Long past when I would normally venture out to shoot. My wife asked for just one more trip back to our car parked outside Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, Oregon. We were here celebrating our 38 wedding anniversary where it had all begun for us, so many years before, on this very night at this very location. As I turned back towards the Lodge from the car, I was greeted by a cold blast of the winter storm that was enveloping the mountain and the warm light of the enclosed entryway of this iconic structure.

I quickly took a shot with my phone which I promptly dropped in the tangle of luggage, snow flurries, and the fresh snow underfoot. This view deserved more than the now cracked screen of my phone could provide. A quick return to the room and a different camera found little had changed. The wind still howling. The lodge floodlights illuminating the airborne snow crystals and the warm interior lights welcoming all those in from the mayhem outside.

A refuge from the chaos of the winter environment. A metaphor for life that is embodied in the marriage of two people. Turmoil and challenges abate when you enter into the protection of a supporting and caring partner. The moment was not lost on me as I stood outside in the raging storm. The cold winter wind biting every exposed surface while my patient partner waited inside. Happily, I quickly scurried into the entryway where the warmth and comfort of 38-year partnership awaited inside.