The eldest child is off to college and the house is so quiet you'd think we were empty nesters. Not quite, though. The youngest is still here, just hasn't figured out that he can now talk uninterrupted. Though Craig and I had both planned to accompany the child to SLO, our Grandma-sitting plans fell through so Craig made the sacrifice to stay at home and allow me to hone my road-warrior skills. Craig's parting advice to Peter was sweet:
1. Use your superpowers only for good.
2. Be kind to the Hu-Mons (pronouced Ferengi-style).
3. I'm here for you ... you can call me anytime.
Acceptance into the Honors Program entitled Peter to apartment-style living instead of the typical dorm experience. The Cerro Vista Apartments are built on a hill and Peter's apartment is at the very top of the stairs. Each apartment has four single bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms.
His bedroom is at the back of the apartment and his window looks out into the hills above.
The living room is basic, but welcoming with lots of good light.
The kitchen is modern and spacious with a huge pantry. The table really called for some fresh flowers; however, I resisted. Four boys are going to live here, after all.
The view from the kitchen window, which is at the front of the apartment, is of the campus below and the surrounding hills. A nice view for washing dishes.
After moving in Peter's stuff, I made the bed and helped him "unpack" a bit. Which means we piled lots of stuff on the bed. By then it was around 5 pm and I had to hit the road to get in a few hours of driving. Peter was quite cheerful to show me the way out.
I offered some last minute advice, but he was having none of it. This bird was more than ready to leave the nest.
I called Peter from the parking lot and assured him it was perfectly alright if he wanted to change his mind and return home with me. "Ah, no" was the response. So I called Craig and told him that it felt very surreal to leave Peter behind and return home without him. Craig then shared that it had felt very surreal to him that we were expected to take Peter home with us when we left the hospital almost 19 years ago. I guess we all have these moments.
I have not yet fully embraced the digital age, at least where photography is concerned. Admittedly, digital photography is cheaper and I am more apt to take five digital shots for every one film shot I would have taken. But therein lies the problem. I used to spend quite a bit of time composing that perfect shot. Now I take twenty and pick the one I like best. Or crop it in Photoshop. Or adjust the color and contrast. Or edit out a minor imperfection. Or even a major one.
So is it cheating? I finally bought a polarizing filter for the Nikon D60. Not that there is a lack of polarizing filters in this house, just none that fit the digital camera. And on a beautiful summer's day, in need of a photo opportunity, I set out to take a perfect picture.
A perfect picture, composed in the camera, with no need of Photoshop intervention. I took some time to compose each shot and slowly rediscovered what I once liked so much about photography: becoming absorbed in the detail.
I am happy with the results. And why did I wait so long to get a polarizing filter? Who knows, maybe I thought THAT would be cheating.
