Life: Through the Lens

 So Much Information! Early Detroit Working on my genealogy research is like jumping from one rabbit hole to the next.  I was at a sewing group this week and one of the women, whom I have known for a very long time, has been working on her own research for years. And she is very organized, and suggested a few ways to become more organized.  They all sound lovely.  And they all suggest a lot of work - as I have to admit to being a little sloppy when gathering information.  Not that I don't have some good organizational strategies, and I do have properly labeled notebooks and folders, and photographs sorted into category according to my current research trend.   I put together a very nice collection of recipes (copying the actual card with original handwriting, photos of each person, when available).   BUT...I had no idea what I was getting into years ago, and  what the shear volume of "stuff" would be.  So now...no, I do not have a proper...

    Happy New Year! I love the freshness of a new year.  It feels like a reboot, a blank page.  Now it's time to start filling the 2024 pages. I am not writing a list of resolutions, but I am making a promise to myself.  This year I will discover/rediscover my creative passions.  It seems as if life keeps giving me twists and turns which redirect me. This will be a year to reboot my writing and photography!  If I can add more travel to this wish-list, that's all the better!  Darn, I used the word "list."  Well, the organized part of me will be important, too! Winter is sometimes a bit like the dog-days of summer, where you want to stay inside in the coziness of your home.  (Air conditioning in the summer, and heat in the winter).  But Kaycee and I are on a mission this winter - stay active and engaged!      So let's go!  Here's to the New Year and all it has in store. What about you?  Please share your ...

Very hard to photograph at night, with a poor little cell phone.  But you get the idea. (Look for the family photo hidden within this picture). Las Vegas - Old School A week ago I joined the "kids" for a walk down memory lane.  I helped them clean out their father's house in Las Vegas, following his recent death, and we found so much history and memorabilia from the life and times of their father, grandfather and great-grandfather, as well as other grandparents and relatives.  One of the bonuses to cleaning out houses of people who don't throw anything away, is finding treasures and riches beyond measure.  A true inheritance. Discovering their history - while wearing Grandma's pearls. Snapshot Grandpa took, we assume, during a WWII USO tour. Ah...Bing. It turned out to be a souvenir edition, but still fascinating. We don't know which family member this is...but what a great photo! In a prior life I did live, and teach, in L...

The Christmas holiday is the perfect time to step back and reflect on what is important in your life.  We had a lovely couple of weeks with friends and family, and it was so refreshing to be with young people not tied to their cell phones or tablets.  I have enjoyed a tech break, as well. Disclaimer:   The photos in this post are not in any particular order.  They are illustrations of a lovely two week period of time. There has been time with children and grandchildren...and GREAT grandchildren!  I love taking "generation" photos! Daryl with daughter, Kim, granddaughter Courtney, and great-grandson Brody. Brody with his Aunt Kailey. This time Daryl is with son, Kent, and Kent's daughter Emily, and granddaughters Addy and Emma. There was a gingerbread house decorating competition, baking and gatherings with friends and family. I have particularly enjoyed watching the grandchildren embrace their cr...