*Aldron2

I've been off here for nearly a month and now it's past time to catch up.

For those who have been visiting my page I want to say thank you for the support. Every now and then life intrudes and rather than what we want, we end up doing what we have to. I fully understand that everyone has a story and mine is important only to me and those I share my life with. To that end, lets just say it's been a scary two months and included 11 days in hospital and will include a couple more weeks of recovery. The great news is that it is likely going to be the end of it, and life should get back to normal some time in September. There are some great advantages to being a Canadian and one of those is definitely the health care system.

Anyway I'm back on line now and will be trying over the course of the next couple weeks to get caught up with unanswered messages.

It's not what I say it's what I do.

This time I made the effort.

For those of you who happened to read my journal entry from my return from Newfoundland you know I kicked myself for vegging in my room when I could have been exploring the hotel for images (the kind that wouldn't get anyone in trouble) Well I happened to be in Fredericton New Brunswick this week as the water was receding from a spring flood that was the highest it's been since 1973. This time I wasn't going to stay in the hotel but explore what I could find.

The dozen images I'm putting here are representative of the 317 I took that evening.

The water is at least a meter and a half lower than it was at its peak but then would have been a completely different series.

Hi Folks. for those who have been watching the photo series with Jessica we've got a whole new direction now. On Monday morning she had her baby girl. I've held off on here as I wanted to give her time to let her friends know on her own but I can wait no longer.

The bad news is I suspect my daughter is going to be pissed at me again because I hardly ever get to see my grandson Nate and Jessi is here. So I have a lot more opportunity to photograph her and Zoey. But not Kte and Nate. Enough rambling. PLease meet Zoey.

I haven't had much to say, so haven't changed my journal. But after all it isn't 2007 anymore so time to at least change it up.

So now I'm going to tell on myself. I just spent the past four days in Newfoundland on behalf of a client. It was full days with everything taking place in the hotel. Arriving with a suitcase full of projector, workbooks, and four days worth of business clothes I didn't have a lot of room for camera gear so I took the 80-300, the body, and one flash, wore just my shoes and left my boots at home.

I knew it was a mistake but I broke my toe a little while ago and my shoes are painful enough without trying to wear boots. Didn't take a parka or hat. (I knew I wasn't going far from the hotel without boots anyway) and sure enough from inside the hotel my view was 140 deg of grey forest, grey lake, and the heating equipment for the lower floors. It was dark when we started the day, and dark when we finished, Wait for it there is a point to this.

My camera sat in the room on the desk for the entire four days and never even got turned on. This morning at 4:45 I checked out with my camera safely stowed back in my baggage carefully wrapped and belted in. As I waited the 3 minutes for the cab to arrive to take me to the airport I entered the weather lock entry and there to my right was a wave shaped snow drift that crested just past the wrought iron lamp post and just 6 inches / 9 cm below the tri lamps that cast a coloured pattern down the face of the drift.

It's a good thing I was alone as I will admit I said a dirty word when I realized what an idiot I had been not even exploring at least what was open to me. So I stand here before you with my head down waiting for the kick in the pants I know I deserve.

Humm maybe this should be posted in ‘fetish’ under ‘self-flagellation’. Anyway my journal no longer says ‘End of the year.’

I'm not much into resolutions. Not much into the end of the year either, but this year has been exceptional. My daughter gave birth, My son got married, my step daughter will give birth in March and I discovered devianART. I'm not sure which event can be credited with what but this was the year I once again got serious about photography and it has been a wonderful experience. The only down side is my daughter is a bit miffed that I didn't do so soon enough to do Mother 2B photos of her. Next time. The bonus is we'll do Nate with her and I'll feel so guilty I wasn't ready last time that I'll HAVE to do a good job.

In any even This will serve as my end of year, new year, journal. It is fantastic being part of this community and I wish you all fresh ideas and stunning images.