The Joy Trip Project

Yellowstone National Park~ As a nature photographer, photographing wildlife is common. It was an encounter with a family of otters that made this trip memorable. We saw these otters working their way down a creek and we anticipated where they were going and set up. Luck was on our side as the whole family came so close that I was unable to photograph them. As a photographer, sometimes just being there is enough, as I will always remember watching their interaction with each other without pressing the shutter release...

“You can gain more friends by being yourself than you can by putting up a front. You can gain more friends by building people up than you can by tearing them down. And you can gain more friends by taking a few minutes from each day to do something kind for someone, whether it be a friend or a complete stranger. What a difference one person can make!” Sasha Azevedo ~ American Actress, Athlete and Model (1978- ) Photograph by Christopher J. Carter...

"Here is a classic example of observing wildlife and learning their behaviors. In Yellowstone I would often see coyotes hunting voles in the fields. Each one would have a different stalk, approach and leaping technique. After watching, I could learn their behavior and anticipate when they would get ready to pounce. It was amazing the success rate they had." This photograph and advice from Chris Gibbs ...

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.” August Wilson ~  American playwright. His literary legacy is the ten play series, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Each is set in a different decade, depicting the comic and tragic aspects of the African-American experience in the twentieth century. (1945 – October 2,...