Now here...
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Sedona, AZ (2019).
The early weeks of the summer of 2023 have brought heat, unhealthy air, and destructive flooding home for me.
For many years leading up to now, I have worked as a professional environmental educator, a classroom teacher, and a naturalist in some of the most beautiful places on Earth. And I’ve also had the privilege of being able to make photographs in many of those places as well. It has been rewarding and enriching beyond compare, and I’ve met some of the most hardworking and dedicated people one could ever hope to find.
I’ve paid close attention to nature all this time. But, in the back of my mind over these past 40 years, I have often questioned how much of a worthwhile difference my efforts were making in the face of inevitable change. I still do. I find myself asking, “What have I been able to build in the past, what do I have to offer in the present, and in what way might it make a meaningful difference in the future?”
It’s not easy. We live in a world that seems to be pulling farther apart daily. The past is filled with a sense of loss. The present isolates us. And, there’s a real sense of vulnerability when it comes to the uncertain future. Signs of positive change are hard to come by. It may not be the end of the world, but at this point, it sure feels like the end of the world we know. Now here.
I can’t speak with authority on many subjects, but I can relate what I know through experience. So for now, I’m going to share more of the photos and stories that document what I myself have seen and what I am seeing. Maybe it’s my own way to maintain connection in a world that would otherwise pull apart.
This is a photograph I made on September 14, 2019 above Sedona, AZ. Dense smoke from the nearby Whiskey Fire is blanketing the Verde Valley as a hot air balloon rises in the cool morning air. We are above in another balloon and our pilot, who had been flying over Sedona for 45 years, said he had never seen a scene like this.
You can also follow me on Instagram and visit my website. Be well.