January 6, 2007

There were 2 posts published on January 6, 2007 (this is page 1 of 1).

Highlights of 2006 Number 6: Take My Kodachrome, Please!

I’ve rediscovered a passion of mine long left dormant. It’s photography, and digital photography is what’s inspired me. Sure, we’ve had a digital camera (a Canon Powershot S50) for years now. While I enjoyed its compact size and resolution, its fixed lens was uninspiring and the shutter delay made capturing the moment a frustrating experience.

The big break came when my employer sent me to Australia for two weeks. I couldn’t go without taking pictures, nor could I leave the family without a means of taking pictures. We finally agreed to get a Nikon D50 to augment our Canon Powershot. In an ironic twist, the Powershot mysteriously stopped working a few weeks later.

I have fallen in love with the D50. It takes beautiful pictures so quickly that snapping the shutter is like a hit of crack: you just can’t stop! I take my camera with me practically whereever I go, looking for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.

I took two weeks’ worth of beautiful pictures in Austalia, although it resulted in an altercation I still don’t fully understand. I toted it to Holland a month later. Finally I could share the beauty of my travels with the folks at home.

I shot wondrous pictures at the America’s Sail event in Beaufort this spring. I arrived the day before most ship tours but landed quite a few pictures of the host of honor, Beaufort’s own privateer, Horatio Sinbad. Which reminds me that I owe him some pictures . . .

I took my camera to Artsplosure this summer, too, little knowing it would result in controversy. As we were finishing up our tour, I heard a Squirrel Nut Zippers song playing at a nearby stage and snapped some pictures of the Maxwell/Mosher band warming up. In my blog entry I made note of how N & O music critic David Menconi’s recent story about the band’s breakup made them sound like . . . well, dicks. Well, the bandmates surf the net with the best of them and zeroed in on my blog, unloading on me with their side of the story. Either I touched a big nerve or the guys were looking for a place to vent. Or both, who knows? Once the lead had stopped flying I was left a bit bewildered at it all but was happy to provide a forum for their side. My blog still gets a ton of hits for that entry, so much so that I disabled comments. Menconi’s blog entry still links to my site as an example of the bad blood among the former Zippers.

I took my camera to our family beach vacation. In spite of the comical scene of herding the Turner clan around the beach for a few family pictures, I got two job offers from spectators to shoot pictures for them. I took one of them up on their offer the next day. I turned 15 minutes and 100 pictures into a handful of cash and some unforgettable mementos of a family’s beach visit.

Seeing the pictures of the Raleigh Flickr group have inspired me to take my photography much more seriously. As a fine musical instrument inspires a musician to play better music, so does a fine camera inspire a photographic artist.

Highlights of 2006 Number 7: Health

In 2006 I began to take my own health and well-being more seriously than before. I’ve not exactly been leading a reckless lifestyle! Just that now I want to feel good all the time.

I’ve traditionally been averse to going to the doctor unless I was really sick. Now I don’t wait. Some infrequent but annoying health issues have driven me back to the doctor when in the past I would have toughed it out. Overall I feel great.

This spring saw me engage in a stretch of continuous exercise that I’d not had in a while. When it began to get light enough in the mornings, I would get up early and ride 5-6 miles around the greenways near my house. I would ride at least twice a week, sometimes more, and kept it up right until it got dark again in the mornings. It felt great to look up at the sun rising right in the middle of my ride. It was safe riding on the roads, too, at that time of day. It’s usually too early for drivers to be yapping on their cellphones.

I saw most of the same faces on the greenway path; people whom I’d look forward to seeing and miss when I didn’t. I also dodged a menagere of killer deer and assassin rabbits, who always waited until the last second to jump in front of me. And I lived to tell about it, something the rabbits may not be able to claim now that hawks have moved into the neighborhood.

On weekends, sometimes the whole family would join in. Nothing gets you in shape faster than doing the routine you always do but dragging 100 pounds behind you!

I do a lot of good thinking while riding. Sometimes I come up with innovative new product ideas.

Since its gotten dark in the mornings I haven’t been out. I miss it. My resting heart rate was in the 50s, prompting nurses to ask if I was an athlete. My heart rate is still in the low 60s and my blood pressure is good (122/70) but I don’t feel the same energy as I did when I was riding. I’d like to put myself into shape for riding one of the long local bike rides, like the MS 150.

I will rededicate myself to cycling (and other exercise) in 2007. This may be the year Kelly gets certified in scuba (and I get recertified).