With or Without People

I'm thinking about photos today. I took two pictures in nearly the same place last Wednesday morning.

Are pictures better with or without people in them? 

They can be beautiful without people. 

They can tell a story with them.

Last week, my daughter and I climbed up from the Granite Trailhead to Bell Canyon Reservoir. It wasn't our first visit to the reservoir, but it was our first time walking round the whole lake. 

On the east side, it was particularly muddy close to the shoreline. There was also a lot of poison ivy. So for more than one reason, it was important to pay attention to where we landed. Somehow, I managed to keep the sides and tops of my shoes mud free. I stretched, leapt, and balanced between rocks, branches, and clumps of weeds. Both of us managed to avoid the poison ivy.

My daughter was following a short distance behind me and accidentally stepped into the bog. Soon after, she gave up trying to keep clean. You can see in the picture she sank into mud up toward her right knee.

You may also see that she was looking out toward a goose that was rapidly approaching on the lake. This was the only one there. It came right up to us and more or less begged for food. The duck was the only duck there and also begged for food. Both eventually gave up on us feeding them.

The smokey skies have made it difficult to be outside sometimes. I've also been dealing with an ongoing illness. The combination of the two has made for some tough days. I'm so grateful when I'm able to spend time in the mountains. It makes me happy and grateful to relive the good days.

While the picture of trees and reservoir remind me of the beauty we saw, the picture with my daughter reminds me of the whole experience. It's the one I've posted other places. It's probably the one I'll keep.