Sunshiyn — Artwork and blog of Megan Zupan

Yesterday was just one of those days that will be etched in my mind always. I try to find a smile wherever I go, so a lot of times happiness blurs together in my mind and specificities are somewhat dulled...but there are exceptions.

Had every intention of getting home to pot some flowers and paint some terra cotta pots...but the music was too good, and the breeze too sweet to give up. So I said fuck it and kept going. Drove until the beauty of the scenery spoke so loudly I couldn't quiet it anymore. Found a shoulder a few yards from a weigh station and parked amid a flood of dandelions. Summer rain was sealed in the orange, sinking clouds and the air carried the scent of the river to my skin stained from a day's worth of sun.

Came upon a small footbridge and just listened to the flow of the water. Could feel the spirit of that location, albeit muted by miles of asphalt and guardrails, telephone lines, and empty beer bottles. But still the river flowed, immune to such disease.

A town seemingly abandoned. Filled with run-down buildings, full of history...their stories lost with the inevitability of passed time. I take my camera with me everywhere, never knowing when a cinematic mood may strike me.

Snapped some pictures of a rickety red building that doubled as a cafe and antique store. An older man named Ron introduced himself and asked me where I was from, wondering what the hell interest I had in a "piece of shit like this." I laughed and told him I was from Great Falls and that one has to enjoy where they're at, not focus always on where they want to be, because then we lose sight of the good that surrounds us. If he were to look at his run-down building through my camera lens, he would come to view it differently. Life is a matter of perspective. Adjust the focus when you need to, and keep the shutter speed slow.

With that, kept on walking and came to another aged building that was once affiliated with some sort of oil company. Not sure of its current purpose aside from attracting the interest of people like me. A heavyset woman approached, asked what was going on, why photos were being taken of her property. I told her I was taking pictures with the intent of distributing them for commercial use. Luckilly, she got the joke, smiled, and offered a beer.

Just goes to show, you never know what the day may bring, so be ready for anything, and love it whole-heartedly when it comes at you.