When the virus outbreak became the focus here in Washington, I complied with the stay at home order early on. It was easy for me — I had just reduced my responsibilities from a nearly full-time job working for others, to a barely part-time job in business for myself. I was already down to 1-2 days in the city at most. I was excited because I had a pretty full schedule for March, it being only my 3rd month in business as a solo entrepreneur, but very quickly, all my March jobs went away — exercising an abundance of caution in hopes it would only be a couple of weeks and then we could reschedule. As of today, April 12th, I haven't been off island in exactly one month, and we have at least two more weeks to go until the order can be lifted.
So to keep myself entertained and to bolster my web presence for when we can actually get back to something normal, I've been living vicariously through my Lightroom catalog, going back through photos I never edited or shared. My life pre-pandemic was full of ocean views and interior vignettes and road trips. This series was shot in Seaside, Oregon just before we brought our Brittany puppy home in 2017. I've heard from my friends with kids that there's something called a "baby-moon" where you take one last getaway before the craziness of a newborn is upon you. I convinced my husband that even though Whiskey was a dog, not a human, we deserved the same treatment.
The entire weekend was blue skies and sunsets — it couldn't have been more perfect for relaxing, slowing down, appreciating the opportunity to sleep in. We hung out on the beach for most of it, and I had a great time documenting the activity. Looking back at these photos, the scene is idyllic. At the time I thought "who wants to ride a bicycle in the soft sand?" and now — I want to go back and ride those recumbent bikes across the beach!
Sifting through these images was a nice reminder to slow down, take time, appreciate nature, and all the things that truly matter in your life. My mantra these days is "We will get through this" and I have to believe it's true. I also feel a desire to be more self-sufficient, and have a plan for creating a greenhouse to grow vegetables this summer. Perhaps some other great things will come out of this tragedy — innovation, thoughtfulness, a return to simpler things. I hope you are staying home and staying safe.
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