Album of the Unexpected

Sometimes you have to be really fast.

When you’re holding your camera, you don’t get to hesitate or you could miss it. Some of my greatest pleasures in 2012, were the Unexpected images captured on the road. The smiles, the “wows”, the just plain “that is so crazy great!” moments. We need to be aware, because pleasure is as fast as your shutter speed.

Come along for the ride:

Mexico in March – a flamenco group from Germany playing while we ate dinner

Sign in a glass blowing shop, small town in North Western states – what you can do when you're the boss.

Bloomsday Run, Spokane, WA. – participants discard their “warm-up” clothes for the needy

Fernie, BC – the best bagel breakfast…ever!

Band on the sidewalk, Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA.

Community garden on a side street, Victoria, BC

Chained Up Tree, Elbow Falls, Kananaskis Country, Alberta

Look back on your year, whether you have photos of your journey or not. A calendar and a cup of Bengal Spice tea comes in very handy for this exercise!

What were your Unexpected moments? Look back and remember. Why does it stand out? Were you alone or who was with you?

Should you have done something differently? Should you have stayed for another cup of coffee, or talked to that interesting looking stranger?

Why was this moment special? What was it that touched you so much that you still remember it?

What do you wish you had captured on your camera? Was it the place, the person, the feeling?

How did this event change you? Did you have a moment of clarity about what is truly important to you?

Then, store these memories in the Album of your life. It is an important page of the whole You.

Sunday Ride

Riding 2-up on a motorcycle is not like riding a bike! Planning is involved. There are a lot of things to know about leaning, and covering exposed skin, of wobbling helmets and bumps in the road.

I am a newbie, I have been on a motorcycle less than 10 times in my life, and that includes once as a defiant teenager with life-guard named Graham. (He uses to wear a red Speedo, way back when they were fashionable, but that’s a whole other story.)

Riding on the back with someone you trust was the joy of my Sunday afternoon. The world floated by quickly but ironically, still in slow motion as we made our way west on Hwy 22X. Yes, it is different than being in a vehicle with 4 wheels. You see more and feel connected to what is around you, you are more than an observer.

I could smell the burning of leaves, and see the farmer raise his hand in a wave. Saw a boy with a can of paint in one hand and a paint brush in the other. He gazed towards what must have seemed miles of battered fence. Maybe more than a one-afternoon chore. The cows and bison were more than brown lumps on the side of the road, you could see their faces, they were slowly chewing their lunch.

Soon enough summer will subside into fall, shades of yellow and orange will become a part of my life and it will be too cold to ride on the back. I never imagined myself on the back of a bike, not 2 years ago, or five or twenty. But it happens now and sometimes the bumps in the road can be enjoyed.

And just like life occurs at warp speed through some parts and slow motion in others, it all needs to be cherished as you ride through your Sunday.

Elbow Falls

Sunday afternoon