Ann Arbor

We couldn’t have timed our visit to Ann Arbor better since spring had just sprung and the brilliant signs of it were everywhere. We’ve been following the emergence of spring around the country, hitting peak blooms as we travel to progressively colder climates. The amazing thing about arriving somewhere right as spring hits is that everyone greets you with a sense of euphoria for having survived another winter and feeling revitalized by the sheer beauty of spring.

We stayed with my uncle, Rick, who is one of my earliest mentors. He bought me my first serious camera and has endlessly encouraged and inspired my love of photography and filmmaking. He is amazing at drawing out the talent and creativity of young people through the incredible interest he shows in them. Georgia has always been especially fond of Rick. When she was a baby she would wrap her arms tightly around his neck and not let go.These days, Rick and Georgia share stories of their mutual love of New York City. Interestingly, they both feel an intense connection to New York. Rick said he felt like New York was “home” the moment he arrived and Georgia said, “I’ve been here before, but not with you guys” moments after we emerged from the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan. It’s so amazing to see our kids forming even stronger relationships through their experiences on this sabbatical.

Rick’s house is full of curiosities. Eliza was fascinated by all the intruiging things on display, especially a giant brass aperture thats exact use is unknown. The fact that Eliza was drawn to this particular item, which widens and narrows the opening to control the amount of light allowed to pass through, is symbolic of what this experience has done for us. The more we travel the wider our lens (aperture) opens. Things we might have missed before because we had no personal connection to it, suddenly capture our attention and form new questions.

When Eliza saw the cover of this New York Book review on Rick’s coffee table, she stared at it for a long time and finally said, “Jeez. That’s harsh” and began reading the article. I have no doubt that if Eliza hadn’t just visited the Statue of Liberty, she never would have given that image a second glance and she certainly wouldn’t have read the article for more understanding of what showed the destruction of a monument she now has a personal connection to.

And Georgia, when given a placemat of a deep dish slice of pizza being served, could only see Niagara Falls. The accuracy with which she recreated this scene was mind blowing.

On one of our many outdoor adventures in Ann Arbor, Rick’s friend Susan invited us on a stroll to a park near her house. Eliza was thrilling us all with her acrobatics when she discovered the incredible shadow that we couldn’t fully appreciate from our seats on the bench. “Mama come over here! You have to take a picture of my shadow!!!” It was, indeed, incredible.