Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Looking Back


It's Autumn now but this photo was taken twenty years ago on a visit to New Hampshire during another Autumn.  This is my older (by fourteen months) son.  He was two at the time and his brother was a baby.  We captured him in front of our condo in the mountains.  We'd bought it as a second, refreshing, humidity-free escape from Richmond, Virginia where he and his brother were born.  By the time this was taken, we'd moved back to San Diego so I could take a sales management position with a radio station there.  But my heart was already moving away from the corporate climb towards my children and a different life that we would eventually escape to, one that left behind the stresses of keeping up,  wearing the right labels and so forth.  Speaking of labels, I often thought we should have entered this photo in the annual Osh Kosh photo contest.  But we never did.

He was a beauty, wasn't he?   He still is.

13 comments:

Baino said...

Very handsome young man indeed. And perhaps that's why we see so few women in positions of authority, power and as captains of industry. Once our families come along, they become the priority. Shame it's so hard to juggle the two.

CocoDivaDog said...

My goodness what a beautiful child. You are blessed to have children.
Now that he is all grown, what is he doing?
And I wonder what he was thinking when you snapped that picture...

California Girl said...

Baino: thank you. he's the love of my life; my first born. I don't write about him as often as #2 because I don't have as many photos because he's been gone 3 yrs and my husband only captures him on vacations. But I think of him daily and wonder at his life unfolding before him. He seems very happy right now and his life is quite simple. I hope it remains so.

California Girl said...

Auntie: Thank you! He's living in Utah, attending the University. He snowboards, rock climbs, kayaks, fishes, skateboards and works in a restaurant. He really loves his life and I can see why.

Brian Miller said...

very cute pic. it certainly elicits autumn. vibrant colors as well. think you might have done well in that photo contest. quite honestly i cant imagine kids turning out better without parents that make them a priority.

Anonymous said...

This would've been a prize winning photo! Indeed :)

Marguerite said...

Oh he is adorable! And what a cute picture, like the recent one of him that you posted on your vacation. Still cute and now ripped, too. ha! Sounds like he's doing great! I don't think I would like living that far away from mine, either. They both live in town, here, so guess I'm lucky. Cheers, cher!

Mike said...

I love how you just adore your children! It reminds me of my Mother! :)

Susan said...

You would have won hands-down! What a lovely poignant photo. He had the same haircut as my boys did when they were that age.

California Girl said...

Brian: you always say the right thing, I swear. I read your comments on other people's posts and they are super thoughtful as are you. Thanks.

Subby: Thank you. This particular photo makes me very misty. Such a brief moment in time.

Marguerite: Thank you. He was a very round baby and child, very solid. He's still solid but there is not an ounce of fat on him. He's all muscle but extremely lean. I think he eats right and never stops moving.

Otin: I do adore my children even when they drive me crazy which is often!

Susan: My father used to cut his hair but we would never let him cut it short to his neverending dismay (my father's, not my sons')

Tanna said...

Two is such a precious age. Fiesty, working for independence, and full of life! Your sons are blessed to be so loved. =) I think you should STILL enter it in the osh gosh constest!

Minka said...

He really is aorable. Not just beautiful, also thoughtful and serious. I wonder what was going on in his head at that moment, dont you? Cute!

California Girl said...

Tanna; thank you. I don't know if they have the contest any longer.

Minka: oh thank you too. he was and still is a thoughtful guy. he's full of fun tho' he can be serious. my baby!!!