The Smith Family

Winters in the Volcano area of the Big Island are chilly, but still mild compared to the mainland.

Or so I try to tell myself, so I feel better. After the 30th consecutive night of ± 15° C temperatures, ice cold rain and the occasional fog bank, you begin to question if you really do live on a tropical island.

And of course, the answer is no. The Big Island is a lot more than that. It’s a world unto itself, with more variety than your grandma’s old spice rack. A fitting place for the Smith family’s reunion.

Living in or hailing from Burma, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, the UK, and the US, it was an amazing experience to be there with them. Not just photographically. But simply to be there, to see a great family together again. To hear them talk to one another. In spanish. Very expressively. To witness the zest for life they have was truly inspiring.

Great times!

One thing that this session did for me, and continues to do, is to remind me that the Big Island, as rich and “varietous” as it is, is simply a rock out in the middle of the world. A microcosm. I caught a good glimpse of this during my travel to the Philippines last year, and spending time with the Smith family made me hungry — desperately hungry — to experience things beyond here.

Will be a good thing to blog about. 🙂

– Jim