Cross-Arkan-Ville | Laura

Ironically today started out with good coffee from a place with a round logo and green straws. Being a proponent of local coffee shops and small businesses, said coffee dispensary shall remain unnamed. I say ironically because I snored my way through the second half of Arkansas and most of Tennessee... even after my grande brew! I think my excite-o-meter is broken. It was a struggle for me to make images today. I saw amazing things whizzing by outside my window and didn't reach for my camera. The combination of sensory overload on the front end of the trip and the back end of the trip being roads that I know so well I could drive them blindfolded, (stop panicking Mom, it's a figure of speech) made today creatively rough. How do you look at something that you swear that you know like the back of your hand and see it in a new way? So I am posting images of what today felt like. So grab a frosty can of RC Cola (I missed photographing a rusty old Royal Crown sign at 65 mph- sorry! I would have loved sharing) and put on a dusty vinyl record, cause this feels like a blast from the past as I travel the roads of my old home. 

The Middle | Laura

So we are in the middle. The middle of the country, the middle of the trip, the middle of the road. Just the middle. When you are in  the middle of the country it feels a bit like the middle of a roller coaster, the adrenaline is spent but you haven't yet arrived.  Nothing exciting, nothing terrible, nothing first, nothing last.  If you ask me how I feel right now, I would say: "Fair to middlin'."

The Most Asked Question | Anne

The question we are asked most often - Are you ever coming back?  Answer - The road needed us so we decided to stay a little longer.  How long you ask? We don't yet know.  The road will tell us.  

Abstraction | Laura

 This is what happens when a photographer has been there & seen that. I would venture a guess that, at day 8 in the trip, I might have a touch of whatever the travel version is of cabin fever.  The flat, sparse, muted Texas scenery left much to be desired compared to where we have traveled thus far (Laguna Beach, Sedona, Grand Canyon). So I decided to shake things up a bit. There was a storm off in the distance between the New Mexico boarder and Amarillo to provide a beautiful backdrop for play. It's a similar concept to the Night Bubbling that we did in Idyllwild, but this time in a moving car.  Enjoy!

Holy Santa Fe! | Laura

Back east, Charleston, SC is called the Holy City because of the abundance of churches and synagogs. Steeples pierce the sky as if they are raising their hand to ask their questions. In Charleston I am constantly bombarded with iconic images of steeples and I use them as landmarks for giving tourists directions. So it is probably this reason that I kept noting the steeples as I walked around Santa Fe. It could also be the intensely spiritual feeling you get from being so close to God. As a sea [level] dweller perched at Santa Fe's nearly 8,000 feet made me feel like I was having a religious experience. It was interesting to see the various religions and spiritual persuasions represented in the art and architecture. I will be back to make it a full study of the crosses of Santa Fe, mark my words. Until then, Enjoy these!

Love | Laura

It's official.  I'm moving to Santa Fe! Charleston is chopped liver. I feel all lightheaded and giddy... wait maybe that's the altitude talking. Either way I can't wait to share the images of the city of soft corners.
L.

Arizona | Laura

If you are reading this and you know me, have even met me for five minutes you'll note that I am wearing flip flops. I simply stay indoors if it is too cold to wear flip flops. The thing is, I don't like socks. Never have. I put on my tennis shoes and socks on for the long day ahead, but I wasn't thrilled with the idea of wearing socks all day. First we stopped to see Montezuma's Castle then on to Sedona and up to the Grand Canyon.  By the end of the day I was indeed glad that I had them on because Arizona blew my socks right off!

If I have time along the way I hope to post a blog about each of the places, but until then, here are a few favorite selections from Arizona...

Sunset in Arizona just outside the Eastern entrance to the Grand Canyon. This image is straight out of the camera.

 Day 2 ... Leaving Arizona