In the middle of the night at a random forgotten gas station, sophomore Sam Wordhouse and his older brother had to stop to take some photos.

“[My favorite picture was when] I was driving up to the UP at night,” Sam said. “I pulled over to this gas station at the side of the road. It was this vintage self pump station, and I just thought it was pretty cool. It was pretty much abandoned; there was no one there; the people [working] even came out and asked [my brother and I] what we were doing because no one ever goes to that gas station.” 

As Sam has grown older, he and his brother have found more and more in common. One thing they now have in common, in addition to photography, is driving. One of Sam’s favorite memories with his brother involves the coming-of-age adventure of driving. 

“Learning to drive a manual with [my brother is one of my favorite memories with him],” Sam said. “My dad taught both of us at the same time, and it was really funny because neither of us could get it down. We bonded over how neither of us were good at it.”

Sam admitted that as he got older and he found more in common with his brother, such as photography and driving, they have grown closer. Their connection wasn’t one made at the beginning. 

“We became close more recently,” Sam said. “Since he moved out, we became a lot closer, but it’s also because of the age gap between us, [twenty-two and sixteen, that we weren’t close when we were kids], so it wasn’t until I really got older that I had anything in common with him.” 

Not being close as kids doesn’t weigh on Sam’s conscience; he rather appreciates the time they spend together now even more. He is grateful that he has formed such a strong relationship with his brother and acknowledges that they might not be friends had they not been related. 

“Honestly I don’t know [if I wish we were closer],” Sam said. “I feel like the fact that we were not close when we were younger makes our relationship stronger, like the fact that we can bond over the fact that we had nothing in common until recently. I don’t know if we would be friends if he wasn’t my brother. We talked about it recently. We have photography in common, but we are two completely different people, and I don’t know if I would be friends with him if we weren’t related.” 

Sam takes advantage of every opportunity to spend time with his brother. Sam and his brother spend a lot of time together in the summer through work. During the school year, their time is limited, but they make the most of it. 

“[Having less time together] definitely makes [the time we do have] more valuable,” Sam said. “Because we have less time to hang out, we are kind of always doing something. In the summer, we work together at a summer camp, but during the school year, I see him three or four times a year—just the bigger holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas.” 

In addition to his older brother, Sam has younger siblings he sees every day. While they don’t have the same kind of connection Sam shares with his older brother, he hopes the friendship will grow and they will have more in common. 

“I have a brother who is thirteen,” Sam said. “We are slowly building that connection [I have with my older brother] too. I hope we are as close as I am to my older brother and that I can kind of be that same figure to him as [our older brother] is to me.”