hello from las palmas de gran canaria

I won't be accessing my blog much for the next month. I will be traveling and working in Morocco. 

So I'm saying goodbye. 

If you wish to reach me please e-mail me at johnhenryphoto@gmail.com

Until then,

much love. 

things i am learning

learning spanish is not easy

but when you find yourself talking to a beautiful spanish girl

it's much more easy

traveling can be scary

listen to your body

just relax

i like hitchhiking more than hiking

i prefer villages to camping

i'm ready to live in a city

i spend too much time in front of the computer

being a photographer is unfortunately not all about making pictures

i like the beach more than i thought

i can sit on the beach fully clothed and be perfectly content 

horses are beautiful

knowing a horse is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life

i love cats

i'm still allergic to them

i am more open than i used to be

i am not open as i want to be

i need to smile more

and now i actually remind myself of this

the days preceding a large travel, i still get nervous

and i feel stupid for saying that

it's okay to be dirty

you don't have to wash your hair for six weeks if you don't want

but it's important to be in the sun 

you can cut your own hair

it's super fun

i don't know what it feels like to photograph in black and white

carrying a computer around the world is stupid

i would trade it for a leica in a heartbeat

be brave

for you have done the right thing

the best is yet to come

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like pigeons scattering into the big blue

the residents of finca de jelica are flung back into the world

everyone following the crazy May winds

they blow our hair and ruffle our jackets

pushing us out the door 

and into the dusty streets

new paths

and new choices

be open and accept

what comes your way

thank you to everyone who has touched my life in these past two months

on this island or not

your love has been felt

and i will carry it with me

new shoes

my horse, giolla, getting new shoes Thursday

the smell, like perfume, bordering toxic. 

i say "my" horse with a sense of gratitude and pride. for the past month we have gone from strangers to friends. she is stubborn. an outcast among the other horses. but extremely fast. and strong. and, on a good day... a dream to ride. bursting through unbeaten fields and down rocky slopes with ears up and skies blue. 

i will miss her sweat, the way it permeates through my clothes. her calm stature. her broad

 shoulders. 

i will miss this horse more than i believe i know. 

on May 21 I leave La Palma.. I will spend three days in Gran Canaria having arrived by ferry and waiting for my plane. on May 24 I will land in Marrakech, Morocco and begin a month of travel, new experiences and photography. 

the journey will then take me north through the desert and back into Spain. in Barcelona another volunteer experience awaits me. i must first focus on the present. an increasingly crucial part of my life. such a simple task, yet so often overlooked... to soak up the beauty of every passing minute. a blind disregard for the flowing sands of time. 

may they burn my skin and shred my clothes 

Fiesta y Romería, La Palma

An intense morning of hitching through the northwestern part of the island led me to La Valle de las Cruces. Green forests cover the soil, and are tucked in neatly below blanketed clouds. Occasional bursts of sun keeping everything warm, glossy. 

Romería is a party in the form of a pilgrimage, usually ending at a sanctuary. The Romería de Garafía celebrated more traditional La Palma music, culture and food. 

Drinking, food abound, classical guitars buzzing from every crevice. Smells of roasting meat wafting down the dirt road. Children in yellow dresses chase each other under the hot sun, waiting for the caravan to arrive. 

Everyday life here is so inundated with expats, not necessarily tourists, it was pleasant to escape to a more remote part of the island, to a people catering only to themselves and enjoying family and friends. Playing music not to draw a crowd but because they want to dance, smile. 

nature II

nature

scares me

it breathes

and shudders with me

as we watch the lights

closer

closer

closer

what are you doing to save the world?

solamente una pregunta.. 

friends and music

how hearing a certain band can bring you back to a person

the feelings flowing through your body when you were around her

some good

some bad

over the past few months i've been discovering amazing new music 

over the past few months i've been discovering amazing new people

right now it's mûm and i'm sitting in doolin soaking wet

stuck that afternoon in a massive cold shower 

wandering the foothills, lost. looking for a house that looks 

exactly like every other house

i wonder what music will trigger me back to la palma

after i have gone