I love all of this. I'm reminded of a story Pete Fromm told me about his French publisher coming to visit, flying into Seattle, and thinking they could do this and this and this and this ... and then encountered the vast landscape of this chunk of North America and were humbled and stunned and all but immobilized by it. We are lucky to live in this place.
All the people who cancelled their vacations to Glacier National Park when they heard about the floods in Yellowstone. It's so hard to wrap your head around the spread of the place, and even harder when you run into the "small town, long streets" effect. We are so lucky.
This: "...and all of that, the 19-year-old who was there, is still here, too, driving across the plains and listening to the Ramones and wondering about all the past selves everyone else carries with them." I think about this almost every day, trying to make sense of time, what it really means to have experienced living somewhere far away, our ghost selves still there. I loved that line and your thoughts as you noticed the wear on the cabin...it's so true, how many lives we connect to without even knowing it.
Two things I love about this too: First, because I have spent a lot of time in the North Fork, where the cabin Nia describes is located, I know it far better than you might think – the landscape, the river, the idea of the stories that cross the doorway's threshold, all of it – and this post helps me relive it. And second, because we've talked about this before, I was at the very same Ramones concert Nia describes, only as a 28 or 29 year old, a couple decades or so before Nia and I ever met, only I don't think I've ever heard this full story before. What a joy! I love the entanglement, the smallness of this gigantic world, and how the universe tends to draw so many of us who need to know each other, together.
I'm so glad you know that place. I seem to remember you saying you had a friend's cabin to stay at up there--there's nothing like the North Fork, is there? Think of how many stories our own are layered in among. I love it so much and long to be back.
I still find that wild about the Ramones concert. I think it came up in one of Anne Helen Petersen's subscriber threads? My roommate was *obsessed* with the Ramones. She still is. She would have done anything to go to that concert, and afterward drove us around Seattle looking for their hotel. It was worth it, even though we had to spend three days sleeping in the car in Wenatchee because we'd hit a rock and taken out her car's transmission. Just so funny to think that you were there at that same concert all those years ago!
I'm so glad you have that experience, too. I suspect a lot of people do but rarely talk about it. (I found this when researching walking as well. It's amazing how many people have specific personal relationships with walking, and are eager to share when they realize others do, too.)
What amazes me is that I never noticed the wear below the door until I was sweeping up. Just never looked at the right angle.
This was wonderful, Nia. Thank you! I empathize with your Kentucky friend; being a Kentuckian, I, too, had that misperception of distances to embarrassing effect in the past!
I'll have to find a copy of Micaiah Johnson's book. I'm thoroughly intrigued.
I empathize with both of you! Especially once I lived on the East Coast and realized how progressively smaller the states get ... though I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't find Pennsylvania weirdly endless to drive across.
I really liked that book. But I do like sci fi, so there's always that caveat :)
No caveat necessary; I love sci-fi. My eldest brother introduced me to Ray Bradbury when I was about 8 years old, and I've been hooked ever since! Growing up, we were allowed very little TV, but an exception was made for Star Trek, thank goodness
That is specifically delightful to me because we didn't have TV growing up (we owned a television, but had no service -- my mother worked at a video rental store, so we did rent a VCR and VHS fairly often!) -- but once we lived in a place where we had service, Star Trek became our family bonding show!
Your photos are always fabulous, never look staged and are always peaceful. If that is your intent, they get the job done! Going to try to do a bit of your 'other reading' references this week. Thanks.
I have never cultivated a photography practice, so you are right -- they're never staged! I don't even know how to use filters. Not that I couldn't learn, but there's only so much time in a life to develop good skills. So glad they bring something to you. Where I live is so beautiful and I do my best to share that with people.
I love all of this. I'm reminded of a story Pete Fromm told me about his French publisher coming to visit, flying into Seattle, and thinking they could do this and this and this and this ... and then encountered the vast landscape of this chunk of North America and were humbled and stunned and all but immobilized by it. We are lucky to live in this place.
All the people who cancelled their vacations to Glacier National Park when they heard about the floods in Yellowstone. It's so hard to wrap your head around the spread of the place, and even harder when you run into the "small town, long streets" effect. We are so lucky.
This: "...and all of that, the 19-year-old who was there, is still here, too, driving across the plains and listening to the Ramones and wondering about all the past selves everyone else carries with them." I think about this almost every day, trying to make sense of time, what it really means to have experienced living somewhere far away, our ghost selves still there. I loved that line and your thoughts as you noticed the wear on the cabin...it's so true, how many lives we connect to without even knowing it.
Two things I love about this too: First, because I have spent a lot of time in the North Fork, where the cabin Nia describes is located, I know it far better than you might think – the landscape, the river, the idea of the stories that cross the doorway's threshold, all of it – and this post helps me relive it. And second, because we've talked about this before, I was at the very same Ramones concert Nia describes, only as a 28 or 29 year old, a couple decades or so before Nia and I ever met, only I don't think I've ever heard this full story before. What a joy! I love the entanglement, the smallness of this gigantic world, and how the universe tends to draw so many of us who need to know each other, together.
I'm so glad you know that place. I seem to remember you saying you had a friend's cabin to stay at up there--there's nothing like the North Fork, is there? Think of how many stories our own are layered in among. I love it so much and long to be back.
I still find that wild about the Ramones concert. I think it came up in one of Anne Helen Petersen's subscriber threads? My roommate was *obsessed* with the Ramones. She still is. She would have done anything to go to that concert, and afterward drove us around Seattle looking for their hotel. It was worth it, even though we had to spend three days sleeping in the car in Wenatchee because we'd hit a rock and taken out her car's transmission. Just so funny to think that you were there at that same concert all those years ago!
I'm so glad you have that experience, too. I suspect a lot of people do but rarely talk about it. (I found this when researching walking as well. It's amazing how many people have specific personal relationships with walking, and are eager to share when they realize others do, too.)
What amazes me is that I never noticed the wear below the door until I was sweeping up. Just never looked at the right angle.
This was wonderful, Nia. Thank you! I empathize with your Kentucky friend; being a Kentuckian, I, too, had that misperception of distances to embarrassing effect in the past!
I'll have to find a copy of Micaiah Johnson's book. I'm thoroughly intrigued.
I empathize with both of you! Especially once I lived on the East Coast and realized how progressively smaller the states get ... though I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't find Pennsylvania weirdly endless to drive across.
I really liked that book. But I do like sci fi, so there's always that caveat :)
No caveat necessary; I love sci-fi. My eldest brother introduced me to Ray Bradbury when I was about 8 years old, and I've been hooked ever since! Growing up, we were allowed very little TV, but an exception was made for Star Trek, thank goodness
That is specifically delightful to me because we didn't have TV growing up (we owned a television, but had no service -- my mother worked at a video rental store, so we did rent a VCR and VHS fairly often!) -- but once we lived in a place where we had service, Star Trek became our family bonding show!
Your photos are always fabulous, never look staged and are always peaceful. If that is your intent, they get the job done! Going to try to do a bit of your 'other reading' references this week. Thanks.
I have never cultivated a photography practice, so you are right -- they're never staged! I don't even know how to use filters. Not that I couldn't learn, but there's only so much time in a life to develop good skills. So glad they bring something to you. Where I live is so beautiful and I do my best to share that with people.