Seals, Sex and Serendipity

In 1785, Robert Burns in his poem “To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough” penned the memorable line “In proving foresight may be vain: The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley”. Although most only quote the last eleven words, the preceding five may be the most valuable and contrary to many photographers chest thumping proclamations that research and preparing are the foundation of meaningful imaging, sometimes the failure of foresight yields unexpected treasures (aka keepers). I resist stating some of these imaging idiosyncrasies for fear of being tarred and feathered by the cognoscenti however just today I found a well-known professional with the courage to visit the same subject here.

What the Heck Happened?

While rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated, they may be fueled by a dearth of activity on this blog. My long absence is a story that is multifaceted, however the Readers Digest version could be simply stated, “Stuff Happens” (You may substitute the colloquial expletive if you so desire.)

12 on 12

It’s the last day of 2012 and I’m grateful for a safe journey front-to-back. I almost said uneventful but although that’s a convenient euphemism for a period without crisis, I think it is really a sacrilege to say that something as precious as a year passed without a person’s notice of the miracles and wonders that occur every second of every day.

A photographer should be about the business of capturing some of these events that would otherwise be ignored and invalidated by most of us if no effort were made to grant the day it’s just due. As a way of reflecting on my year I’ve quickly selected twelve photographs to try to caption with my version of meaning.

Sandy, Lucy and Thaw

Part Two: Lucy

Saturday dawned windy but brighter than all the previous days and after breakfast and a little motoring around, we arrived at Lucy Vincent Beach. This being really off season a stream of mostly locals were on hand, having heard the word and wanting to see what Sandy had done to Lucy. As I overheard conversations amongst them, almost all were saying “This is amazing”, “Look at that!” and “This didn’t look anything like this last week.” All eyes seemed to look left at the large cleft the storm had carved from the enormous dunes to the left as you enter the beach area.

Sandy, Lucy and Thaw

Storm Clouds and Ray of Sunlight

Part One: Sandy

It’s very rarely that I get to spend time on Martha’s Vineyard. Economically, it’s just beyond my reach to spend a week there during “the season” and even “off season”, lodging is still precious beyond belief. However the last week in October Dotty and I were given the generous gift of a weeks stay at a cute and comfy timeshare in Edgartown.

Exotic Location

Please double click for larger image

This was fantastic.

Beep Beep

Replacing a vehicle is always a strange and peril fraught adventure for all of us. Next to a house, an automotive conveyance is likely the next most expensive thing that we will purchase in our lives. New or used, what if we get a lemon; what if we discover we or our significant other don’t like it? What if …? Worry, Worry, Worry.

Southern Sojourn Part 2

 

Savannah NWR

It took two days of driving each way to and from Augusta with an overnight stay in Richmond, VA both ways and and an additional half day for getting to and settling into hotels at our satelite locations of Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC.

Southern Sojourn Part 1

 

Notes On A Road Trip

Dotty and I were recently offered a stay in the home of the now deceased Dr. Roy C. DeLamotte in Augusta,GA. Our good-hearted friends suggested that we use the house in Augusta as a “home base” and explore Augusta as well as Savannah, GA and Charleston, N.C., both of which are just a couple of hours away in either direction by car. 

One Man Band

I saw a genuine “one man band” yesterday in the Boston Garden. He was quite good and there was no hesitation in my step as I strode over to the white plastic bucket at his feet and deposited my dollar bill. He was putting on quite a show.