A Grand Day Out

My most successful moments have come from the most unplanned things. Spontaneity is an important element of my existence. It's how everything great in my life came to be. It took me a long time to realize that my photographic practice, which relied entirely on unplanned venturing, provided a space for wandering that I couldn't find anywhere else. When I left for grad school in a city far from all of my family, friends and support network, I found it much harder to wander, but so needed that time (that's when Parker and I discovered Lake Erie and Marblehead, Ohio). Recently, I've been working so much I have hardly left my house. I'm not one for making resolutions at the start of every new year (really, I do it every day), but one thing I need to work on is balance. Moop is consistently getting busier, and I can't continue to work in the way I have for the last three months if I want this to be a long term business. So, I'm no longer going to work past midnight (as I type this at midnight...see, the everyday resolutions are necessary), and I'm taking at least one weekend day for my family....and Monday mornings from 9-10 for a yoga class.
Today (the first wandering occasion in quite a long time) Parker and I ventured off with no objective. We just drove. Our first stop was Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut. Neither of us had been there, but it was amazing! It also happens to be an arboretum (my most favorite kind of venturing spot). First, we encountered a bridge (i love bridges in arboretums!):

yes, that is a Moop messenger bag.

Then, we came to the swamp, which was frozen...and looked like milk.

After we hiked around a bit, we went inside. The geodesic dome that houses the museum, also houses about 2000 dinosaur tracks. Parker and I both voiced our amazement.

We decided since we were only a half hour from New Haven, we'd go visit the Peabody Museum at Yale. Again, a place neither of us had been. If you live in the region, these are two places you should certainly go. And bring a 10 year old, it's much more fun that way. The Peabody has an impressive collection of dinosaur bones. Sure to rouse the interest of even your most discerning of friends (10 year olds can be tough crowds sometimes).

I think they're ignoring each other...

Can you tell I made her stand there?

Oh, on that note of free wandering. I also was a pretty candid photographer, shooting with a Hasselblad 500c, but I sold that lovely machine...it may have been another attempt to free myself (I've kind of regretted selling it, I'll get another one day). For almost a year I had no camera at all. And now, I have an iphone...I know, I know...really, though, have you seen the photos this thing can take? It's the next wave in modern photography, I'm sure of it. It's like a holga...only instant! I'm going to do everything with the iphone (except maybe product shots).....