They’re grown now. Gone their separate ways. Pursuing their lives in accord with the values and visions they developed over the years. Their paths cross from time to time. Holidays. Weddings. And at some point births – and funerals.

Charles and AnnaSummer Circa 1989

I had no idea the day  made this photograph where it might go. What it might ultimately mean to me. How incredibly precious a piece of history it would come to represent. The truth is were it not for this photograph I would probably have no memory of the events of that day at all. As it is I can only vaguely recall our activities: Visiting the Tidal Pool at the Jefferson Memorial just off the National Mall in Washington, DC. A spring day and from the looks of it shortly after the cherry blossoms had disappeared. I always enjoyed making photographs of the kids. Most parents do.

It’s more difficult now. These days more often than not we’re simply sharing our lives through photographs we post to various social media sites or swap by text and email. Charles, entertaining us with images from his latest trek with Green Tortoise and Anna most recently with the daily growth spurts of Ben the Mutt who joined her and Massie in Austin a few weeks back. We’re now observers of one another’s lives rather than daily participants.

It takes a while to adjust to that. Sometimes I wish we lived in a smaller country.

Eastern Sierra – 2013

Reston – 2011