Why is it that we only celebrate one birthday a year?? You can celebrate more than once a year but you only get a year older each year. I will have to admit that there are days that I feel a lot older than last year or even older than yesterday. Sometimes the aches and pains raise their ugly heads and make your day less than perfect, but most of the time I start the day feeling pretty good and happy to be me and living the life I live, Suzanne has a lot to do with that.
According to Suzanne, I am officially in the birthday zone and getting ready to go to Yosemite for a workshop in 2 weeks and my official birthday in about 3 weeks. I am fortunite that I have retired with a great hobby, great health, a great family and a purely wonderful woman to share it all with.
Life is good and you have to enjoy it the best you can. Smell the roses, and lift your up, dust yourself off and do it the best you can
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Is time flying or did I nap awhile???
It is almost embarrassing to think it has been 6 months since I did anything on this blog. I am not sure if I have just been real busy or I have just been real lazy. A lot has happened since Feb but you wouldn't know it by my entries in this blog. I have been studying photography more by reading books, attending local workshops, going out and practicing or doing photo drills and even traveled to the East Coast for a photo workshop and vacation. I have found that photography is lots of fun and interesting and can be rewarding but can also be very time consuming and can get expensive if you don't watch it.
It is hard to decide the type of photography I like best or which one I want to concentrate on. Of course, landscapes are always beautiful to look at but they can be almost the same old thing, 'seen that before', and portraits can be very tricky and you need an interesting subject or model. I have started to get a real interest in the abstracts and still life images. Some times it is the catching the unusual angle or view of a familiar object or getting a real close up of it. Now of course night or low light photography is real interesting and can be real rewarding. With night photography you see things a little different or with a different color or appearance than you do during the daylight or when it is fully lit.
Now to bring you up to date a little more than just saying I'm doing lots of photos. Suzanne and I went to Savannah in April and I attended a one week photo workshop. It was very informative and fun and meeting and talking with other photographers was interesting. I seems a little strange to call myself a 'photographer' but since I am retired and not working and doing a lot of photography related things I guess maybe I am a photographer. In the workshop we were given hints to making good photos, composition and lighting etc., and also taught how to present your photos and "tweek them" slightly to improve their impact or appearance. It was fun to go out to various sights and take photos and then come back and look at people's work and discuss them and critique them and have mine reviewed. After the workshop we spent about a week or so in Charleston just enjoying the sights and loving the food.
I picked up a lot of pointers and even got so hooked on it I signed up for another one later in the year. The next one is in Yosemite and it will be in December. Might not be the smartest idea to volunteer to go out in the snow and cold in December but there are so many great scenes of Yosemite that I should be able to get some real keepers. It seems funny to be out shooting photos with a purpose and getting instructions on how to make them better and enjoying it and appreciating the results. It is a great hobby and keeps me off the streets at night (except to take some photos).
Well, I am going to try and add to this blog more often and work on my website, www.davesutherlandphoto.com , a little bit too. Now that I have got the website going, I am try to make it look a little more professional and appealing to others. Drop by and visit the site when you get a chance.
ENJOY
It is hard to decide the type of photography I like best or which one I want to concentrate on. Of course, landscapes are always beautiful to look at but they can be almost the same old thing, 'seen that before', and portraits can be very tricky and you need an interesting subject or model. I have started to get a real interest in the abstracts and still life images. Some times it is the catching the unusual angle or view of a familiar object or getting a real close up of it. Now of course night or low light photography is real interesting and can be real rewarding. With night photography you see things a little different or with a different color or appearance than you do during the daylight or when it is fully lit.
Now to bring you up to date a little more than just saying I'm doing lots of photos. Suzanne and I went to Savannah in April and I attended a one week photo workshop. It was very informative and fun and meeting and talking with other photographers was interesting. I seems a little strange to call myself a 'photographer' but since I am retired and not working and doing a lot of photography related things I guess maybe I am a photographer. In the workshop we were given hints to making good photos, composition and lighting etc., and also taught how to present your photos and "tweek them" slightly to improve their impact or appearance. It was fun to go out to various sights and take photos and then come back and look at people's work and discuss them and critique them and have mine reviewed. After the workshop we spent about a week or so in Charleston just enjoying the sights and loving the food.
I picked up a lot of pointers and even got so hooked on it I signed up for another one later in the year. The next one is in Yosemite and it will be in December. Might not be the smartest idea to volunteer to go out in the snow and cold in December but there are so many great scenes of Yosemite that I should be able to get some real keepers. It seems funny to be out shooting photos with a purpose and getting instructions on how to make them better and enjoying it and appreciating the results. It is a great hobby and keeps me off the streets at night (except to take some photos).
Well, I am going to try and add to this blog more often and work on my website, www.davesutherlandphoto.com , a little bit too. Now that I have got the website going, I am try to make it look a little more professional and appealing to others. Drop by and visit the site when you get a chance.
ENJOY
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Retired but the computer is not my Friend
I have been using a computer for a while now but it isn't always friendly to me. I first started using a computer to imput driver and truck schedule information as my company got more and more involved in electronic and digital technology. It wasn't all that bad except when the computer made that loud 'gong' noise to say you were on the wrong line or trying to put in the wrong info.
As time went on I go more and more familiar with using it and even did some reports and spreadsheets with it. Then I started getting on the internet and looking up sites and getting info and even surfn to pass the time and learn a few things. Then the bad stuff started as I thought I was pretty savy and before long I realized I might be getting over my head. I tried using Photoshop and some other photography programs and soon I realized that either I was very technology deprived and the computer was a lot smarter than me and enjoyed proving it or computers are designed by very inteligent prople and/or machines to make us older people look stupid and give the younger people something to laugh about.
I have been trying to get this blog thing working and trying to use it on a regular basis. I also have been trying to get my website, www,davesutherlandphoto.com, up and running. I have been able to get both of them online but they are not too professional and I am not real satisfied with them. I need to use this blog more and post more often, and may even try and pull a rabbit out of a hat and start a photoblog. On the website I have gotten some info and photos on it but I want to make it better and put a couple galleries of different themes of photos on it. I will continue to try and get the galleries on there and although the computer and I have had some heated words we are still talking but it still holds the upper hand and is in control. I am not too proud to ask for directions or for help but sometimes computer tech's don't always talk so I can understand or they talk as if we all understand their short cuts and what the hell they are talking about.
As time went on I go more and more familiar with using it and even did some reports and spreadsheets with it. Then I started getting on the internet and looking up sites and getting info and even surfn to pass the time and learn a few things. Then the bad stuff started as I thought I was pretty savy and before long I realized I might be getting over my head. I tried using Photoshop and some other photography programs and soon I realized that either I was very technology deprived and the computer was a lot smarter than me and enjoyed proving it or computers are designed by very inteligent prople and/or machines to make us older people look stupid and give the younger people something to laugh about.
I have been trying to get this blog thing working and trying to use it on a regular basis. I also have been trying to get my website, www,davesutherlandphoto.com, up and running. I have been able to get both of them online but they are not too professional and I am not real satisfied with them. I need to use this blog more and post more often, and may even try and pull a rabbit out of a hat and start a photoblog. On the website I have gotten some info and photos on it but I want to make it better and put a couple galleries of different themes of photos on it. I will continue to try and get the galleries on there and although the computer and I have had some heated words we are still talking but it still holds the upper hand and is in control. I am not too proud to ask for directions or for help but sometimes computer tech's don't always talk so I can understand or they talk as if we all understand their short cuts and what the hell they are talking about.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Getting older doesn't mean getting OLD??
It has been a while since I have written anything and that may be because there is nothing to write about or maybe I just haven't taken the time to write. I think it is more of the later since a lot has happened in my life and even if it hasn't been earth shaking it has been important and note worthy. At least to me.
I celebrated a birthday, my 68th, and although it wasn't a big celebration it was note worthy and with Suzanne's help we enjoyed it for a few weeks, it is what she calls as being in the "zone" so it is not remembered for only 1 day but for an enjoyable period. Also had one of my photos chosen for exhibit at the gallery so that made it a proud event.
Had a quiet Christmas since both Suzanne and I were fighting colds but it was very relaxing and enjoyable with out the pressure of the holidays and gift giving and buying. New Year's Eve was more of the same and it just seemed great to relax. With the weather being less than perfect, not much sun we stayed in most of the time and I worked on photos and she worked on getting things ready to start writing her stories. It looks like she is going to start with the "Lewis Chronicles" which is a story of her grandcat and his escapades while he visits her for a few months. She is good at telling their story from their viewpoint, Lewis talks to her alot and gives her ideas and plots for the story.
Have I been getting off the main subject or what?? I started writing this to talk about how getting older can be rough both physically and emotionally. When I was getting ready to send out some cards for the holidays I noticed there were a few changes in my list. Either I lost complete contact with some people or they had passed away. In one case both of them passed last year. At times I would look at the old address book and reflect on the good times and all that has happened since I first knew some of the friends and family on my list. There was also the ones on the list that were failing and had some hard years. Either due to accidents, surgeries or poor health they were not as chipper and spry as they used to be. We all have slowed down a step or two and it is difficult to handle since often times we think we can still do things that we used to but our bodies say "No".
I dont want to dwell on the negative but every once in a while I have to think that we all must go sometime, but it is important to remember to smell the roses and enjoy life as you can. Remember the good times and stay in contact with friends and family. It is important to live well, love much and laugh often, and dont foget to smile (it makes people wonder what you are up to)
I celebrated a birthday, my 68th, and although it wasn't a big celebration it was note worthy and with Suzanne's help we enjoyed it for a few weeks, it is what she calls as being in the "zone" so it is not remembered for only 1 day but for an enjoyable period. Also had one of my photos chosen for exhibit at the gallery so that made it a proud event.
Had a quiet Christmas since both Suzanne and I were fighting colds but it was very relaxing and enjoyable with out the pressure of the holidays and gift giving and buying. New Year's Eve was more of the same and it just seemed great to relax. With the weather being less than perfect, not much sun we stayed in most of the time and I worked on photos and she worked on getting things ready to start writing her stories. It looks like she is going to start with the "Lewis Chronicles" which is a story of her grandcat and his escapades while he visits her for a few months. She is good at telling their story from their viewpoint, Lewis talks to her alot and gives her ideas and plots for the story.
Have I been getting off the main subject or what?? I started writing this to talk about how getting older can be rough both physically and emotionally. When I was getting ready to send out some cards for the holidays I noticed there were a few changes in my list. Either I lost complete contact with some people or they had passed away. In one case both of them passed last year. At times I would look at the old address book and reflect on the good times and all that has happened since I first knew some of the friends and family on my list. There was also the ones on the list that were failing and had some hard years. Either due to accidents, surgeries or poor health they were not as chipper and spry as they used to be. We all have slowed down a step or two and it is difficult to handle since often times we think we can still do things that we used to but our bodies say "No".
I dont want to dwell on the negative but every once in a while I have to think that we all must go sometime, but it is important to remember to smell the roses and enjoy life as you can. Remember the good times and stay in contact with friends and family. It is important to live well, love much and laugh often, and dont foget to smile (it makes people wonder what you are up to)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Traveling and Time is Flying
WOW!!! It has been over 3 months since I have added to this blog. I guess that means I have been busy and/or unable to get online to 'get r done'. I have been real busy as Suzanne and I went to Utah for 2 weeks in October and traveled over 3,000 miles and went to 5 National Parks. I took lots of photos and saw some outstanding sights. It was the first time I have ever vacationed and traveled outside of California for relaxation and fun. We had a ball and the weather was great.
We started at Moab, Utah, and went to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse State Park. It was fantastic and so very beautiful. We stayed at a great Bed and Breakfast and really enjoyed it and relaxed for 5 days. Then we took off to Capitol Reef National Park and more great sights. Then on the road again after a day to head for Bryce Canyon for 4 days then to Zion for 4 days. It was great in that we had time to relax and enjoy each place and take in the sights. I took over 2200 photos and got a couple pretty good ones.
Being from California it was strange seeing these beautiful canyons and mesas and the colors were great. We were lucky too in that the trees were starting to change to their fall colors and it made for some beautful scenes. It was great and we will go back but have some other places to visit and photo first. I have scheduled to attend a photo workshop in Savannah in the spring so that should be a lot of fun. We are planning to extend our trip with a visit to some friends in N. Carolina.
I was so ready for retirement and I am so busy and enjoying this whole thing. It is great and something I hope everyone gets to enjoy.
We started at Moab, Utah, and went to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse State Park. It was fantastic and so very beautiful. We stayed at a great Bed and Breakfast and really enjoyed it and relaxed for 5 days. Then we took off to Capitol Reef National Park and more great sights. Then on the road again after a day to head for Bryce Canyon for 4 days then to Zion for 4 days. It was great in that we had time to relax and enjoy each place and take in the sights. I took over 2200 photos and got a couple pretty good ones.
Being from California it was strange seeing these beautiful canyons and mesas and the colors were great. We were lucky too in that the trees were starting to change to their fall colors and it made for some beautful scenes. It was great and we will go back but have some other places to visit and photo first. I have scheduled to attend a photo workshop in Savannah in the spring so that should be a lot of fun. We are planning to extend our trip with a visit to some friends in N. Carolina.
I was so ready for retirement and I am so busy and enjoying this whole thing. It is great and something I hope everyone gets to enjoy.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Retired with a Reunion to attend
My high school class is having a 50 year reunion this weekend and I can't believe how excited I am getting. I think most everyone likes to see old friends and tell the stories again, some of the stories are better now than they were a few years ago. I volunteered to work on the committee and I am real glad I did that. I had the time to do it, it was only about 10-15 miles from home and I got to meet old friends and talk about shcool and what we had done and what we were doing. We all have changed a little and gottne older but when we get together we are young again and times are good. The brain is a fantastic machine and seems to remember mostly the good times and fun things we did. I many ways I know that the Good Lord was watching over me and had plans for me because I made it through some rough times and I am the better for it.
It is funny how you don't fear things or think about death when you are growing up, that's not going to happen to me. As I look back and remember some of the people, and things we did in high school and in college it is a wonder that I am not dead or more messed up than I am. I guess I was just enjoying the moment and not worrying about the consequences. I am not saying that I came out clean with no bad days but I survived and hopefully learned from it. I know that since I have been working on this reunion and thinking about seeing everyone again I remember those good days and know that there were bad days too. I can not relive the past, my body wouldn't take it probably, but I can enjoy some of the great times as I remember them.
We have about 140 people coming to the reunion and that includes about 100 classmates from a class of about 200-250. That is not a bad showing since some of us are gone now or live a long ways away. Also it was difficult getting a hold of some of the people as they moved away and we lost contact with them and with the gals getting married and changing their names it made it even more difficult. We got ahold of a lot of my class and it is funny how most of them are eager to attend the reunion and see old friends and classmates. I know I have referred to my high school yearbook dozens of times in last six months. I hear a name and have to look them up. In some cases I don't even remember the name let alone the face. It should be real interesting Saturday night when people show up and I try to recognize them, luckily there will have there ID badge on that will show their graduation picture and name on it because it has been 20 years since I have seen some of them and almost 50 years for some of the others. I know I have put on a few pounds, actually only about 20-25, and my hair is longer but thinner and is almost silver now compared to full head of brown hair with a 'Butch cut' or "flat-top" as it was called then.
This is so exciting and with both the reunion and the Utah vacation coming up I have had a tough time relaxing. It reminds me of the two kids in the 'Disneyland' commercial where the girl asks her brother if he is sleeping, he says 'No, I'm too excited!!!' That is the way I feel. Life is Good and I am So Blessed.
It is funny how you don't fear things or think about death when you are growing up, that's not going to happen to me. As I look back and remember some of the people, and things we did in high school and in college it is a wonder that I am not dead or more messed up than I am. I guess I was just enjoying the moment and not worrying about the consequences. I am not saying that I came out clean with no bad days but I survived and hopefully learned from it. I know that since I have been working on this reunion and thinking about seeing everyone again I remember those good days and know that there were bad days too. I can not relive the past, my body wouldn't take it probably, but I can enjoy some of the great times as I remember them.
We have about 140 people coming to the reunion and that includes about 100 classmates from a class of about 200-250. That is not a bad showing since some of us are gone now or live a long ways away. Also it was difficult getting a hold of some of the people as they moved away and we lost contact with them and with the gals getting married and changing their names it made it even more difficult. We got ahold of a lot of my class and it is funny how most of them are eager to attend the reunion and see old friends and classmates. I know I have referred to my high school yearbook dozens of times in last six months. I hear a name and have to look them up. In some cases I don't even remember the name let alone the face. It should be real interesting Saturday night when people show up and I try to recognize them, luckily there will have there ID badge on that will show their graduation picture and name on it because it has been 20 years since I have seen some of them and almost 50 years for some of the others. I know I have put on a few pounds, actually only about 20-25, and my hair is longer but thinner and is almost silver now compared to full head of brown hair with a 'Butch cut' or "flat-top" as it was called then.
This is so exciting and with both the reunion and the Utah vacation coming up I have had a tough time relaxing. It reminds me of the two kids in the 'Disneyland' commercial where the girl asks her brother if he is sleeping, he says 'No, I'm too excited!!!' That is the way I feel. Life is Good and I am So Blessed.
Retired and Free
I retired over a year and a half ago and I am still loving it. At first it seemed to be nice not having a schedule to follow and running from here to there and back. Now I realize that being free from many time restrictions is a blessing in many ways. If I want to do something or go somewhere, I can, with in reason of course. I have noticed that my time is somewhat scheduled though. If someone says something about doing something or going someplace I have to check my calendar and see if I am free or can fit it in. Freedom is such a great thing and wonderful feeling.
I can imagine it might be nice being able to do even more but I have to stick to my budget and stay within my means, so I stay close to home and enjoy. I saw an article in a magazine that talked about vacations and short trips, it was called "One Tank Trips" and was just that. It was a list of places that were within about 400 miles round trip. It was a list of great places to go around the Bay Area. I hadn't thought of a lot of the places and it is nice to be able visit some place new or revisit an old favorite place again. Being retired with the free time and open schedule is nice to hit some of these on the list. I call my gal friend and we just take off for the day or a couple days. "Life is good".
Occasionally we go on big trips and those are great too, although they have to be budgeted and planned for. We are going on a trip to Utah next week and we both are excited about that. We are going to hit at least 4 of the National Parks and take lots of pictures. We have planned some of it out and have reservations at hotels/motels around Utah but are not on a strict planned format. We plan on seeing all the scenic sights and enjoy them as we go but since our time is more flexible we are not stressing out as far as doing everything if we don't want to or can't do. I can remember a vacation when I was married and we took the kids to the Redwoods and up to Oregon. I had it planned out almost to the minute so that we could see everything and be back in time for me to go to work in a week. I was tired when we got back and I am not sure if anyone really enjoyed the trip. Rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry!!!!
This trip may involve a lot of driving getting to there and back but with both of us driving and with a couple books on tape and XM radio we'll be fine. We have set it up so we have 3-4 days at each place and left it open ended as far as our return. Of course we both want to see the beautiful sights and I want to take lots of pictures, maybe I we find that one and take the "perfect picture". It may be that I will get up early to catch the sunrise photos, then go back to bed for a nap and then go for a walk and take a few sunset pictures.http://www.davesutherlandphoto.com/
I can imagine it might be nice being able to do even more but I have to stick to my budget and stay within my means, so I stay close to home and enjoy. I saw an article in a magazine that talked about vacations and short trips, it was called "One Tank Trips" and was just that. It was a list of places that were within about 400 miles round trip. It was a list of great places to go around the Bay Area. I hadn't thought of a lot of the places and it is nice to be able visit some place new or revisit an old favorite place again. Being retired with the free time and open schedule is nice to hit some of these on the list. I call my gal friend and we just take off for the day or a couple days. "Life is good".
Occasionally we go on big trips and those are great too, although they have to be budgeted and planned for. We are going on a trip to Utah next week and we both are excited about that. We are going to hit at least 4 of the National Parks and take lots of pictures. We have planned some of it out and have reservations at hotels/motels around Utah but are not on a strict planned format. We plan on seeing all the scenic sights and enjoy them as we go but since our time is more flexible we are not stressing out as far as doing everything if we don't want to or can't do. I can remember a vacation when I was married and we took the kids to the Redwoods and up to Oregon. I had it planned out almost to the minute so that we could see everything and be back in time for me to go to work in a week. I was tired when we got back and I am not sure if anyone really enjoyed the trip. Rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry!!!!
This trip may involve a lot of driving getting to there and back but with both of us driving and with a couple books on tape and XM radio we'll be fine. We have set it up so we have 3-4 days at each place and left it open ended as far as our return. Of course we both want to see the beautiful sights and I want to take lots of pictures, maybe I we find that one and take the "perfect picture". It may be that I will get up early to catch the sunrise photos, then go back to bed for a nap and then go for a walk and take a few sunset pictures.http://www.davesutherlandphoto.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
