forgotten winter frames

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”

--John Steinbeck--

p.s. The winner of the Kinfolk magazine is Hannah Beasley. Congratulations! I will be contacting you shortly. :) Many thanks to everyone who entered. I'm seriously craving ice cream right now, & I might just decide to host another giveaway soon! ;)

portraits of my sister || the beauty of stories

Once upon a time there lived a girl who loved books. She loved hearing the crackle of a book's spine when she opened it for the first time. She loved the feel of the pages & the simple joy of turning them. But most of all, she loved the stories. She loved them so much in fact, that she spent many a moment wishing... wishing they could come to life.

But as she was gazing out the window one day, thinking about all the characters she had come to know over the years, she realized... they were real. She thought back to all the times she had laughed when they laughed & cried when they cried & rejoiced when they rejoiced. Yes, they were real. They had always been. Even after their stories had been told & even after she had long closed the back cover of their books, they still lived on. They lived on inside her head. Her imagination brought them to life & that made them real.

She realized that as long as stories were remembered, as long as people cared, characters would live on. Brought to life simply by the fact that there was someone left who cared enough to remember them. That is the enduring beauty of stories. They live on even if there is only one person left who cares... you. And they can always be passed on.

florida 2012 || part 1

west virginia <3

We set off for Florida on August 28th, bright & early in the morning - just before sunrise. On day one, we crossed the border at Port Erie, went through Ohio, Pennsylvania, & then across West Virginia. I absolutely fell in love with West Virginia. The mountains & valleys, all arrayed in the deepest, most vibrant shades of green & bright blue rivers winding through the hills. It was the most picturesque place! I only regret not getting to see the trees dressed in full autumn splendor... it would've been simply magical.
After driving through West Virginia, we went on to Virginia, were we stayed the night at a friend's house in the country (AND that's were I got to pick up my brand new Canon 5D + 50mm 1.4, but more on that in another post. soon. I promise).

The following morning, I woke up at 5:30am... to this. I literally stared out my window for about five minutes before sneaking out to capture it all. The photos above do not give this scene even half the credit it deserves. Words cannot describe this wonderful fresh feeling you get standing there. You have to be there, to see the magnificent golden light peaking in through the mist, to breathe in the lovely fresh air, smelling of morning & country & promise. It just makes you feel wonderfully & truly alive.

And it makes you see & appreciate all the little, but oh-so-important precious moments.

~~~~~~

On day two, we headed out from Virginia & passed through North Carolina, South Carolina, & Georgia. They had the weirdest, most annoying two-headed flies in Georgia, by the way. Kinda scary too, actually. Especially when you're not expecting one to land on your arm - & it does.

And then, after two days of driving, we finally reached our destination. Florida. It greeted us with big black storm clouds & torrents of rain... which left us alone after about half an hour. You see, the thing about Florida is, when it rains, it rains hard... but then, it cuts off. Just like that. No warning. BAM... and it stops.

(part 2 coming soon... :)

these are a few of my favourite things

golden hour, sunflares, & vintage cameras. Speaking of vintage cameras, this here is Louis (pronounced LOO ee). He's very pleased to meet you! :)

a photo is worth a thousand words.
xoxo,