Father Son, a Shitty Lens, and Bonding

I had the pleasure of taking my son Dayton out on a hike today in Pocatello. AllTrails failed us miserably today, we tried to get to the trail we wanted, but you needed a LOT more ground clearance than I have, so we took our own path, (the link takes you to our loop). We made our own loop, and enjoyed every minute of it (we did cuss up a storm trying to get our cameras to do what we wanted occasionally, but we laughed about it more than bitched about it). It was pretty hot, kind of dusty, my new 28mm lens is absolute GARBAGE, and he got to use my K100D Super while I used my newer K10D with my new 28mm lens (bargain my ass!).

There are a few images in here I took with my 50mm (My favorite lens), but most are from my 28mm. The images look fake, there’s absolutely no focus, the colors look artificial, and unless you’re into abstract art there is little value to the images.

We are guys, so there wasn’t much deep talk, but he enjoyed taking pictures (hasn’t done the post processing yet, but I’ll do a post with his images once he does the “work” on them).

This hike was hard for me to start, but once I was out there, doing the work, and breathing in the air, I started to feel better. This journey is a rough one. I’ve found that I have “friends” that would like to be more than “friends”. I’ve found that some aren’t used to being turned down. As well as I’ve found that it takes strength to push aside the flattery of being asked to go out, for the sake of healing, getting through my difficulties, and growing into a better person for my next (and hopefully last) person I allow into my life. I know EXACTLY the kind of woman I want in my life, and right now, it isn’t in my cards. I need to be a better person, to clean my regret buckets out (I’m getting through that day by day), and appreciate myself for what I can offer once my journey has allowed me to become who I know I am inside.

Please take these images with a grain of sand. Some are “pretty” but make no sense, some are “fine”, some are of my son, and if they’re pretty good, they are either my 50mm lens, or my Pixel 4.

Be kind to yourself, be kind to everyone, use compassion even when you hurt, and never stop loving those you have known in love if they’re still the people that make your chest swell with pride, knowing they’re your inspiration, your template, and a part of your tenacity in becoming a better person. Even when you can’t talk to them as much as you like, or as intimately as you wish, they are your measuring stick. They don’t need to know, but I hope they know me, I hope I make them proud, and most of all, I hope they know they’re always in my thoughts.