Life: Through the Lens

An early morning escape reminded me of a poem I used when I taught middle school English. The Fog by Carl Sandberg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.

This summer I'm suffering from a lack of inspiration, or maybe it's more a lack of motivation. I find myself creating a laundry list of things to "do," but everything seems rote and uninspiring. I'm enjoying the weather, but not spending time admiring the details. Things have got to change. Now. So tonight I've chosen a few images from this summer's trip west to visit family as a way to get back the spirit which usually fills my creative soul during the months of the year I love to be outdoors. And hopefully it will be the start of more regular posting....as my writing has suffered terribly during this creative dry-spell! Most of these photographs will be part of new blog posts within the next week or so, with details of time and place, as well as a few interesting stories. Thank you for checking in from time to time, and keep coming back.... The best is yet to come. Enjoy!

We spent a week with "the kids" and their own kids, and we wonder where the time has gone. It's both a joy and a sadness when the grown children become self-sufficient and in charge of their own time and space. Sometimes it's frustrating, too:). But that goes with the territory. Sometimes things go awry - again, part of the growing process of stepping back and letting life go on. And sometimes you experience such a sense of accomplishment that everyone made it this far, in spite of yourself. I think all parents go through this, at least the ones I talk to. Generationally, it's interesting to watch parenting styles emerge. Discipline and rewards...all part of raising children. And spending quality time doing what is important to raise your children to be independent thinkers and problem solvers. Personally, we think it very important for children to spend time outdoors, learning to appreciate nature. Did our children want to participate in this philosophy while we

We're traveling across country right now, to join family for a wonderful week of play and catching up. I've been reading up on taking good fireworks shots, and some of the most common recommendations include: 1. Use a tripod 2. Use the bulb setting, or leave the shutter open for long exposures 3. Have something interesting in the foreground and/or background - even wet down your street to capture reflections (this is a new one to me). 4. Capture multiple explosions on one frame. 5. Have fun! 6. Be safe! Next week we'll have an opportunity to share, and since I'll be staying with family I hope to have some internet availability. Though, we will be spending part of the week at a cabin in the mountains. If I don't get something posted until the end of the week Happy 4th of July , and have a wonderful week, and check back so we can share our images!