4 Big Reasons I've Neglected This Blog...

...but I promise to do better. Really!

1. A bun in the oven. 'nuff said. Thanks Julia for doing all the hard work!

Julia's tummy is growing...

...and so is our family!

2. I've been working my butt off on the waterfalls book for Falcon Guides. Monday was my last day of fieldwork and now I'm knee deep in driving directions, hiking directions, mapping, photo processing and hike descriptions. I've been to 113 waterfalls all over New England, and most were hiked in the last three months. Well, I've seen some beautiful places, that's for sure!

Bailey Falls, VT

Bash Bish Falls, MA

3. I started graduate school. I've decided to get a masters degree from the MALS program at Dartmouth. And since I've never wanted a graduate degree, and I don't need one for my profession, I figured I'd focus on what I love, which is long distance hiking. I'll follow this up with a more detailed description of the program and what I hope to get out of it in another post.

So I'm taking Fiction Writing - The Novella taught by Alan Lelchuk. I realize that A) I'm not much of a writer B) I really like writing C) I'm learning a LOT and my professor is awesome D) I'm totally crazy for doing this now.  Anyways, we are reading about 600 pages, and writing about 60. Um yea.

The hardest part has been to come up with a story. Since professor Lelchuk highly encourages us to write what we know (he suggests 75% from experience, 25% imagined) then, well, I know hiking. So my story takes place with two hikers on the Sierra High Route. Here are a few landscape shots from my time on the route.

The High Sierra! What a great setting for a story, don't you think? This shot was taken on June 29, 2011. We slept on one of this little patches of rock. The next day we went down the big valley and up toward those peaks on the upper left.

One of my favorite shots. This was from 2010. We went right down this slide. 

4. My job. After two years I'm finally starting to feel comfortable, but I'm continually challenged by the variety of photography and the demands of the job. I feel privileged that I get to do what I love while meeting and getting to know incredible people all the time. Check out our continually expanding flickr photostream with both my photos and photos from some talented co-workers, especially our photo intern Jacob Kupferman '14.

I swear this was for work! The Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, still on my list as the best place I've ever lived. Check out the timber frame crew quarters on the left. Sweet digs.

Similar to last year, this photo was shot from Baker Tower during the bonfire at homecoming. It's a little later in the evening so the crowds are a bit smaller. You can see the blur of first year students running around it many many many times.



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