Video: MTNS and OCNS

It has been a bit of a week. On top of it being a bit of a summer. On top of a year. I know we are all feeling this in some way in our own lives. So last week when I followed Dan out to Oregon, I told him I simply had to visit the Oregon coast or there would be certain mutiny on his hands. (He was out there covering the Olympic track and field trials for the Denver Post; I was there because, at that point, he had been gone for three of the past four weeks and I was tired of being in separate time zones.)

I needed to see the coast, the ocean. For me, as for many, I find a tremendous calming effect while in the presence of the turning waves. The sound of water in motion. An immutable force that cannot be altered by the stresses in my personal life.

I was in double luck for this trip however, because the day before our afternoon excursion to the sea, we went on a beautiful hike in the Oregon mountains.

So as I shot little clips for this film, it occurred to me that I should structure it a little different than previous travel videos. Instead of including bits from the entire five days of my trip, I just isolated these two beautiful, nature-filled moments to share with you. A little zen video, if you will, that I hope can perhaps bring you some calm and serenity during those days when life feels just a bit too overwhelming.

(And stick around after the video for a few more photos from the trip.)

MTNS & OCNS from anya semenoff on Vimeo.

I adored this lighthouse. The Heceta Head Lighthouse opened in the 1890s and still operates today. According to the signage, it is the brightest light on the Oregon coast. The old lightkeeper’s house (not in fact called a light house keeper, we discovered) is now a bed and breakfast. I desperately want to return and stay in that lodging and truly pretend to be a lightkeeper from days of old.

Here’s a fun fact about the trip. The entire 12 days that Dan was covering the Olympic trials, he stayed in the University of Oregon dorms. He got to relive his freshman year of college with meals at the dining hall and communal showers/bathrooms. Big fun, yeah?