Carly, it truly is such a happy place. That lodge holds so many good memories. We lived kitty-corner to it, at a sharp angle, just past the lodge on the left - and we married there in that home. I'm so glad it gives you great memories too. ox
Thank you so much Michele! I treasure all the images of our lives and I hope to give that back in a timeless way. It is an absolute blessing to work with this tender age.
Thank you brother! You know it felt so good. I had been writing about youth and running through the hallways (John Mayer!), living life, letting go, etc. There was a story to tell about that threshold. It was right there on the mountain. It came with some physical pain, as you know, but the beauty was the time spent, and the medicine of writing it all out. Love you. oxox
I want that back for America. America and Americans who truly cherish all the simple beauty and try to capture it in beautiful ways! :) God bless you, Deb and God bless America.
Oh Jenni, I want all of this too! I think what we do have is the power of prayer. Praying over the magnitude of things we can't control and then praying for the simple way of life. That we can find peace in what feels like chaos and push ahead living our lives to the best of our ability, taking in all the beauty that is still out there. God Bless you too and this beautiful country that God has given us to take care of. oxox
Thank you so very much! That is the kindest compliment. I feel like creating is a life-line for me. I so appreciate you reading this and hope you're doing well. Is it graduation season for you with any of the kids? oxox
It’s graduation season here too. No offspring graduating this time though. Next year, I have one and I so look forward to that. ♥️ have a great week Deborah!
B.F.F.!! Thank you so much! It was really fun and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. I will be sending you some pics soon! This has been a really crazy week as I know you had as well! Love you. oxox
So sweet and beautiful Deb! A wonderful tribute to grads and a life well lived ❤️. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, and I love the tender poem
Thank you so much Jenn! I absolutely love going up that mountain. Every single time I am reminded of our beginnings. I don't go often for that very reason. It's so special. Thank you for reading and for your kindness and loving comments always. Graduation season is truly special. Plus these young people went through a lot in recent years - so it's extra special to see some joy from them reaching this milestone. oxox
Yes, I hadn’t considered what all these kids had been through to graduate; you are right. Cheers to beginnings, both those gone by and remembered fondly and those that are coming to pass ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so very much Monica! I am so excited that a few readers said they felt like they were there. I guess when places are close to our hearts, it's easier to walk our minds through them and put into words exactly how it felt and still feels to this day. I so appreciate your kindness. Sending you much love for a good week ahead! ox
Thank you so much sweet friend. I am so happy you felt like you were there. I walked you through my life with John at the very beginning :). It's so good to go back to those places where life was more innocent. Sending you my love always. oxox
Thank you so much Julie :) Means a ton to me. oxox
And ha ha! I want to be this person all the time now. I made a joke to my husband the other day and said, "maybe I'm allergic to my family?" I just want to write, rescue animals and walk in forests (or garden). lol. I adore my grandchildren though! They keep me hopping and they somehow remove all my energy <insert delirious face>
Your dabble in poetry is paying off… this is a beauty! Glad you’ve ’signed it!’ And the beginning of your love story, right here! Feels like I’m right there, gliding down the hills…never been there , it sounds magical! 😊🥰You’ve shone a spotlight on this graduation season, the photos show your gifted skills, your words touching every parent’s heart as they reach this milestone of life. Great essay my friend; dancing words that weave just right as they flow brilliantly from your hands and heart. 🫶❤️
Dear Joan, thank you so so much! I had to stop and write it and didn't change a thing. Another stream of conscious. Sometimes I think, when will this end? I have been so full of feeling and it will just burst. Mount Baldy is a very special place. We constantly pray over our mountains that they are protected. I'm glad you felt like you were there! It's truly like that and that's how it was when I lived there. I adore photographing these moments. It's always so fun to get out and throw myself back in. Thank you for reading and for your oh-so-kind compliments!! These milestones bring me tears too. Just watching the parent watch as we work is emotional. oxox
My Baldy is do gorgeous! I haven’t been there in years and your description is perfect bringing back fond memories of when I'd visit skiing in the winter or hiking in the summer. It wasn't long a drive from our home in Orange County.
I love your photos! Jade will treasure those stunners for a lifetime! Thank you Deborah ✨💜✨
It is! The skiing, in a good winter, is supreme! The face is what excellent skiers come for! It's fun to take the lift up to the top any time it's running. So many people visit Mount Baldy for it's ruggedness and simplicity. All four boys, in John's family, grew up there and the oldest is still there, and his son and family. It was so cool to hear that our nephew's wife, our niece, became principal of the school last year! It's a lot but she's so excited. I go up there every year to work with them on family pictures that show the wild beauty of mountain life. I love it.
Thank you for reading Charlotte and for your kind compliment on the pictures. There are soooo many! ha ha! We went for it. The creek is running strong and the wildflowers are super pretty on the road up. Jade loved being there and that's what matters in environmental portraiture. It should feel wonderful and lend good memories for a lifetime. oxox
Your photos are awesome! Jade is so fortunate to have found you!
Reading your note makes me want to drive right up to Mount Baldy and visit. I wish I had the time soon. It wasn’t that long of a drive from orange county from what I remember. We would just go to the day and ski, hang out. I loved it! ❤️❤️❤️
Well, that’s also a neat place to meet if you’re ever back in L.A. for a longer period of time! The old lodge! Or a ride up the ski lift! :) I knew nothing about it until I met John! The first date he drove me from O.C. to Rancho Cucamonga (I was in disbelief that there was a place called that!! ha ha!) to show me where his grandparents had settled at one point - then back over to Upland and straight up to Mount Baldy in his orange VW Bus!!! to meet his older brother :) It was outer world to me! I used to borrow my dad’s mustang and drive it, at 17, with a few friends up to Big Bear to ski!! These were the best days!
💚♦️
Mt Baldy is such a special place. My family loves going to the lodge because we have so many happy memories up there.
Carly, it truly is such a happy place. That lodge holds so many good memories. We lived kitty-corner to it, at a sharp angle, just past the lodge on the left - and we married there in that home. I'm so glad it gives you great memories too. ox
What a great combination your years of photography experience now combined with your writing, bringing it to life.
Thank you mom 🩷 It really is a blessing to be given a purpose to create. You and dad were my inspirations. I love you 😘 ox
Threshold 🙏❤️ Beautiful Deb. You have been a witness and with it comes wisdom as you cross your own threshold too.
Thank you Jamie. I am feeling the years and I am in awe of them. ox
Great Picture!! Something to treasure through life!
Thank you so much Michele! I treasure all the images of our lives and I hope to give that back in a timeless way. It is an absolute blessing to work with this tender age.
A Beautiful picture and a beautiful reply. Thanks 🙏
Thank you so much Kevin! and thank you for reading and for following me! I feel very blessed.
Thank you for sharing!
Oh wow! Thank you for reading! ox
Your photos always magically stop time. Loved that you got up the mountain to do what you do so well...& then write about it!!
Thank you brother! You know it felt so good. I had been writing about youth and running through the hallways (John Mayer!), living life, letting go, etc. There was a story to tell about that threshold. It was right there on the mountain. It came with some physical pain, as you know, but the beauty was the time spent, and the medicine of writing it all out. Love you. oxox
I want that back for America. America and Americans who truly cherish all the simple beauty and try to capture it in beautiful ways! :) God bless you, Deb and God bless America.
Oh Jenni, I want all of this too! I think what we do have is the power of prayer. Praying over the magnitude of things we can't control and then praying for the simple way of life. That we can find peace in what feels like chaos and push ahead living our lives to the best of our ability, taking in all the beauty that is still out there. God Bless you too and this beautiful country that God has given us to take care of. oxox
Amen!
Absolutely beautiful 💙
Thank you so much dear Joyce! I hope you’re having a good evening! I imagine you are ready to sleep. It is tea-time here :). Sending you much love. ox
Beautiful photos and beautiful words too! How I admire your creativity and generosity to share ❤️
Thank you so very much! That is the kindest compliment. I feel like creating is a life-line for me. I so appreciate you reading this and hope you're doing well. Is it graduation season for you with any of the kids? oxox
Thank you for your kind words! Creating is definitely a life-line for me too. Graduation season is upon us, sending love to you and your family! oxox
It’s graduation season here too. No offspring graduating this time though. Next year, I have one and I so look forward to that. ♥️ have a great week Deborah!
Oh cheers to next year! Another year to keep rising! It was a hard four years for these kids. Wishing you a great week too. ox
Love this Deb! The story and the images!
So beautiful!
B.F.F.!! Thank you so much! It was really fun and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. I will be sending you some pics soon! This has been a really crazy week as I know you had as well! Love you. oxox
So sweet and beautiful Deb! A wonderful tribute to grads and a life well lived ❤️. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, and I love the tender poem
Thank you so much Jenn! I absolutely love going up that mountain. Every single time I am reminded of our beginnings. I don't go often for that very reason. It's so special. Thank you for reading and for your kindness and loving comments always. Graduation season is truly special. Plus these young people went through a lot in recent years - so it's extra special to see some joy from them reaching this milestone. oxox
Yes, I hadn’t considered what all these kids had been through to graduate; you are right. Cheers to beginnings, both those gone by and remembered fondly and those that are coming to pass ❤️❤️❤️
Great photographs, memories and poem. Your descriptions were so realistic I could imagine being there.
Thank you so very much Monica! I am so excited that a few readers said they felt like they were there. I guess when places are close to our hearts, it's easier to walk our minds through them and put into words exactly how it felt and still feels to this day. I so appreciate your kindness. Sending you much love for a good week ahead! ox
Beautiful story, beautiful photos!
Once again, I’m transported to another time and place that I’ve never been to through your writing.
Thank you so much sweet friend. I am so happy you felt like you were there. I walked you through my life with John at the very beginning :). It's so good to go back to those places where life was more innocent. Sending you my love always. oxox
Gorgeous photos and memories.
“rescued a cat, lost a cat, rescued another cat” - love it. You were at 20 who I aspire to be😂😂
Thank you so much Julie :) Means a ton to me. oxox
And ha ha! I want to be this person all the time now. I made a joke to my husband the other day and said, "maybe I'm allergic to my family?" I just want to write, rescue animals and walk in forests (or garden). lol. I adore my grandchildren though! They keep me hopping and they somehow remove all my energy <insert delirious face>
I hear you.
Yes rescuing animals and wandering nature sounds like a plan I could definitely get on board with :)
Your dabble in poetry is paying off… this is a beauty! Glad you’ve ’signed it!’ And the beginning of your love story, right here! Feels like I’m right there, gliding down the hills…never been there , it sounds magical! 😊🥰You’ve shone a spotlight on this graduation season, the photos show your gifted skills, your words touching every parent’s heart as they reach this milestone of life. Great essay my friend; dancing words that weave just right as they flow brilliantly from your hands and heart. 🫶❤️
Dear Joan, thank you so so much! I had to stop and write it and didn't change a thing. Another stream of conscious. Sometimes I think, when will this end? I have been so full of feeling and it will just burst. Mount Baldy is a very special place. We constantly pray over our mountains that they are protected. I'm glad you felt like you were there! It's truly like that and that's how it was when I lived there. I adore photographing these moments. It's always so fun to get out and throw myself back in. Thank you for reading and for your oh-so-kind compliments!! These milestones bring me tears too. Just watching the parent watch as we work is emotional. oxox
My Baldy is do gorgeous! I haven’t been there in years and your description is perfect bringing back fond memories of when I'd visit skiing in the winter or hiking in the summer. It wasn't long a drive from our home in Orange County.
I love your photos! Jade will treasure those stunners for a lifetime! Thank you Deborah ✨💜✨
It is! The skiing, in a good winter, is supreme! The face is what excellent skiers come for! It's fun to take the lift up to the top any time it's running. So many people visit Mount Baldy for it's ruggedness and simplicity. All four boys, in John's family, grew up there and the oldest is still there, and his son and family. It was so cool to hear that our nephew's wife, our niece, became principal of the school last year! It's a lot but she's so excited. I go up there every year to work with them on family pictures that show the wild beauty of mountain life. I love it.
Thank you for reading Charlotte and for your kind compliment on the pictures. There are soooo many! ha ha! We went for it. The creek is running strong and the wildflowers are super pretty on the road up. Jade loved being there and that's what matters in environmental portraiture. It should feel wonderful and lend good memories for a lifetime. oxox
Your photos are awesome! Jade is so fortunate to have found you!
Reading your note makes me want to drive right up to Mount Baldy and visit. I wish I had the time soon. It wasn’t that long of a drive from orange county from what I remember. We would just go to the day and ski, hang out. I loved it! ❤️❤️❤️
Well, that’s also a neat place to meet if you’re ever back in L.A. for a longer period of time! The old lodge! Or a ride up the ski lift! :) I knew nothing about it until I met John! The first date he drove me from O.C. to Rancho Cucamonga (I was in disbelief that there was a place called that!! ha ha!) to show me where his grandparents had settled at one point - then back over to Upland and straight up to Mount Baldy in his orange VW Bus!!! to meet his older brother :) It was outer world to me! I used to borrow my dad’s mustang and drive it, at 17, with a few friends up to Big Bear to ski!! These were the best days!