Wow! Is it June already? It still feels like spring here in the Pacific Northwest. We have had one of the wettest springs on record and it has interfered with outdoor adventures. By mid-May, I was tired of being wet so didn't head out on a couple of trips. Memorial Day and the first weekend in June were spent editing photos, videos, and adding new images to the website. I'm wondering if I should have a gallery just for new images that gets updated each quarter. Just a thought - tell me what you think. Also, please let me know how frequently you would like to hear from me with these newsletters.
Other than bailing on a couple of trips, my spring went mostly to plan and then some. The backpacks have been glorious - lots of green, flowers, and wildlife. I haven't seen any bears yet, but the season is still young. If you haven't caught up on my videos, here's the link to my YouTube channel.
My classes on Street Photography and Forest Photography went better than I could have planned. In fact, I've decided to complete two booklets on each topic. Not too sure how I will sell them, but they are in the works with friends offering to proof each. This opens up an idea to create the same type of short books on other subjects. Plus, I've been encouraged to create a photo zine or two in the coming year. The first will be a love letter to my favorite tree - the bigleaf maple. The state parks book has taken a backseat after a couple of disappointments, so I was thinking of getting the excitement back by doing a video series on the parks featuring the subjects I want to talk about in the book.
My story about coming home was published on the Writing Class Radio podcast. This was a surprise from a few years ago. I had entered a writing competition with an essay about why I returned home to rainy Seattle from sunnier climates. I didn't win, but two of the judges host a podcast about writing and asked if they could use it on air. That was two years ago. In April, they sent me an email letting me know that they are ready to air my story. They sent along instructions with their final edits. A couple of weeks later I had tears streaming down my face as I heard my words read back to me. You can find the podcast here and my reaction here.
June through September has weeks planned out and weeks that may be used as down-time or will be filled up with more adventures.
June 17-20 - Heading to the Oregon Coast with Kristi and our two big dogs.
June 24-26 - I'm helping manage the camp for the Seattle Mountaineers Conditioning Hiking Series for their Olympic Peninsula campout
July 1-4 - Backpacking to Honeymoon Meadows in the Olympics
July 20th - Helping teach a night photography course for the Mountaineers
July 24th - a private birding trip (guess who is going to rent the big lens again)
July 29-30 - Staying at the Mountaineers' Mt Baker Lodge for flowers and night photography
Aug 12-22 - Our epic adventure in the Olympics (we will likely see bears)
As you can see, there are a lot of weekends that can still be filled with adventures. I want to fit in a few more backpacks such as Hannegan Pass in the North Cascades, Wallace Lake (book research), and the Loowit Trail (Sept?). I’ve also been enjoying planning adventures further out like a week on the Oregon Coast in October with the Out of Oregon workshop featuring Alistar Benn, Adam Gibbs, Charlotte Gibb and Jennifer Renwick plus so many other photographers I admire. My friend Barb and I are also planning a trip to Vancouver Island next spring.
Until the next adventure, bye.