Tag Archives: photography

July 23, 2023 · 4:55 pm

What Is Professional Photography?

I recently visited the Real Bodies special exhibit by Hurley Medical Center at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan. The sign said no professional photography, which means personal use only. I started through the exhibit, and after taking a few pictures, a worker told me no professional photos. I responded no problem, personal use only. She then said I couldn’t use my DSLR camera, only my cell phone. Their position was that my Nikon D750 camera designated the photos as professional, and I couldn’t use it. When I told them that is discriminatory because I use that camera for personal photography, I was told that is their policy.

What is wrong with this? The photographer’s knowledge of photography combined with the way the photographs are being used designates them as professional images. The type of camera is, to a certain degree, irrelevant.

To achieve professional quality, you must understand the basics of composition, depth of field, clarity, and lighting. You can achieve professional-quality images by utilizing all your cell phone camera features. You can also produce low-quality photos with a high-end DSLR if you don’t understand how to use your camera and the rules of photography.

Before and after comparison of Real Bodies taken in a pose looking up at atoms above it

The photo on the left is a before shot taken with my cell phone using the standard default camera settings inside the Real Bodies exhibit at Sloan Museum. The photo on the right is after editing in Photoshop to lighten the heavy shadows caused by exhibit lighting.

The problem I ran into at the Sloan Museum is one I have encountered elsewhere, as have other DSLR camera users. I planned to tour the Van Hoosen Farm Museum in Rochester, Michigan. The sign said admission was $5.00, but the clerk told me it would be $50 to enter. When I pointed out the $5.00 entry fee, she told me I had to pay a $50 professional fee because I was carrying a professional camera—I had my DSLR. I have used SLR cameras since the early 1980s and did no professional shooting at that time. The girl told me to pay $50, or I wouldn’t get in. I walked out the door.

There is one place in Michigan that got it right. There was no camera discrimination when attending the Blue Water Sandfest in Port Huron. This organization understands professional photography; they posted notices that if you plan to use any photographs professionally, you must have written permission and follow their publication guidelines. This company understands the photographer, and their usage of the images makes it professional photography, not the camera style.

So how do you determine who is a professional photographer? Having a good camera is not the determining factor. Most professional photographers use a DSLR around clients because people think the camera makes a person a professional. However, in a recent survey by Suite48Analytics, 13% of professional photographers say they take at least 50% of their work-related photographs using a smartphone, 24% use it to take less than half of all professional pictures, and 31% use their cell phones more for professional photography than in prior years. The only limitation a modern cell phone has is resolution. If printing the photographs in a large format, a cell phone isn’t going to meet quality standards. Cell phone quality is sufficient if images are only for online or small format use.

The before photo on the left was taken with my cell phone using standard default camera settings inside the Real Bodies exhibit in the Sloan Museum. To achieve the photo on the right, I edited the picture in Photoshop to lighten the shaded areas created by the exhibit lighting.

So what determines whether a person is a professional photographer? It depends on what standards you use. The most common determining factor is whether the person earns between 50% to 100% of their income from photography. In other words, to be a professional, photography is your full-time career. By that definition, I am not a professional photographer.

Another manner of determining whether or not a person is a professional is whether or not they have accomplished at least one of the following:

Has given a photography presentation
Has received recognition in a national photography contest
Has sold their photographs in an art show or art studio
Has a website displaying photographs for sale
Has organized or directed a photography field trip
Has published photographs in newspapers, magazines, or books

I qualify as a professional if you use this second group of criteria. You may wonder why, if I qualify as a professional, the policy against using a DSLR camera bothers me. The reason is the policy discriminates against anyone using a good camera. The policy should be based on how the photo is used after creation.

The worker at the Real Bodies exhibit told me I can use my cell phone photographs in any manner I choose. I said, “So I can use them on Facebook, blogs, or other writings?” She said yes because they aren’t professional photographs.

Now a legal question comes to mind. Since I took “unprofessional” photos with my cell phone, can I use them to accompany a magazine or newspaper article? According to the worker, I can. I don’t think that is what Hurley Medical Center’s intent is, but that is the message being given because of inappropriate wording on their signage and poorly informed workers.

The problem is that Sloan Museum and Hurley Medical Center assume a professional photographer cannot get a quality image from a cell phone. A professional-quality photograph from a phone is easy when you adjust the camera settings. Sloan Museum/Hurley Medical Center, Van Hoosen Museum, and other places that want to prevent the professional use of photographs should display signage that photography is for personal use only and not for professional purposes. They could also state that for professional use, written permission is necessary.

The above before and after photos were taken in the Real Bodies exhibit at Sloan Museum. The image on the left shows a distracting acrylic display case and reflections that detract from the subject of the photo. The image on the right is after editing in Photoshop to remove the reflection and case, allowing the subject of the photo to stand out.

What is a professional photograph? It is an image being used for business, marketing, available for sale, or used to accompany articles written for magazines, newspapers, etc. In other words, the photographer aims to generate profit with the photo.

The bottom line is that businesses must understand the difference between camera style and professional usage. A lack of understanding may lead to people using images in an unintended manner.

Those hiring a professional photographer need to understand the difference between a person with an expensive-looking camera shooting in automatic/jpeg format and a professional. Professionals know how to produce an image that stands out and process it using Lightroom, Photoshop, or another pro-level image editing system to tweak it into the best photograph possible.

If you want to take good photographs, learn the basics of composition, lighting, depth of field, and exposure, plus how to use your camera to achieve the desired results. Purchasing an expensive camera will not help you take better pictures. If you buy a DSLR and leave it in the “auto” setting, you might as well use an inexpensive point-and-shoot or cell phone. If you invest in a DSLR, learn to shoot manually, preferably in raw, and edit in Photoshop for the best quality image.

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Tagged as art studio, auto setting, blogs, Blue Water Sandfest, camera, camera setings, cell phone, clarity, composition, D750, depth of field, DSLR Camera, facebook, flint, hurley medical center, image purpose, images, lighting, Nikon, photographs, photography, photos, Photoshop editing, pictures, Port Huron, professional photo, professional photography, professional quality, published, quality, raw setting, Real Bodies, Resolution, Rochester, signage, sloan museum, smartphone, Van Hoosen Museum, website, work related

April 12, 2021 · 5:48 pm

Not Smart Enough

Imagine back to when you were in the 8^th grade, about 14 years old. You must make a decision that impacts the balance of your time in school. You can take a vocational program, which you attend to grade 12, or a university prep program, which you attend to grade 13.

Once you make your decision, you cannot change to the other program. Now, consider being that 8^th grade boy and before you make that decision your school principal informs you that you aren’t “smart enough” for college, so you better go vocational.

That is the way school in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada was in the mid-late 1950s when Paul Cannon attended. He followed the advice of his principal. The question is, after hearing the principal’s assessment of his abilities, what did Paul do with his life?

The Teen Years

Paul was not afraid of water, and unbeknownst to his mother he and his friends would climb Inglis Falls in the summer. This was the largest of the four waterfalls in town and has a 59-foot cascade. I’ve seen in the fall with a slow flow of water. It is huge!

Inglis Falls in Owens Sound, Ontario, Canada — Inglis Falls in Owens Sound, Ontario
Photo by Grace Grogan

When Paul was about 14-15 years old he became certified as both a swim instructor and a lifeguard. He worked as a lifeguard at the community pool and taught swimming to adults and children both there and at the YMCA.

Paul was interested in science and technology, and around age 16 he and three friends learned about an Army surplus store in Toronto selling non-working ham radios for parts. The store had ten radios, and they purchased them all. The intent was to build two or three operating ham radios from the parts, and they did!

Paul and his friends had fun communicating on the radios for about a year. None of the teens had taken the required test to become licensed ham radio operators so were broadcasting illegally. An officer tracked them down and removed the tubes, rendering the radios inoperable. Years later as an adult Paul took the test and became a licensed ham operator.

Paul always had an interest in aviation and was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in Canada growing up. The group’s intent was to introduce 12-19 year old students to flight. As a CAP cadet, Paul received education regarding citizenship, leadership, physical fitness and general aviation. In Canada today one out of every five pilots is an ex-air cadet and 67% of commercial airline pilots began as air cadets.

Bush Pilot

When Paul was 16-17 years old he got a summer job working for a bush pilot in a nearby town. That first summer Paul performed miscellaneous jobs and ran errands. When the summer ended the owner told Paul if he returned the following year the owner would teach Paul to fly.

Paul returned and became a bush pilot, flying a Beaver pontoon plane. Bush pilots fly in remote areas, and Paul’s job was to deliver supplies to cabins in the wilderness. You have probably seen this in movies where a plane lands on a body of water, docking near a cabin to leave supplies.

All pilots must learn how to read the weather, and because pontoon pilots land on water, they must also evaluate the water’s surface before touching down. Accommodations must be made for wind direction, the direction and speed of the current, and any obstacles that may affect their landing. Once on the water the pilot must follow all marine rules.

On one flight Paul was landing to leave supplies at a not-yet occupied cabin when the engine on his plane blew. Oil splattered the windshield and the plane stopped before he was near shore. Pontoon planes must carry a paddle for this type of situation. Paul shut down all systems on the plane, then climbed out to sit on one of the pontoons, straddling it like a horse. Paul then paddled his way to shore. If you think rowing a boat is difficult, try an airplane!

There was no radio communication, so Paul unloaded the supplies into the cabin and hunkered down for the night. His boss had expected him back before dark, so when Paul didn’t return the owner went out the next morning, flying Paul’s route. When he spotted Paul’s plane, he touched down so see what was going on. Paul already had the cowling off the plane, but neither Paul nor his boss had the tools or knowledge to repair the engine.

Beaver Pontoon Airplane
Photo by Grace Grogan

The owner said he would be back, and when he landed the second time he was accompanied by a mechanic and tools. The owner left Paul and the mechanic to work on the engine. The two spent another night at the cabin before repairs were complete. The plane Paul flew only had one seat, the pilot’s. Once the repairs were complete, the mechanic strapped himself onto the top of a cargo box in the plane and rode back with Paul.

Bush pilots are required to carry a bush pilot’s rifle because situations such as the one above or an unanticipated stop in the wilderness can put you in danger. If Paul was flying his route and saw severe weather ahead, he would land the plane and beach it. Using ropes he would tie the plane to trees to secure it during the storm. When performing these tasks, he always had to be on the lookout for bear.

Paul continued working as a bush pilot for a year after graduating high school, then left for Toronto to attend college.

Radio College

Radio College of Toronto, Ontario trained students in electronic engineering technology and had a focus on tubes and digital electronics. Electronics technology was the wave of the future in the early 1960s.

While Paul was attending college, he lived in a boarding house with 17 other men. They were housed two to a room, with no locks on the room doors. The home was run by a single woman who ran a tight ship. She made all beds every day and washed the sheets once a week.

Board included breakfast and dinner Monday thru Friday. Paul quickly learned that when sharing a table with a large group of men there were no second helpings. You better get a sufficient amount the first time a dish went around the table. Lunch and weekends boarders were on their own for meals, but could use the kitchen and food she had as long as they cleaned up afterwards. This was a very different type of living than Paul had growing up as an only child.

One evening Paul and his roommate heard a knock on their door, which immediately flew open and in rushed the landlady. She didn’t say anything but hurried over and threw open the window, reached into her pocket to grab a pair of scissors and reached out. The next thing Paul heard was glass breaking on the sidewalk below. Apparently one of the borders owed the landlady money, and she suspected he might try to slip out. By cutting the string to the bundle of belongings the border was lowering from his third-story window, the landlady made it clear she knew what he was up to. No one knows if she collected the money owed her or just enjoyed a bit of revenge.

Paul rode the streetcar to and from college, and sometimes hitch hiked his way back to Owen Sound on weekends to visit his parents. If living in a boarding house and using public transportation bus wasn’t enough of a challenge, Paul was doing this on crutches. Paul played B-Team Hockey and did competition ski jumping. Unfortunately, he landed a jump wrong, breaking his ankle.

Paul quickly learned that in a time of need, crutches make a great weapon. One day Paul got off the streetcar and some guy, thinking he had one-up on Paul, knocked Paul’s books out of his hands. Paul may have been a bit disabled, but not unarmed. He swung one of his crutches around and clobbered the guy. A police officer saw the exchange, came over to pick up Paul’s books and make sure he was okay. When Paul left the scene his attacker was in the back of a police vehicle.

Using city transportation when dating was something Paul learned could be difficult. On one date Paul took a girl out, then escorted her home, staying to visit until about midnight. Big mistake! When he got to the bus stop he had missed the last bus in that area, so he walked down to the next line, just in time to miss the last subway of the night. He ended up walking all night to get back to the boarding house. Thank goodness it happened on a Friday night, and he was able to sleep when he arrived there the next morning.

Work and Electronics

After graduating from Radio College, Paul took a position installing and repairing x-ray machines throughout Canada. This took him into every Canadian province, a position that nurtured his love of travel and photography. His goal was to emigrate into the United States, work his way west and eventually end up in Australia. He didn’t make it past Michigan.

Immigration into the United States took about a year. Paul needed to find a job that would hold the position for six months while he completed the immigration process. He was about 23 when he got his first job in Michigan doing the same thing as in Canada. Paul was living the bachelor’s life, driving a convertible and working in hospitals throughout the tri-state area of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, where there was plenty of female staff to date.

Many people do not realize that immigrants must register for the draft six months after they become permanent U.S. residents. Paul registered during the Vietnam era and knew how to fly the same type of plane being used in the war. Each year he was obligated to check in at the military office, and each time he met new criteria for a waiver so was never drafted.

Career Change

Paul was talking with an electrician and learned they made more money than Paul was in the electronics field. Paul purchased code books and studied to become an electrician. Though not licensed, he got a job working for Morgan Electric. When a client requested a special electrical job, Paul volunteered for the assignment. The client was impressed with Paul’s work and offered him a job working for their company.

Paul made the job change. Always looking to advance, Paul later applied and got a job in skilled trades as an electrician at the Ford River Rouge plant. Unfortunately the plant did layoffs before Paul had 90 days in.

Needing work and the economy being bad, Paul took a job working on an ambulance. It was on-the-job training, they were not paramedics. The crew would perform basic first aid and transport patients to hospitals. This was during the 1967 Detroit riots and runs were often into dangerous areas. It wasn’t all bad though.

One run was to Governor Romney’s home. The governor’s wife had fallen and injured herself, requiring an ambulance transport. Paul also delivered two babies during his time on the ambulance. One laboring woman looked at him and said, “it’s my first” and he responded, “mine too.”

When Paul’s father notified him Pittsburgh Glass Works was opening a plant in Owen Sound and needed skilled trades workers, Paul applied and was the first electrician hired. He moved back to Owen Sound and lived there for two years. The glass plant job gave him experience in trouble shooting factory machinery, which would pay off later.

When the economy improved Paul moved back to Michigan and took a position at Allied Chemical in Mount Clemens. An electrical inspector saw his work and volunteered to sponsor Paul for taking his journeyman’s test. You cannot take this test until you have verification of 10 years of experience working as an electrician and a sponsor. Paul passed the test and immediately began studying for his master’s license.

You must work as a journeyman for a minimum of two years before taking your master’s exam. When Paul reached the qualification period he took the test and became a master electrician. Paul then started his own electrical contracting business, Trojan Electric. This electrical contract work was in addition to his full-time employment. His business was lucrative enough to necessitate employing a work crew.

While working at Allied Chemical in Mt. Clemens, Paul saw an ad for skilled trades at the Ford Motor Company Paint Plant. Paul applied and went into Ford as a re-hire. He remained at Ford as an electrician in skilled trades for the balance of his working life, retiring out of the Ford Utica Trim plant.

Back to Flying

After Paul immigrated into the United States, he checked into getting his pilot’s license. The bush pilot Paul worked for never had him keep a pilot’s logbook, so there was no record of his time in the air. Paul had to start over. Lessons were easy because he knew how to fly, he just had to master landing on solid ground.

Pilots must learn navigation and weather patterns, plus cloud types and cloud levels for flight. Paul can look down the road when driving and recognize rain that is coming down but not reaching the ground. He can also see it ahead and predict the time the vehicle will drive into it. Navigational training allows him to know the direction he is driving based on the sun.

Paul purchased his own plane, a Cessna 177 RG (RG means retractable gear) and served as an adult member on the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The Civil Air Patrol is an Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that was founded in 1941 to mobilize civilian aviation resources for the national defense.

Cessna 177 RC — Cessna 177 RG
Photo obtained off Internet

Paul underwent training in CAP to fly both counter drug operations and search and rescue. He enjoyed his time working on missions, which often ran one to two weeks at a time. He also volunteered his time working with CAP cadets, taking them up in his plane for a ride or assisting at special cadet outings. The CAP has the same officer ranks as the Air Force, and by the time Paul retired from service he had achieved the rank of Major.

Paul’s love of aeronautics led him to volunteer his time at the air show held each year in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He worked in the sound center manning the sound control for the music and announcers during the air show. This required balancing the voice and music, plus timing the music for the air acrobatics of the plane.

Paul learned to be prepared for the unexpected. A woman was narrating her husband’s performance when his plane crashed. Her reaction was a blood-curdling scream into the microphone. Paul immediately cut the sound.

Paul enjoyed his time at the air show, meeting celebrities and working with pilots to time their music to their performance. It was a week of both work and fun, affording him full access to the air show grounds.

In His Free Time

When Paul was ready to move out of the city, he purchased five acres of property in St. Clair, Michigan and built a home. Paul was the contractor for the job. He ran all electrical wiring in the home and finished the interior. This included building the staircase leading to the second floor and installing all kitchen cabinets and countertops. He did this while working full-time at Ford Motor Company and running Trojan Electric.

In addition to volunteering his time with CAP, Paul participated in a computer club and remains a member of the Blue Water Shutterbugs Camera Club. Paul served as treasurer in both clubs. His photographs are sold on Alamy and Fine Art America, and for several years he sold them in fine art shows. Paul spent several years teaching photography, originally in a classroom setting, then one-on-one. He customized lessons to fit his student’s needs, including how to operate a camera, how to take better photographs, and how to process photos in Photoshop.

Paul Cannon now lives and travels throughout the United States and Canada in a 35-foot motorhome, towing a Jeep Rubicon. I am lucky to be living and traveling with him on his latest adventures. We enjoy visiting new places and navigating off-road trails. We produce videos of our adventures and share them on our YouTube Channel, Rolling Thru North America, Travel With US!

Not Smart Enough?

Can you imagine if Paul had only been “smart enough” for college what he might have done with his life? Maybe it is a good thing he did not attend a 4-year college. Paul may have not been ‘smart enough” in his principal’s eyes, but what he has accomplished in his 78 years of life has been diverse and interesting.

Writer’s Note: This was originally written entirely from memory based on information I garnered from Paul over the past six years. After publication Paul read the above and advised me of some minor corrections needing to be made. Those changes have been made and the writing is now accurate.

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Tagged as air plane, alamy, aviation, beaver, blue water shutterbugs camera club, boarding house, bush pilot, Canada, CAP, cessna 177 rc, citizens air patrol, college, computer club, counter drug operations, economy, electrition, Fine Art America, flight, ford motor company, Full Time RV, governor romney, ham radio, immigration, inglis falls, install, jouneymans license, lessons, lifeguard, masters license, morgan electric, Ontario, owens sound, photography, pittsburgh glass works, pontoon plane, radio college, rolling thru north america travel with us, search and rescue, swim instructor, toronto, trojan electric, university, x-ray machines

November 9, 2020 · 4:54 pm

Looking Ahead Seven Years

It is often said, plan for your future. Everyone is supposed to have a 5-year plan and a 10-year plan. I recently read something that asked where you anticipate your life being in seven years.

Strange number, but what the heck. What will your life be like in 2027? What do I anticipate for mine?

I know things can change on a moment’s notice. The best laid plans change and before you know it you are doing things you did not anticipate, living in a manner you did not anticipate. Where will the next seven years take me?

LOOKING BACK

I started by thinking back seven years, to 2013. At that time, I was married, working full time as a paralegal, and my husband, Ron, and I had applied to adopt our granddaughters that had been taken by CPS.

Between then and now CPS fought the adoption and won, the children were adopted by strangers. My husband developed cancer and lost the battle in December 2015. At that point I thought I would need to remain working full-time until retirement age. My plans included downsizing into a condo or smaller home.

I had begun putting that into motion when in 2019 I had the opportunity to come on board with Paul. I retired out of my full-time job as a paralegal and hit the road.

I now live full-time in a motor home traveling throughout the United States and Canada with Paul. I work part-time ghost-writing blogs and selling my photography online through Fine At America. Paul and I have a YouTube Channel, Rolling Thru North America Travel With US! about our adventures.

So, where will I be seven years from now?

LOOKING FORWARD

Seven years from now I hope we still be traveling, but it is possible we may decide to settle somewhere. I hope to travel as long as possible. There is a long list of places I have never been and would love to see. By 2027 hopefully most have been crossed off the list.

If we are still rolling on four wheels, great. If the majority of my time is not spent on travel I may be living somewhere in a park model. Why a park model? Because RV parks are active, people come and go, and there are lots of activities. They do not have the seclusion of a house or condo.

I assume I will still be ghost-writing blogs as a part-time income. It is fun, interesting, and a good source of remote income. Seven years from now I will not only be doing that, I will also be doing regular freelance work writing articles for magazines and doing copy-writing for businesses.

I began a book a few years back then stopped working on it when life got chaotic. Seven years from now I will be a published author of that book, and possibly others. I am hoping it brings knowledge to the country about the way CPS destroys families. It is a sad reality of this country.

Seven years from now I will still be shooting photographs and selling them on Fine Art America, just like I do now. I will be processing thousands of photographs taken during my travels that I never found time to work with. My online gallery will have grown from 1,000+ to 7,000+ photos. The YouTube Channel, Rolling Thru North America Travel With US! that Paul and I started in 2020 will have several thousand subscribers and we will still be uploading videos of our travels onto it.

The big clincher, seven years from now I will reach my full retirement age. Will I have already taken my social security, will I apply then, or will I decide to wait and take it at age 70? Time will tell. That is something that will be determined based on my circumstances as time goes by.

So where will I be seven years into the future? Pretty much where I am now. Traveling, writing, and taking photographs. I am enjoying life, why change it?

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Tagged as 7-year plan, adoption, cancer, copywriting, downsizing, freelance writing, Full-Time RV, future, ghost-writing, goals, looking back, motor home, opportunities, paralegal, photography, plans, retirement, rv parks, social security, travel

October 25, 2020 · 11:09 am

5 Problems With Social Media

The most frequent use of our phones is social media. The average person picks up their phone 58 times per day, which includes sending or looking at text messages, checking email, placing calls, playing games, and social media. The total daily time spent on smart phones averages between three hours fifteen minutes to four and a half hours on their phone every day.

Social media is addictive. I became multi-connected for the purpose of promoting my photography and writing. The most addictive for many is Facebook, with a few others close behind.

What are the problems with social media? Let’s take a look.

1. Addiction

Social media is used for everything from personal connections to business promotions. It has become a necessity of life. The problem is many people are unable to walk away from it, even for a short period of time. Those are the addicts.

You see them everywhere. Have you ever been in a restaurant where people are sitting at a table together, but everyone is on their phone? Why are they unable to put down their phones and converse with each other?

We all know people who if you make a comment and tag them, they respond immediately regardless of whether it is morning, night, or the middle of their workday. They can’t resist the “ping” that tells them they have a notification for something.

Addiction came to my attention recently when I responded to a political question on Facebook. The poster said, “you didn’t answer within 12 hours.” She had a time limit on when anyone could give an answer!

That shows she is addicted to social media and assumes everyone else lives their lives wrapped up in it as well. I hadn’t looked at Facebook posts within that amount of time so my answer was, to her, invalid due to being “late.”

I will admit, I sometimes will “share” things to Facebook without going into the program, so I probably fall into a posting habit trap.

2. Brain Saturation

Social media is a means of sharing information that 50 years ago no one cared about. Do we really need to know that someone is out to dinner and where? Do we need to see a photograph of what they cooked for dinner? Is it important we know they got their hair cut, had a pedicure, got new glasses or went to the doctor?

That is there life, not ours. This is the type of useless information we now know about everyone we are connected to. We are all guilty of sharing those tidbits at least part of the time. Probably now more than ever due to social distancing orders. Social media is now providing us with human connections that we are unable to get on a more personal level.

3. Lack of Face-to-Face Interaction

While this is a benefit during the Covid-19 pandemic, it also creates social distancing. Zoom meetings are a wonderful way of connecting from the comfort of your own home, and remote work is great, especially when you live on the road as I do. The concern is whether we will become withdrawn from society as a whole.

Will face-time phone calls replace getting together? Will we remain socially distanced by having our conferences and meetings held remotely, or will we return to in-person gatherings that require more forethought and planning? Hopefully it will become a combination of the two.

I think the virtual meetings have benefits. There are those who are unable to make it to in-person meetings due to health or distance. Those virtual meetings add personal human connections to their lives. However I also think nothing can replace in-person interactions we have without the assistance of a computer or phone.

4. Cyber-Bullies

Social media brings out the hostility in people. When you are not looking at someone face-to-face it is much easier to be rude. This has happened frequently during the presidential race, most likely inspired by our own president using social media to cyber-bully everyone from people in his own administration to leaders of foreign nations.

I have been called racist, old, a murderer (when discussing right-to-choose re abortion), idiot, ignorant, etc. all because of my political views. Would those same people have said those things to my face? Most likely not. Have I said things on social media I most likely would not have said in person? Yes.

The point is, social media provides a protective barrier that allows people to let down their guard and be rude to people in a way they otherwise would not be. This is especially true because the majority of people are connected through groups, etc. to people they never have and probably never will see in person. If you wouldn’t say it in person, you shouldn’t say it on social media.

5. Personal Privacy

There are people that post all their personal issues online. If they have a fight with their spouse, it is out there. If they have an encounter with someone at the grocery store, they rant about it online. Have a dispute with your neighbor, it is out there for the world to see. Your child runs into a problem at school, everyone on Facebook knows about it.

People have lost their desire to keep private matters private. They no longer consult with their best friend for support, they now post it on social media for 200 of their closest acquaintances to chime in on and/or share with their social media acquaintances.

Everyone should give consideration to the delicacy of the information they are sharing about their personal relationships prior to posting.

So Where are We Now?

Social media is here to stay. We are a cyber-connected world now, and if you haven’t embraced it thus far, eventually you will be forced into it. The world revolves around our ability to be online for banking, paying bills, work, and communicating.

What social media platforms are you connected to? What are your favorites? What is it you like about them? Enjoy cyber-life, but don’t forget about real life in the process.

My Social Media Platforms:

I invite you to check out some of my pages and subscribe to my blog and/or YouTube channel.

Facebook Photography Page – I share photographs I have available for sale, sometime videos I have posted onto YouTube, and other tidbits of information on my Times Gone By Photography Facebook page.

Facebook Grace Grogan, Writer Page – Where I share links the genealogy column I write for The Lakeshore Guardian, links to my blogs that are posted here on WordPress, and other things connected to writing.

Fine Art America – this is the place to view all my photographs I have available for sale, which can also be placed on various items such as shower curtains, throw pillows, mugs, beach towels, tote bags, etc.

Fine Art America – Ron Grogan – This is the page my deceased husband had for viewing and selling his photography, which I continue to manage

Pinterest – a collection of tidbits, including links to my writing and photography

LinkedIn – my business profile, I also share my photography, blogs and genealogy column here. https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-grogan-0870a433/

WordPress – this is where you will find my personal blog, Life is a Melting Pot

Instagram – This is where I post photos, mostly pictures taken with my cell phone or older photos from the past.

Twitter – I am not a frequent user, but do share my videos, photographs, and blog here. https://twitter.com/glgrogan?s=03

YouTube Channel – Rolling Thru North America Travel With US! is a joint page with Paul Cannon and contains videos and slide shows of our travels throughout North America.

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May 25, 2020 · 1:30 pm

DOCUMENT YOUR PART IN HISTORY

I look around, the place has more people than normal for this time of year, but it is still pretty well emptied out. Why wouldn’t it be? Who wants to stay where the summer temperatures go as high as 120° Fahrenheit?

Yet, here I am. Our original plan was to leave here at the beginning of April and visit several national parks and scenic areas through several states before heading to Michigan to visit family. Then head south and west again, hitting Sault Lake City and Colorado Springs for photography and RV conferences before going for a three-month stay on South Padre Island, Texas, followed by winter back here in Yuma, Arizona.

Those plans have been crushed by the Coronavirus shutdowns. We have extended our stay here in Yuma until at least August 3^rd. We are trying to secure reservations in Michigan for somewhere between mid-August to early October, but so far have not had any luck. The state is still locked down and the few campgrounds that are open do not have long-term spots available.

Time will tell if we travel, where we will be, and when we will get there. When you live full-time in an RV, campgrounds are an essential part of life.

We are living through an event that will be written about in history books. Have you recorded your stay-at-home location and changes in lifestyle? Have you noted the schools closing, people doing work-at-home because businesses closed, hospitals overrun with patients, people wearing face masks and gloves to protect those around them?

If you have young children, have you recorded their thoughts on what is going on around them? These are memories that may be forgotten over time but will be important to future generations.

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Paul and I are hanging tight in Yuma, Arizona. I walked around the park and took snapshots of the camp, documenting the place that was full when we arrived in February and is now almost empty. A lot of the people here in the winter are Canadian snowbirds who were ordered to return to Canada in March or lose medical insurance due to the pandemic.

So where are you? Have you documented the event? Leave me your comments below.

Stay Safe!

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Filed under Activities, assumptions, backyard, Canada, communication, Coping, decisions, Discoveries, environmental, exploration, flowers, Full-Time RV, home, impressions, Life Changing, Life is a Melting Pot, memoir, Michigan, reality, spring, summer, time, tourism, travel, winter

Tagged as Arizona, camp, canadian snowbirds, cancada, children, colorado springs, cornoavirous, document, face masks, gloves, history, history books, location, locked down, Michigan, national parks, park, people, photograph, photography, plans, record history, record thoughts, RV, sault lake city, shutdowns, South Padre Island, stay-at-home, summer, Texas, travel, Yuma

January 3, 2020 · 10:22 am

Twists and Turns

We all experience them from time-to-time. The twists and turns of life created by things we aren’t expecting or choices we make. It is what we make of them that determines our destiny and happiness.

My life was a whirlwind of twists and turns for several years, with the culmination being my decision to sell my home and the bulk of my possessions, leave my job prior to being of retirement age, and live and travel on the road full time in a motor home. LIFE IS A MATTER OF CHOICES

When I made that decision I knew I would need to find some type of remote work. I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a spousal pension from my deceased husband and some savings/investments to help me float through the beginning of this, but not enough to sustain me long-term. I plan to live a long time and my investments need to support me in old age! Income on the road is a must.

I have always loved writing, and one of my goals when I set off on this was to expand my writing career. When you travel throughout the United States and Canada, travel articles for magazines is a good possibility. The income generated from that is not steady enough to support this new lifestyle, and so I continued looking for part-time remote work.

I applied for and was accepted on a contractual basis to be part of a pool that writes ad-scripts for radio advertising. This is giving me some good experience, but is more of a pocket-change job than a lucrative career, so I continued looking.

I joined The Barefoot Writer, then signed up for a course on becoming a copywriter with American Writers and Artists, Inc. I had not even started the course when two days later I received a response to another contractual job I had applied for and have now accepted to write marketing blogs for various companies.

As part of a pool of copywriters I am obligated to complete five assignments per week. This includes research and writing a marketing blog that meets the clients specifications and the company’s QC requirements. I look at this as a wonderful opportunity to make money while that is compatible with the instruction I am getting from my copywriting course.

I’m sure the time spent learning to juggle work, class, travel, and photography in a time-efficient manner will leave me twisting and turning. Now, if you are a long-time reader of this blog you know that I am a photographer and sell my work on Fine Art America. I am also looking to expand my sales avenues for my photography, so add another matter to my juggling act.

I am starting off 2020 with a juggling numerous things that are the culmination of the twists and turns of my life. Here’s to what should be a very interesting year!

Please comment: What are the twists and turns you are juggling? What are your plans for 2020?

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Tagged as 2020, American Writers and Artists Inc., copywriting, Fine Art America, Full-Time RV, happiness, life, motor home, photography, The Barefoot Writer, turns, twists

June 17, 2018 · 6:26 pm

Dreams + Action = Reality

How often we have a dream of something…a place to travel, an advancement in career, weight loss, or a lifestyle change. Often whatever that dream may be seems so far off in the distance that we feel it is unachievable. The problem is that we fail to create a plan of action. Without a plan the dream is impossible, because without action the reality of the dream will never be achieved.

Some people formulate plans in their head. Other people, like me, make lists and cross things off as accomplished. Some are able to just dive in and start working without a plan of action. Whatever works for you is fine, as long as it works. Too often when a task seems overwhelming it is easy to let it slide; even if you have the list you never act on it. Other times set-backs can throw us off balance or cause a backwards slide. When that happens get your footing and push forward.

The Distance between dreams and reality I am dealing with dreams in various aspects of my life, and the reality is I have been slow in taking action, but every small step I make gives me a feeling of accomplishment and the desire to push forward….I just need to start doing it at a faster pace!

Each of my dreams deals with a different part of my life. Each has a different game plan. Each will be worked on and accomplished at different speeds, and some may need to be put on hold while I push to accomplish others. That is okay. Even putting some on hold can be part of the overall plan of action. The important part is to act on the plan.

So, what are my Dreams + Action = Reality goals?

Asset Control: This sounds strange, but I have inheritance money and/or assets that have not yet been distributed to me and I need to take whatever steps necessary so that all items are under my control. I also have property and a motor home that I want to sell and need to push stronger to get those sales accomplished. Once I have achieved those things, my asset control goal will be accomplished and I will be able to better fund my investments for a higher yield, which has a direct effect on my retirement funds.

Downsizing: I decided some time ago that I need to downsize, and I have talked about it quite a bit, but the “action” part has been slow in coming. This is most likely because it will be a tremendous change. I will have to get rid of an overwhelming amount of items accumulated over a 34 year marriage, sell move from my 4-bedroom colonial with the plan to purchase a 2-3 bedroom ranch-style condominium. I am finding the action part is both time consuming and somewhat emotional as I will need to part with numerous possessions. However, after cleaning out my parent’s home following their demise and having listened to several friends also go through the same thing, I realize that the majority of this stuff is not anything my kids are going to want and is just taking up space. This is my number one priority and the first “dream” I have to make a “reality”.

Retirement: Being a widow retirement can be very close, within the next three years, or in the distant future. My full-retirement age of 67 is still ten years away. My goal is to land somewhere in the middle, around age 62-63. I know I cannot afford to stay in this house once I retire, and so the push to downsize is a necessity as much as a desire. The sooner I downsize the faster I can save more money toward my retirement dreams and/or another dream.

Travel: There are a lot of places I have not been to but want to see, both in this country and others. While working I want to start taking short trips and seeing a bit of the country. Once I retire I want to be able to travel much more extensively. I am even debating whether I want to go ahead and fulfill a prior dream my deceased husband and I had…full time RV. A friend of mine just started on his adventure, and in helping him get ready to head out I felt the desire come back to hit the road myself. I have learned that there are a lot of women driving Class A motor homes and towing vehicles, living the full-time life all by themselves If they can do it, why can’t I. Time will tell.

Writing and Photography: These are both things I do now, but my life has been rather hectic the past few years and I do not have as much time for either of these areas as I would like. I hope that once I have downsized, and most definitely once retired, that I can devote a considerable amount of time to both of these areas. I have a book started that I plan to finish and other ideas bouncing around in my head for additional books.

As you read this you may have realized that my dreams are related to each other. I need financial control of all my assets to achieve my other goals financially. I need to complete the downsizing prior to retirement. I need to retire to obtain more time for writing, photography, and travel. Dreams + Action = Reality. I better get busy!

I hope that while reading this you have started to formulate dreams and plans for action in your head. What are your dreams? I would love to hear about them in the comment section below.

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Tagged as accomplishment, action, asset control, downsizing, dreams, Dreams + Action = Reality, formulate, life, photography, plan, reality, retirement, travel, work, writing

March 1, 2018 · 9:12 am

Cycle Through Life

As we go through life we develop habits, a way of doing things. Some of them are our own, some of them are done to accommodate the likes/dislikes of those around us. As we cycle through life those things change.

We develop likes and dislikes, ways of doing things, and personality traits from our parents, grandparents, siblings, other relatives and friends as we are growing. Then we become adults and move away from those we have grown up with. Some move away to attend college, some branch out on their own, living the single life, and others, like me, leave their parent’s home when they marry. Each of those different events will impact the individual person and their overall personality. 51bdc659e738f0ad63064c508af86513

I grew up in a small town far away from distant relatives, I left my parent’s home when I married just before my 21st birthday. With my marriage I moved about two hours away from home. The person I married was not controlling, but he was nine years older and had far more life experiences than I. He had served overseas in the military, been married and had a child, and purchased a home. Looking back I adapted to his way of doing things more-so than he adapted to mine. He paid the bills, serviced the cars, did home repairs, and was the driving force in any major purchases. I was more willing to keep things as they were, to more or less “make do” with what we already had. That is how we lived for 34 years until he passed away in December 2015.

When he passed away I was living on my own for the first time in my life. I spent a couple years in a bit of a vacuum, going through the motions of life without really experiencing it to its fullest. I learned to do things I had never done before, such as yard work, getting cars serviced, and paying bills. You could say in that way I grew during that period of time, but I didn’t really evolve, I simply functioned.

With the help of a friend I began to re-evaluate where I was at and what changes I needed to make. I took a good look at the investments I had, and the company my husband had us with was not making me any money, in fact after paying the service charges I had lost money over the course of the two years since his death. I’m not a math person, but I’m not stupid. I needed a new financial advisor and I followed the recommendation of a friend and made a change. It has been a good one and I feel my financial future has a more positive outlook.

What-you-dont-have-you-may-gain In looking at my investments I also took a good look at my living expenses v. income and realized that while I am making my bills with the assistance of my husband’s life insurance, I can not really consider that “living in the green.” Let’s face it, the life insurance savings won’t last forever, and living month-to-month is not the way I want to spend my retirement. I also realized that I can not retire and continue to live where I am at. The decision, I need to downsize. Now there is a lot of stuff in this house that I must sort, decide what to keep, what to toss, and what to sell. That will take some time. I would like to be out in six months, a year is more realistic, and it may take beyond that. However the longer it takes the more money I am spending on this house that I could be saving or using for more fun things.

Fun things. I am going to do some fun things this year. For the first time in about three years I am going to take a real vacation. I have to admit, once I made the commitment, put down the deposit and booked my airline flights I had some difficulty sleeping for a couple nights, but now I am looking forward to it. My first international flight on my own, I will be flying to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the Calgary Stampede and spending 11 days out there. I have a friend who will meet me in Calgary. We will be staying in his motor home and taking in some of the scenic sights of the area, doing photography in addition to attending the Stampede. It should be an awesome trip and I am looking forward to it.

I have a girl’s weekend planned in Mackinac City. The weekend is a yearly event with my sister and two cousins, and we always change locations to keep it interesting. There is also the possibility of another weekend trip into Canada with a friend, but that one is only tentative at this point. 59caa4c54b27d61f6a921ea8a3146eb4

So, where am I in the cycle of life? I am in a growing stage. I have broken free of the “me” that I was when married and becoming the “me” that I am as a widow. I have started to walk around my house doing a visual inventory. “That was him, it goes.” “That is me, it stays.” Sometimes it is “That was us” and with those items, some will stay and some will go. When I move out of this house it will be a good, clean break and I will be continuing the ride as I cycle through life.

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June 23, 2017 · 12:06 am

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If like me you enjoy taking photographs of flowers and/or nature, this is a wonderful place to visit.

Matthaei has several options to fit everyone’s needs or desires. There are several trails that are open sunrise to sunset seven days a week, plus the conservatory, garden store, lobby and display gardens are open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Admission is free; they do have a donation box inside the conservatory, and there is a reasonable parking fee of only $1.50 per hour or a maximum of $5.00 per day. With the size of the venue I opted to pay the daily rate immediately. _DSC6631

I arrived at 8:30 am. It was quiet, with only a few people quietly walking out onto some of the trails. I grabbed my camera and tripod and decided to walk the Sue Reichert Discovery Trail, which circles Willow Pond. This trail is only 4/10 of a mile, which they estimate to be a ten minute walk. I meandered slowly, taking pictures and stretched it into almost an hour, taking time to sit down a couple times on benches that were available.

The difference in time is whether you walk like the average person or walk like a nature photographer, skimming the area for possible subjects to photograph. Doing so can make a fast walk take quite a while and is why I prefer to partake in such places either alone or with other photographers who understand the time frame needed to fully enjoy the area.

I decided to do the outside gardens first, and in looking over the map not only did I not go up into the Children’s Garden, but I also missed the Perenial Garden, Grower’s Garden, MiSo House and Bonsai and Penjing Garden. I started in the Gateway Garden, a relaxing spot with benches, rocking chairs and fountains. I took photographs of flowers there, in the Marie Azary Bock Garden and in the Sitting Gardens before meandering down the Commons, which are bordered by two other gardens on the east and bench seating on the west.

The commons leads you into the Alexandra Hicks Herb Knot Garden. Here you will find chipmunks scampering back and forth amongst the plants and sometimes climbing up on them as well, but trying to capture them in a photo is difficult. They are quick little guys! Once I completed my photo rounds of the herb garden I strolled between that and the perennial garden and went through a vine/plant covered tunnel which led to the opening of the children’s garden. I had the option of going up into the children’s garden or taking a nature trail around the children’s garden. What I opted to do was take a short trail not shown on the map into the Oak Openings Garden.

There was nothing to attract my photographer’s eye in the Oak Openings Garden with the exception of wild strawberry plants that had begun bearing fruit. It was the bright red of the fruit that grabbed my eye as I looked down to scan the ground for photo subjects. I followed the trail through the Upland Woodland Garden and across into the Wet Woodland Garden. Unfortunately the hot weather we had been having left nothing wet, it was, on that day, better termed a dry woodland. Nothing caught my eye for photographs, so I proceeded into the Great Lakes Garden, which led me into one end of the Prairie Gardens, then the Coastal Gardens and back up where I started in the Gateway Garden. Unfortunately a group was there partaking in the rocking chairs or I would have grabbed one for a nice relaxing break.

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By now I had been wandering for a few hours and decided to take a snack break before visiting the Conservatory. One thing to keep in mind, the conservatory does not sell meals, only a limited selection of snack food, candy and beverages. If you plan to be at Matthaei Botanical Gardens for several hours you may want to consider packing a cooler with beverages and lunch or snack food. I had not planned that far in advance, so I purchased a small trail mix and flavored water. There are one or two small tables where you can sit inside to consume your snack, and there are also tables available outside on the deck. Food and beverages are not allowed inside the conservatory.

The Conservatory has three main areas, the Tropical House, the Temperate House and the Desert House. Here you will find many plants and blooms to view and/or photograph. On this day there was a water Lilly in full bloom, Cocoa trees, pineapples growing, sausage trees with their “fruit” hanging in abundance, and numerous other flowers and plants. The Desert House has the majority of their cactus growing in raised display beds, making it easy to enjoy and photograph the wide variety. I’m sure this was also done to preserve the fingers of little ones who may be touring with their parents. Some of those cactus spines are pretty long and wicked looking!

I spent about five hours touring the trail, gardens and conservatory, and I didn’t see it all. Keep in mind I was walking slow, took several rest breaks on the numerous benches that are available throughout the property, and was taking photographs. The average person might tour it at a much faster pace.

I would like to go back and walk some of the trails I chose to skip, plus with anything growing outside the gardens and trails are a constantly changing canvas with growing seasons and weather. If going they do recommend appropriate footwear for walking the natural areas and that you stay on paths due to poisonous plants such as poison sumac and poison ivy growing in natural areas. The Massauga rattlesnake also inhabits the area. I did not encounter any slithering reptiles, but did enjoy the “music” of unseen frogs as I walked around the pond.

If you are in the Ann Arbor area I highly recommend a visit to University of Michigan’s Mattaei Botanical Gardens.

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Tagged as attractions, cactus, children, conservatory, desert, flowers, gardens, herbs, Mattaei Botanical Gardens, nature, perenial, photography, plants, tourism, tourist attraction, trails, tropical, University of Michigan, wildlife

January 19, 2017 · 11:14 pm

Playing With Wine

I needed a still life photo for the monthly competition in the Blue Water Shutterbugs Camera Club. and with limited mobility I had to utilize what I had on hand…a wine basket I received as a Christmas gift. It was a fun time setting up and shooting the photographs, with both good and bad moments:

The Good: The French wine, Lindt chocolate, my wine glasses and fresh raspberries went together nicely to create a still life image.

The Bad: I had to open a bottle of wine to put in the glasses for the shoot (well, maybe this has some secondary good to it).

The Good: I used Leelenau Cellers Raspberry wine instead of the higher alcohol content of the French wine I received as a gift.

The Bad: I had to drink the opened wine after the photo shoot, and with little food in my stomach I was feeling pretty good (maybe that isn’t a bad thing, a little buzz can be fun).

The Good: I really like the raspberry wine, which smells like fresh raspberries when you uncork it, and at least had the forethought to put some dinner in the oven.

The Bad: While doing the shoot and re-arranging the set-up one of the glasses tipped over, spilling wine on my table.

The Good: It was the glass with the least amount of wine in it, and the spill gave me an alternative set-up to try.

The Bad: With red wine there is always the risk of it staining, and I was leaving it spilled on the table to take the additional photos.

The Good: No stains!

The Bad: I was having so much fun I took way more photographs than I needed.

The Good: I enjoyed the time spent shooting and ended up with a usable photo for the competition.

The Bad: I drank the entire bottle of wine….do I have to count the calories?

The Good: The photo was well received when judged.

The Bad: Now I’m itching to go out and shoot more pictures, which wouldn’t be bad if I wasn’t so grounded waiting for my ankle to recover.

The Good: It is in my future!

Motto of the Story:
Have a Good Day, Drink a Little Wine, Shoot a Few Pictures and Enjoy Life!

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Tagged as chocolate, French, Lindt's, photo shoot, photography, raspberries, spill, stain, still life, wine

June 2, 2016 · 12:14 am

Traveling Solo

Memorial Weekend was not the first time I have ever traveled solo, but it is the first time I have done so since the passing of my husband in December 2015. It was a good trip. It was a fun trip. It was a relaxing trip. It was a lonely trip. Rather than elaborate in paragraph form, I decided to do a list of bullets, highlights various activities, thoughts, and observations.

Destination Sault Ste. Marie via Newberry, Michigan. For those who do not know, these cities are in Michigan’s upper peninsula and are a 5-1/2 to 6 hour drive from my home.
Even though I set the cruise control at 74 instead of my normal 85 I still made the trip in the projected six hour time frame going to Newberry on Saturday morning, and that included two stops along the way. I made it home from Sault Ste. Marie in 5-1/2 hours on Monday with three stops along the way.
For those of you who do not know, I have a son in Newberry Correctional Facility and was going to visit him. I was very surprised to find that it was not busy at all with visitors. I had anticipated a wait due to the holiday weekend, but was pleasantly surprised to find I could get in right away.
Stopping along a two-lane road near a wooded area in the upper peninsula to shoot, from a distance, a large group of trilliums results in an attack of nats, no-seeums, or baby flies (I was told they were all three of those things). The invasion was so intense that just getting in and out of my car resulted in a large quantity inside, which I was then rolling down the window and trying to shoo out as I drove away. Maybe it would have been better had I not been wearing perfumed lotion?
Trilliums along roadway. Photo by Grace Grogan, Copyright 2016.
Drinking a margarita with my meal resulted in me going from being a good tipper to an exceptionally generous tipper, but I’m sure the waiter was happy.
Having a GPS in the car is great, especially when it tells you your hotel is in one spot, which is a hotel under construction. After placing a phone call you find out your hotel is about 1/2 a mile farther down the road and on the opposite side of the road. However it did have a handy landmark – across the street from Walmart, and next to the State Police post. Hmmmm, I never once saw a State Police vehicle the entire time I was there.
No-leak ice pacs will create a puddle in your fabric insulated lunch box if they thaw completely and will leave a stream behind you when you attempt to carry it.
On Sunday morning all the country music stations, actually almost all the radio stations in general, are either talk shows or church sermons/music. I found a rock station out of Traverse City/Kalkaska playing music, so of course I had to crank it up and dance my way from Sault Ste. Marie to Newberry for my second day of visiting with Patrick.
My favorite place for breakfast in Newberry had several new books by local authors, but I only selected and purchased one. That is what I most often buy when I travel, books written about the area in which I am visiting and/or by local authors. I also purchased a book in a gift shop in Sault Ste. Marie by another local author.
It is great to discover that your cousins from the Traverse City area happen to be visiting Newberry as well and you are able to get together for an impromptu dinner and chat for a couple hours.
I am a chicken when it comes to setting up my tripod and taking photos in the dark on an unlit street when by myself in an area with which I am not familiar when by myself. I never gave it a thought when Ron was with me.
The International Bridge looks awesome at night lit up in red, white, and blue, but I have no pictures (please refer to my previous post above).
At America’s Best Value Inn an accessible room is truly accessible. When I am staying at a location where I am unsure on whether or not they have elevators I will book an accessible room to make sure I am not climbing stairs alone with my suitcase, etc. (I have a very bad ankle). Usually “accessible” is a room that is on the main floor or not far from the lobby or elevator, but beyond that nothing unusual. The one in Sault Ste. Marie was wheelchair accessible, had a wooden floor, a fully wheelchair accessible shower, and a raised toilet seat. Of course the best part was a king size bed, which I had all to myself.
I greatly overestimated how much time I would have in the room to read and/or write and packed way more items than needed.
The Tower of History in Sault Ste. Marie provides a nice view of the entire city and locks. There is a small museum on the main level.

There is an island, Sugar Island, that is accessed by ferry that would be interesting to explore on a future trip. It is inhabited by a small amount of people and also houses some businesses, but is also supposed to have nature areas.
It is hard to access and walk the areas near the water and locks when downtown. The park where the locks are located is gated, has a security entrance, and closes at 9:00 pm. The park itself is quite large and features two stories of viewing platforms for watching ships/boats go through the locks. Unfortunately I missed seeing any go through.
Lockview Restaurant has very good fresh whitefish that can be ordered done in five different methods. I chose broiled and it was very good.
Patrick informed me that Street Outlaws is an awesome program. Monday night was a season premier that was two hours long. I did enjoy the parts I saw, but unfortunately fell asleep and missed a good portion of the races. It was rather cool that they were racing Detroit in that episode.
My ankle is impacting my decisions on what I do or do not do, which means it is affecting my day-to-day quality of life. If it does not improve by fall I think I will need to go in for a consultation with my surgeon and likely have an ankle fusion done over the winter. As someone who is terrified of surgery, that statement and acceptance of the likely need is huge.
I am a much more conscientious spender when traveling alone than I was with Ron. This does not mean I was previously a spender by nature, quite the contrary. I was and am more likely to put off doing things, whereas Ron was always more likely and willing to buy or do whatever he or I wanted and figure out how to pay for it later. I guess he was either a good influence or a bad influence, depending on how you look at it.
Sault Ste. Marie and International Bridge. Photo by Grace Grogan, Copyright 2016.
I need to plan a longer stay to do and see some things I want in Sault Ste. Marie.
Buying a bag of fresh on sale at the fudge shop is good. Munching on it to stay awake all the way home and in the process eating the entire bag is not. I had a miserable stomach ache later to remind me not to make that mistake again!

Overall I had a fun time this weekend. I managed to traverse the city at night without getting myself horribly lost. I forgot to take my book with me for the times I was dining, so utilized social media to keep myself entertained instead. My first weekend trip as a widow was fun. It was relaxing. It was lonely. The next one will be better.

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Filed under decisions, exploration, habit, handicapp, Holidays, impressions, Life Changing, Life is a Melting Pot, Photography, travel, Upper Penninsula

Tagged as activities, Grace Grogan, life, Life is a Melting Pot, memoir, Michigan, photography, travel, vacation, writing

April 21, 2016 · 10:51 pm

Shall We Elope?

Life spins and churns, twists and turns, and in the process dreams are born, moments cherished, and desire becomes reality. Such is the case with a friend of mine who after spending more than twenty years widowed and single married the man of her dreams.

Wedding wishes, preparation, anticipation, and anxiety all come into play when anyone gets married. We are used to watching young people plan big, elaborate weddings, and there is excitement in that type of a “production.” This was different. It was two adults with children and grandchildren planning a small, simple, elopement with tidbits of details that added to the fun and uniqueness of this blending of their lives.

Planning to have an outdoor wedding in Michigan during the month of April is always gutsy. They decided they wanted to get married on the covered bridge in Frankenmuth, a popular location that is a unique, small town atmosphere and also a popular tourist destination. Being that it was two hours from home they needed to search and find a pastor to perform the service. They checked on use of the covered bridge, booked a motel and made arrangements for early check-in, arranged for a second witness, and made plans for photo locations.

Then a week before the date the couple held their breath when snow crept over the state. All was not lost. The day of the wedding was warm and sunny, comfortable for the bride in her sleeveless dress, a bit warm for the groom in his suit. A perfect day, perfect weather.

Vicki held to tradition. The morning of the wedding I received a text message asking if I had something she could borrow. She had the something old, something new, and something blue. She wore a bracelet that belonged to me for her something borrowed. I attended the event and served as witness/matron of honor and photographer.

I met Mark and Vicki at their motel and after Mark dressed and I had taken a couple shots of Vicki helping him with his tie, he left to meet us at the bridge. I helped Vicki with her dress, we took a few preparation shots, and I was shown a gift she had purchased for her new husband. It was fun, girly, and relaxing all at the same time. We arrived on location to find Mark chatting with the pastor and her husband.

Vicki and Mark - the way a wedding should be, happy and relaxed. Photo by Grace Grogan, copyright 2016.

Photos by Grace Grogan, copyright 2016

Vicki had been worried about finding an appropriate dress, but she did and made the purchase. Then after reflection decided there was nothing wrong with her purchase, but it lacked the pizazz that one wants for their wedding day. She kept looking and ended up with a lady-like, age appropriate, knock-him-off-his-feet dress. How do I know, because I was walking with them and Mark looked over at Vicki and said “you look good, you look really good!” He was right, she did.

Rather than use the bridge, which was dark and cool, for their ceremony they opted to stand near the water overlooking the bridge. Prior to vows the groom, who is in a band, sang to the bride. Vows were spoken, rings exchanged, and of course the traditional kiss. The marriage license was signed, then they posed for a few photographs before we went to lunch.

When in Frankenmuth the tradition is to go for chicken dinner. Traditions are made to be broken, and when you have a small elopement instead of a over-the-top wedding, plans can be adjusted on a moments notice. How many brides and grooms do you know who have their wedding dinner in a tiny Mexican restaurant? Well I know one, and it was great. They were even presented with a huge, free fried ice cream because it was their special day.

After lunch we shot a few more photographs and then the happy couple went for a horse-drawn carriage ride around town. The end of a perfect day leading into a perfect night, and the beginning of a perfect union of marriage.

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Filed under celebration, decisions, events, Family, impressions, Life Changing, Life is a Melting Pot, marriage, spring

Tagged as bride, ceremony, covered bridge, elope, elopement, Frankenmuth, groom, Life is a Melting Pot, Mexican, Michigan, photography, water, wedding

March 24, 2016 · 10:31 pm

My First Easter

It is funny how traditions with couples and/or families develop over years. What is crucial to one couple is unimportant to another. Being the first year without my husband, people anticipate that certain dates may be hard, such as Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. However those were “Hallmark” holidays that Ron and I rarely paid attention to, so my first year solo on those dates causes me no emotional stress.

This is my first Easter alone. The weekend looms ahead of me like some dreaded dark cavern. Why? Because that is a weekend Ron and I generally did things. For years when our kids were growing up we would drive to Belle Isle and visit the Aquarium and Whitcomb Conservatory. There were years we traveled, years we stayed home. Generally we were out and about at least one of the two days taking pictures. Once we had grandchildren we put together Easter baskets for the children and had an egg hunt inside our house. Easter has always been a fun weekend for us.

This year I have no one to share those things with. My daughter, her boyfriend and her three children will be over on Sunday for the kids to get their Easter baskets from me, but not until around 7:00 pm because her oldest son is spending the holiday weekend with his father. I have contemplated driving down to Belle Isle, driving around my area to take photos, or just staying home to clean and organize. To a certain degree weather and the condition of a sore ankle will play into those decisions. I don’t feel enthusiastic about any of it.

Building a new life takes adjustment. It means accepting change. Maintaining tradition. Letting tradition go. Freedom to make changes. Keeping things the same. Doing things you’ve always done. Doing things you never did. Building a new normal.

As I spend my first Easter alone creating whatever will become a new tradition, a new normal, I hope all of you have a fun-filled weekend doing whatever it is that makes Easter weekend special for you and your loved ones.

HIPPITY HOPPITY HAPPY EASTER DAY!

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Filed under celebration, Coping, Family, habit, home, Life Changing, Life is a Melting Pot, marriage, memoir, spring

Tagged as activities, adjustment, celebration, Easter, family, first, Grace Grogan, habit, holiday, life, Life is a Melting Pot, photography, tradition, travel

February 17, 2016 · 10:37 pm

35 Years of Shooting

Planning the Celebration of my husband, Ron Grogan’s life includes a slide show presentation. My best friend, Vicki, came to visit and we spent a weekend going through 35 years of albums and photo boxes to come up with a selection of possible photos of Ron for the slide show. My daughter located songs I wanted to use and I put them all together, but there was a glitch. Ron with 150-600 Harsens Island 2015

When I put the three soundtracks and the photos together I ran into a problem of too many photos for the length of music. Then I counted. There were 150 photos beyond the ending of the last song. What a nightmare to cut. Every photo seemed important, at least it was to me. I did cut, and then when I got down to about 25 over I contacted my daughter with the name of another song to add. After that I had to tweak the presentation, adding photos, removing photos, looking for the perfect mix. I still haven’t finalized. I continue to replay the show and make adjustments.

EPSON MFP image

Ron loved life, family and photography, and that is what I wanted to capture. The essence of how he spent his time. It has been, overall, a fun project to do. Years of smiles captured on film. Years of memories, some I had forgotten about. Sometimes you realize the more things change, the more things stay the same.

From the time I met him in 1980, a solid majority of photos of Ron showed him with a camera in his hands. We sold his photographs at arts and crafts shows in 1982-83. Things were different back then. Only on occasion did someone have a tent, most people, us included, just sat up out in the open. Ron hand cut mats in intricate designs for his photos. It was a fun time. We stopped doing art shows once we had our first child in 1984 and didn’t resume selling our photographs until after we moved to St. Clair County in 2004 and jointed the Blue Water Shutterbug Camera Club. However, photography was always a part of our lives. From the time our kids were small we put cameras in their hands, and they grew up taking photos too.

0411 Ron on pictured rocks cruise-1 2014 Ron had a saying, “Change Equals Growth.” As people view the slide show I have put together I hope they see the many changes, the growth that has taken place in Ron’s life. Changes in his camera, clothing, hair length, and hobbies all captured with the wonderful art of photography.

DSC_0532 Train Expo 2014 - Locomotives Wings and Wheels June 2014

EPSON MFP image

EPSON MFP image

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Filed under Life is a Melting Pot, Photography

Tagged as activities, Arts and Crafts, Celebration of Life, hobbies, Memorial Service, photography

August 20, 2015 · 12:21 am

Unable to Shoot–a Photographer’s Dilema

I am a photographer. I have an attachment to my favorite camera, which is a Nikon D750 that I received at Christmas. My husband and I both upgraded to them at the same time. Two weeks ago I was taking a walk and it started giving me a beam of light across all my pictures, then locked up and gave me an ERR message. A quick check of the owner’s manual on my phone told me that such a message means it must be sent in for repair. What! I have to ship it away!

That is exactly what I did, I took it in to the Camera store to be sent in for a warranty repair. The shutter had locked up. Now every photographer has a backup camera, and I have mine…the D80 I was shooting with prior to the D750. Ron (husband) was leaving for a trip and made sure my batteries for the D80 were charged, and he took one charger with him as he carries a D90 for backup. We weren’t worried about not knowing where the other charger was, as I had my D750 to shoot with anyway. Then it locks up. Now I’m not doing as much shooting because I am trying to preserve battery power.

What I can’t figure out is where the charger went. I swear I will never let that man put away anything important again. One year he handled hiding a Christmas present for our son, we didn’t find it until almost a year later! Now he knows he put the charger in a box, doesn’t remember what box, doesn’t remember where the box went.

So, that is my past two weeks. The frustrations of a photographer who has temporarily lost their favorite camera and is trying to preserve battery power on their back-up as they have no charger. It has to get better from here…

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Filed under hobbies, Photography

Tagged as camera, D750, D80, D90, dilema, lock up, photography, shooting

May 28, 2015 · 9:08 am

Trilium Trek

The trillium is a delicate, small, wildflower that blooms in the spring. They can be found in white, pink, red, and the very rare painted variety. Since 1980 the only sightings of the painted trillium in Michigan have all been within a 30 mile area of St. Clair County.

Knowing that they were in bloom, my husband, Ron, and I went out on a search for painted trillium a couple weeks ago. They are located in a wooded nature area. Although I have not used bug spray in years, when you open the car door and the mosquitoes are coming inside you know precaution is needed.

When you haven’t used bug spray in a while, there are a few pointers to remember.

1. When misting your face make sure you keep your mouth shut — that stuff does not taste good!

2. Spaying the majority of your body does not prevent mosquitoes from finding the spot you missed.

3. You will find out you forgot to spray an area at a most inopportune moment, such as when bent over taking a photograph and one decides to bite you on the backside through your jeans.

4. Evidence of a poor spray job may not become evident for hours, such as when you look in the mirror and realize the small section on the back of your arm from you elbow to wrist is covered in mosquito bites — 27 of them to be exact.

Not that I’m admitting to any of the above, but knowledge does come from experience. Of course a pain-endured labor does have its just rewards. We found all three kinds of trillions, a slug, a toad, and a few other items to photograph. A pleasant morning photographing nature.

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Filed under bugs, flowers, nature, Photography

Tagged as bite, bloom, bug spay, bugs, Michigan, mosquitos, nature, painted trillium, photography, pink trilliium, red trillium, St. Clair County, white trillium, woods

May 14, 2015 · 9:48 am

Living The Quote

We see them on Facebook. Those little “images” of quotes that make you laugh, smile, or remind you of something about yourself or others you know. I love those quotes. I will spend time searching for them on various topics, saving them so I can repost them later. Here are a few thoughts, quote style.

I was born a klutz, there is no other explanation and as a result this quote fits me perfectly. I can live in a house for years yet forget where the walls are and walk right into them. I even walked into a clear glass window at the mall one time, thinking it was the exit from a store. Just like in a TV show, full force impact with the glass, glass shakes, people stare, I feel stupid.

I even fell at my own wedding. I stepped down from the alter, put my foot into the hoop of my wedding gown and although my husband tried to hold me up, it was useless and I went to my knees. Luckily I am the type of person that laughs when embarrassed, so those wedding pictures of me coming down the isle show a huge laughing smile.

I have a best friend who fits this quote perfectly. We live three hours apart and maintain our friendship through occasional get-togethers or phone calls, but the majority of our contact is via email. We became friends in 1978 and have had periods in which contact was almost non-existent, but when we re-connected it was great and we were not at a loss for words.

My husband and I are both photographers, and anything and everything is a photo subject. I believe photographers do have a love for life, and the ability to see beyond what the average person sees.

A non-photographer will take a walk down a path and enjoy the view and nature. The photographer will walk that same path and find small, overlooked objects to photograph. Fungus on a tree, moss on a log, spiders spinning webs or butterflies on weeds. Photographers have a keen eye for seeing what others pass by. I have started out on paths with people I know, but they ended up far ahead of me because I kept stopping to take pictures. A lot of the items I captured with my camera they admitted they never noticed.

Moms have the ability to locate the lost, misplaced, items of life. When my kids were young I would get a call at work, “mom, where is my __________?” You know what the amazing thing is — I usually knew! Why is it they are in the room and/or building where they item they lost is at, but I can find it through a telephone wire faster than they can find it standing in its location? Why? Because I’m a mom!

My husband and I have endured many things throughout our 33 year marriage. Some people know what we have encountered, others have no clue. When I met him he was in the midst of a very nasty divorce, we went through an entire custody trial regarding his daughter, we raised two children with ADHD, children who got into legal trouble, a severely injured grandchild and the dealings with CPS and DHS that followed, our son’s termination of his parental rights, our attempt to adopt our two granddaughters and the battle with DHS, health issues, and multiple other things. A friend once said when you read my Christmas newsletters you have no idea the turmoil that is brewing beneath the surface. I think the quote “walk a mile in my shoes” should be taken to heart with anyone you deal with, because you may not really know what they are coping with below the surface.

I used to ride motorcycle, until an unfortunate accident five years ago made that impossible. I do miss it though, and I think people that have never ridden do not understand what they are missing. it is an intense sense of freedom and relaxation that cannot be met my any other means. I must say this quote reminds me of the times when I have captured a bug in my throat — and why is it always when cruising down an expressway at 70 mph, never on a surface street where you can stop and force it down with some water out of a saddle bag. Swallowing bugs is just one of the side “benefits” of riding motorcycle that does not accompany other fun activities.

I can’t believe I have already shared six quotes, and there are so many more I would like to share that fit into my life. They will have to be saved for another time and place. However I do want to remind my readers of my favorite quote, the one that hangs on the wall in my house, the one on which this entire blog is based.

Never forget that Life is like a camera. The quote that hangs on my wall of this saying is accompanied by photographs that depict each statement, and the display can be seen on this website. Simply click on the link Life is Like A Camera to view it.

If all else fails, search through quotes and find one that fits your life, makes you smile, or stirs a memory. After all, there are quotes about everything, including the fact that Life isn’t about Quotes About Life — or is it????

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Filed under assumptions, children, communication, Coping, decisions

Tagged as best friends, clumsy, klutzy, life, Life is Like a Melting Pot, moms, motorcycles, photography, quotes

May 3, 2015 · 1:04 pm

Husband, Marsh, and Porta-Potty Challenges

Before heading onto the boardwalk of Magee Marsh Ron and I made a pit-stop at the gift shop area. Because hours are spent walking the boardwalk, taking pictures and observing birds I made a trip to the porta-potty while Ron headed to the gift shop. The difference, this year I was prepared for the porta-potty challenge, at least I thought I was.

Last year I pulled out a sheet of toilet paper and notice a “shadow” on it, and turning it over discovered a huge black bug on the backside that scared the crap out of me (well, not literally), causing me to throw the toilet paper on the floor. This year I pulled out a strip of paper and checked it over very carefully. I was happy to find it bug-free. I then watched a small spider come down from the ceiling and land on my purse, which I had carefully hung on the sanitizer dispenser. Of course the dropping of the spider led me to look up, where I spotted a large spider on the ceiling. Does the Magee Marsh porta-potty dislike me? Can’t I use it without a bug problem coming up? Apparently not. The sacrifices of a photographer who needs to utilize the facilities before heading out to capture some bird shots.

I exit the porta-potty and enter to gift-shop where my husband, Ron, had gone. He is standing in the check-out line when he sees me come in the door and immediately says “would you like a T-Shirt?”

He is purchasing a large poster and a T-shirt. Where does he plan to put the poster? We have no available wall space left. His answer “I’ll take something down.”

Great! I wonder what item gets demoted for the promotion of poster showing the various types of Warblers. Time will tell, because he’ll have to get it framed first. Now the T-shirt, whenever I see a new one of those come into the house or in his hands to purchase I just laugh. Why? Because the man could probably wear a different T-shirt for the next 90-120 days before having to do laundry. Granted a few of them may be showing their wear, have paint on them or a few holes, but for the most part they are good, nothing wrong with them T-shirts from various places and festivities. However, we would not want him to feel deprived of a Bird Week shirt from Magee Marsh, so the purchase was made.

Magee Marsh is located in Ohio and is a great place for photographers and bird watchers. It is where Warblers gather each spring before flying over Lake Erie on their migration north in the spring. Unfortunately we were a bit early and there weren’t many birds at the location yet. It was a nice, warm day on the boardwalk, and if you look around you can usually find things to photograph, such as moss growing on a log, or a turtle sunning himself in the sun.

There are two kinds of people you find at the Marsh this time of year. The photographers, like Ron and I, with our camera’s and large lenses to capture photographs or the true bird watchers who are carrying bird books, check lists, and binoculars. Both are friendly groups, so a nice mixture to share space with.

About half way around the marsh my bad ankle started causing me problems, with pain shooting from the ankle up to the knee. We were almost at the end when my wonderful husband did his best to take my mind off the sore, swollen and throbbing ankle. As I was standing with my back to him, sore foot off the ground and one hand holding the boardwalk rail for balance, Ron swung his camera around to take a photograph of a bird up in a tree. Sounds simple and uneventful, doesn’t it? Only one glitch, in the process he clobbers me in the back of the head with his 150-500mm lens, I hear an “oops” and he is off and shooting. Luckily the head only hurt for a few minutes after I hobbled my way to the end of the boardwalk and sat down on a bench to wait for him to finish.

We get in the car, and as we start to roll down the long exit road from the Marsh I look at him and say “For future reference, hitting me in the back of the head with your camera lens did not draw my attention away from my sore ankle.”

Ron has it duly noted, but makes no guarantees it won’t happen again. Such is life with a photographer, the shot must come first, but as I am also a photographer I understand the process.

Photographs by Grace Grogan are available for sale on Fine Art America.

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Filed under birds, bugs, nature, Photography

Tagged as 150-500mm, animals, ankle, bird week, birding, boardwalk, bugs, gift shop, insects, Life is a Melting Pot, Magee Marsh, nature, Ohio, photographs, photography, porta-potty, poster, spiders, T-shirts, warbler, wildlife

February 5, 2015 · 7:00 am

What Makes a Volunteer?

What is it that causes some people to volunteer repeatedly? They are active in everything, always jump in to lend a helping hand, and juggle several volunteer positions, full time jobs, and other obligations.

Why is it some people never volunteer? They will joint an organization, but never go beyond the membership stage. Even when the organization is in desperate need of assistance, they refuse to lend a helping hand.

I have been a volunteer in a variety of organizations over the past 30+ years. If you belong to several organizations you find that it is always the same people that volunteer, always picking up the slack while others sit idly by. What is it that causes this difference in people’s willingness to give. Why is it some people can juggle huge loads and always take on something else, while others are overwhelmed with one or two things?

This has been on my mind for several reasons. I belong to the St. Clair County Family History Group. A few years ago our treasurer passed away unexpectedly, and no one was willing to step up and fill that persons shoes. After a year one person said she would do it — the only reason she hadn’t volunteered before is because that is the type of work she does for a living, she held other committee positions, and was hoping someone would step up to the plate and take the position. No one did, so Sue stepped in and has done a phenomenal job for years. Sue made an announcement in May 2014 that she and her husband were planning to retire and move to Michigan’s U.P. within 1-2 years and that she would no longer be able to handle the position of treasurer. She announced early so that if someone wanted to take over and have her handy to answer any questions and walk them through the steps while she was still in the area, that would make the transition easy. No one volunteered. She has now submitted her “formal” written resignation to the president. I am wondering, actually doubtful, if anyone will volunteer.

Now you may wonder why I don’t take the position. The reason, I already hold a board position as Vice President, plus I am Newsletter Editor for the club. I also try to manage the website, a position that was emptied and no one took over. I am not good with the website and have been asking for about four years for someone to take it over, but no one has. I announced a year ago that I was willing to hand over the VP position, which only requires you to run the meeting in the event the President is absent, which has never happened in the past 11 years I have been a member, and once a year you put together the Annual Report – a booklet of all the committee chairs annual reports. No one volunteered and so I continued in that position. In the same club we have another member who is moving out of state and has announced that her board position and committee chair position will be vacant. That means we now have two board positions that need to be filled and two committee chair positions that need to be filled immediately. I have my doubts that there will be anyone who steps up to the plate and takes on the openings, because we have other committee positions that have been vacant for years.

I am also a member of the Blue Water Shutterbug Club and have held various positions over the years, the most recent was as Member at Large — a board position that is relatively easy to have. The Vice President of that club is moving out of State and had announced that his position would be vacant and someone would need to take over. Every month before the meeting begins the VP walks around and solicits three members who have had the training to serve as part of a 3-judge panel for the photo competition that month. The person also has a short 30-60 minute commitment once a week to pre-judge the photos submitted, making sure they are suitable for the categories they have been submitted into. A relatively easy position with low commitment. I was not going to be at the meeting in which the elections were taking place, but let the leaving person know that in the event no one volunteered I would take over. Need I mention that I am now Vice President of the BW Shutterbugs?

I have spent most of my adult life volunteering in various organizations. When my kids were young I was active in the PTO, serving as secretary for 6-7 years, chairing a committee that gathered and added grocery receipts from a particular store to raise money for the school, chaired a prize committee for the annual carnival, chaperoned field trips and volunteered in the classroom from time to time, all while holding down a full-time job. I also was co-leader of the girl scouts, leader of the Tiger Cubs, secretary for a collectible club, and in addition to my full-time office position sold Tupperware. My kids were involved in karate, scouting, AWANA and dance. Oh, I almost forgot, I volunteered in the nursery at the church we were attending. If I could do that with two young children at home, why can’t people who are retired and have no young children at home dedicate some of their time to an organization?

This past weekend I attended a workshop where the purpose was to handcraft items that will be placed in gift boxes. Those boxes are donated to hospitals to be presented to parents who give birth to stillborn babies or whose babies die shortly after birth. They include gowns for the baby to be buried in, tiny stuffed animals, blankets, hats, etc. A very important and much needed item so I dedicated my Saturday, from noon to 9 pm to help out. While I was at the workshop someone asked me what I do in my free time. I guess when you put it all in a list, it overwhelms some people.

What do I do? I am Vice President and Newsletter Editor of the St. Clair County Family History Group, Vice President of the Blue Water Shutterbug Club, I write a genealogy column for The Lakeshore Guardian, I am an opinion columnist for The Times Herald, I have a weekly blog, I am writing a book about our families dealings with DHS and trying to adopt our granddaughters, my husband and I have a photography business, Times Gone By Photography and we both have photos in a local art gallery, for sale in a local hospital, for sale at a couple local stores and we both have websites on Fine Art America, plus a business Facebook page, Times Gone By Photography. In addition to that I work full time as a paralegal, and my hobbies include scrapbooking, reading, photography, and genealogy.

When people say I should relax, eliminate some of those items, I respond “Why?” If you don’t have a wide range of interests and activities life becomes boring. I don’t want to reach my old age and have nothing to look back on, regrets that I didn’t do things, or be bored in retirement because I have no hobbies or interests to keep me busy.

Now don’t get me wrong, I can do the couch potato in front of the TV just like everyone else. Then I realize that the things I want to do are sliding away and I get busy again. My “chill time” gets me re-energized for the next round of activity.

What makes a volunteer? Why are some people willing to plunge right in wherever needed and others always spend their time on the sidelines, observing but never fully participating?

Are you a volunteer or an observer? What are your reasons for the position you take on volunteering?

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Filed under Activities, events, friendship, hobbies, impressions, Life is a Melting Pot, mind, time, work

Tagged as activities, blog, blogging, Blue Water Family Backgrounds, camera, challenge, family, Grace Grogan, Life is a Melting Pot, newsletter editor, office work, paralegal, photographs, photography, scrapbooking, vacation, volunteering, writing

January 28, 2015 · 5:00 am

Pinback Paradise

When someone suggested I start a blog I found it a bit of a daunting challenge. That was mainly due to my misconception of what a blog required. When I realized that I don’t have to post on a daily basis and that I don’t have to stick with just one narrow topic I knew I was up to the challenge. Now all I had to do was pick a title for the blog. I wanted my title to fit my life, and because my Life Is Like A Camera I needed something to fit that description and so Life is a Melting Pot was born.

Life is Like a Camera. Photo by Grace Grogan

I can’t believe it has been 10 months and 50 posts since it all began. I have written about fun topics, emotional issues, vacations, and life in general. Hopefully you have all gotten to know me a little better over the past few months.

When it comes to my life, It All Began in the Cherry Capitol of the World, but Yesterday’s Bar Pick-up tells the story of how I met my husband. We have enjoyed many activities over the years, vacations, having kids, boating, jet skis, mopeds, and motorcycles, accidents and cancer. It’s been 33 years, well sort of 34 takes a look back at our marriage and Life Altering Impact after a car ran a stop sign and broadsided me when I was on my motorcycle.

As I was completing high school I did not follow my true career interest, Why Didn’t I do It? Instead I became a secretary, which caused me to reflect on the Evolution of a Clerical Worker. Now I wonder Who Am I? as I take on the roles of paralegal, writer and photographer. Of course everyone has many aspects to their personality, and that is why I love Songs About Me and found a Blog Bonus – A Perfect Quote that I shared with everyone, even though I soon found myself Caught in a Tornado.

Patrick and his girls – Kiley, Katlyn, Kae-Lee

With The Power of Emotion I dealth with the loss of one of our granddaughters, Kae-Lee Joy Grogan, who we were trying to adopt but instead was awarded to her foster care parents for adoption. I dug a little deeper into that story when I talked about Attempted Adoption: An Emotional Whirlwind. That story has yet to end.

In the meantime life moves on, and let’s face it You are a Guaranteed Winner when you experience the Backyard Exploration of a 3-Year Old and enjoy a Thanksgiving that includes Tossed Turkey and Dog Food. Let’s Get Prepped for education because although we all have a Haunted Past we can enjoy a bit of nostalgia because Everyone Loves a Letter. Modern technology makes us realize the benefits of Letter v. Email and how with all our modern conveniences we should not be Running Out of Time.

Who’s out there? Photo by Grace Grogan

We should all Preserve the Memories of our lives because Looking Out My Front Door at snow on leaves that have not changed color makes you realize the the Wild Weather Past and Present is not something new, but something you may want to remember. After all, Putting a Spin on Things can help you take an artistic, creative look at what might at first glance appear to be Delightfully Drab. That is why I enjoy participating in the World Wide Photo Walk and a passion of mine is strolling through old burial grounds doing Cemetery Shooting. It is important to enjoy the beauty around us everywhere, keep it beautiful so we never again have The Crying Indian.

Reflections in Nature – Photo by Grace Grogan

Life is never dull in My Crazy Week where I have been known to wonder Where Have All the Spiders Gone then dissapointed to find out They’re Back after which I felt the need to enjoy the amusement of a 3-year old and 8-year old saying goodbye to them in Blog Bonus-Spiders. However those creatures are not the only ones to enhance our property, after all, we have Master Bath Guests.

I’m not what I would call a political person, but wondered if my thoughts about undocumented children being brought into this country were Cold Hearted and Cruel or Realistic. I know that first impressions of people are not always accurate and discussed Impressions v. Reality while not hesitating to Toot My Own Horn about a column I had published on problems with the foster care system.

As I traveled this summer I found that my decision to finally invest in a smart phone challenging but in the end realized that I’m Hooked when it allowed me to take movies and post pictures instantly during our vacation. I love a Blue Water Summer but have to admit that Vacation Planning is something I enjoy doing and can lead to a wide range of adventures and learniing how things can be the Same but Different, including a weekend on an Uninhabited and Unconnected Island or a spring day on the Magee Marsh Bird Trail.

Scared the heck out of me as I was zoomed in to take a photograph when he started straight at me. Photograph by Grace Grogan

As the year wound down we enjoyed New Life with the birth of our newest granddaughter, Alexandria Louise, enjoyed a Merry Christmas and ended the year by Kicking 2014 Goodbye as we started the new year with Slippery Surgical Stress and are now looking forward to Good Things in 2015.

With that we end this Pingback Paradise reflection of my first 50 posts to this blog. I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse back, maybe linked into some of my old posts and enjoyed a read you may have missed during the past 10 months.

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Tagged as author, beginning, blog, blogging, career, challenge, children, emotional, family, grandchildren, life altering, memoir, photography, pingback, reminise, travel, vacation, work

Tag Archives: photography

Not Smart Enough

DOCUMENT YOUR PART IN HISTORY

Twists and Turns

Dreams + Action = Reality

Cycle Through Life

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Playing With Wine

Traveling Solo

Shall We Elope?

Photos by Grace Grogan, copyright 2016

My First Easter

35 Years of Shooting

Unable to Shoot–a Photographer’s Dilema

Trilium Trek

Living The Quote

Husband, Marsh, and Porta-Potty Challenges

Pinback Paradise

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Tag Archives: photography

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About Life is a Melting Pot

Recent Posts

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Archives

Blog Categories

Photographs by Grace Grogan