Home at last

Well, I am home now.  We arrived back in Albuquerque from the Mayan Riviera, after two and a half weeks of sun, sand, shorts, and flip flops, to snow and sub-freezing temperatures.  Culture shock!  Still, after entering our house (and turning up the thermostat), my wife and I let out a little collective sigh of relief.  Home.

After two and a half weeks abroad, in several locations, with two very young children we are happy to be able to reset their schedules and get back to some semblance of a routine.  She will breathe easier; they will breathe easier; I will breathe easier.

Photographically though I am left wondering how to successfully mix parenthood, work, and photography.  I had looked forward to the time off so I could spend some quality time with my children as well as some quality time photographing.  I found the latter quite challenging and I came home feeling rather unsuccessful in getting some good photographs.  I even had thoughts of putting photography on the back-burner as I am not willing to trade the limited quality time I have with my children for my hobby.  My goal is to be an involved and available father and so photography has its place: after my family.

Still, I did have a few focused photographic outings and I am so far happy with my first glance through the unprocessed images.  So perhaps my perspective and my production are out of kilter at the moment and perhaps some work on my perspective are in order.

This is timely.  Each year I find myself being particularly introspective during these winter months and apparently this year is no different.  My blogging friends Sabrina Henry and Chris Plante, among others, have posted reflective and goal-setting thoughts recently and I thought I might put my introspective months to good use and do the same in the following posts.  In the meantime I hope you enjoy these few shots from my recent trip.  These are just a few I managed to process so far; there a more to come.

The nearly full moon rose over the Caribbean sea the night of the lunar eclipse.

A new wooden pier was built right near the fishing cooperative.  I wanted to go out on it and photograph back toward the town of Playa del Carmen but they were unfortunately staining the wood and didn’t want anyone on it.

There are often musicians, mostly Mariachis, wandering through town singing songs to those who request them as well as approaching diners who sit in the restaurants.  A tip is usually requested after the songs have been played.  I used to find this annoying and marveled that the restaurant owners allowed them to enter the restaurants so freely.  But I came to realize there is a proud and joyful history of balladeers in Mexico and now I just love them.  I don’t know where these men were coming from or going but they evoke in me a fondness for Mexico.