Hadn't realized it had been so long since my last post (2007 ?) ..Jeff...you and your bride were about to have a baby...he or she must be 5 or 6 by now? ....about then I started to get serious about
1. returning to my long passion for photography
2. Getting over being a complaining wuss about
A. Progressive arthritis (my M.D.'s Rx of no more than 3 Vicodin/day was BS...i'm 72 and if it takes 6 or 8, so be it. About every two weeks I try a day off it cold turkey, and if I survive the withdraw I celebrate with with a few wee drams of single malt scotch, then the next day go back on Vicodin!)
B. walking unsteadily d.t. Peripheral neuropathy and fear of falling. I simply learned:
1.) to use two canes (a walker makes me look old....)
2.) how to fall correctly ( a controlled vertical collapse instead of like a felled tree)
3.)to spend less time indoors and more time out-of-doors ( outdoor falls onto soft ground result in fewer fractures than indoor
falls onto hardwood, cast iron stoves, and such.)
3. Quit taking passive refuge in my status as a retiree ( I'm just an older and slower young man). I simply have to get up and do for myself rather than wasting time thanking solicitous people for helping me when I don't do things as fast as they seem to think I should!
4. Publicising my art interests. Got my son to help me construct a webpage. (<
www.davidleegraham.com>). It has paid off! Proceeds from occassional on-line sales have kept me reasonably up-to-date in cameras and lenses!
5. Get back to photography-centered travel. Can't fly any more (deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism risk) but driving is no problem, so several extended photog road trips per year are a great alternative to daily arguments about politics with an unfortunately ignorant and thus unjustifiably opinionated neighbor!
So, anyhow...I do hope to get back to the NJPB again within this next year. On a trip to the southeast a year ago I took an unplanned swing north to the PB with the intent of contacting a few of you and maybe getting together somewhere for a single malt or a beer, but somewhere between Dismal Swamp and Cape May my laptop's motherboard cashed in her chips and I had no access to the web! Next trip I'll be in contact before departing!
Best t'y'all...nice to be back!
Dave