Cartographic Stories: Folsom Lake

Sometimes home is the most obvious place to commemorate. Home is a complex part of our lives, wrapped up in every facet of work, love, and relationships. The homes we create for ourselves support and sustain us. Home is the keeper of the majority of our memories. This commission was done for a family that lives within walking distance of Folsom Lake.

Kellie had taken a class with me at Atelier in Truckee, California. When the tiny art commissions were open, she snatched one up and asked me to capture the proximity of Folsom Lake to the home where they've lived for a couple decades.

Kellie told me that she and her husband bought their house before they had kids precisely to be near Folsom Lake. Growing up in a military family, Kellie never felt like she had a home as a kid, so establishing a home for her family has been a unique and significant experience. They chose Granite Bay area so they could live in suburbia, but have easy access to the wilderness surrounding the lake. Their whole life is now intertwined in this area. Now, with teenagers for kids, they boat on the lake and hike the hills around it. Their location has taught them to appreciate being outside and love the wild, undeveloped areas of the world.

Courtesy of Google Maps

Folsom Lake was a fascinating body of water to capture in part because its water levels change so dramatically over the months and years. Using Google Earth I can go back in time and see how the sands around the water swell and shrink as the seasons change. Kellie and I chose a time of moderate water, so big beaches are visible but the seasonal drought isn't at its peak.

My challenge to you:
Know what your home teaches you. Home has its own magic and way of guiding us to what we need to know and experience. What does your home teach you?