Photo Tag, You're "IT"!

It's funny how powerful images are. They've the power to evoke moods, memories, nostalgia, and sensory details we thought we overlooked. This simple photograph is no different. From January 12, 2009 - only a few months ago - and yet, a lifetime ago. My daughter and I were on our afternoon walk from our cookie-cutter condo in Alameda, CA to the shoreline for the sunset. Sitting on a bench at the shore, Marley ate one of her first "solid" meals - homemade, pureed yams. We rested with the intensity of the falling sun warming us from the cool, crisp sea breeze. Gulls and other seabirds sang and chattered while diving through the air to their underwater morsels. As we sat, absorbing all of the wonders this ordinary winter afternoon had for us, I knitted the "softie" seen in the photo. I was moved by the way the light and the wind danced through the stitches of the rainbow colored stitches - and snapped this photo before gathering ourselves up for a swift walk home.

Since taking this photo, our family has moved across the country two times. We have lived in Brooklyn, NY with family, and now reside in Bend, OR. The story of this photo reminds me that while our surroundings have changed radically in this year, our simpler traditions such as afternoon walks - are truly what creates our sense of home.

This post is in response to Cabin + Cub's blog post about "Photo Tag", a game I didn't know existed; and am so glad now that I've played. If your name is below, or, if you just want to play - the rules are as follows:

1. Open your first photo folder.

2. Scroll to the 10th photo.

3. Post the photo on your blog and tell the story behind it.

4. Tag people to do the same.

Who's "IT":

ArtTales

Happy Banyan

Fall into Pink

Tchotchkes

Sparkle Power