I was reading another photographer’s blog and she had posted her 12 favorite photos of the past year. With a nod to Kim Manley Ort, I culled through 4,142 images to pick 12 photos that were my favorites. Some have personal meanings, like the family photo after my mother’s death or the Royal typewriter that has been passed down through my father’s family. Others transport me to a cold winter morning (much like today!) or an unusually emerald-green lake with a sandy beach in north central Minnesota. The year took twists and turns that weren’t expected, yet I’m learning to embrace the changes, meet the challenges, and appreciate each day that is given – with joy and wonder. May the coming year be filled with 365 such days!
Family
An old dusty typewriter
We stopped to pause many times while cleaning out my mom and dad’s house last weekend. There were hidden treasures with memories and stories shared, along with mysteries that were uncovered. We found two old Royal typewriters that belonged to our grandfather. One was a portable model, secured in its case. When we clicked opened the case, it was as shiny and clean as the day it was purchased. The other was an old heavy tabletop style. This one was weathered with age and dust-covered. The keys and the carriage return still worked and the ribbon still had some color to it. I wonder at its age, and all the stories and reports that had been typed on it. The desk that my grandfather used remains in the family, and perhaps this old typewriter will feel at home where it once sat.
A Thanksgiving celebration of work and family
We’ve just returned from a quick Thanksgiving trip south – for warmer climes and family. After large dinners and feasts, this group gathered together at my parents’ house. Following both my mother’s and father’s deaths in the past year, their house of 57 years has many things in need of clearing and cleaning. This group of people who I am so happy to claim as family all chipped in with sweat, work and lots of laughter to fill a huge dumpster in a short period of time. Decisions were made on what to save, what to donate, and what to pitch. The pool table in the basement required the strength of the younger generation, along with the assistance of a chain saw and many recommendations (some heeded and some not) to find its way up the stairs to the dumpster. What could have been a week-long project filled with angst and tears, became a joyful celebration of the family that my parents were so proud of.
A change in the seasons and in life
We are in the glorious midst of fall – the change of seasons from summer to winter. One day we have bright sunshine and the next day is cool and cloudy, and throughout them all the colors of our landscape continue to change. So too I’m reminded of the changes in our lives. It was a year ago that my father passed away and that was a change I was not prepared for. But I’ve come to realize that change is the one constant in life. With three deaths in the family, a change in jobs, a kitchen remodel, and a different car, I sometimes wonder if I recognize my life anymore. But I’ve learned something with each change, and I know that the best way to honor my father is to live the values that he helped to instill in me. He laid the basis for my sense of adventure and my joy in being outdoors in nature – two of the traits I enjoy so much in my photography. As I was photographing this slough the air would be still, and then the wind would come up. It caused the water to ripple across the surface and the cattails to dance in front of me. The movement and the colors of the trees were all a glorious celebration of change.
Pivot sunset
My intention was to photograph the full moonrise, yet sometimes the best intentions don’t work out — as was the case when a layer of clouds hovered on the horizon to the east. After this change of plans, I decided to concentrate on the sunset that was about to take place to the west. We were south of the Twin Cities by 35 miles, but we were in the heart of an agricultural area. Minnesota farmers have been late getting their crops into the ground this year because of the rain, but it was good to see the corn pushing up. The pivot outlined the hillside in the distance, and the sun set to the side of the silos, glowing brilliantly before slipping past the horizon. Sometimes a change of plans creates new opportunities. (PS – On this Fathers’s Day, a thanks to my dad for nurturing my sense of adventure and optimism. Miss you, Dad!)
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