Putting it into focus....

I have to admit - I've been feeling like I've been out of focus the last couple of months. There's been so much going on, from de-Christmasfying the house, to planning my church's upcoming 60th Anniversary, to work I've been doing as a board member of Choral Arts Initiative, and feeble attempts at dating - I just seem to have not had much time to do what I LIKE to do. 

And through all of this has been the steady drone of work, with strategic planning for 2017. There's been time spent with the kids that included a short 24-hour trip to Joshua Tree in late January with Colin. And finally, my birthday late in February. 

But through it all, I've not been content. I find that I really want to spend time on my passions - the things in my life that give me joy. I don't have any Pacific Chorale obligations until May, but being on the board for Choral Arts Initiative, with the release of our first CD later in March, has kept me involved with my passion for choral music. But my photography has not taken as much of a center stage as I want it to. 

Well, this morning, at breakfast with my brother Jim, things came into (no pun intended) focus. And I feel energized and feel the passion returning. 

During breakfast, Jim was telling me about a fine art painter that he knows that does workshops, and makes enough money to cover the expenses of art supplies so he can continue painting at his leisure. It reminded me of the days when I used to do wedding photography, which would pay for my photo trips with my dad or by myself, or the occasional photo workshops I'd go on. And my mind went back many years ago to the idea of running my own photo workshop. 

Lorrie's grandparents used to live in a small community named Walker. It's located up highway 395, in the northern Sierra, near Tahoe. In January of 1997. the northern Sierra had a warm spell followed by a warm storm system that not only rained hard, but caused premature ice melt, and the Walker River became a raging torrent that took out part of highway 395, and part of the town of Walker. Lorrie's grandparents were fine, but they knew of several townfolk who lost homes and businesses due to the flooding, along with the complete devastation of the fishing on the Walker River (which has recovered). The area around Walker is beautiful, but Walker is only a short drive north of Bridgeport, and the Twin Lakes area near there. A ways past Bridgeport is Bodie and then the Virginia Lakes, and even farther south is Mono Lake and the Tioga Pass. 

So, after one Thanksgiving trip I thought of doing a photo workshop, with Walker as the base. I had contacted a hotel there in town that had both rooms and a small meeting room, and told them of my plan. They agreed to host the participants. Unfortunately, my dream never came to full fruition, but it never went away either.

And as Jim and I talked during breakfast, I realized that I could start planning something again. Something that I could do that would encourage photographers who are seeking a way to see beyond how they see now. Take them to the places where nature, in all its artistry, can bring about creativity. 

It's a dream, and it's one I will put my focus on, perhaps running something out of Walker in the fall of 2018. 

And now I'm content again.........

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