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“He stalks the aurora. Like actually. He’s not just obsessed, he stalks it…” That’s how Jen cut off my words while talking to the waitress at Boston Pizza once we’d got into town. I guess checking the aurora activity several times every single day for months sort of… quantifies that doesn’t it.
So when Jen called me on her break as usual late Monday evening, and the first thing I said (yelled) when I picked up the phone to her was “WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF YOU DROPPING EVERYTHING AND FLYING UP TO FORT NELSON WITH ME TOMORROW FOR A NIGHT?!”, she should’ve known exactly what was up. …I was stalking the aurora, and watching a geomagnetic field storm from my computer monitor which was not acceptable. I was going North to see the lights, and she was coming with me.
Something to the tune of not being packed, missing work, missing class, not having a flight, not having accommodation, and not sure how this was going to come together gave us a sort of exhilaration we couldn’t quite put to words. We knew what it was all about though, we knew even before we left we love to travel together and love to be spontaneous together. We love just being. It doesn’t matter if we’re sitting in Waves Coffee – her working away on school papers, me on the editing of something, or if we’re hundreds of kilometres away standing alone at the edge of a forest in the middle of the Canadian North under those majestic northern lights. And, to see her face absolutely light up when I pointed North at a very faint green band over the city lights as we were walking down the Alaska highway… it gave me the utmost joy & appreciation for another little moment win. So we ran down the highway, up a muddy hill to the edge of the forest and spent the next four hours just being.
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Do come back and join us for the second half of our evening in a few days! We’d love to have you along. More coming!
24 comments
Jennifer Brotchie - Yeah, Sean… still pretty Amazeballs! haha!
Tom McKibbon - Seriously. Your web-site is chalkers with incredible pics. E and I are in awe. Inspiring. Thank you for the most beautiful portrait(s) of B.
Tom McKibbon - Dearest Sean. In return for portraying our Ben, I will accompany you on a Northern Lights excursion and you will let me use your camera. (Why is Ellen laughing at me?). No. Seriously. Let’s rent a plane, I’ll fly, you can pay for the fuel and oil and landing fees and parking. And you’ll teach me how to take pictures. Seriously. And now Ellen is cursing because she knows that I want a new camera. Well, too bad for Ellen, you can’t be around all the time to take amazing pictures of Ben. Somebody has to do it. Even though I don’t know how. I love the word “Amazeballs”!!! Remember us when you’re quietly large and famous. Not large in the rotund sense, which I’m. But large in the sense that Canon will sense the enormity of your potential and happily supply you with 20,000 dollar lenses and multiple bodies (so I can have the camera that you now use). Thanks in advance Sean. Thanks. Many thumbs up Sean. Even if I can’t hit the center line twice in ten tries.
Rose - Hehhe, look at you two! :D You are so happy, all giggles and smiles! I love you people! :D
Beautiful phenomenon. Totally in love with it. Maybe someday I can see that with my own eyes. looks stunning. And I have your photos to blame!
Serena Gene - AMAZING!!!! Really I am speechless. So, so awesome!
christina g - how totally fun!!! that is the absolute best! these pictures are so beautiful and could seriously be in a mag! love it!
Alexandra - Wow! This post and the next post are incredible. The photos are WOW. Talk about spontaneity. I’m officially jealous of all your adventures and aurora stalking ;). I just realised the reason I’m not getting notified to your blogs is because I’m still subscribed to the old address. But I changed it now, so expect more comments haha.
Christine - Oh Sean, Sean, Sean. You two look so cute together!! Beautiful photos. I think it would be so cool to see all of the different colors the Aurora can make. I’ve been told they can be red? THAT would be crazy!!!
melissa oholendt - Gorgeous. Crazy cool too. (Ps – I will live a spontaneous life vicariously through YOU.) :)
Adrienne Gunde - Such a fun & exciting post!! Love your write-up and of course the awesome photos!
Jennifer Brotchie - Oh My Word!! Amazeballs! When I can plan some quality time up in Canada and the Aurora is in your radar, will you take me and my husband with? I think it would be amazing to see live and in the flesh! Simply Amazeballs.
Nicole Haley - Love this and I’m so glad you made it! Looks like an absolute blast and I can totally relate to the exhilaration of not having a thing in order but just making it all come together! Thanks for sharing, Sean. :D
Brianna Phelan - I most definitely need to add this to my list of things to see in life. I did as a young teenager, but know I’d appreciate it so much more now. Beautiful images, Sean.
ashley folkema - 1. These images are simply breathless. 2. Your spontaneity is awesome. 3. Cannot wait to see more.
Deyla Huss Photography - You are so awesome! and how lucky you are to be able to go on these spur of the moment adventures! Love these images Sean!!
joar andré - Thanks for sharing these great pictures! There is something magical about staring up at the sky, watching the northern lights do their dance above you.
Sunny - Wow. Just WOW. That is something that I would love to see, and you captured it amazingly. I love how the tree tops appear lit up against the night sky. So very cool.
Lala - Man! How I adore these! I reallyreallyreally LOVE these! =)
Cindy - your spontaneity rocks my world! HOLY SCHMOLEY! LOooooooove them all. (O:
ericha - You guys are seriously cute together! haha! The Aurora just amazes me. It’s so neat that you can be in your own country or go across the world and also see it. I have toooooooooo many favorites in this post, Sean. #’s 6, 8, 13, 15
Jen - bagel explosion!!! (I can not believe you actually posted that…but not really haha) chocolate explosion! and of course…AURORA explosion!!!!!!
love the last paragraph you wrote. you have a way with words…we are very good at just being.
muah!
Marissa Rodriguez - I squeal with excitement every time you post things like this on your blog! OMG! These are OUT OF THIS WORLD AMAZING! I love them! It’s so awesome of you guys to do this and just BE. So jealous, but so inspired at the same time to experience this one day!
s h e r r y - :D:D:D THESE ARE SO AMAZING. SERIOUSLY. Ugh. Haha. I’m a little jealous! :)
ON THE OTHER HAND. Since you moved your blog, I think I’m unsubscribed. THAT’S why I haven’t seen any of your latest entries.
PS. Your website looks pretty AWEESOME! :) :)
Nicole Glenn - I adore you two. Seriously. So glad you were able to share this experience…and of course, your images are spectacular! xoxo