nod 'n' smile

Every year around this time, I always have a few conversations with people about how the year flew by, how it disappeared more quickly than the last. It always seems like there’s never enough time. It always seems that despite my best efforts, there’s always a lot of things left undone. So, what a wonderful [...]

There are some places so beautiful, it seems impossible to take a bad photo. I think Iceland is one of those places. Colorado is another. These photos were taken with a point-and-shoot and you can tell I did absolutely nothing special in terms of framing or angling my shots, and yet the beauty and essence [...]

Even though I now call NYC home, I actually grew up in the pristine suburbs of Northern Virginia, the collective term for the towns right outside of Washington, DC. It’s where I spent the vast majority of my childhood and my parents still live there, so I still consider it in some ways to be [...]

While I was growing up, my family took the occasional trip- to Canada, some states- but they were generally of the vacationing/sightseeing variety. We focused mainly on well-known tourist destinations, tours, and cultural travel. My penchant for backpacking and adventure travel didn’t develop until I started traveling on my own and to more rugged destinations [...]

It always takes me a few days of adjustment after Labor Day to get used to the idea that another blissful, New York summer is officially over. It’s not that I dislike fall; I just really love summer- wearing fewer layers, being outside, long days, the flurry of activities, the carefree spirit of the season. [...]