Celebrations and Nostalgia

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This post has nothing to do with photography—it is strictly personal and reaches into my recent past. But, since this is on my mind and I am in blabbermouth mode, I am not going to sit on it any longer.

On occasion, I have mentioned, here, that I taught film acting and ran an actors' studio in Los Angeles for three decades. Having been retired less than four years, I haven't yet fully completed my long period of mourning for what I gave up. I may have left the life behind, but it will always be a major part of who am I am and it will always occupy a large and special part of my heart.

So here is the story. You have probably heard of the new DreamWorks film, The Help, based, of course, on the runaway hit novel by the same name. Well, it happens that the screenplay writer and director of that film is one of my students and the actress, Octavia Spencer, who plays Minny, also studied with me. No doubt, you will hear a great deal more about these two in the months and years to come and every time they make the news, you can bet that I will be bursting with happiness for two exceptionally talented, hard-working people—two people I adore.

I loved teaching with a passion that was difficult to put aside. Life changes—even the good ones—can be painful. Every time that phone rings and it is an actor asking about coaching, I feel a little ache in my heart. I begin wondering, again, if leaving was a mistake and I have a day or two of wistful thinking about the joys of watching talent blossom.

But, that was another life in another place. Now, I am that retired teacher who basks in the pleasure of memories and celebrates the triumphs of my precious students from a distance. It was a gift to have witnessed the journey of so many talented individuals. They taught me so very much and I will always be grateful. People often ask me if I have any children. I frequently quip, "No, but I sure borrowed a bunch."

Getting My Ducks in a Row

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Several days ago, we went down to Cub Lake to take ourselves and Galen for a walk. The ducks with their new chicks were the bonus for our effort. It was my first time in weeks to carry a DSLR outside the house and I felt I could only manage the 24-105 mm lens for any length of time. The result was that I had to crop these like crazy. Nevertheless, it surely felt good to have a camera in my hand. 

The brief outing whetted my appetite. The deer are moving about in the valley—mamas with their babies also; some hawks have been hunting in the field west of the house. It is time to be out and about with a telephoto lens.

I should be safe driving by the end of next week—the incision at the top of the palm is markedly improved and the thumb is doing rather well—working on strength and flexibility. Between the creatures close to the house and being able to wander around in the valley, I have hopes of some local exploration.

In the meantime, I am simply enjoying the fact that we are finally into a kind of Spring here. After a brief spate of hot weather, we are back into a cooling trend and, supposedly, we will see the upper 70's during this next week.

Cub Lake

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Having been immersed in projects all day, my mind is darting about from thought to thought. I am writing this on Tuesday for publishing Wednesday morning, and I hope you will not expect anything more than random musings. Heck, it may not even be coherent.

I am missing my walks down at Cub Lake and out on Lower Valley Trail. Unfortunately, one of those boggy spots I mentioned Tuesday is right at the head of the walking path. Eventually, I will feel strong and stable enough to tromp right through the slick mud and slippery grass to pick up the path. Just not quite yet. The photo from Cub Lake was taken a couple of weeks ago and is indicative of my wishful thinking.

For now, I am still seeing quite a lot of our drive out to the road and today I ventured out along the road in front of neighbors' yards. The ground out there is uneven and wears me out faster than a level path, but that's good therapy for me.

Monday was a day for one of those hectic trips to Los Angeles. A medical appointment and some errands did not make for a romantic Valentine's Day, and there was no time for a trip to the camera store. However, we did enjoy lunch together at our favorite restaurant. I relished every bite of my pork taco and refried beans.  It was a low key and tiring day, but we spent it together and that's the best part of Valentine's Day.