Mejeur Christmas 2014 - Kalamazoo

Christmas at my sister's house in Kalamazoo.  Wanted to experiment with the video capabilities on my ipad.  This is my first video.

Happy 97th Christmas Dad!

Hug?

My 21/2 grandson has developed a wonderful way of telling people when he needs to be comforted.   He uses it when he is tired or overwhelmed.  He asks for hugs.  Grandpa, hug?  Mama, hug? Daddy, hug?  I am so glad he has learned this skill.  I wish I had learned it.
 

God, hug?

Who says all angels are white?

Snow Angels

Aubrey Decorates a Tree (Photo Journalism)

           

New Camera Catches Evening Snow

A Long Sad Story with a Happy Ending (Illustrated and Annotated)

Fantastic Picture

I confess - I didn't appreciate my old expensive camera.

It was heavy, awkward, complicated... and took fantastic pictures. It had more attachments than my vacuum cleaner and when I took it on vacation with me, it needed its own suitcase.

I'll admit it. I resented that. (But that was not a motive for what happened.) After all, going to Italy with one personal suitcase and a backpack (thanks to Rick Steves) taught me that less is more, especially if you have to carry it.  But then I had Cal to carry the prized camera on his lap the whole way.  My own camera butler.

In Italy (taken by Bishop Gruss)

Lovely Picture

Fun Picture

When I met Cal in college, photography drew us together.  He was photographer for the year book and had his own expensive SLR camera. (We still have that one - in a glass case.)  I would go on photo shoots with him which was a cheap and uncomplicated date for a hippie (I think they call them "hipsters" now) from Kansas and a homesick-for-trees transfer student from Michigan.  After the shoot, we would develop the b/w film in the college darkroom.  (I can hear the jokes now.  That's not all that developed, tee-hee.)

I got interested in photography when SLR cameras became digital. The Canon Rebel was a present from Cal in 2004. I wasn't a great photographer, but with a little help from Photoshop, I spent many happy hours turning my mistakes into something not quite a mistake. And occasionally, something quite lovely.  Or fun.

Savannah

This spring I flew to Savannah with my sister-in-law, Pam, (Phil's wife) for a week in the warmth and didn't take my camera butler along. As I am known for breaking things, (see post 9/27/14) I have often been warned and scolded by Cal to take better care of my camera. (literary foreshadowing)

Getting ready to fly back to Atlanta, with the the taxi honking outside to take us to the airport, I quickly wrapped the Canon in some of my clothes and thrust it into the suitcase. (Pam, don't change my story.)  In the rush I also lost my electric toothbrush but that loss paled in comparison with the state of my camera when I opened my suitcase the next day.

I'd seen the baggage guys handle luggage at the airport and I should have known better. So, once more with the coffee cup fresh in my mind, (see post 9/27/14) I had to face Cal AGAIN with something I had broken that was dear to his heart. Smashed. Shattered. Kaput.

I didn't think I would miss my good camera.  After all, doesn't everybody and everything take pictures these days?  Something smaller maybe?  Lighter? Easier?  Less demanding?  Something I could fit in my pocket? After all, it was just a hobby.  And I still had Photoshop...

I didn't realize that you have to start out in a good quality picture to make it better. You need all the pixels and depth and clarity of a good camera to really play with a picture. It would take a better person than I to be able to add pixels to a photo or smooth the graininess without losing sharpness.

 It is just plain difficult to take a really good, sharp, clear pictures without a good camera.

I missed my camera for the closeups of my TinyCastleBooks for my Etsy Shop.

I missed it at family gatherings.

I missed it for photographing my new grandson.

I missed playing god and improving on nature.

Finally, I just stopped taking pictures.

I would look at an object begging to have it's picture taken and just sigh and turn my head away. I lapsed into a kind of Photobiotic depression.

Creepy Photobiotic Depression

And now for the Happy Ending.

Cal came home with a new Rebel yesterday,  It is no smaller, but maybe a touch lighter and less cumbersome.  And it takes FANTASTIC pictures.

My Hero.

The End