I should be cleaning but...

Another day in the castle and here we are enjoying some nice weather. Seriously, the sun has descended unto Earth these last couple of weeks and a fricken molecule dance party has broken out. Gas prices are absolutely loco, grocery shopping is now a carefully calculated strat and Louise starts school in about 2 months. The little man is growing up so fast. It is different hearing that and feeling it. He gains an inch every 5.2 minutes, which is a lot considering my day feels like its 4.375 minutes long. I thank God for giving me the time to make with it, what I can. So, here are some pics of the day and other days where we stopped to smell the roses.

We bought some fancy wood and an A/C unit

So, I am being a’lil dry, but we did in fact buy some property here in the upstate. This journey has been wild to say the least. I was going through EMT school while also planning a wedding and also fighting the housing market. Ashley and I were truly blessed with this find and honestly, I did not believe it would fall through at first. We signed the papers last October. Did we slow down at all? Heeeeeck no. I figured things would at least mellow out! We now have acquired a new level of stress. This stress is called, “not having a property manager to come fix your stuff.” It has been a blast though. Our home is old and needs some love which we have plenty of. The doors didn’t quite shut right and our air handler was acting finicky. We fix one thing and find another thing that will eventually need the same level of fixing. Working on wood, plumbing and other hardware has been a challenging mess, but a fun challenging mess. Yes, yes, yes. I find myself going to Home Depot for no reason now and I have a yearning desire to build up my tool library. I also want chickens.

My cat snores

So, covid still hits hard. It has changed SO many aspects of our lives, just within this household. We now wash masks, we hear about new cases all the time and what the world is doing with the coming vaccines. People weigh both extremes of the scale and many businesses and homes suffer from it. We try to keep things light, ya know, keep the glass half-full. Playing chess, replaying Legend of Zelda and working on our workout gains seems to keep us sane. Honestly, I never would have thought I would be walking around during a time like this. I would read about this in comics, books of the fiction variety and movies from technological advanced futures. I laugh at the though that a year ago, we were looking for toilet paper and could not find any…

It was Easter. It was April. It is still blessed.

I look back at my own plog and wonder where the time has gone. “Why is the rum gone,” I ask — but instead of ‘rum’ it is ‘time.’ An infinite source that is limited by coffee, sleep and the ever rotating motion of the rock we build on.

The little humans in our house had cheerful laughs as they hunted for the plastic eggs. Colorfully navigating our small apartment. We make the most out of the space we have, that is something I will say with complete confidence. It could have been a regular day. It could have been another Easter, one that I remember when I was as little as these cool cats — going to church and during the local neighborhood hunt, lurching for the most eggs, both real and not real (we all know the not so real eggs were the best). My lovely wife made it anew experience, for all of us. And I could not be happier.

I took these wanting to remember those moments. And I feel like I did just that.

A battle for color

I needed to create an identity that would turn eyes, hopefully. I wanted something that was me in its DNA and I wanted it to bleed fun. I think we have arrived at that dock and I feel pretty good about it. If you are viewing this let me know if you see anything you would want to change. I am all ears. I give you my logo and some shirt ideas I want to get printed. I think, “light as a feather” is a pretty cool way to describe my logo. It is what I do. I capture light and light can be anything including but not limited to a feather.

Practice, practice & practice

I often find myself enthralled by someone’s muse and artistic beauty. You might think, why not just say you enjoy someone’s art or music and I would tell you that this is the point. I found Tash on a random leaf whilst skimming YouTube, letting whatever falls on my lap, lay there for me to experience. There she was in Melbourne singing around passing ears. I stopped to listen. And my bones shook, warmly. I was entranced by this voice and instantly dived into her portfolio. If you need to let go of reality then check her out. And this is a time to take a step back and listen. This is a time to reflect on what is going on in our lives and around us. This is a good time to relax for a second when we are so use to go, go, going on and on. The photos are a bit old but never aged enough to not talk about it. I hope you enjoy what is here and give her an eardrum or two.

Quarantined and its a first

Work has been shut down for a couple of moons now and the world has gone into this panic. The new way of living involves masks over ones mouth and a 6-foot difference in breathing space. The cause of this spatial distancing and cleanliness awareness is the 2020 pandemic known as COVID-19. I never would have thunk I would be a part of a massive society killer; a situation that attacks your respiratory system and the economy of the world. This is something you dream of on a Monday night whilst the moon lives high in the sky. The land around you shattering like glass hitting the ground and everyone running around, headless, selfless and in control of what they think they can control. It is absolutely nightmarish. Still, some of us are good at adapting and some of us are great at accepting the situation at hand, remembering it is not about our will being done, rather the choices we make in the story that is unfinished. I could go on so I will get to the point if there is one and if there is one it is this! We are home. I am home. I worked so many nights, sleeping the day away to prepare for the next shift and the next shift after that. The circumstance is terrible but I cannot help but find the good in this ripple. I am able to see my family more than I ever could, practice the art of family and communication and take advantage of the small economic world around us. It has been nice. It has been really nice. The streets are [mostly] empty and it does not feel bad filling them with our pitter-patterery of footsteps.

Snow of 2020

I wake up from my nightly snooze, walk out of our warm den into the space where out couches reside, exit said space and talk to my mother-in-law only to find myself distracted by the sweet smile of my beautiful son whom I reach out for and hug with much intent. We walk back into our lively of living spaces which is smacked in the middle of our apartment and I look out the windows to see something I didn’t expect to see! My eyes still like the Mill, mouth hanging below my knees as the frozen coins from the sky float down onto South Carolina soil. WE HAVE TO GO! We have to go out! Luckily for me, my beloved wife was coming home soon and we could take out little one out to first hand see the ice that falls from the Heavens.

That is what we did. Louise was bunched up with two sweaters, socks, thick’ol sweatpants and a beany for warm measure. We carried him outside and with my hands coldy wrapped around my camera, mom and son found their hands wrapped around snowballs throwing them and eating them. Louise loves ice so what better way to eat ice than from the sky? Well, we thought this would be a good combination but he did not like it too much, rather found that there is more joy walking through the white pillow and throwing crushed ice at everything.

We took some photos and it had to have been one of the greatest little spontaneous playdates ever.

(click the photos to see more)

Back to the Mill

I went back — crazed to think how much is different, tire wisping along the roads. The Mill still sits here, still its lonely self with its written up walls and soundless echo, still bleeding life around it and still it sits so still. I find myself setting up and think to my chilled self that I have grown much, unlike this here Mill and the former is now married with a child and the city still carries a camera in its hands where as the Mill did its time, shed its wool, paid its dues and entered retirement. Here, this spot, where the night sky shines down and the luminescence of other lively city shines high, high, high into the horizon shows no change. I could not be happier Mill still, stills.

Not a Snapchat filter

I had a chance to experiment with some lights and it is not often I take pictures of myself. I tend to be on the backside of a camera, I also find myself liking to be one snapping photos rather than become them. I don’t know if many can relate to that but that is some transparency from myself to you. I think I will try to do more things that are out of my comfort zone and bring more artistic spin to my work; I enjoyed the task and am excited to see where this can lead. Yes yes yes.

Behind the scenes with Motsu

It all started with a nice walk to a local shop that had just opened. They sold socks and I could not have been more happier to have passed through, what felt like, Platform 9 3/4. I picked out the ultimate pair of socks - donuts socks and with them in my hand we walked up to the register to make the purchase. We got to talking with one of the owners and heard their story and the rest came to be. Sarah, their social media manager, was great to work with. She was one of the main components in this whole collab. We wrote down a date and took the feet to Greenville and Simpsonville with stellar products. We met some new feet in Downtown Greenville and it was groovy to get some locals helping us out. After all was said and done we then went to get some ice cream at another local spot in the Simpsonville. A great end to the shoot; memories were made and connections were sewed together. Mostu has been one of the most fun shoot I have ever done and I could not be more thankful.

The Occasional Donut Pt. 2

Being a dad; a super human with super powers. Power that comes from family, not stars or batteries but, from home. And home, home is on the East with the sea and the mountains. It comes like each brick with each press forward, laying itself down. I can read the countless posts on the interwebs about how to become the ‘Dad of the Year,’ and ‘What a Dad Does for His Family.’ Mom takes on the roll as mother and father at times, there is no doubt about this. I think I do too at times but, her more than I. Little Cervantes is so absolute with her is beautiful. Being a parent is about wanting the best for your children, going to the ends of the cosmos to see their dreams through as support and guiding their steps on the river. I think that can best sum up any parent of the year - being a dad is a super hero thing but, being a parent is home.

First, Dad Panicked

It is May and the day was labeled the 19th with great weather to accompany the title. Ashley and I had seen the signs glowing on the roadside, yelling silently about the fair in town which, we had never been to one before. Not one together, not one in this town and not one with out little one. We completed the daily tasks and wheeled our family of four, Ashley, Louise, mum Peggy and myself, to the fair about 10 minutes down the road. I was unsuccessful sneaking in but due to my wife’s better judgment, it was probably for the best. We paid the green stuff and got our tickets into Simpsonville’s fair! On the list of things to do was get Louise on as many things as we could - this was not easy. It makes sense that there is not much designed for little humans, especially ones of the proportions in the 6-12 months range. Nonetheless, we tried and were right to do so! We found ourselves at the carousel. Ashley gave the gatekeeper 3 tickets and they were off - my heart started to pace a unknown mileage. Beats of hard thumps crash into my chest. It was not the thought of anything that could happen, it was the thought that it is happening. For the first time, amongst the many others on this day, I had the panic attack that most dads must experience - moms too, parents of all! It was a thing then, at that very moment and now I know it will be a thing that will come! I laugh at the matter now and share this joyful time but, oh folks, was it a kicker. The fair was a lovely dance of sounds, lights and food. Louise was not bothered by the spinning wheel of soft death and Ashley can ride a mean stallion. I ate oddly, thinly sliced potatoes and topped them with volcanic cheese, oh yes. Husband and wife raced down a giant kids slide and husband came out victorious! Bumper cars was in the mix, yes, yes, yes and what a hit that was. It was a day that can not be forgotten. Thank you for sharing the love, my loves.

6 feet plus 2

It has been a chilled set of months and now we are stretching through the soil, yearning for spring - true spring. The kind of spring that warms your face and smells of rain. Little Louise has grown in ways my mind cannot keep up with. He twists and turns, smiles and cries, reaches and slobs on everything and I can not love it all enough! We also added one more under our roof. My mother-in-law Peggy, who is a superhero all on her own, watches this growing little bean when the wife and I work, work, work for meals that fatten the cats and fill our bones. It is a blessed time. More than blessed.

Louise's 1st Christmas, my 24th

There are pages in the baby book Ashley and I bought, you see, pages that need to be filled out. Pages that ask and crave ink as if to create a tale, a story about the journey down river. These persons, these pages, need an identity like, “first bath,” and “first birthday,” but we make persons where none is found! We had our first Christmas and instead of writing it down we pictured it. With the evolution of storytelling, my family did the telling through photos and poses, through food and laughter. It was a mildly cold holiday with a new holiday feel to be felt, as Louise dressed up as the present giver himself, Saint Nick.

From our walls at home to the carpets of my grandmothers we set Christmas cheer! We “ho, ho, ho’d” and “ha, ha, ha’d!'“ There was a family, generations of us gathered together under a sound roof, with sleigh bells ringing from up above and the stomachs of our eyes full from authentic Mexican cookin’ and smiles! Louise found himself in another outfit, fitted with a bow tie and suspenders that made my eyes water with joy! Ohh wee what a night. Presents unwrapped and awes unraveled, love was oh so present in the Christmas air.

I did not wait for a present under the tree this year, in fact, the wife and I put one under it ourselves. A gift from the warmest of chimneys, the deepest depths of our hearts to the world…and when I had thought I felt everything there is to feel, I was here. I was at this moment. I felt anew and fell in love all over again, again. There is God in everything we do, we see and what we don’t see. This, I can assure you, reveals it so.

The Occasional Donut

After a bit of a hiccup during my headstrong college walk, Ashley and I ventured across the Great American Plains, floating East to the start of our nations civilization. The dirt turned from brown to red and became clay. The flatlands ate and grew like sweet children into men and women, influential and sky-bound, regarding conditions we would not have before. 20 hours later we were at the start of our new journey, you see we still had the issue of the cat. I say cat because that was it was and the issue revolved around the feline and given our new but temporary home, the four-legged fur member could not stay with us at that particular time - solution? We drive the family down to Florida where my father-in-law resigned and drop off the cat, with love, until we could find a suitable home for us all. Adding another day to our journey. So, we drove. The Florida air was steamy, heavy and has no bounds with personal space. The cars just drive, people just go and we found this to become more and more true the further south we found ourselves. The ocean was cold and dad was groovy. He did what fathers do, giving us a room, food, and council, asking about our lives and where it might be heading, all the while laughing and sharing stories. It was painful to leave but our lives needed to start in South Carolina.

A bit of time went by, a couple of seasons and money gathering lead us to find our first home together. A 2 bedroom apartment with nothing to go in it was the warmest thing I have ever unearthed. More seasons go by and slowly the home became loud, lively and full of color. Something one might see as trivial but to me, to us I think, it was more than such. It was home. It was a step toward God and finding out the meaning of life. It was little but it was big.

Our new home

It was November

In our everyday lives, where the tires don’t stop and everything is going, go, go it is nice to just sit, sit, convene. At times it feels like the holidays is what arranges the family together anymore. This year, like the last, I spent my days in South Carolina with the part of my family I did not grow up with but visited during my adolescence. The dinner was filling and I envied time for the moment on which I was seeing, perceiving, as it would be one I think back on for all of the seconds to follow. It was my first feast with my son and his first with his father and mother. His soul was stellar and even though I was full he still found ways to completely enlighten me.

When days start out rough and there is a valley being walked I just remember that the sun will still slumber, the moon with fattening agenda and rust will too fall asleep. I remember that there is always a time to eat and a time for love. I remember November.

Kansas

I grew up in the good’ol Midwest - fields of gold forged from seed and flat dirt eyed for miles and miles. This is one of the last photos I took before leaving. On the 21 day in April, we set out on an adventure, trotting on new grounds. Ashley and I found this man made flower. We went seeking wander and planned our escape from suburban life. With success it seems! It was absolutely sky breaking, huge both in width and height. Fun find in the western part of Kansas.

Man Made Flower