Last week, Christine wrote a lovely post about that unspecified feeling of doom that strikes us all and how she combats it. We all get that way sometimes, don't we? Dark cloud ascendant or even just feeling vaguely restless, and we all have different ways to combat it. List making, cleaning, taking a walk. All three? At once?

As you know, things have been particularly skeevy and restless for us these past couple of months, and I'm often finding myself facing a too long to-do list and that sense that I'll go mad if I sit in my seat for just one second longer. Usually, when I'm feeling scattered and restless like that, I'll grab my camera to help me get centered.

Lately, though, I've been grabbing my phone.

I joined Instagram maybe three years ago (the passage of time eludes me occasionally!), and my love affair with this photography platform may have changed, but it's only deepened over time. My feed is filled with very different kinds of images, you know. Friends who give me glimpses of their lives and their kids. Places around the world I've been to and dearly love. Amazing photographers whose work inspires me and who I'd never have discovered if it weren't for this square space I visit every day.

It's an exciting, creative community, this space. Last fall, I joined the #foliophoto project, created by the amazing bloggers at Bedside Design and RainCoast Creative Salon, and had great fun pushing myself with their inspiring prompts. This month, they're doing an alphabet #foliophoto, so if you're on Instagram and have a mind to join in, I think they're on 'B' today (the 14th). Simply take a photo inspired by the letter B with the foliophoto hash tag and prepare to be amazed with the creative things that people come up with.

Honestly? I love the prompts. I have photography friends who feel constrained by them, but that constraint is part of the charm of Instagram for me. When I would feel particularly scattered this winter with all we had to do to get Cal ready, and all of the emotions I was feeling about the journey we were embarking on, I'd think, "I need to settle. I need to settle." And then I'd wonder, "hey, what's the prompt for the day? and I'd grab my phone and focus on something outside of my current situation. It totally helped.

Some folks are doing their 365 projects through Instagram (check out my_365 or 365_today if you're interested in jumping in), and I'm involved in a project with two other local photographers called #tinylittleconversation. With this project, we've developed a round robin of sorts, with each of us taking a photo prompted by the one before. If you want to follow the other two photographers in the #tinylittleconversation, check out the feeds of @bodaciousbread and @mawlovesbsd. We feel pretty proud of what the three of us are putting together over there.

I will never leave behind Big Daddy. My camera is practically fused to my hand and will always be my first love. But I can't deny the charm and ease of the camera phone, and I love the community that's developed there. I love the challenge of learning to edit with this tiny box and pushing it to and beyond the boundaries that I already know. My friend Jackie, @bodaciousbread, calls it "her tribe." And I totally get what she's saying here. Instagram, you're my tribe too.

If you're local and interested in learning how to get more out of your camera phone, I'll be co-teaching a four week "Ditch Your Gear" iPhoneography class at MOCA this winter. You can get more details here.

There is, I think, something really special about going back to a place that you love. Even better when you're heading there to recreate traditions with dear friends. And you know what's funny? I was on the phone with my friend Megan yesterday and we were already talking about next year! But let's talk about this year before it gets to be next year, shall we? It's taken me forever.

I don't know if you remember, but there was a bit of a storm barreling down on the East Coast on Thanksgiving Week this year. Horror stories of travel snarls had us a bit worried, even though we were traveling a day earlier than we did last year. Our main concern was beating the storm to the ferry, because once the winds get up the ferries don't run.

When we got up, (early, early,) that Tuesday morning in Mystic, the wind was blowing, and the whole of the 100 mile drive to Hyannis, we felt that wind at our backs pushing us toward the island. But we made it. The crowd in line wasn't nearly as full as last year, nor as jolly and there was much talk of being stranded on or off island. I didn't really feel good until the boat pulled out of the harbor. By that evening, the winds picked up and all the boats were canceled.

That night, lying in bed (Cal was in a single bed bunk above the double Neel and I shared below), the wind shook the house so hard that we all woke up, Cal startling, "Oh my God!" The whole of the rest of the day was like that.

It felt, Neel and I thought, rather hurricane-y. Bands of rain and wind, rather than a steady blow. While my friend Megan taught a yoga class, he and I took refuge in a coffee shop to read and watch the town come to life. That afternoon, we took the two youngest kids to several beaches (Sankaty Head Light first and then Cisco Beach, where I filmed the wind video from a few posts back.) to watch the wind and the waves. It was thrilling and exhilarating and some of the best fun I've ever had.

By Thanksgiving morning, all was calm and bright for the Cold Turkey Plunge, a tradition Neel and I are proud to watch from the sidelines. (wink) Everyone else (brave or foolhardy?) plunged though. Negative 22º wind chill with 44º water temps. You be the judge.

After the big blow on Wednesday we were graced with clear skies and crisp air straight through the remainder of the week. Long walks, windy strolls through quaint shops, and lunches bellied up to the bar. We did it all. How we crammed everything in, I'll never know. There's never enough time. And I still haven't quite got a handle on how to photograph this place. While my family is used to my lagging behind, I'm keenly aware of others needing me to catch up so I tend not to linger. I think I need to go back with photography my sole concern. Yes? Yes!

Still, before we knew it, we were back on the ferry, sitting high atop the bluest water you've ever seen, our pennies ready to throw at the Brant Point Light to ensure our return. Headed home.

I have more to say about Nantucket and this trip, and I'll probably bore you with a couple more posts on it. But what I was struck with most this time is how special it really is to come back to a place you love. These friends that we spend this holiday with are some of our dearest in the world, and we took that newly-coined hash tag #friendsgiving and ran with it, I'm afraid. I could spend a weekend (or week!) with them anywhere and it would be wonderful, but I love Nantucket, and to have to have it grow familiar alongside my loved ones is something special indeed.

insta-love, let me count the ways {life}

welcome back, nantucket {life}