short stories

Vomit Incorporated – The Return of an Old Friend

The Vomit Comet in Fall Splendor by Jay Goodrich

Reset the clock to fifteen years ago. I was upwardly mobile in the architecture and construction industry. I had money. I had toys, many toys. And I was in the process of purchasing a racing machine. The goal was one of the simplest ideas and yet one of the most difficult to complete. Create the [...]


Getting Lost in Bisti

Rock Formations, Bisti Wilderness Area, New Mexico by Jay Goodrich

I have navigated through Denali National Park for 10 days and maintained my whereabouts. I have flown multiple aircraft across most of the United States and arrived at my destination without fail. This past weekend was a different for some reason, maybe some weird star was misaligned in the universe. I managed to visit a [...]


The Gift

Mount Shuksan, North Cascades National Park, WA © Jay Goodrich

I have been skiing for 25 years now. If I were about to turn 30 and not 40, I probably would be some kind of professional athlete instead of a photographer. Maybe? I only say this because statistically most professional athletes are exposed to their sport at an early age, usually before they can really [...]


Optimism is Contagious

Our Daughter at 1 © Jay Goodrich

My wife Heather sent me a text message a little earlier today stating that she was sad. To which I replied asking, “why?”. I then received a laundry list of items that were on her mind. This list contained the typical things that bother almost any person on this planet regardless of career, lifestyle, or [...]


Rainier

Two days ago Younes Bounhar and I spent the day trekking into Eunice Lake in Mount Rainier National Park to photograph the sunset. The day was a a bit of an “epic” due to the fact that the snow was still about 6 feet deep along the trail and closer to 10 feet deep once [...]


“Trust me, I’m a professional …” By Brendan Quigley

Ever wonder what it is like to take a workshop with Jay? Brendan Quigley writes about the experience… As I eyed my quickly filling calendar a few weeks ago, I came to the conclusion that I HAD to get out behind my camera before the end of the year, or I would probably explode. Perhaps [...]


A little bitty sign

A few weeks ago, I lost a very large contract. This contract was going to be a big part of my yearly income for 2009. I was absolutely devastated, mostly in part because I did not see it coming. It happened on a Monday, and about ten minutes after it happened, I received a call [...]


The Heart of a Pilot

When a bunch of pilots decide to fly in a plane together the ensuing argument on who is going to be pilot-in-command can get somewhat aggressive. This evening’s decision was simple though, we were at a meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado in which there were multiple beverages of alcoholic creation. I decided that partaking in the consumption of said beverages would be a good idea to finish my long week, thus making me ineligible of taking the controls to any flying machine.

So there I was sitting comfortably in the back of a Beechcraft Duke with my feet propped on the seat in front of me, watching my friends control an airplane,