While in San Francisco I found myself being influenced by my new blogging friends in ways i thought rather wonderful. I decided to elaborate on the more person centered aspects of my adventure.
(I have to smile at my own consistency as i read that first sentence back. Several months ago Relyn requested i participate in her guest blogger series and write a post describing what i am passionate about. I never did write the post although i did give her the title; My Passion For People. I'm smiling because the older i become the more i am revealed to myself. There are themes of character that run through our lives and although sometimes i feel like a stranger to myself i see in that first sentence the thread that runs through my life linking and binding together the choices and decisions that have guided me. I love growing up don't you?!)
Now i'll get back to the title of this post... Relyn was a near constant companion for 8 full days (including 24 hours in a car :) and as such i had a significant amount of time to observe how this Relyn compares to the Relyn I have visited for over a year on her blog. Rather than use a plethora of words i thought i would simply do a riff off of her post Unphotographable in the spirit of demonstrating more about the Relyn i know now. Relyn carries a journal everywhere she goes. I literally saw her pull this little book out hundreds of times while we were together in various settings. When i would pull out the camera she could be found pulling out one of her many colored pens and a bound volume of hand written pages. What i would capture visually she would capture descriptively, her thoughts and feelings included.
The two images below are my visual depiction of what Relyn probably wrote about as one of her own unphotographable moments. One of the things i love best about Relyn is that she makes me laugh so hard that i get a stomach ache and my ribs hurt. She is a natural comedian and she sees the ridiculousness in life at the most unexpected moments. She is fearless and unselfconscious in her laughter. She laughs at her own jokes, my jokes, and i guarantee she would laugh at your jokes. She invites everyone around her, strangers and friends alike to join in and laugh uproariously.
The title of this photograph is Flying Relyn Story. It is a story for her to tell and i am sure that it will now be included as one of her upcoming unphotograpable posts. Take a moment and visualize the possible scenarios of this photograph. Imagine for a moment how wonderful it is to be with a person, a friend who can make you laugh as you did when you were a child.
As i said in the beginning of this post i was influenced by my new friends in wonderful ways. As far as the influence of Relyn goes i bought and began writing in my own journal while in San Francisco. I have fitfully written in journals all my life but have never completely filled a book and seen it as a treasure. I am determined to at least complete this one lovely book that was inspired by my friend.
I love this idea of the of sharing unphotographable moments. I have one of my own:
While driving along the 205 freeway yesterday i noticed a seagull flying overhead with a fish in it's mouth and was staring at this scene of death and dismemberment with awe when suddenly the gull veered off course and dropped it's prize from 100 feet in the air. The poor fish tumbled head over tail gaining velocity as it went. I knew in an instant what was about to happen as it fell on the top of a car with a thud that must have caused the person driving to nearly jump out of their seat belted skin. I laughed out loud and I swear i immediately thought of Relyn and her unphotographables and wrote it down in my journal.
Wouldn't this be a great theme to share amongst ourselves? I would love it if you would post on your blogs an unphotographable moment! If you do please add a link in my comment area so we can all enjoy it!
love, robin
Relyn's comments and emails always make me laugh out loud. She is such a warm, funny, generous person - lucky you for meeting her in person. And lucky Relyn for meeting you, Robin. Your story of the seagull and the dropped fish has me grinning. Hah!
Posted by: susanna | July 31, 2009 at 06:58 PM
So sweet! Relyn is a beautiful, beautiful soul.
xo
Posted by: Christina | July 29, 2009 at 06:29 AM
hi robin ~ first off i wanted to tell you what a treat it was to meet you in marin for a quick hike among the glorious redwoods. and i'm loving getting to know you thru your fabulous blog now, quite the reverse of how i got to know relyn: i fell for her thru her blog 1st & then met her in person for the 1st time with you at dipsea for lunch a few weeks ago. what a treasure relyn is! i love your post about her ~ it captures her so very well. look forward to learning to love you more thru your blog too! xo, anj
Posted by: studio wellspring | July 28, 2009 at 12:54 PM
There are so many unphotographable moments in life. Your photo of Reyln captures the feeling of what is behind the lens well. We had many such moments at Tarte. Glad to have met you face to face. Will post a fraction of my miracle moments(unphoto) today.
Blessings, Erin
Posted by: Erin Grover | July 27, 2009 at 08:12 AM
I will look for an unphotographable moment to share, but first I had to say how much I love that photo of Relyn. It's SO her! What a delightful photo.
I miss you both a lot... come back soon.
xoxo
Posted by: tangobaby | July 27, 2009 at 07:53 AM
I had a feeling that Relyn would be exactly as you described. I'm happy you both had such a blast!!!
I'm going to think about the unphotographable this week...!
xoxo
Posted by: gillian | July 26, 2009 at 06:03 PM
Awww shucks, Robin. You've done made me blush.
Seriously, your post was so marvelous because it captures all the love, all the heart, that our trip was full of. Weren't we blessed? What fun we had.
Miss you. So much.
Posted by: Relyn | July 26, 2009 at 01:53 PM
Ah this is wondeful! And Relyn is one of my most favourite bloggy pals, i wish I knew her better. I've only stated carrying a notebook with me since I started blogging last month, for jotting down ideas as they come to me.
I'm also quite a new photographer, i started last October. And I've taken a million photos since then. But it came to me last week, whilst on a quick trip to Paris, that there really are moments that I can't catch with my beloved Nikon. And nor would I want to...the glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, lit up at night and SHIMMERING, seen as I rounded a corner and so unexpected...the camera could NEVER have caught how that moment felt, even if I'd managed to capture how it looked. A journal...that's what you need for those moments.
Love your blog btw! x
Posted by: Judith Green | July 26, 2009 at 01:27 PM
Hi Birdtweets,
So much goodness in all of this post and the ones below. Like you, I MUCH rather be connected in blogging that watch television! Glad you had so much fun with blogging beauties recently. Isn't life grand? Isn't the computer a total miracle? Well,about your un~photoed moments I had SO many in New Orleans I can barely stand to think about it.
Wishing you lots of joy to behold on this quiet Sunday!
xox
Constance
Posted by: rochambeau | July 26, 2009 at 09:33 AM
I will have to think on that for a while...I love the photos, very happy and joyful post :-).
Posted by: Annie | July 26, 2009 at 07:58 AM
i love those photo's ~ pure sunshine of soul that girl
and i imagine the sparkle was so intense with the
joy of you two being together :)
and yes! portland in september would be perfection
will write to you this week;)
Posted by: maddie | July 26, 2009 at 06:18 AM
only since your trip have i begun to visit relyn's blog, and i see she has come back to visit ours. i am looking forward to this relationship. sistah.
Posted by: margie | July 24, 2009 at 04:43 PM
What a nifty idea!
Cxx
Posted by: Claire | July 24, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Oh, this is just delightful! I thoroughly enjoy Relyn's blog and you know I love yours, so I have this visual image of the two of you playing about, having this glorous, laughable unphotographable time! You really hit it when you described learning from your friends (in this case, the journal). I find myself doing that, too -- certainly with traits/habits I brought back from France, but in my daily life as well.
As for my unphotographables -- hmmm. I must think on that, for I know there are many! Not nearly so funny, though, as the saga of the gull and the fish!
Posted by: jeanie | July 24, 2009 at 10:52 AM
This is a fantastic concept! I'll definitely be playing along in the future.
Posted by: Jamie | July 24, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Every time I read something from you, I adore you more. Honestly.
So, when I read that Relyn carried a journal, my first thought was "but you are the one who carries a journal - I saw it with my own two eyes!". I tend to jump ahead of myself, and saw further on that you did indeed mention that now you too carry one...
I will ponder unphotographable moments. Once again you have challenged me to look at something new, in a new way, thus inspiring me to grow. Love you for that~
I also must now clearly go and meet Relyn for myself!
xo
Posted by: Kimberly | July 24, 2009 at 09:48 AM