I took a photography job in Vancouver. I asked my Mama to come with, so I could also bring Aerie. The last time Aerie and I had been to Vancouver together was in 2012, when I graduated from my MFA at UBC. Now, she could at least remember somethings on this trip. Mama agreed, and we took off of the 8th, and made it back to good old Saskatchewan on the 17th. We managed to do around 3600 KM’s, round trip. We went all the way up to Campbell River on the Island.
These are a bunch of my favourite images from the trip.
We got stopped for a “routine Avalanche Control” operation outside of Field, SK/Golden, BC. Bombs and helicopters going off. It was a bit surreal, but everyone around us acted like it was no big deal. Like the snow couldn’t just magically come crashing down and crush us.
This is why the Dene live on flat land.
In Kamloops, BC we ate at this Indigenous owned restaurant called The Painted Pony. It was delicious. Massive serving portions, and the Indian Taco with Bison was spot on.
Vancouver was non-stop. In between tech rehearsals and trying to see some familiar sites and faces, we kept busy. I did manage to take Mama and Aerie for a quick jaunt around Stanley Park – the sun came out, which was amazing – and I made Aerie model a little for me in the forest. She was thrilled with her new purple dress, and not so thrilled about having to stand in the damp woods. But as we continue on and I make her pose, she just gets better at it. There is lifestyle images, which she makes magic, and there is posed portraits, which she is cultivating. I love this child.
the day after Indspire, I headed to photograph my friends, Michelle and Matt, and their family. It was misty and grey – in short, it was beautiful. The area they live in is stunning, and it makes me dream that I could one day call the West Coast home.
Then I remember just how many people live in that area, and I shaky head again. Nope.
Campbell River was beautiful. My great Aunt and Uncle live there, and we came in for a visit. Mom had never been to the Island, so we made it happen. Auntie served us tea in delicate teacups, laid down a tablecloth for us to eat on, and gave my fancy crystal to eat dessert in. My Auntie is a Lady. She makes me want to do better. Wear my pearls as I shoot a session, maybe.
I had one last session with a friend when we got back to the Island, and as we waited around at Third Beach at Stanley Park, I snapped some photos. I am practicing with Freelensing, and it makes my heart happy.
Finally, we headed home, taking our time in rainy weather then in slushy weather. There was this one lake that I always want to stop at – it is shallow and long, giving the illusion of depth and glass like features when the wind is calm. I had never stopped here in the Winter before, but with Mom collecting driftwood and Aerie eager to run, why not.
So now, we are home in our familiar beds. We are reading the same old stories at bedtime. We have washed the clothes and filled the fridge with familiar foods again. As much as I love shopping Aerie this land, I also love being at home with her. It’s part of why I never made Vancouver my forever home, I think.
At the end of the day, my family is here, in the North of Saskatchewan, and my stories and my ancestors share this space. Land has become something that I constantly think upon, trying to find how Aerie will relate to the North and to her identity as a Dene/Metis woman, when I live in the city now. I know there are many options, that culture isn’t tied strictly to the reserves, but when it’s how I grew up, it’s also what I want to show her. There are no easy answers here, but with each journey I bring her on, we create connections and cultivate our own stories, and it’s a start.