Tulip

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Tulip

And suddenly, it’s hot here. I’m not complaining. I’m ready for the heat.

This image was shot at Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. The grounds in spring are awash in color from thousands of flowers in bloom. The day I shot this was cold and breezy, which made getting just the right depth of field a challenge.

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Other news: my mom is home, still in pain but in better spirits. Seeing her yesterday with my girls was great until I tried to get a portrait of the three of them on my mom’s couch. Marlo was hot and tired and didn’t cooperate, resulting in a time out for not getting her way and probably horrible photos that I’m trying not to feel bad about. Leta had refused to dress up and I decided not to get weird about it. I didn’t want to lay out the obvious to the girls or my mom: I don’t know when we’ll have a chance to get another shot of the three of them. I didn’t want to sound fatalistic or gloomy. But it’s the truth. My mom could be alive for several years and we may yet get a shot, but given the past few weeks, I felt the need to capture whatever I can.

I want the girls to have memories of my mom and I know Leta will. I’m not certain Marlo will have any memories and my hope for the photo yesterday was that Marlo would at least have a nice shot with her sister and grandmother. Marlo is on the tail end of being three, so I wasn’t surprised by her antics. It was clear she was tired and grumpy. There may be a shot or two worth salvaging, but I suspect Marlo will ask why she was not smiling or even looking at the camera in the shots. Maybe she’ll think it was great that she didn’t comply with societal norms. Maybe she’ll be sad because there aren’t that many shots of her and my mom. Or maybe she won’t care at all. An attempt was made and at least the photo will have two stories attached to it when the girls are older–one about their aging grandmother and one about how Marlo was an uncooperative imp.

Marlo passed out on the way home, which explained her behavior. I carried her to her bed, changed her clothes (I had her put on a dress for the photos) and she still was out. I carried her downstairs to meet her mom for the pick up and she finally woke up just a couple of minutes before the pick up. I’ve never seen either of my girls stay asleep once the car is shut off. I had to peel Marlo out of her seat.

As always, I’m struck with the fleeting nature of childhood, child rearing and how as a father, no matter what the future looks like, no matter how old my girls get, I’ll have to carry my girls from time to time.