Don’t know why I lead with this photo. This was a draft I started sometime ago with just a title and picture. I scrapped the title but left the photo. Maybe I feel like my harvest is coming in. Maybe its just wanting to clear out my drafts folder and going with it instead of starting another post I didn’t finish. I think I have about 200 drafts. I hope to have about half that by the end of the evening. Plus I haven’t downloaded images from the camera yet.

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Appreciating time spent. What a better way to live. Spent some time with best friends last night. We ate some great home grilled burgers, laughed a ton, shared memories and just had a great relaxed time. Even the dogs were chill last night. Occasionally playing but just hanging out with us boys. We remembered an old friend who passed a few years back.

Now that I think about it, that is about as deeply we as we discussed those few days in such detail in the few years since his passing. It gave us pause several times. The Captain will always be part of our gatherings. We discussed the length of our very close friendships which stretch 4-5 decades. Something that is very special to all of us. But we also talked a bit of what we meant to each other.

OK, that might seem normal to most, but these things while always known between us, always felt deeply by each of us. Always present in our actions and being there for each other. Exhibited in our respect for each other. Always there in the firmness in our handshakes or hugs, of emphasis in our high fives and fist bumps. But it was rarely spoken. All of us are pretty private.

So it was nice to hear and express some of these things together. I wish our Southern brother was with us. He would have enjoyed it being he is part of this close-knit group. I guess as we have grown older we realized how special of a ride its been and continues to be.

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Tonight is a print party. I hope to go through the remaining stock of photo paper and prepare some gifts. Its one of the things I’d like to start this year to just see if it brings the joy it gave me. For instance, I think I’ll start with my neighbors who have a garden out front. At first when I saw this large garden I wasn’t thrilled. But in addition to the fruits and vegetables they were growing were some flowers and sunflowers added. I look forward to seeing the butterfly’s and other birds around. The colors of the various flowers that pop up.

I look over every day during the growing season. It gives me a smile so I thought I’d try to return the favor with a couple of prints of some photos I’ve taken of it.

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Random Thoughts of the Day

I could spend more time reading great blogs. It’s so easy to do. But I feel compelled to attempt to create one myself.

The tripod is out. Going to practice my lighting skills or lack there of. Always good to learn. And I learn best by doing.

I’m glad football is on this weekend as a diversion to the madness going on.

I believe I’m going to get more into cooking this year. I wanted to take a picture of those chocolate chip/walnut pancakes I just made but my hunger instinct took over and I devoured them.