Hey there friends and followers! A quick note to let you know there is a new series on the website today. Click here or on ONE SIXTY SEVEN on the main page and check out my recent wandering in New York City, prism in hand.
Where Are You Going?
More time in my old hometown. I’m not going to pretend that it’s an enjoyable place for me to visit. With the cold, damp blast of winter, it’s even less hospitable. My camera provided little solace, though a wander through the woods down the block from my father’s house gave me a small bit of nature; a reprieve. Back when I was a kid, you could cross paths with a skunk or a possum in these woods. But in the decades since I left, deer have become ubiquitous in the area. They show little fear of humans, which is maybe a blessing and a curse for both sides of the equation. I did come face to face with this youngster while wandering through the late February thaw / muck. We sized each other up before parting ways. Two lone creatures trying to get through life while surrounded by suburban sprawl, we shared something in common on a gray afternoon in New Jersey.
Fourth of July
New Jersey vibes for this holiday.
There is silence to be found here, even though you need to search harder to find it.
In the middle of the dense population of northern New Jersey, it is still possible to find a bit of untamed nature. The Flat Rock Brook Nature Center in Englewood is a quiet, deserted little slice of forest and running water. A respite from family obligations and mounds of paperwork. This place reminds me how important the natural world has become to me.
Winter in New Jersey
2021: 33 The Ocean
I live in the desert, hundreds of miles from any ocean. Sometimes, the distance is too far. Sometimes the wait to enter the wild waters of the ocean is too long. Being in water can be calming, invigorating, healing, meditative or exhilarating. Sometimes all of these things at once. I finally had the chance to return to the sea, and spend an extended amount of time enjoying the gifts that the waves and the wind and the sun can provide. Swimming in the waves at sunrise, with nary another person within sight… a gift that I cherished. I heard someone state recently that stepping into the ocean is actually stepping into wilderness. I had never considered it like this before, but it is true. An entirely different world exists out in the ocean, deep below the waves. A world of untamed life, and of unseen risks…for sure... but also one that is awe-inspiring and capable of providing unexpected transcendence. In a word: sublime.
2021: 32 Vacation
Beach times. See you next week.
New Work: The Barrens
Excited to share a small suite of images from a recent sojourn to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. See the whole set here: The Barrens.