Monthly Archives: June 2024
Roadside barn art close to home!
“You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, know when to run!” fr0m The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
Thursday night there was a debate, and that’s all I’m going to say about that and the title of the blog entry is not actually about that, though it might be applied. No, this short blog entry is about knowing when it’s time, time to retire, time to admit that one phase of your life is coming to an end, knowing what to do when that reality hits!
For many, many years I drove over 700 miles a year to run photo workshops in most all the National Parks, then I drove and flew all over America working for Nikon as a Tech Rep, that was followed by another decade of traveling all over America to teach alongside my dear brother and friend, Jack Graham. For the most part that is over. I still do an occasional workshop or tour and I speak and teach when the opportunity arrives, but I’m finally actually retired! There is a trick anyone facing this journey needs to learn, be sure you know what defines you! For many men their profession is how they see themselves and when that is over they feel lost, because, well, they are not that anymore!
Some years ago I read a book that dealt with this situation and it has helped me tremendously! The book asked you to ask yourself that, other than your chosen profession, what are the most important roles you’ve played in your life? I came up with this:
I’m a follower and servant of Jesus Christ.
I’m a husband and father.
I’m a grandfather.
I’m friends with a number of great friends and Christian brothers and sisters.
I’m an amateur photographer who just enjoys the craft.
I’m a writer and love to share my thoughts with others through that writing.
That’s it. The next question the book asked you to ask yourself is what are you not now that you once were? That was easy, I’m no longer a professional, working photographer. It was a was moment for me, that I realized most of what I love and am passionate about was still pat of my life! That made it easy for me to transition into this new phase of life!
I’m happier than I’ve ever been, I find life still fulfilling and I still have much to learn and I really enjoy fellowship with the same friends I knew when I was working full time. I have a few friends that have or will soon face this same situation, this is for them, I wish you as much or more peace and joy as I’m having!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 29th, 2024 at 6:51 pm
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Nubble Lighthouse
If you has hoped to do a workshop with me in 2024, this is your only chance! I am joining Kirk Williamson for a tour of the Maine coast in prime Fall conditions! October 23-27, 2024 We will tour some of the best lighthouse on the southern to mid Maine coast and also enjoy the wonderful New England Fall color!
We did this trip in the summer three years ago and we still get calls asking when we will offer it again! So here it is! It is limited to 10 students and we already have 5 signed up! For detailed information and to sign up, contact Kirk Williamson at: Cape Anne Tours/Kirk Williamson, or me at billfortneyphoto@gmail.com. Here are jut a few of the great locations we will visit!
Portland Head Lighthouse at sunrise.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse from the air, we teach Drone photography on this tour too!
Colorful boats in Cape Anne Harbor
Colorful chairs in a fishing village along the coast of Maine!
Hope you will join us for a great adventure this fall!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 25th, 2024 at 3:52 pm
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The last photo workshop at Grace on the Hill Community Church. left to right, Gus Clouse, Tony Rogers, Myself, Jim Begley, Jim Haverstock and Carl Turner, all dear brothers and friends.
A little over a week ago we lost our dear brother and friend Gus Clouse from this earth. He moved to a new address with his Heavenly Father in Paradise! I have known Gus for over 43 years, ever since Sherelene and I moved to Corbin. He served our church and community for most of those years and it seems I saw him several times a week! Gus was more than a friend, he was an inspiration! He was at every class I’ve taught at our church and he always stayed for the entire time, even the all day classes! His life was a living example of the 13th Chapter of 1st Corinthians!
13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b]and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
I pray, that even a little, of those words from scripture, will apply to my life when my life comes to an end. Gus never met a stranger, never failed to make everyone welcome and feel cared for. Gus did countless acts of kindness for others that he never mentioned and few knew about. He taught classes, handed out food at the food pantry, provided recreation for the communities youth, he was a youth leader and I’m sure many people in our community got their first exposure to Jesus through his efforts and ministry. I would have loved to have been standing close by when Jesus told him, “Well done my good and faithful servant!” If anyone has heard that I’m sure it was Gus! I miss you my friend, and I look forward to seeing you again when I get to come to my forever home, until then enjoy your reward! I hope Wesley was there to hug you and welcome you home!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024 at 4:24 pm
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I’ve been on a journey for some time now to try to be thankful, thankful all the time, and for every circumstance! Some days nothing special happens but I’m still thankful, sometimes something extremely important happens and I’m very thankful!
Thursday afternoon I needed to drive over to our Lowe’s to get a gallon of deck stain for a project we’re doing at home. Leaving our subdivision you come to a traffic light where I go straight through to our local bank, which I needed to do before heading on to Lowe’s. You cross the major highway and the traffic is heavy and often moving pretty fast. At the red traffic light there was a car on the other side of the light signaling a left turn. I’ve learned that often those people needing to turn left, even though they do not have the right of way, still shoot out in a hurry and turn left, not waiting for the straight traffic to come through the light. The light turned green for us, I paused to see what they were gong to do, they paused to see what I was going to do, realizing they were going to observe the law I started to slowly pull forward into the road when a big Lincoln flew through the red-light at about 60 mph. If I had pulled out as soon as the light tuned green they would have t-boned my car. probably right into my driver side door. and I wouldn’t be here to right this blog entry.
Someday my number will be up, either my heart will fail, or someone will hit my car or I’ll find out that I have terminal illness, but Thursday was not that day. I’m thankful, but I’m not worried about that future day. I know that my life is in God’s hands and it will be the moment I leave this body! None of us know when that moment will happen, hopefully that time is far away, but we can’t be sure of that! I only shared this as a reminder that I hope you are good with he Lord, that you’ve trusted him with your life and you can feel the same assurance that I do!
It is a hot, muggy weekend in Corbin, but I’m still here, for now, and I’m thankful!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 22nd, 2024 at 7:08 pm
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