I had a wonderful Christmas. We spent most of the day in the car. Mom, Grandma, and my sister, driving all over the corner of Eastern Oregon we were in, while I popped out of the car every few minutes to shoot photos of stunning landscapes. I did take a few pictures of the family, including one of all four of us, with snowy mountains, curious cows, and a biting cold wind blowing in our faces. It didn’t matter. The roads were empty, which meant Mom would just pull over, and I took a couple of shots just standing in the middle of the road.
In between my antics, we talked. Grandma told stories, Mom and I exchanged recipes, and we all caught up on the 4 1/2 years since I had last seen them. Sure, we have the internet and phones, but it’s not the same. I must do this again soon. Now, I’m sitting in the airport again, heading to the second half of my trip. I grabbed a couple of photos to share, no editing, just as I saw them yesterday. I knew it had been a long day of shooting when I felt the strain of lifting the camera in the last few scenes. I took about 350 photos yesterday alone, with many lens changes as needed… it was glorious.
And then we went to Grandma’s, had roast beef, apple pie, and more talk. It was a merry Christmas!