Autocrats (and other dudes that ruled)

Last week I was sitting on a bar stool at our kitchen counter drinking my coffee. Sunlight was streaming through every window in our house, the way it does every morning (my favorite time of day to be at home.) Scott sat across from me at his desk working diligently on last minute finishing touches to some pieces for his solo show. The sliding door behind him was open, Daphnie walking in and out at her leisure. Though we're extremely happy, our lives have felt non-stop lately and I've been feeling the physical effects of the stress. We keep saying, "I can't wait for July." Who are we kidding though, July will probably fly by just as quick as June. But somewhere in the fast-forward mode of summer, I was able to sit quietly in that moment on my kitchen bar stool and realize that life is how it should be and instead of wishing away June, that I should be present and appreciate these seconds right in front of me.

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I said to Scott in a someday, one-day-in-the-future kind of tone, "This is how I want our life to be."

He lifted his paintbrush from the paper and with a cheesy grin said, "Excellent! Because this is how it is!"

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I grabbed my camera and snapped a picture. I wanted to remember our lives right then in that moment.

Scott's solo show is TONIGHT!! It's so satisfying to see it come together and be REAL after months and months of preparation. I think he and I both are more excited about this body of work he's created than we have been on anything else in a long time. So, if you're in Durango tonight please come by to have a beer and look at original works full of both history and whimsey. You won't regret it.

What:      Autocrats (and Other Dudes That Ruled) featuring 54 new paintings by Scott Dye

Where:    Studio&  1027 Main Ave. Durango, CO. (across the street from Carver Brewing co.)

When:     5:00-9:00pm

Website:   scottdye.net

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Happy Father's Day

I didn't know my Dad for most of my life, and for the time that I did know him, I didn't like him. But three years ago I mustered up all of the courage and strength within me to go visit him for the first time in my adult life. I finally wanted to know who my dad was.

Sitting at his dining room table, I thumbed through photo albums he'd put together of childhood photos I hadn't seen in years. I looked with curiosity at the way he decorated his house, the things he had on his shelves, and mostly at his face. I found myself trying not to stare at him but I couldn't help it. I didn't realize his eyes were blue. I didn't know about the creases in his skin or the way his lips were shaped when he'd laugh. I carefully made jokes, not sure of his sense of humor. We went to a Mexican restaurant and I sat across the table from him and drank a margarita.

It was surreal.

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I took this portrait of him last summer when he drove to Colorado on his motorcycle for a quick visit. After taking the picture I found myself staring at it for long periods of time. I still stare at it, amazed that this is my dad and amazed that I spent most of my life not knowing him. As much as I didn't want to accept it for a long time, I can finally acknowledge that I am my father's child. Looking at him now I realize we share similar features and similar interests.

Happy Fathers Day to my dad, David. I am so happy I chose to understand you, get to know you, and have you in my life.

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Visitors: Chase + Sarah

If anyone had told me in 7th grade that fifteen years from then Chase would be visiting me at my home in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, I probably would have laughed so hard. It wasn't that we weren't friends back then, but from the day we met in middle school to the day we graduated high school we probably only hung out outside of class a couple of times and maybe had only a handful of conversations. If I could go back, I'd change that. Through Facebook we have kept in touch and through this I slowly realized that everyone needs more friends like Chase, in high school and just in life. As my boyfriend said upon meeting Chase, "What you see is what you get." There's something comforting about this. It was on Facebook (and my old blog) that our post high school friendship truly became what it is today. When Chase met Sarah, I fell in love with their relationship via internet photos and a blog that documented their cooking experiences in the kitchen and on Skype. The two of them fell in love with my photography too and to this day might just be my biggest fans. This is why I photographed their elopement almost two years ago. And this is why when this studious couple needed a quick vacation away from graduate school and getting a PHD, they chose here.

 

I realized last week while they were visiting, that I've had very view visitors in the four years I've lived in Colorado. It's a shame too, because as I was emailing them a list of things to see and do in the short 5 days they would be here, I couldn't stop writing. Durango is amazing. And for five days while my 7th grade classmate and his wonderful wife were here, Durango felt even more amazing, which I didn't think was possible. Thanks you two.

Here are some pictures from a hike last Saturday. It was one of the best Saturdays I'd had in a long time.

Selfie FAIL ^