About two years ago, I fell out of using Instagram – something about the way it had become a photo-centric Facebook, and how it shows ads every third or fourth post, turned me off.
Thing is, I have an incredible backlog of iPhone photos waiting to be shared. There was something about that daily rhythm of posting to Instagram that kept things moving.
So now, two years later, I have a ton of stuff to share, and I jumped back on Instagram to clear out those old photos and put them somewhere. Flickr is an obvious choice, too, but Flickr isn’t nearly as simple and (I hate to say it) mindless as scrolling through a series of photos from people you follow.
Kicking off a series of photos from our summer vacation spot: Door County, Wisconsin.
Yes, we’d been there in 2018 and 2020. We love the area so much that we went back this year for our family holiday.
Different cabin (the big one), different month (August instead of June/July), and different crowd (we brought the in-laws), but other than that, it was as spectacular as it always is.
I take a memory card’s worth of photos wherever we go. Above is a series of windows I saw along the way. Here are some natural spots:
If you went back and updated your 16-year-old self on where you are today, would your teenage self consider you a “success?”
To me, “success” is a multi-faceted metric. Success in your career? Or success in your goals? How about where you are, and who you’re with? Would your younger self even know what you’re talking about in terms of a job or hobbies (try explaining blogging in 1997)?
Overall, I think my teenage self would consider my adult self successful, based on a few measurements:
Career: I’ve always wanted to do something with writing. I left for college knowing I wanted to be a journalist. While that didn’t pan out, I did have a short career in journalism and used my writing skills to make stories in the corporate world. I also had a life goal to do something at the University of Michigan – either a degree or a career – and I accomplished that in my last job at the museum of art.
Hobbies: My younger self was involved in playing card games and video games, taking photos during social activities, and traveling. And what do you know, my adult self enjoys doing all of those things as well, to varying degrees. Photography, for instance, is now a core part of who I am. Traveling is something my family and I do constantly, and always will. I still read The Lord of the Rings trilogy every few years. I probably watch a little less professional wrestling than I did at 16, but some of my heroes have stuck with me.
Life in General: I’m happily married with three great kids, living in my sometimes-hometown, and comfortably middle class and socially active. I spend time with my family, I enjoy going out to eat, and I see my friends – not like I did at 16, but often enough. I’m not rich, but I never expected to be (I just knew I didn’t want to be poor again).
I score a 10/10 on almost all three of those metrics. Where would my teenage self be disappointed? Maybe in something like, I’m not a novel writer like I maybe thought I’d be. Or, I never moved far from my roots.
On the other hand, I didn’t have big goals or ambitions as a young person. I was happy to check the boxes, get my education, get a decent job, and hang out with my friends. If I’ve seen any success over the years, it has not been according to a Grand Plan. Up to now, I’ve been successful only because of luck – and maybe a bit of personal growth, continuing education, and building relationships.
Success is what you make it. My 16-year-old self would be satisfied with all of those things because that’s who I am, and who I’ve always been.
(Above: another photo from Hale, Michigan, shot on my iPhone 13 mini and edited in Darkroom)
It’s been a year of new homes, with our family’s, and my dad purchasing a cabin in Hale, Michigan – in the northeast, close to Lake Huron.
We took Independence Day weekend and traveled there for the first time. It was our chance to get out of town, spend some summer days outside, and see a new place.
We found everything we were looking for in the pastoral scenery, the cool and clear lakes, and the natural beauty you find in northern Michigan.
I almost brought a film camera to fit the setting. After all, every 50 miles you go north you travel back in time 10 years. But that will have to wait. I didn’t want to fuss with film and settings and remembering how to use my Canon AE-1. I wanted to keep it simple.
