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Description
Edit: Um hi, you guys are making me slightly emotional with all the favorites. Thank you.

*

Soooooooo remember when I took this picture?

Well, here's the sequel.

Throughout my life, I have spent a number of vacations on North Padre Island, just off Corpus Christi, Texas. When I was younger and had more vision, I was actually pretty good at drawing. I could draw Ariel really well, for example, because I'd watched the Little Mermaid so many times I'd burned her image into my smarting retinas. But what I couldn't do was draw the sunrise seascapes I loved so much, and it drove me nuts.

Fast-forward a few years. When drawing required too much focus and hurt my eyes, I had to quit. This was, of course, before I knew John Bramblitt, my painter friend who is blind. Because he adapted his drawing skills to painting by touch pretty much immediately after losing his vision, he was able to preserve those skills and then grow them. Had I known him sooner, I'd probably have tried to do the same. No matter because I love writing poetry and making music, but at the time it was devastating.

That is until I realized I was a decent shot, even if I couldn't always see a subject. It was several years after that discovery that I was able to return to Padre for college graduation. I captured the sunrise at last. Even if it didn't turn out quite like I'd wanted, in a way, it turned out better. The cloudy morning parting for a colorful sunrise, which was described to me later on, showed exactly how I felt at that point in my life--a little sad and scared over some things I was goin through, but also hopeful and excited for my future.

Fast-forward again to this spring when Jordan and I took our first major roadtrip for our anniversary. I wanted to show him Padre, so off we went. I finally got the clear sunrise I'd always wanted to capture. It was hard! As I get older, it gets harder and harder to take pictures, let alone sort through them ... Jordan has to help a lot with sorting. So gradually, I've done less and less photography, and it'll probably stay that way. I was really glad to do this, though.

Guess what? "Hope Rising" is still my favorite.

Description
Edit: Um hi, you guys are making me slightly emotional with all the favorites. Thank you.

*

Soooooooo remember when I took this picture?

Well, here's the sequel.

Throughout my life, I have spent a number of vacations on North Padre Island, just off Corpus Christi, Texas. When I was younger and had more vision, I was actually pretty good at drawing. I could draw Ariel really well, for example, because I'd watched the Little Mermaid so many times I'd burned her image into my smarting retinas. But what I couldn't do was draw the sunrise seascapes I loved so much, and it drove me nuts.

Fast-forward a few years. When drawing required too much focus and hurt my eyes, I had to quit. This was, of course, before I knew John Bramblitt, my painter friend who is blind. Because he adapted his drawing skills to painting by touch pretty much immediately after losing his vision, he was able to preserve those skills and then grow them. Had I known him sooner, I'd probably have tried to do the same. No matter because I love writing poetry and making music, but at the time it was devastating.

That is until I realized I was a decent shot, even if I couldn't always see a subject. It was several years after that discovery that I was able to return to Padre for college graduation. I captured the sunrise at last. Even if it didn't turn out quite like I'd wanted, in a way, it turned out better. The cloudy morning parting for a colorful sunrise, which was described to me later on, showed exactly how I felt at that point in my life--a little sad and scared over some things I was goin through, but also hopeful and excited for my future.

Fast-forward again to this spring when Jordan and I took our first major roadtrip for our anniversary. I wanted to show him Padre, so off we went. I finally got the clear sunrise I'd always wanted to capture. It was hard! As I get older, it gets harder and harder to take pictures, let alone sort through them ... Jordan has to help a lot with sorting. So gradually, I've done less and less photography, and it'll probably stay that way. I was really glad to do this, though.

Guess what? "Hope Rising" is still my favorite.