Life: Through the Lens

The Nina, left, and Pinta, moored in the marina. Remember the day of the eclipse?   It happened to be the day we finally had a chance to get out of town and spend some time adventuring.  We packed up Kaycee, a cooler, and headed to Traverse City to see the hand-built replicas of the Nina and Pinta. The Nina was built using only adzes, axes, hand saws and chisels, in addition to naturally-shaped  timbers from the local forest. She stands 65' long, 18' across the beam, with a draft of 7'. The sail area is 1, 919 sq. feet.  She took 32 months to build. Both ships are exact replicas of those sailed in 1492, and they are called the Columbus Ships.  They were built in Valenca, Brazil by eighth generation Portuguese shipwrights.  There is no home port for these ships, as they are moving 11 months of the year, providing educational opportunities to everyone.  There is no Santa Maria because she never made it back to Europe, she is too big to mak...

When we planned our family get-together I just couldn't believe we all agreed to travel to the desert in July.  It was the only time which worked for all our schedules, and the location seems central for the younger families to get to.  Since we had a lot of time to work with we really didn't think about the distance for us to travel.   There were pros and cons to that decision! As we crossed the Rockies, which never cease to amaze us, and entered the desert terrain, the geography became quite desolate, and bleak.  Miles and miles of nothing - we imagined the journey of the settlers of this early country and how they must have felt as they worked daily to survive.  Then the terrain began to change, rising up into hills and tall rock structures, the color changing from neutral to a warm red hue. Nearing the town of Moab, we were in awe of the size and drama of the rock faces, and began to really look forward to seeing Arches National Park, and...

By definition a portrait is:   a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders.   A portrait is also  usually  considered more " formal" than other photographs. Who would have expected to run into someone you know, so far away from home? This is Allison, a young lady who grew up in our town, our families went to the same church, she was in band with my daughter,  and here she is working as a Park Ranger in Arches National Park! What a stroke of luck it was that I decided to wear my Michigan t-shirt that day.  It initiated the conversation that lead to our reacquaintance! As a photographer, I have been asked to shoot senior photos, business photos, weddings and special events. And I have done all those things.  However, I do not enjoy that process as much as I do creating portraits which show personality, and a sense of time and place. These po...

A number of years ago I was drawn down a path I had never imagined I would walk.  The world of quilting.  Well, technically it's "sewing," and "creating," but my own product does not become a quilt until I take it to the magic-weaver.  The person who transforms my imagined product into the real-deal.  The quilter.  The person behind the machine.  And the woman I go to works true magic and turns my story into a work of art. Valerie Reynolds...quilter extraordinaire! Get comfortable - for here the story begins.  My daughter is a fantastic fine arts teacher - middle school theatre arts, no less!  She opens the minds and hearts of these wonderfully energetic young people and shows them that drama is not always a bad thing!  She had moved schools a couple of times and worked her magic on many before deciding to explore the world of administration.  More power to her!  Not my gig, that is for sure.  The story begins with a col...