History Lesson (Post #2)

The words escape me sometimes. I hear such interesting monologues in my mind at every turn, yet when thought goes to type it seems to adjust itself as red on red magnets. I suppose thats what makes a writer, everybody can think (one assumes, though we all know the tale of assumption), its the writing part that brings on the talent. But me, I'm lucky I suppose. I'm not here to write for the top shelf at the airport bookstore, I'm not here to feed any sort of hunger for long nights at the keys and wasted days sleeping up the next chapters of my story, I'm here to tell, talk, and enjoy my family, far as they (you) are.

My story is nothing more or less, it is not labeled, it is. I figure that's good enough for me and I know it will be good enough for you. We certainly have the corners covered it seems. Florida, NYC, Washington, Arizona, and somewhats in between. I suppose a nation wide journey of photography and adventure should be easy enough to plan out!

The spring is coming, in Boone it seems to have rushed in with one of our famous winds, spreading its weather into the 50's in nearly no time at all. We're ready for it, surely so, and I can say that the seasons' change has a stabilizing quality about it.

We have, my friends in climbing, begun our night excursions into the surrounding rock gardens. Night bouldering is exciting and most absolutely fun.

Surrounded by friends, the warm glow of gas camp lamps, and the inky blanket of night that seems to wrap around the rocks and protect our ragged band from the distractions of the world, eyes become wide with adventure, spirits high with our numbers. It's truly a special thing, night bouldering, and the accelerated season has really put us all in the mood.

Photography has really started to move into a different realm for me. I know I am getting more experienced, though I imagine with time that is only unavoidable, but more than that I am seeing exciting new things come from my camera, and my mind as I focus, that are really pushing me to explore, learn, and dive in to more and more in this realm. Some new equipment has allowed me to try out some new styles involving off camera lighting. Super neat stuff. It's most definitely the kind of stuff that makes for great portraits and can absolutely make bouldering shots look very nice.

My main goal right now is to organize my photography collection, get all of those photos in well labeled folders (something I'm supposed to be doing right now), get in contact with photographers in a variety of fields (adventure, portrait, professional, whatever) and get my name and networking out there, learn a thing or two, and figure out a way to get people supporting my habit. At least its a good habit.

While I continue my updates on where I am, where I have been for the past number of years, and where I'm going... I want you to help fill in the beginnings and the leadings up to. As my family you have seen me grow up from tot to teen to today and perhaps we can  share stories of eachother here on this blog when the conversations spark that way. I would love to hear things about my childhood that I have surely forgotten, and throughout I will be intertwining stories of you all from my memories. We'll bounce back and forth, filling in as we go.

 The tales need not be long, just snippets of here and there.

As you add in the past, I will intertwine the present of my self goings on here in Boone. Hopefully here and there I will see you do the same with what's going on in yours.

Prologue (Post #1)

In an effort to connect with his family at large, Christopher Pratt, in the year of our lord 2011, began the first web log he was able to keep up with. A compilation of pictures, stories, music, links, existential smatterings, thoughts, ideas, videos, and tales from, for, & of beyond, Pratt(as he is known by many and few) began to detail his daily life, to dictate unto.... certainly not paper... unto 1's and 0's the flesh, bone, and otherwise parts that made up his life.

The web log was a way for him not only to share his life with his family so spread across the highways, freeways, tollways, trainways, airways, and anyways of America, but unlike email the web log was a way for him to share conversations with the whole family, thus connecting them to them to him to them in turn.

The digital age speaks wonders to the fable of distance; the information age is profoundly smaller than the world of yester..... something, and to Him, to Christopher Pratt, it was time to span the rank and file of mile after mile and bring himself closer to those doors he could not rap upon.

This is his him, this is his tale. Epic? No. Perfect? Yes. One foot beyond the other taken by one of the anonymous many who have snatched a spark of life no more or less than could or couldn't be.