The chance to spend time on Mt. Rainier was the fulfillment of a dream that, like Hawaii, left me wanting more.

As layer after layer of this enormous mountain unfolded, the adrenalin surged inside and my eyes shone like bright copper pennies. To actually be inside of this snow capped peak that confronted me at the most unexpected turns during my travels around Western Washington was like moving around inside of the most sacred of sanctuaries.

Small mountain towns sprawled along the base of the mountain where dogwood trees bloomed their pink and white flowers, streams spilt the melted snow, Eagles and Osprey circled above and smoke escaped from chimneys. Quaint inns, chainsaw carvings, horses, llamas and cows, surrounded by green grass and wildflowers, dotted the landscape. My head moved side to side as I tried to take it all in, noting the way the sunlight streamed through the trees and lit the homes and meadows. I yearned to stop and take photos but was late and had to just plant the visions in my memory.

I didn't realize how close to the top of this great mountain I would go. What a surprise! A large, and recently renovated lodge, wonderful people, great views and unlimited excitement. The restaurant's menu featuring well-prepared dishes of elk, buffalo meatloaf, scallops, chicken, salmon and more was unexpected, as was the snow that fell after 70 and 80 degree temperatures the week before.

I kept waiting for that moment when the clouds passed and the sun came out on the fresh new snow and it happened on my last morning. I stood out behind the lodge before 5 a.m. eagerly waiting for the sun to rise and when it did my smile was brighter than its rays. I whispered "thank you" over and over again. Only the day before I'd been snowshoeing in a blizzard, unable to see much around me. Not that it mattered - the blizzard - because just getting out on that mountain was something that I didn't want to miss.

There was nothing I wouldn't have done to take this trip and most certainly will never regret it. Sadly, though, I believe it is the end of my photography days. In a way I was overly enthusiastic to get the right shots - but then that was what I was there for - and that made me nervous. Words and stories traversed through my head. In order to be well enough to take the trip, I'd put myself on antibiotics before leaving but quit taking them when I started feeling better. On that last day I felt sick again and all that I could think about, with the words that were traveling through my mind, was what if something happened before they were written? This scared me. Photography has been a way to run-a-way from the sentences that crowd my head and it has consumed me. I've focused on getting my photos out there and making some money from all of the hard work but that doesn't seem to work out just right. Maybe I won't make money at writing either but it won't cost me anything to do it.

So, yes, it is going to come to an end - at least for a while. There is some work that needs to be finished and after that there are still many photos that I've never done anything with, so you will see more. But until the time comes when people like my photography and are willing to pay for my efforts, I'm done.