As a child, the world out of doors is magic. Hours upon hours were spent whizzing down sidewalks, darting across streets, hands out wide, hair in the wind, shouts of glee, peddling faster as we flew up and down the curves and hills of the quiet cemetery streets. A gang of scraped knees, dirty faces, and worn-out shoes. There was no other purpose except to be outdoors and to play. Well, and to get out of our mothers’ hair.

Saturday morning, day 6 at Waubonsie, I woke up instantly aware that this was my last full day of my residency. I was also still carrying a bit of the homesickness I begun to feel the day before. What was interesting to me is that as a child, homesickness was missing home and friends, as an adult it felt a lot more like simply missing my own bed. So maybe it wasn’t homesickness after all.

I’m writing this in August, using notes I took during my stay in April. Four months removed and by looking at the photos and reading my notes I’m back on the trails, sleeping in the cabin and taking in the amazing views and wildlife of the park. I miss it. I miss walking out my cabin door and being steps away from the trails and wildlife. I miss the crisp mornings and wondering what might wander past my window as I drink my morning coffee and go over plans for the day.

Day four of my residency will probably remain on my list of favorite photo days for a very long time. My previous visits were limited to day trips and confined to small pockets of the nearly 640,000 acres of the Loess Hills. I wanted to have a chance to get an overall view of the hills beyond the well-known and favorite spots for visitors.

One of my goals while at Waubonsie was to slow down and be more patient and mindful before pressing the shutter button. Somewhere along my photography journey I have developed a habit of rushing through the photographic part of my process. I cannot say why exactly, I just know that it is rare for me to leave a location and not feel as though I just rushed through and snapped a bunch of pictures.

Coming to Waubonsie I was looking for a chance to tune in; to explore and practice my craft with no distractions. To just be present where I was and to capture the beautiful landscape of the Loess Hills in photos.

I wasn’t just heading off to explore more backroads for the day, I was on my way to my very first artist in residency in beautiful Waubonsie State Park in the Loess Hills.

I did not become a photographer the first time I picked up a camera. As a matter of fact, the first time I held a camera was for my high school journalism class nearly 35 years ago. I took several photos around my hometown and if not for the small stack of black and whites stored away with my yearbooks and diploma, it’s a memory I may have well forgotten.

It is my hope that through this story I can bring light to the importance of embracing our unique journey. Everyone takes a different path and we all have experiences that, for one reason or another, we may want to hide or forget about. I believe when we shed a light on those buried parts and look for the good, we often find unexpected treasures.