Diane isn’t having a great day. Lots of pain, general discomfort. Not fun. Kelsey and I left for a short while this morning to have a quick walkabout. We went down to Hidden Pond and discussed the mysteries of life. Well, maybe not of life but of shutter speeds, f-stops, depth-of-field, ISO, and on and on and on. But most importantly, we talked about seeing things. About the difference between snaps and photos. And about art. Because what we are doing is art, some will like what we do, some won’t, most won’t even notice. As I droned on, I realized that there’s actually quite a bit to this photography thing. Most of the technical things I don’t think about anymore but those things still need to be done. I shoot in the manual mode. That’s what I’m teaching Kelsey although I told her it’s okay to use P,S, or A. But learning what all the pieces do is important. I’m reminded of when I learned to drive, my dad taught me to drive on a manual transmission, a 1959 Rambler station wagon with a three speed manual on the column. Hmmm. No such thing as Rambler anymore and I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as a three speed manual on the column either. I could be wrong about that.

Pathway in the Woods
We walked about in the woods, a few hundred yards of the path were on the raised walkway in this shot. But most was on rough dirt pathways. That’s another technique about walkabouts that I’ve learned the hard way. Watch where you are going so you don’t trip or step into a hole! Or on a snake. I get down on the ground a lot and the snake thing is not a preposterous idea. In fact, because I hate snakes so much, I’m pretty sure that they are waiting for me specifically and the only reason I haven’t been bitten yet is because I am so careful. I know that’s unreasonable and that my fear of snakes is unreasonable. But that’s the way I am. As much as I would like to someday visit Australia, you can be quite certain that such a visit is beyond the pale. At no time, no way, no how would I visit a place with so many incredibly dangerous critters…and they’re mostly snakes. I know about the spiders, too, but that’s just icing on the “stay away” cake.
The walkabout was short and necessarily focused on the woods. Next week when Diane is better, Kelsey and I can go to Old Town for a longer walkabout. I think she’ll find that outing more fun. But then, we’re both biased, we love Old Town. Right now, we’re trying to help Diane. The day isn’t good but Kyle has a ballgame, grocery shopping, Kelsey has a school outing, I’ve got a couple more hours of work (job-work) to do. Whine, whine, whine. The day isn’t about me or the kids, the day is about Diane–keeping her comfortable and, to the extent possible, distracted. Every chemo session has produced a slightly different “suite of symptoms.” It’s sort of like the body is piling on—piling on itself. The good news for this dismally awful day is that this is probably the worst of the session and this is the halfway mark. That brings a smile to my face. Not to Diane’s…not yet, maybe tomorrow will be a better day!

Kelsey in the Woods