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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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A photographic exploration of the west brought me to Trinidad, Colorado. My interest in the town is due to the railroad of course—the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway came through here in 1878 on its way toward the namesake pueblo and beyond.

This visually interesting spot, above, is called Simpson’s Rest Overlook. The grave and marker of pioneer George S. Simpson’s are on the top off the bluff adjacent to the TRINIDAD lighted sign.

I awoke before dawn and wanted to get up to the sign that looms over the relatively small town. While shooting, my cap blew off and fell from the precipice. I took this for a sign—that there really is no need for me to stand right at the edge of a cliff, a fall from which would violently kill me.

Richard Koenig; October 29 th 2018.

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There's something in the air around this time of year. People are nicer, the world seems brighter and more cheerful, and yet it still feels dull to me. While I love to decorate my tree with lights and meaningful ornaments, bake Christmas cookies all day, and make special gifts for my friends and family, it still feels like there's something missing. Not someTHING. SomeONE is missing.

Back in 2016 one of my friends hosted a Christmas party. I knew my friend was coming from work so I carpooled with some other friends that were going. I get to the party and there aren't too many people there yet so I pick up a conversation with the host. Time goes by and I still haven't seen my friend and some others are noticing too, it's odd that he's ever THIS late to a gathering. More time goes by and I'm getting nervous, but part of me hopes he's just driving slowly because the roads are icy. Then, the dreadful news. We get an unusual call from his family telling us they have bad news.

No amount of preparation could have helped me cope with the news we received. He had been in a car crash with a semi-truck and did not survive. I could feel the rage and sadness wash over me as I screamed and cried. One of my best friends was never coming home. I was never going to hear his laugh again or see his smiling face.

Since that night I have never seen the world the same. Now, I hold my friends and family tighter and tell them how much they mean to me at any given chance. I kick myself for not telling him that he meant so much. Because if there's anything I've taken away from that experience, it's that tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Hug your loved ones extra tight.

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I do not like autumn. Every year it brings me sadness. But, I am learning to live with it, and embracing the beauty. Despite it bringing me some kind of seasonal depression, it is still a beautiful season and every year I am learning to appreciate it more.

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My house is right by a wooded area and we’ve always seen many wildlife creatures. I’ve always loved spotting these animals ever since I was young and I wanted to capture these animals in their natural habitat. I think it’s important to remember that we share our space with other animals and to respect and appreciate them.

I went walking one afternoon hoping to spot at least one deer and other creatures to photograph. Somehow I went at the perfect time because I saw ten deer and three of them were bucks. This was very exciting because we typically only see does and fawns. I was also surprised because two of the bucks I saw were fairly old and had many points on their antlers. In the end, I was very happy that I was able to see these animals and capture their picture.

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Content warning: This explanation briefly talks about my struggle with mental health and self injury.

AS- Bandaged fingers. Hours spent picking, trimming, filing, cutting at my cuticles and nailbeds. I wrap my fingers not only to hide my raw skin from the world, but to prevent further picking at something that is not even there. On the other hand, these bandages, wrapped fingertips, protect me from feeling the textures of the world because if I touch a texture that I am not prepared to feel then my entire body will cringe and shut down.

SR- I was initially scared to share something so personal with the class, but hopefully my work will promote the idea that you aren't alone. Initially when I took these photos, I took them to document the struggle that I was experiencing. I think I did a good job overall. Please be kind when judging this work. Thank you.

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Working on trail crew in the Lillian Anderson Arboretum this fall, traveling from my house to class, and walking my dog around my neighborhood all brought me many beautiful photo opportunities. Taking pictures of nature is one of my favorite things to do. While I have branched out a little from my eco-focused habits this term, I still find I am the most comfortable taking photos of nature. From broad landscapes to tiny pieces of natural life, I love that I am always subconsciously looking for my next photo when I'm outside. In editing these photos, I chose to add a vingette and slightly darken the photos to represent how this fall has been relatively dark in a few different ways. There were many rainy and cloudy days, and I often found it hard to have a sunny outlook on life.

But, even on those dark, cloudy days, I was able to notice and capture small bits of color and light around me in nature. The vibrant colors of the leaves, small mushrooms in unlikely places, and small, resilient flowers still in bloom even as the first frost quickly approached. So, although it may seem cliché, I will continue to look to nature to show me the bright, beautiful things of life, and I will forever keep recording these instances through and in my camera.

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My uncle is from India, and he and his family hosted a Diwali celebration this year. Diwali is a very important holiday in India, comparable (in importance) to Christmas in the United States. These pictures depict meaningful aspects of the celebration.

For Diwali, Indians typically illuminate their homes with candles and lanterns. Fireworks are also incredibly popular, and fill the sky with an assortment of colors. Above, my aunt and uncle play with sparklers. In the shot, my

uncle is spelling, “Haley,” in the air.

Various foods and sweets are shared during Diwali celebrations. In the picture above, one can see a rice and bean dish, pulao and kale chanay, as well as some Indian fudge, burfi.

When I arrived at dusk, tea light candles lit the sides of the stairs, and strings of lights were woven above the patio. A bonfire offered warmth to the chilly air. Food covered a large table, and my aunts, uncles, grandma, cousins, and immediate family sat on the patio eating and conversing for hours.

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My roommates and I aren’t necessarily the pickiest individuals of all-time, which made our house hunting pretty simple last fall. Our parameters were as follows:

- Somewhat near Kalamazoo College

- Has 4 bedrooms

- Has a kitchen

- Has a bathroom

Pretty simple, right? Our decision was made for us when we visited our first house, which met all of our parameters and it had a wobbly, lopsided bar that read “Go Broncos” across the top. The bar stood in the corner of a dingy, unfinished basement. The lease was signed within the week.

The basement definitely isn’t glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, it’s not even clean 50 per cent of the time. It’s definitely not somewhere that was meant for people to spend hours on end in.

But, the basement of my house is a lot of things. It’s my favorite place on campus. It’s a place where I can forget about what’s going on in my classes, what I’m doing when I graduate or what happened at practice that day.

It’s a grungy, dimly lit bubble – completely isolated from the rest of campus.

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I choose my kitchen for my blog post. The kitchen is a place of connection and creation. I feel like I see my roommates the most in the kitchen. It is where random conversations spark up, where collaboration and creativity takes place, and it simply radiates warmth. I live with four of my friends so there is constantly movement throughout the house and someone is always in the kitchen. Our dining room table is in the kitchen which further brings us together because we often eat together!

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Fall is supposed to be an extremely beautiful, and fulfilling time of year. Fall is filled with amazing colors and scenery that changes every single day. The sadness of leaves dying is overshadowed by the pure beauty that they give off during that process.

Growing up in a rural environment means that I have been lucky enough to enjoy fall to its fullest extent—these colors and views completely uninterrupted and raw.

In this blog I have showed the difference in what I am talking about, and the sad reality of fall in a city. Pictures that could have been beautiful and vibrant overshadowed by the disgusting footprint of man.

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Swimming is a sport that I have partaken in since I was eight years old and this year I am competing in my last competitive season.

It feels surreal to be at the seeming end of this long journey that I thought would never end. The sport has always been an endless cycle of intense and grueling training with only two weeks of real rest time every year. Once you finish your club season, you get two weeks of rest in the summer before it starts back up on your high school team in August. There is not a time when you are not working toward your goals.

Despite its prominent grueling and soul-sucking nature, Swimming also provides an immense sense of pride when you accomplish a goal that you have worked so hard for. Though this sport is not perfect, it has shaped me into the person that I am today. I think all of the disappointments and time spent training two to three times a day, while difficult, amplified the good parts like the accomplishments within the sport and this fostered an environment for self-growth.

I have learned time management skills, how to have a great work ethic, confidence that I can do anything I set my mind to, confidence within my body, sportsmanship, empathy, and how to be resilient from this difficult but wonderful sport. I would not have dreamed of my journey with sports being any other way.

Thank you Swimming.

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Being a senior and graduating in the spring, I am going to miss some things here on this campus. One of those things is the coffee at The Book Club. My go to drink here is the frozen mocha. At the time of taking the pictures, they could not make it which is so sad. I just wanted my drink while doing homework, but oh well. I'll just have to come back another day and get one. At my school next year, I am going to have to find a place where they can make a frozen mocha that can compete with the one at The Book Club.

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Birthdays are usually about the celebration of another year around the sun. For my sister it was much of the same. The family gathered for dinner and cake, but in her case it was doughnuts. Don't ask me why she prefers them because I could not tell you why.

There was a different feel to this birthday. It was a happy night for my family, however, as the night went on the realization started to set in. It really set in for my parents.

This was the last birthday that my parents would celebrate with both kids living at home. My parents kids have grown up and left the nest. With my sisters birthday being so late in the year, and her being a senior this year. My sister will be in a college dorm by the time her next birthday rolls around. It was a good night but a bittersweet one as well.