Mountains, lakes and rivers, and sky.

For the past week, I’ve been on walks with views in every direction. My sister and I met in Calgary, rented a car and headed for the hills. Within 10 minutes of leaving the airport, our trip began with unbelievable skies. One of the most evocative roadtrip songs I know, “Big Sky Country” by Chris Whitley, played on a loop in my mind as we drove toward the Rockies.

I brought a camera with me. It’s not my favourite – it’s my “travel camera”, compact, good quality, does the job. I didn’t take it out of my bag the entire week. Maybe if I’d brought the 5D, big and bulky but beloved, I would have taken more photos. But instead I headed out each day with a bottle of water in one hand and my iPhone in the other. Lesson learned? I think I may be selling the travel camera and just packing the 5D from now on.

When we reached a breathtaking vista, I would make an image and then put the phone away. Some views were hard-won after a couple of kilometres of walking…

…and some were accessed by car, a short stroll to take in the view with a few thousand other tourists, and then swift escape to somewhere more peaceful.

But the theme of the week was walking – to get away from crowds and get to the places where we could breathe, listen to silence, and maybe soak our aching feet before heading back to the trailhead.

At the end of the day, there was wine and delicious food, recounting the day and planning the next, and time to mess around with fun apps (in this case, Prisma).  Which made me want to dig out my old paints and brushes when I get home.  Inspiration in more ways than one.

What are you up to this summer? Whether it’s staycations or hitting the road, are you documenting it with words or cameras or just keeping it simple? However your summer goes, I wish you time to pursue what inspires!

cheers,
kim