The Pond Transformed

November 1, Fall

November 18, Chilly Sunset

November 19, Frozen!

(yes, the whole pond)

Winter Tally

As my first Winter in Michigan has begun, a few new items have become necessities, mostly things I have never had any use for before.

Ski Gloves (for biking to work): $15

Snow boots: $30, used (score!)

Warm hat: $10

Ice scraper: $3.50


Fresh snow on Christmas trees: Priceless!

Capturing Moments

I was never really interested in photography as a kid, though I did think cameras were very cool. As an adult, I've grown to appreciate images captured on film, or digitally, and I enjoy trying to capture my own. I've realized, though, that my appreciation of photography is rooted in a much deeper desire. First of all, I think there are two different types of photographs (this is just my perception, not necessarily the reality for people who know and study it). There are images that are created to be aesthetically pleasing, for which the context of them is either irrelevant or somewhat secondary to the beauty of the angle or color or some other visually appealing quality . I'll call these the artistic photographs. The second type is an image that is taken in an attempt to capture the very context in which it is taken, an attempt to capture the time and place and energy and emotion that were present as the shutter opened and closed. These are the realistic photographs. Now, I don't want to get all caught up in artistic versus realistic, as obviously those two terms are not mutually exclusive, but let's just say for the sake of my random thoughts that those are the two types.

I tend to crave the ability to take realistic photographs, to capture what I see and what I feel with one little flip of a switch. The reality is that this is a fairly unattainable goal. I realize that when I take a photograph in a particular moment, from a particular viewpoint, even I myself do not truly sense the whole reality of that moment when I view the image later. So my desire to share that moment with someone else is somewhat dashed. I am still happy to share a beautiful image, but I am disappointed that the whole of the moment cannot be captured.

As I am writing this, I'm wondering if maybe God feels the same way about his written word. He wants so much for us to understand just a little bit of how much He loves us, of what love truly is, of what unconditional love actually feels like, of how tenderly He adores His creation. But the words are just words, or are they? Can they look us in the eye and convey the compassion that He holds for us? Can they wrap their arms around us and assure us that we are loved? I have to say, I think God speaks to us beyond the words on the page, but I guess I am getting a little lost from the photographs. I just thought of that and had to throw it in.

Anyway, I think the underlying desire I have in trying to capture reality in a photograph is the desire to share the moment with someone. Not just share the moment with someone in the sense that they are standing right there and seeing the same image. More than that. I think I have a desire for someone, just once, to experience my perception of the world exactly as I do. I think there is great value in the fact that we all have individual perceptions and experiences, that we can discuss them and celebrate them and appreciate the same things in different ways, or appreciate different things in the same ways. But I think sometimes I just wish that I could share my little moments of appreciating beauty with someone in such a way that explanation isn't necessary. Wouldn't that be amazing? I have sort of realized, though, that I fall short every time I try to create this shared experience. I don't plan to stop taking pictures, but I think I will try not to expect anything from them anymore other than a nice way to bring back memories. Maybe I will discover some sort of artistic talent that does allow me to share moments with other people, but I have realized that photography doesn't quite fulfill that desire.

The Rise and Fall of Fall

The daily question becomes: Are there more leaves in the trees or under the trees?

At this point I'm just glad we can still see leaves at all.

Home in Michigan

I realized earlier today as I was walking around my little neighborhood that I haven't taken any pictures to share. So I just went for a stroll and snapped a few pics so those of you who will not make it up here (which is most of you) can see where I live. The community is a mixture of apartments and condos. Sara (my roommate) and I live in a condo which is really nothing fancy but is more than adequate.




You can see it is two story - those top two windows are both from my bedroom. There's also a very roomy basement which has come in very handy for storage. The one car garage is great, but of course it only holds one car. We have decided to rotate garage use on a monthly basis, and my month ended yesterday. There are some covered parking areas a short walk up the street, so I will probably try to snag one of those spots when the snow and ice get bad. It's a great little neighborhood with plenty of grass for Kelsey to enjoy on our walks. Like my place in Atlanta, there are little baggies for doggie "stuff" and little trash cans designated for said stuff.


One of the cool things that I probably don't take time to enjoy enough is a little pond right across the street. There are ducks and geese that hang out there, which Kelsey loves to keep an eye on. The ducks sometimes walk or fly across the street towards our building and go to the back of my neighbor's place for birdseed (or whatever she puts out there). So every few days or so I will see a big group of ducks right at our back door hanging out. I took a few pics of the pond - pretty picturesque, isn't it? I think I should take a lounge chair down there on nice days and sit by the water to read or something. Maybe I will. You can see a few of the little ducks in the second photo.