As this week was my house dinner, I put into motion the thoughts I have had in planning my Thai feast since I was in Thailand. I purchased 10 teak wooden spoons in preparation for this night, and while shopping in markets would look towards other little trinkets to bring home with me to use in the feast I knew I'd create. Now, I am not a master chef or an educated cook at that...but I knew I could hold my own and tonight I proved that true. Somehow in the midst of researching a dozen or so recipes I was able to create something delicious, authentic, and in light of my skill level- a challenge. On the menu were dumplings, soup, pineapple fried rice, and cashew chicken. I followed recipes for the guidelines, but sincerely improvised and balanced all the flavors on my own, resulting in something I was quite proud of.
On the TV displayed about 200 of my favorite photos from my trip in a slideshow and it was great to look up and across the room and see familiar images pass through and bring back memories of my time in such a unique country.
Photos I have decided are magic. They are completely unlike any other tangible thing that can recall emotion, they can force a smile through eyes that just want to cry, and they can transport us magically to a moment. Tonight I looked at the photos and I remembered walking the way back from the Big C, to Tiffany's school and the way I would always walk behind Betty Cabell and let her lead the way through the streets. I thought of bringing in the New Years on the beach on Phi Phi, and all the sounds of excitement as each moment ticked closer to 2008. I remembered the smell of the market and how it was nearly impossible for me to hold myself back from gagging on the putent smell of fish, poultry, and beef.
Some photos that have meant a lot to me in my life are featured in my room. One is of my brothers Bill and Justin, Dad, and I in the water just looking up at the camera from our sailboat. I love this photo because I do not remember that moment from my own memory. I imagine that I was happy because I look happy in the photo, and I imagine that life made a lot of sense, because really, how complicated could life be to a four year old? I love this photo because it is one of the few pictures I have with myself and the men in my family. I love this photo because it creates a moment that I myself was too young to hold onto, but can enjoy as an adult.
I have always been drawn to the art of photography, and I remember getting my first camera when I was younger. The reasons I have loved taking pictures has changed through the years. It started with wanting to document and record what I was doing in the specific time, who I was friends with, pictures of our pets, etc... most recently the driving force has not been to record what I am doing- but more about what I'm seeing, and how I have been able to view the world. My point of view. Not the story book of my life in images, but more of the story book I have on the world through my eye. The confidence that has been instilled in me regarding to this art has grown recently and I have been encouraged by friends who have loved certain shots or have appreciated the skill I didn't know I really had. I don't know what I will do with this hobby on a larger scale, if anything at all.
What will remain are the feelings I have about what I'm looking at when I focus in on something and capture it. A moment among friends, a flower just waiting for someone to slow down and enjoy it, or the sun setting into the ocean after a long day. It is one place that I can pick out what I think is beautiful or interesting, and my objection to anything else is not hurtful...it is just what I see and nothing less.
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