to what looks like the start of a photo yard sale. I love how the inspiration of an idea will disguise all hurdles that it takes to make it actually happen.

I’m finally set up, fire a test shot and with great expectations, check my results. Nothing like imagined. I spend the next….well the entire photo shoot trying to make it better and better and better etc. Looking for the perfect match to the masterpiece in my brain. You get the point. The family is breaking down, baby is crying, Max is giving me that blank stare of which I have so many pictures of, I’m sweating…all the typical signs of the creative wrestling match. But there is a lesson. There’s always a lesson. I preach it all the time. The experience is all in the journey. The results are just extra. And 9 times out of 10 they will be nothing as you expected. But the point is that you go through the journey, face the adversities and walk away with something. In this case, a Christmas memory and some cool images of my family that I will have forever.

We made our xmas card out of some of these shots. But I though it would be fun to show some that didn’t make the cut….the good, the bad and the overexposed…