Going in circles……..

For the last several days I have been cleaning my office.  It  has been very much like an archaeological dig!!!  i don’t even want to tell you how old the things were I found buried behind furniture, but needless to say it has been a trip way, back down memory lane!!!!  I would love, with your permission, to share a few things I found in the process.  They weren’t lost but the cleaning process brought them into new light.

As a photographer and especially one that has taught over 7,000 students, you get a lot of prints from folks and I always appreciate that kind of gift, it means a lot.  One of my very favorite is this print given to me by Jim Haverstock.  Why this one out of the hundreds?  Well first I love Jim, he is a very dear brother, friend and fellow photographer, and a really good one too!  Second,  I really love this scene, it has so many things I love as subjects, old rusty trucks, old building with painted signs, and a Christmas tree in the back of the truck!

On a cork board in my office I have hung up credentials for years after doing assignments at events that required them.  I have over a hundred, this is just a small sampling of what they look like, what a blessing those experiences were.

On the funny side, those folks that have done workshops with me know that if a Krispy Kreme around I will take everyone there when the Red Light is on!  Of course I had to have the Krispy Kreme delivery truck piggy bank!!!  I took Ralph and Nina Oakley to one in Pigeon Forge and it was there first hot off the conveyer Krispy Kreme, I felt down right evil starting two more people down that  addiction road.

I’m not bad to save every card I receive but this Birthday card from my oldest son Scott and  his family still hangs on my cork board, inside it says “Not all heroes wear capes.”  Nothing  means more to a father than that kind of message from his children.

While we are on family mementos this little sign hangs on my office wall where I can see it often.  My daughter Catherine got it for me many years ago, in remembrance of her and I traveling and doing workshops together in the early 90’s!

My last thing related to family is my flight helmet from the America From 500 Feet days!  This is a constant reminder for me of one of the greatest adventures of my life and my forever thankfulness for my son Wesley who made it possible for me to live out a dream of my lifetime!  I wouldn’t take anything for those 14months we spent discovering America together!

On the wall hangs a small framed print that  means a great deal to me, this is another family, my friends from Nikon.  This photograph was made at the Memorial Wake for Mike Phillips, one of our dear brothers that died way to early! Back row, left to right, Mark Kettenhofen, Fred Sisson, Bill Pekala, Mike’s Sister, Scott Frier, Stephen Heiner.  Front row, myself and Ron Tanawaki.

Another small print pinned to my cork board is this image of Harrison Ford pre-flighting his Dehavilland Beaver airplane just before Wes and I sat down with him to talk for about half hour at the Jackson, Wyoming airport. Great memory!

One of my first  hobbies, long before photogprahy was I was an amateur recordist.  I loved taping things, I came to love Microphones, and do to this day, on my desk is a classic Shure 55 SH Series II microphone just like the ones used by Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble’, both of whom I’ve seen live in concert!

….and last, my football signed to me by Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and Steve Batkowski!

So what am I saying, WOW has God blessed my life, it’s all part of trusting Him and letting Him perform miracles all around you!  To Him be Glory!!!!

Blessings,

the pilgrim