Photographs Taken in 2008 During My Sugar-Free Year

Totally unrelated to sugar, these pictures represent some of how I spent my time during 2008. Jeff and I had a lot of time on our hands, having sold our house and quit our jobs in the spring. We spent the rest of the year volunteering and traveling, photographing people, animals and places.


I made friends with a peacock at the "World's Largest Petting Zoo" that we visited during a road trip through the state of Oregon.
I knew nothing about the personality of an Emu until I met this one. It was roaming the grassy fields with its flock when it noticed us stopped in our car with the window down, photographing it. I guess we should have asked him/her permission first. It came right up to the window and stuck its head in the car. I was flattered! It was the most personable bird I have ever met, besides my childhood parakeet, Sunshine.
On a separate trip, we took three weeks to drive from Washington D.C. to the West Coast. On our way, we meandered through beautiful, old-fashioned towns like this one in Red Lodge, Montana.

After visiting friends and exploring amazing towns and little friendly, quaint, farmer's markets in Montana, we decided to visit Glacier National Park. The tiny, steep, dangerous "Road to the Sun" that you drive on was like an amusement park ride. It was so scary and narrow it seemed unreal. On our way back down the road from the summit, we were lucky enough to have a herd of mountain goats cross our path. Believe it or not, this little guy was the baby.

This handsome fella lives just up the street from where I currently reside. His buddies didn't make it into the picture, but they, too, are afraid of visiting the barbershop.

I met these kids in Tecate, Mexico during a week-long house-building trip. I was supposed to be helping build a home, but I was truly enamored with the kids. They would wander around the construction site with bright eyes and huge smiles. I started following them around and taking pictures. They loved the attention and I fell in love with them. Every time I told them to "smile" in Spanish, they would get really excited and start screaming. Once I followed them to their "home," a tin shanty with dirt floors and nothing more than a bed, a table and a dresser. It's amazing how little some people have and yet how happy they are.