I had to refer back to the tiny purple notebook I carried along on my hikes to figure out when this roll of film was started: August 10th, 2010.. 5 months ago! In December, I finally mailed my exposed roll of film back to the photo lab I used to live down the street from. It was such a treat to see these photographs after many months and a life-changing move across country. Instead of taking photographs of the bench during those final weeks I lived and hiked in Los Angeles, I decided to discreetly leave behind envelopes containing a variety of triptychs (3 prints) from my Runyon Canyon Bench Series. I thought of it as the final phase of my project – giving back to my fellow hikers and lovers of this trail. So, each time I hiked, I lingered until the area cleared, if only for a second, so I could anonymously stick an envelope into a crevice for a lucky one to find. As simple as the act was… it made my heart so happy and full each and every time.

The note on the envelope says: “To whoever finds this: I hope you enjoy these photographs as much as I enjoy taking them.”

I had my husband take the photo on the right on our last hike sometime near the very end of September. It is the only photograph in the series of myself on the bench and I am so thankful I have one!