Project Progress

Howard Johnson Motor Lodge | Williamsburg, Virginia

Tony the Tiger Landmark | James City County, Virginia

I’m winding down work on my current project, a travelogue.

I’m still pondering titles.

Leaning toward this: How To Have An Awesome Adventure.

There are many stories that could accompany this collection of images, but mostly, the book is a reminder that life is a joyful experience. I’m not preaching good vibes or silver linings. I’m simply acknowledging that even during the worst times, I’ve always been able to move forward by naming what I see. The camera is the verb that helps me to see and the pictures are the nouns that name what I see—and this is how I process my feelings. Having an awesome adventure is about growth and all the maps we make—the roads we take on that journey. The miles we travel and the sites we see.

I’d still like to add a photo from the Caroline County Fair. That’s next week on June 18th. And I’m hoping we’ll make it the Richmond Metropolitan Zoo this summer. And Patterson Mini-Golf, too. Those would all make great additions to the book.

Then I’ll do some culling. The book is too big (and therefore too expensive). I’m hoping MILK photo books will have a summer sale to help with the cost.

It’s the editing and sequencing of the pictures that I find the most challenging. What stays and what goes and how the book should flow. For example, I have several images from Richmond all clumped together. These need to be spread out a bit, I think. And there are a few blank pages to allow for visual breaks and rest. Do I need more? A favorite quote or two? Does the book need more words? All of these things to consider. In the end, the book is only for me. I’d like to say that I am easy to please, but I am not. I want to do my best. But at some point soon, I will step away and say, good enough.

And Then I Get To Relax . . .

When my perfectionistic fantasies run up against my real-world limitations, I find that I am unexpectedly free. Despite my best efforts, I really have very little control over how things will go, and I may as well make the best of things. Get on with life.

I’m soaking in the thoughts of Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkman and thinking to myself— what might be some good things to do with my time?

I tried to grow radishes, which it seems I have harvested too early as they are teeny tiny. I’m not sure they will ever qualify as part of a dinner salad, but they are enjoyable expressions of who I am. And that is enough.

The Pleasure Of Little Getaways

Rochambeau Roadside Inn, Williamsburg, Virginia | May 2025

It felt so good to getaway. To rest and explore. Have a little adventure. To let someone else do the cooking. To feast on fluffy scrambled eggs and sourdough toast, homemade granola and fruit and yogurt, and lattes crafted to perfection. (Many thanks to the chef and baristas at Hohl Cafe in Toano and Williamsburg. Yes, we ate at both locations for several meals!) To sleep in a big old king sized bed, ceiling fan whirring overhead, in a restored vintage motel. To listen to the frog serenade in the evening after a day of rain. To not care if it rained. To wander through bookstores and gardens and thrift shops. To take photographs for the sheer pleasure of noticing. To walk aimlessly. To hold hands with my husband and rest my head on his shoulder. To think of my life a step or two away and be pleased with the view. I am happier at home for having been away, even if only for a few days, even only 80 miles down the road, even though we are still the same.