On June 28th, 2011 Dale R. Johnson died in a freak accident while working with an excavator to pull out a tree stump in his front yard. He was alone; the cause of death determined by medical professionals was a blunt trauma to the head and chest that broke his neck – he died instantly. Although we had recently divorced after fifteen years of marriage , we remained close and he was an integral part of my life. A celebration of life service will be held in Portland, Oregon on July 17th at 4pm – if you’d like to attend please contact me directly for details.
I have avoided speaking about my personal life in my business because I hadn’t felt it was appropriate, but I now feel compelled to share so many things I wished I’d said before. Dale was my biggest supporter, he helped establish my photography career and worked tirelessly behind the scenes. He had the patience of a saint, and was kind, spirited, adventurous, funny, creative and had an amazing capacity to care for others and love. He helped me focus on what was really important in life; beyond all the professional accolades or successes what I most cherish is the love he showed unconditionally and his ability to live life to the fullest. While I was driven and endlessly active, he balanced my energy with his calmness and ability to find peace in the stillness; he was my rock and he enabled me to become what I am today. I will forever be grateful to him for all has done and his spirit will be deeply missed by so many people whose lives he touched profoundly.
We kept a journal of our personal journey – our round the world trip from Oct 2000 to December 2001, which I’d recently archived in this blog (see archive entries by those dates). Below is a summary of a life well lived, details of moments behind the photographs I haven’t shared with many before now.
Dale in 1994, portrait I took right after he proposed on ferry en route to Victoria, Canada
Our wedding reception in Portland; this photo ended up on the cover of the Portland bridal guide book
In October of 2000 we quit our jobs and began a 14 month journey backpacking around the world. The first leg of the trip was riding our harley down highway 101 from Portland to LA.
Portrait of us riding the harley through wine country in Napa
Australian Outback Highway. We bought a used subaru and drove over 10,000 miles throughout Australia, camping in remote locations. This photo really is more Dale's than mine - before I feel asleep I asked him to find the perfect straight road and puffy white clouds, when I woke up a few hours later he's stopped the car in this spot.
Scuba diving with 60 year old turtle in Sipidan, Borneo & portrait of us in Fiji. Together we logged over 100 dives in Hawaii, Belize, Fiji, French Polynesia, & the Philippines - our favorite was the month spent in Palau, Micronesia. Dale was a much better diver than me, able to photograph while maneuvering through very technical and challenging terrain.
Rock climbing in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. We were on this island during Sept 11, 2001 - our Muslim friends were incredibly kind and hospitable. We stayed on the island for three months & became rock climbing instructors and website designers for a Thai friend, Suchard who owned Phi Phi Climbers. After the tsunami hit this tiny island in December of 2004 we helped raise over $2,500 to help in the rebuilding and relief of this island community.
Our tandum bungy jump off 141 foot Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown, New Zealand - the world's 1st Commercial Bungy Jump. In addition to the scuba diving and rock climbing, we were constantly enjoying adventure activities together including mountain biking, white water and sea kayaking, snowboarding, and trekking. In Nepal we hiked independently and carried our own packs from Jiri, near Kathmandu to Everest Base camp, spending a month along the trail and covering over 60,000 feet of elevation change during the journey.
Dale strung this prayer flag near Everest Base camp in honor of his mother who was battling cancer at the time (she has successfully recovered twice). Mt. Everest is the center peak with least amount of snow, deceptively Nuptse appears taller in the foreground.
Sunrise over Himalayas near Everest Base Camp, Khumbu region, Nepal. Although I took this photo, I hardly remember it. Dale woke me early one morning and helped guide me outside the teahouse; I was suffering dysentery and a scratched cornea and only took two slides of this scene, miraculously this handheld shot turned out and became a signature from our trip. If you view this image 90 degrees counter clockwise you'll see the spirit of the himalaya profile.
These portraits were taken at the end of our 14 month journey in Thailand, where we returned briefly to recover from our Nepal trek. During our adventure we'd continued to simply our lives, and by the end our out journey we managed to live off US $20 dollars a day total expenses. We'd lost 15 and 20 pounds but were healthy, strong, happy, and balanced.
Portrait of me standing inside the Wave, Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness National Monument, Arizona. After Dale & I returned from our overseas journey we decided to explore the natural wonders closer to home. This photo was truly a collaborative effort, and helped give me the confidence to begin my freelance photography business when it was chosen by National Geographic Adventure magazine as a contest winner - see link below.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0312/readers_photo.html
Dale hiking in Alabama Hills with Mt. Whitney in background.
Dale & I dressed up in theme for his 40th birthday party at our house, August 2003.
Our front yard summer of 2004, one year after we'd completely redesigned the landscape. Dale worked with the Dave, Drew, and Dan Porter to create this oasis, a five foot and two foot waterfall feeding into two streams and small pond. All the plants were native and hardy (with the exception of the bamboo borders). Dale continued to work with the Porters/ BCI contracting to construct wetland restorations in large scale throughout Oregon & Washington.
Dale's portrait of me taking a break from snowshoeing around Crater Lake, winter of 2004. We continued to explore and photograph together whenever possible, though it became challenging to balance our new businesses and time together.
Dale kayaking at dawn with Mt. Hood in background. This photo was taken for a VIA magazine cover and feature story. Dale helped behind the scenes and was the model for countless photographs.
Dale at home Sept 2006
To see more photos of Dale, click the link below
http://andreajohnson.photoshelter.com/gallery/Dale-Johnson-memorial/G0000pKVz6hjomCE
Our hearts go out to you; Dale will be missed by all of us. Thanks for sharing this glimpse of your personal life together. He was a wonderful person with an inspiring spirit. All our love, Ja’Nien & Chris.
The most striking thing about this photo journal is the magic world you shared with Dale where every day seemed to bring a sense of wonder and excitement. My heart is with you. Lake