We Will Always Have the Photographs

For years I was that friend who was always taking the pictures.

In 2001 my friends hated my digital camera. That old Canon took forever to shot a picture and I have more pictures of my friends glaring at me with that old

“Amber, I hate your camera.”

Look in their eyes.

Some people feel like now a days we are living our lives through Facebook just posting pictures to one up each other and not living enough.

That’s not how I see it at all. I see Facebook and Instagram and my blog and Twitter as a virtual scrapbook. I look back at all these memories from I think starting back in 2008 and I so wish Facebook went back farther.

My desktop computer died four years ago and all my older pictures are on that old beast locked away on its hard drive. I know one day I will manage to get them onto my newer and yet still slightly horrible laptop. When I do I’m sure I will make tons of Facebook friends very happy with pictures of the good old days.

Some people may argue that social media; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are killing society. I disagree. Facebook allows me to keep up with friends who live across the country and across the world. It allows me to have a virtual diary of all my favorite pictures.

I used to scrapbook back in the day and all my old albums are in my cabin in the middle of a national forest during fire season. If my cabin were to burn down I would always have these virtual files.

As for my Twitter account, it holds every political rant I’ve made in the last five years.

“Remember that time I said that rude and completely funny thing about Obama? In 2012 and 2013 and 2014…. Well maybe I do that a lot” good old Twitter, a place most of my liberal friends with their wacky idea don’t dwell and there fore I feel way more freedom of speech.

My friends have always given me a hard time over the years because I take so many photos. I just love photo editing; it’s a fun little hobby I have gotten into the last few years.

Sometimes I wonder, am I taking to many pictures and not enjoying the moment?

Than something extremely terrible like this week happens.

This week my favorite area of the forest burnt to the ground.

Everyone may complain that I take to many pictures but I am thanking God that I took all those videos of the mutts chasing easy other through fields of wild flowers.

I’m thinking of Carly bounding through crisp mountain streams trying to catch a duck.

I’m thinking of the pups Detter and Tippy and these previous pictures I got of them running through the horse tails on the Waterline Trail.

I’m so thankful and blessed for these memories and these pictures.

I’m doubtful this wilderness will grow back in my life time. We will always have the photographs.