I hadn’t been back in three years.
Consistently calling my name, always tugging on my heartstrings. Time was the one thing keeping me put, never quite allowing a reunion when I wanted.
Until time changed its mind this month.
Think of a place that pulls you in. Grabs you.
It pours its beauty and secrets into a mold surrounding your heart and leaves a bit of magic, forever lingering in your essence. Certain places have this hold, casting a sweet spell over their possessor.
For me, that place is west of the great plains, blanketed in the Rockies. It’s somewhere that I’ll never quite be able to fully digest why I love it so, I just know that I like to be there. No matter what season, no matter what part… it’s my favorite.
Colorado is the only other place I’ve lived outside of Florida that hasn’t been for school or work. After many visits, I finally made it my home for three months one summer. So much love, so much adventure… it was a summer I’ll never forget. I was living with my favorite person in my favorite place, running around Boulder with all the time in the world to explore. It was a time when I had zero stresses, and I oftentimes look back on those months when things get too hectic in the present moment. It settles me.
It was a short stay, but one that remains so, so special to me. It wouldn’t have mattered how long or how quickly my time there lasted for me to realize the connection I have with Colorado.
The anticipation that was building up inside of me as we drove through Kansas two weeks ago was hard to put to rest. Ten hours of nothingness was actually beautiful, because each hour passed meant one closer to the border of nostalgic memories, deep love, and comfort.
As the mid-point on our coast to coast journey, we had two days to catch back up with Boulder. We hiked, we explored… we remembered. We spent the days as if we still lived there… starting the mornings at a favorite breakfast spot, hiking up the flat irons to get a dose of fresh air, then spending the nights underground at the dimly lit pubs drinking warm spirits.
A part of me will always remain there. I forgot how hard it is to leave.
Wearing: Ventura Pant, Fade Out Pant, Capsule Slouchy Beanie, Brooks Ankle Boot
+ What places have their hold on you? Where is it that you always feel at home?
Check out more notes from the road!
Gorgeous visuals and feeling of home! You are beautiful and it’s so special you were able to capture these feelings and photos this way.
Warm Regards,
Alexandra
http://www.littlewildheart.com
Beautiful visuals! Do you feel more at home in Colorado than where you currently live?
I love this! I used to live in Utah, and leaving after an amazing visit is always the hardest. Something about the atmosphere and the beauty out west will always have my heart. Nothing else compares.
This article is so inspiring and the images are so beautiful. I felt it in my heart
Cheers,
Bethnay
<3
I love this, for me it’s the Caribbean. That sea air is heavenly.
xo
Michaela
http://michaelajeanblog.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MichaelaJeanArt
Your mixed-media photographs in this are INCREDIBLY inspiring. You perfectly encapsulated the feeling of finding “your place” in this wide, wide world!
Such a beautiful article! Really well captured!
http://thelifeofastudenttraveller.blogspot.co.uk/
I just had to share your story of the feeling of going home because I share those feelings my place is Pennsylvania! Thank you for writing your feeling down and for sharing them.
such a gorgeous post! the places that linger in my heart are hikes that I’ve taken…Rattlesnake Canyon after a weeks worth of rain with waterfalls cascading down from the rocky cliffs… a hike at dusk on the Channel Islands heading into the golden glow of the setting sun all alone except for a fox that hopped across my path…. nature fills me with an enormous peace that I rarely find anywhere else…..
The Weaver Of Words…..give me 15 words and I’ll tell you a tale
http://www.averyfairytale.wordpress.com
so beautifully written as all your posts are! i have been to colorado once and i immediately felt like i was in the right place. that environment has something entirely different to offer if you allow yourself to open up to it! have you shared a post on how you create your photos? they are incredible and so unique!
love this Jana!
You eloquently explained exactly what makes wherever you call home, home. (The answer? It’s personal–it’s almost impossible to explain to someone but you know they have one too)
xx
Colorado seems like a really healthy place, both in terms of lifestyle and just mentally. I imagine people who live there are really active and happy and not overly neurotic. But maybe I’m just projecting.
I think the place that lingers for me is Ithaca, NY, where I spent my college years. I mean it was crazy stressful 90% of the time but there were days that were gorgeous and idyllic and surreal, and it would be nice to go back and and look at things through a different lens, and without all the stress of being a student.
It’s funny that you have a photo from Dot’s Diner, I discovered their famous buttermilk biscuit recipe in a back issue of Bon Appetit like 10 years ago (probably more than that actually… eehhhh) and it’s still my go-to biscuit recipe today!
http://kemptish.blogspot.com
Wonderful! The pictures are awesome.
I feel at home on every skislope in the Dolomits. The fresh air, the snow and the landscape make me feel like I’m the only person in this world.
x Kate
http://www.the-little-day-dreamer.blogspot.com
I love the Rockies, almost as much as I love the Sierras. What a perfect way to describe that place, the place that always calls to you. I love this. It looks like you guys had a wonderful trip.
I’m sure you hate answering the same question all the time considering it’s your art and your style…but dude, what do you do to all of your photos to make them look so utterly dreamy? Especially the first couple and your insta. Desaturate the yellow hues? They’re just so fresh and bright! Please, if you don’t mind sharing your process I would really love to learn. Thanks, jana
Boulder is SUCH an amazing place. I moved there when I was 18 and just left (last week!) after 6 years of calling it home. There is something incredible about Colorado, particularly Boulder and the rockies.
It will forever be my home and I can’t wait to get back there. Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures and words! It truly moved me and made me miss it sooo much.
-Dre
Redwinelipstick.wordpress.com