ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

WRITING A BOOK is a serious undertaking. It is only through the support and assistance of a truly exceptional collection of friends and family that I made it to the finish line.

Thanks to the fantastic team at Rocky Nook: to Lisa Brazieal and Mercedes Murray for your help and hard work along the way; to Ted Waitt for inviting me to join the Enthusiast’s Guide series; and to Jocelyn Howell and Elizabeth Welch for your help in shaping my ramblings into something that makes me proud.

To everyone who welcomed and assisted me along the way during America By Rail, I owe you big time. That journey was the start of a new, more intrepid era in my life and in my photography career. Dawn Carl, Mark Kitanga, Adam Jesberger, Mark Esguerra, Ben Latterell, Brian Gailey, Steve Gubin, Lotus Carroll, and Thomas Hawk, I can’t thank you enough for making that adventure such an incredible success!

To those who extended opportunities to a young photographer just beginning on her path, I so appreciate all you’ve done for me. Thanks to Temple Emanu-el, Rabbi David Posner, and Mark Heutlinger for granting me photographic access to the sanctuary that has meant so much to me throughout my life. Thank you, Ray Larson, for that first introduction to Sunset Watch and all the amazing visits since. Thanks to Ajit George for your hospitality in BVI, access to two wonderful food festivals, and the chance to share my story at TEDxWilmington. Thanks to Paola, Dwite, Gino, and Cecilia for making me feel so welcome in Virgin Gorda and for creating such a special place in Mango Bay Resort. Thanks to Kyle Harrigan and the BVI Tourism Board for your support, friendship, and hundreds of beautiful moments in BVI. Thank you to Nicanor Barrios for showing me countless places of beauty in Nicaragua and for being a reliable and supportive friend. Thanks to Michael Bonocore, Resource Travel, and Resource Magazine for my first professional writing credits. Thanks to all of the wonderful folks at Richard Stromberg’s Chicago Photography Classes for welcoming me into your community and making me feel like part of the family. Many thanks to the team at Gerber+Scarpelli Photography: Kurt Gerber, Mike Scarpelli, Nick Gerber, and Belen Aquino for making the life of a freelance photographer so much more consistent and secure, and for your friendship. I love being a part of the team.

To Jay Dusard, I can’t thank you enough for letting me weasel my way into your life. I’ve admired your work from afar for so long and I’m proud to know you and be influenced by your experience, affability, and incomparable talent. It’s rare to find someone whose work inspires you and have that person not only give you the time of day, but become your friend. Love and chaos to you, sir.

I have been blessed with a wildly supportive group of coconspirators and I owe so much of the work I’ve been able to create and the journeys I’ve taken to them. Brandan DeLaney, Rachel and Daymon Ruttenberg, Matthew Moore, Benny Young, Meghan Winch, Nelson Ruger, Michael Bogart, Abby Glogower, and Joshua Boydstun. I would have given up on my crazy dreams long ago if not for you. I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated. To Emily Bogart, my sister by choice and second soulmate, thank you for helping me become the brave, happy, person I am, and for asking, “But what if you fly?”

Great parents are everything and I’ve been blessed with not only an amazing set by birth, but by marriage. Michael and Sharon Wright, thank you for every encouragement, for loving me like your own child, and for raising the wonderful son who is the love of my life and my best friend. To my incredible parents, Robert and Suzanne Boydstun, thank you for enduring and encouraging my every creative whim. You are the most nurturing and supportive parents that a girl could ask for. I remember telling you that I wanted to give this photography thing a try, and there was no doubt in your mind that I could do it. Your confidence gave me confidence and every success feels so much sweeter when I get to see how proud it makes you.

To my husband, Cassius Wright, there aren’t words. If there were words, they wouldn’t even scratch the surface of what you mean to me. I believe I can do anything because you seem to think I can. Every time I hesitate, you give me the push I need. From signing me up for ambitious photoshoots that terrify me, to suggesting I travel solo for 45 days, every little bit of what I’ve accomplished can be traced back to you. You are everything to me. Luf.

If you’re still reading this, I have one last thing to tell you and one small request. When I started writing the manuscript and compiling the photographs for this book, the British Virgin Islands were thriving because of an incredible tourism product and unparalleled natural locations. In the summer of 2017, Hurricane Irma hit them hard, leaving many of the people I love so much struggling to rebuild. If you have enjoyed the photos of BVI in these pages, please plan a trip to visit. BVI needs tourism to rebuild and the sooner you go, the sooner you’ll fall in love with it just like I did. I can’t wait for you to experience one of my favorite places on the planet. Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve had as much fun as I have!