It is only appropriate the the photo was taken in the city I know call home, and that the subject matter of said photo is one of my favorite inanimate objects of all time;  the infamous chair.

Let me just say that I submit at least five images for each of these calls for entry, all with very different content, yet somehow….

Chairs win.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Photo Place Gallery, it is located in Middlebury, Vermont and has a monthly calls for entry.  Submission is easy and inexpensive, so to all my fellow photographers, check it out HERE.

As for the Poetic Objects exhibition, you can take a look at the work HERE.

Then it got scary.

So I went to the pub.

I was in London in November and had every intention of hitting the streets like a Martin Parr wannabe; jaunting about the city like a giddy child, undaunted by the masses, humored by  the unexpected.

Needless to say that didn’t happen.

I was instantly overwhelmed by pretty much everything.  I could barely take a picture of Big Ben without having a minor panic attack.  I did manage to bridge the gap between paralyzed street photographer and lucid still life photographer  by   (for lack of a better word)  spying on people.  Our hotel was next door to the Lithuanian Embassy and we had a clear shot into what seemed to be a kitchen.  So, I remained hidden, stationary and comfortable while getting an intimate look into a window sized fraction of the city.

VOYEURISM!

A chair.

Of course.

Have a look HERE!!!

From Yosemite, we traveled to the city of San Francisco.  It was a momentous occasion; the Pacific Oceans, the rolling fog, the golden gate bridge, and the steepest hills I have ever seen in a metropolitan area.  Olivia and I could barely walk to get coffee without having to stop at every curb and regain our composure.

It was a nice visit, and after a few days Olivia and I decided to start our journey back to Boston.  Our first stop was Lake Tahoe to meet up with a good friend of ours, Mr. Connell Burke.  Our encounter was short and sweet, and Olivia and I continued on our merry way.  Our next stop was Salt Lake City, home of my long lost friends Andrea Partridge and Will Risen.

From Salt Lake we made our way to Park City, then to our next major pit stop; Nederland, Colorado.  Nederland is nestled in the mountain just outside of Boulder.  It was an adorable little town…the kind of place where snow tires are a must and ATV’s are a staple in every home.  We went hiking, explored old mine shafts and of course went on a serious ATV adventure with the family we were staying with.   Everything about Colorado was beautiful and relaxing, except for the fact that you had to be ever conscious of bears and mountain lions coming out of the woods and eating you.  No lie.  The family we stayed with had two 90 pound dogs and a donkey to deter any lurking predators.

On one of our hikes, a groundskeeper let us into a building that once part of a small mining operation in the 1950′s.  Creepy.

We found more remains of old mine shafts and mining towns on an ATV adventure through the mountains.

Olivia and I basked in the glory of the Rockies for nearly an entire week before we embarked on the final leg of our trip.  Lots of red bull, lots of miles, lots of sleeping in the car….we made one last stop in Staunton, VA to visit my sister and get a good nights sleep on an actual bed.  To commemorate the last night of our  adventure, we went out for dinner at a place called the Mill Street Grill.  Our waiter took our I.D.’s and made a comment that he had gone to school in Boston.  When we asked where, he replied “The New England School of Photography, class of ’87″.  His work? http://christopherlmorris.com/Home.html

Funny how things come around full circle.

The Grand Canyon was bigger, more beautiful, and had more French tourists than I could have ever imagined.  The enormity of the canyon was indescribable.  Even now I look at my photos and think that they look fake, like some bizarre glamor shots background.  The entire experience was so surreal;  a giant hole in the Arizona landscape, the oppressive heat and the ridiculous amounts of ravens scavenging what could be found in an already barren landscape.  Nevermore.  Muahaha!!!

After our two night stay in Arizona, we headed to Las Vegas.

Vegas is Vegas is Vegas.  Moving on.

One night in sin city was enough for the three of us and we headed out for another beautiful national park, Yosemite.  On our way we drove through lots of old mining towns, both inhabited and abandoned.  We stopped to photograph one in particular, and didn’t realize until we were driving away that it was, in fact, and old abandoned brothel.  How nice.

After a hot and long day of driving, we finally made it to California.  Entering Yosemite was like entering a different world.  It was hard to believe that hours before we had been skirting Death Valley and counting how many sandstorms we could see from the safety of our car.  Everything went surprisingly cold and green, as if we had entered Narnia.  It was insanely beautiful.

A snow filled winter left Yosemite ripe with rapid melt off, which meant lots and lots of tourists.  Olivia, Pepe and I were fortunate enough to know someone on the Search and Rescue team in Tuolumne Meadows, and he offered us a spot on his campsite.  We were welcomed with a warm meal, hot totties and a lovely spot pitch a cozy tent for the cold nights.  Excuse me…cold, BEAR INFESTED, nights.  Olivia and I lay in silence, staring at each other wide eyed as we listened to the the curious black bear sniff out our temporary home, wondering why he could smell fresh meat but not find it (Pepe).

The animal freak and her animal

Houston, Texas

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mammoth Caves, Kentucky

Jack Daniel’s Distillery

Lynchburg, Tennessee

When Olivia and I finally reached New Orleans, we instantly fell in love.  We were lucky enough to be able to experience a little bit of everything the city had to offer; night life, voodoo magic, the 9th ward, and some beautiful plantations nestled along the Mississippi River.  All in all, New Orleans was one of the most unique places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.

The French Quarter

9th Ward

Plantations; Oak Alley and Laura

More on the way.

Here is what we saw…

Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hiram, Ohio

Then we drove to Chicago, but I was grumpy and tired and did not want to take pictures at all.  The only thing I wanted was a deep dish pizza and a bed.  I got both, but I only took a picture of the bed.

Deluxe.  More to come SOON!

So many pictures.

So many stories.

So many more pictures.  I will post them very soon.