Anatomy of a Composition - Delayed Gratification

To tell a genuinely good story about travel and adventure takes more creativity than I possess. I know that I enjoy new places and the excitement of exploration is a great motivator. This was the trip that was supposed to happen last year. Tickets had been bought and reservations made, and then the world came to a complete stop.

In March of 2020, instead of packing gear and boarding a plane, we packed our shelves and closed our doors to ride out an experience that would define a year. The COVID pandemic threw out the rule book, as is no surprise, and just getting through became the mode of operation. As the year would unfold so many positives would reveal themselves and the chance to share grateful moments with loved ones were more plentiful than had been anticipated. But, missing that trip a year ago certainly left a sore spot, so buying a ticket this year, and cautiously boarding an airplane to fly to Chicago brought both a sense of normalcy and a bit of trepidation as the pandemic marked a year.

It was so good to spend time with Tanner. He is doing incredibly well. I really can't believe what this last year has been like for him, facing a new city in a pandemic, and really not being able to interact with new people. It has cemented some of his closest friendships here though, definitely a benefit of the internet, chat-boards and streaming games. He is managing the production floor in a local garment business. When the pandemic hit they were able to stay in business making masks and have grown ever since - pretty incredible really. He had to work, especially with his boss on vacation, but it was good just to be able to "parent" for him a bit. We did take his car to Michigan, where my older brother lives, and spent the first weekend doing some updating to it. That was good for all of us.

So even in these extra-ordinary circumstance, some normalcy can be found. Chicago is a bit of a shell of itself. Fewer people are out, and with spring not convinced it needs to make its appearance, the city still carries cold and vacant presence. But that will change soon enough, and life will continue to tilt towards normal. The point of this though is that it was absolutely worth the wait. Even with a long and the uncertain year in between, the chance to build more memories with a son and a brother will always be what I’m most grateful for.

April, 2021 - As always, thank you for joining me on this adventure.

For more thoughts on some of these images, head over to www.wordpress.com/alma175w  

Delayed Gratification - ISO 100 | F/11 | 1/80 sec. - Sony a7iii - Sony FE 24105G

Ten Image Vertical Panorama - Stitched together and edited in Lightroom and Photoshop - 30MB image