Visiting old friends….

As I woke this morning, and started looking forward to putting on my greens for St. Patrick’s Day, I started going through my images from my last trip to the Emerald Isle. As a photographer, I could blow your mind with how many images I actually have, and even more so with how many of those never see the light of day. And not because they aren’t good, or I don’t like them, but because anyone with a passion for photography will take pictures just because we love to. We just see something fascinating or interesting and want to preserve that for a while. And that includes memories from awesome travel adventures!

I took this last trip with my Mother, and we had a blast. Enjoyable from start to finish - full of laughter, beer, food, music and fun. As I look through these happy memories, I alternated between sorely missing being on an adventure and planning the next one. There’s that saying, at the end of your life what are you going to look back on and be most proud of? I can safely say one of those will be travelling and seeing the world. It’s one thing that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. Even if it’s just hopping a couple provinces over, shopping in the States, or a full blow across the world adventure. Get in the car and just go, find a road and see where it leads.

Of course as I pull myself back from fantasizing about my next trip, I realized that some memories should be shared. If anything to let others experience places that they may not ever see, perhaps they don’t know what’s out there to explore, or they are planning on doing something and want to know what direction they should point themselves in. Good pictures, bad ones, funny ones, sad ones, stories from all over, shared.

Sitting there thinking all these profound thoughts (not really……it was early and I hadn’t had enough coffee yet. My thoughts ran from ‘I wish I was still there’ to ‘Am I awake enough to attempt a shower?’) I looked at my bookshelf and saw my anniversary edition of National Geographic - The Photo Issue. Again another one of those things that drew me into taking pictures. I remember looking at issues growing up whenever I could, and thinking man what a cool job. Travel the world and see all these amazing and sometimes terrifying things, document them, take pictures of them so anyone could experience it and become more aware of all that was out there. And maybe instill some interest in others to seek out travel and adventures themselves.

Besides the amazing talents of Adams and Marsden, they went to some of the most amazing places on the planet and did just that as well. My Mother and her Husband travelled for a year through Asia just to experience something new. Besides all my other ideas for trips, I now can add many of the places they saw to the ever-growing list. A fellow photographer is at the moment on her own adventure through Nepal and India. While her focus is bringing to light issues that blight families and women in poor or disaster stuck areas, she is still seeing and experiencing some amazing sights and heartbreaking stories. A very tough mental and emotional journey, that fact that she is sharing, is bringing to light these situations and providing a window into a life that some may never have known about. It peaks interest when you share and show another way of life, and that can be a powerful tool in this world.

Because of the adventures of those who came before me, I have sought out some of these places in my own travels that I might not have known about before. There are areas that are not in the guide books, places that even the most well travelled explorer may not have ever thought they’d come across, sights to see and stories to hear. All I can say is if you do one thing in your life, travel and share - good, sad or bad. Whether you travel for pleasure, business, awareness or on a mission to see the world in all it’s forms tell your stories. Pictures, painting, writing, shooting the poop at the local pub, doesn’t matter. You never know who’s listening, who’s paying attention, who’s life you can potentially add an amazing memory too.

Sláinte