I have been drawn to nature since the very first summer that my mother signed me up for the local Audobon Society. I will never forget that my birding journal featured a Scrub Jay and that I won a much coveted peacock feather for having a noteworthy journal entry. I don't remember what the entry was about but I do remember how proud I was to own such a beautiful feather. I also remember admiring a mallard feather in one of the volunteer teacher's hat's to such a degree that he gifted it to me while he explained to me that such feathers are often used for fly fishing. I could never image destroying such a magnificent feather for the purpose of trying to catch a fish.
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| Not a Scrub Jay, but an equally brilliantly colored Green Honeycreeper. |
Sadly, I think that over the years I had all but forgotten my love for nature. Like all too many of us I spent hours with my head buried in books or sitting indoors at a desk, far far away from nature. At least during high school I would look up and remember to look outside and admire my favorite roses in my mother's garden, but once college and graduate school hit, I started to forget to look around and admire what was outside.
Luckily I fell in love with an avid adventurer and lover of photography, who has since served to constantly remind me of the beauty of nature and has taken me to countless places to fall in love with and explore my surroundings. Every chance we get, Phil and I look for a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. My wonderful husband caters to all of my whims when it comes to where I want to go and what I want to see next, and he never runs of of ideas of his own!
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Taking photos of seabirds in the Galapagos.
I am fairly certain that this photo depicts my attempt to capture
photographs of the Tropicbird and my failure to zoom in due to my sheer excitement. |
I once told my husband while we were sitting at home watching a David Attenborough special on the Galapagos that I would love to go to the Galapagos one day, and mentioned in passing on another occasion that as a child I dreamed to one day visit the Amazon. And lo and behold, for our honeymoon he surprised me with an unforgettable trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon and the Galapagos Islands!
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| Kayaking in the Galapagos. |
I feel very blessed to have found a soulmate who takes me to all of the places that I would not dream of exploring on my own, and I am always looking forward to our next great adventure together!
XoXo,
Joyce
