Thirsty Boots

As if I hadn’t made Courtney’s life difficult enough, I asked her to share my retirement by illustrating my weekly blog. So far, we’ve created somewhere in the neighborhood of 285 entries over nearly five years. She puts up with me and is constantly making demands that only improve my work. I don’t really see us slowing down.

I spend a lot of my time just looking around and taking pictures of really random and/or obscure things; poorly parked vehicles, unique views from the mountains or from balconies in a city that I might be in, strangers (if they haven’t noticed me – I have been caught before and it’s awkward), food… You name it and I probably have a picture of it. I do this in anticipation of whatever my father might choose to write about for his blog, and given the season (winters in Montana aren’t always prime for “blogtography”) or the sometimes last minute idea that he has, I know that it could literally be about anything. To feel prepared, I need pictures of EVERYTHING.
 
I feel an attachment to this photo. My Papa is holding the whole world in his hands. It brings me a feeling of peace because that’s what he’s always done for his family. He’s helped hold the world together for us.

Sam Dean was an inspiration during my earliest years in music. His lessons translated to everything else I’ve tried in my 72 years.

This one was a challenge to put together. I had to get the contrast just right so as not to phase out the portrait of my dad, or his handwriting. It’s one of my absolute favorites because this is what I see when I think of him. The thinker, the writer, the lover of music. The only thing that’s missing is a big bowl of pasta!

Eve was as dear a friend as I might have imagined. Her heart was gold, her demeanor sweet as honey, and she was tough as nails. In her, it was a perfect combination.

I actually took this picture while I was in San Diego in December of 2019, not knowing that it would be the last recreational trip that I would take prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the photo that I chose for Eve Art after she passed. Knowing her love for the sea and travel, and how beautiful of a person she was, this photo doesn’t give her the justice that she deserves. I’m still angry that she isn’t still with us today.

Our family’s life was forever changed when we lost Tony. The question of why he chose to take his life will probably by my last cognizant thought. Courtney proves that the moment of the photograph belongs to the photographer.

My relationship with this picture stirs up a lot of different emotions. It’s one of my favorite pictures of my stepson Tony, who passed away in 2018. It’s a sweet reminder of who he was to me every time I would pull the camera out; a typical teenager, rolling his eyes at one of his parents. Although there is another person out there who likes to claim credit for this photo and who uses it frequently for her own uses, I am the actual person who caught this moment and only I know the words that were exchanged between us before I hit the button. People can steal pictures, but they can’t steal the moments.


This is just one way to express my love of New York and a good sandwich.

I don’t really have any personal attachment to this picture other than the fact that there’s a sandwich and I love sandwiches! As someone who regularly takes pictures of whatever food gets placed in front of me, I thought that this particular picture turned out well. I like the fact that the radishes in the picture were given to us by our neighbor Wendy, who is always generous to us with her harvests.


In the process of trying to stage this photo with the help of my step kids, all of whom were very young at the time, I might have inadvertently scared them from ever liking Miracle Whip for the rest of their lives. Sean-Liam will tolerate mayonnaise given the right circumstances; Evelyn will not go near anything remotely in likeness to it. We had a great time doing this together and it still makes me laugh to this day.