Days have slipped, slipped past. So much happens so quickly it can be hard to even locate oneself in the flow of time.
Time for a major update. Let’s summarize. I graduated from college, spent a beautiful few days in Maine before leaving the East Coast for good. I went to Alaska and learned to shoot a rifle and catch salmon in a dipnet and watched one of my best friends marry the love of her life in the backyard where we used to hang out when we were kids. I slept on the ground by the side of a glacial river and flew in airplanes and climbed mountains and learned the names of Arctic plants and packed all my belongings for a year. Then I left the country on a direct flight from Alaska over the North Pole. Less than 24 hours later I was in northern Norway, land of my dreams. And here, I’ve been striking a balance between working on independent projects from my home base in Narvik, and full-blown enjoyment of total summer bliss. Living out of a suitcase and drifting around a bit. Here are some cell phone pictures.
Grandpa with some of my photos at the Woods Gerry Gallery in Providence.
A last glimpse of our class’s sophomore year polaroids before I left the Design Center forever.
Beautiful Charlotte at a fancy party the night before graduation.
Ben, as usual, dressed to match his prints.
So excited.
And yes, I actually graduated.
The moment I finished art school, I resumed studying other things.
Decompression time in Maine.
Denali came out on our flight into Anchorage.
Alaska wildflowers.
Hiking with the family!
Beautiful Reid and I at her wedding.
Adventure planning with Nic.
Staking out Nic’s land in ferocious mosquito territory.
Land claimed, flag planted. Success.
Lakeside running.
My brother arriving early from his job in the wilderness.
Family rifle lessons.
Going, going, gone!
Approaching northern Norway in the late-night sun.
Even freed from the burdens of school or employment, I find myself with an extraordinary amount of things to do, balanced with a thirst for life and determination to make the most out of each day. I suppose it will always be that way. Before I left home my mother reminded me that one can slow down time if one lives more in the moment. And so it is that each day has some element of miracle within it that takes my breath away, from an extraordinary hike up a jagged peak overlooking a world of fjords and ocean, to a late-night walk with the dog through a blooming infinity of wildflowers by the stormy sea where iron barges loom through the mist of sea-spray. It’s so beautiful it hurts, Tor Edvin says, pushing the boat off the coral beach through turquoise waters in 90-degree heat. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re above the Arctic Circle. It is hard to believe that so many parts of this life are actually real.
Grilling in the frigid rain.
Breakfast.
Home or something like it.
Tor Edvin and I crashed our high school teachers’ ridiculous and insanely fun end-of-year party.
And then danced all night in this lavvo (tent) to celebrate solstice.
Norway, cake, and my favorite ‘Bergen Is For Lovers’ coffee cup.
Skarstad
Some roses I was stoked to have found, in reasonably good condition, in a dumpster.
Narvik looking pretty decent!
Goofing off in an elevator on the way to the (gasp) 16th floor! Narvik morphs into a booming metropolis!
Hah
Efjord breaking my heart with its beauty.
“Studio” these days.
Night hikes.
Summer.
Night running.
For the past few weeks I’ve been back and forth between Skarstad and Narvik – I’ve got a few more weeks here to spend in Lofoten, Vesterålen, and the Narvik area before I fly to Copenhagen to start work. I may have forgotten to mention I landed my dream job as an expedition guide in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic for the summer… so that’s next on the list before I move to Canada in the fall! But first, more real summer in the sweltering heat that has just descended upon northern Norway.
