Enterprise

When visiting a new place I think it is best to go into the quest with no preconceived ideas of what you think you'll do or see. Instead, be prepared and keenly aware of all the unexpected possibilities to come.

This past week I went to a another place new to me, a place nestled in the mountains of Oregon. These two small towns Enterprise and Joseph held, for me, those unexpected possibilities. I knew this place would hold magic in the whistling breeze, falling snow, and serene water ways: and I found more.

No matter where I land in Oregon it is home to me. This place flows through my veins. So crossing the border whether in a plane or car gives my heart the oxygen it desires. I knew there would be mountains but those snow filled wonders took my breathe away.
The way I see the world and things around me is different than most, my eyes blink like shutters of a camera. This vision leads me to often leaving them wide open to capture all the light, blink slowly, and not as often, to focus.

The passing days there led me to all the places anyone new there would expect to go, but you have to know I tend to go and find just that one more thing to shoot with my eyes. Visually, this part of the country is stunning, I found myself there during a time of knee high snow drifts and when the new calf's were finding their limbs wobbly.

Those loved ones I went to see know how precious they are to me, so telling you about the time with them seems like exposing our sense of unspoken trust. So instead I choose to tell you about those new individuals that touched me with their kindness and sense of spectacular wonderment.

These little towns hold treasures in the souls that reside there, often those clinging to a reality filled with a lifetime of hardship or a uncertain future pausing here to rest.

There was a immediate peace hanging over this section of the mountainside, a Buddhist temple seemingly camouflaged by the trees and thick snow drifts. The two female monks residing there had a gentle flowing manner, what must it take to feel so much peace with your insides and the outside chaos? The way they moved seemed fluid, the brown robes did flow as if part of their body forever. Quiet conversation in a upstairs loft with tea service, quiet simple yet held meaning beyond the words that were spoken there. A slight bow with my hands in a praying form... I say till next time.

I spent a few hours along in Joseph walking and taking pictures then stumbled into a shop that I knew was filled with unique objects seeking a distant home. The natural beauty of the shop owner could be seen in all the handcrafted works. This was a space and time for her to be herself, find her sanity among simplicity.

I met a local jeweler, a white haired man with gentle smile and a talent for seeing what beauty can come from unpolished metals and gems. His hands were so worn, dry and broken yet created pieces that only his vision could create. To be able to hold a diamond in your fingers and see in your mind the owners personality shine through to make a single piece of art, a talent indeed.

During my one night on the town in a small, yet big in personality brewery pub, there was a bartender, a man with a reluctant beard. Does he know the kindness he showed by opening the door to allow me in a space and a new opportunity? It is the small things people do that reflect who they are inside and through acts of unknowing giving shine volumes.

This place where I waked barefoot in the snow, connected and reconnected is captured in my eyes shutters forever.

The bottom line is ... a quest for something new should not arouse more questions but offer answers. I know with who and where I belong...with you.. Home.