I hung on his every word.

In many ways, I still do.

This photo, along with others associated with my grandfather’s service, hangs on the wall in my home studio. When I first hung it on my wall, it was a point of pride. Here was an image of a loved one who served his country.

Over the past year, the message of this photo has changed considerably. It still reminds me of my grandfather and that conversation. Even more powerful now is the constant reminder of why photography has become so important to me.

I can take a photograph of the Grand Tetons, the elephants at the zoo, or action at an air show. With a little planning, I can experience all of those things firsthand when the mood strikes.

No matter how much planning I do, in this present world, that photograph of my grandfather is the most direct connection I will have with him outside of my memories. Indeed, that picture helps to keep those precious moments alive.

My son is five years old and, while I know there are likely years of memories yet to make, my mind often turns to what he will have as a memento of the many loved ones who surround him.

My son asks about that photograph of my grandfather from time to time and I do my best to pass on the stories. I imagine he will someday come to treasure that image and the related history as much as I do.

Even as I pass that history on, I wonder what photographs he may eventually have hanging in his home. What will his children refer to when asking about their grandfather?

Ultimately, it is that question that drives my love of photography.

How can I help you pass on those precious memories?

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed. Yesterday was good.

In following with tradition for days when I am off, my son and I headed out for breakfast. But this morning was different. First, we weren’t headed for our usual breakfast haunt. Second, I woke up to a day when my ‘personal odometer’ hit another milestone. One of those numbers ending in zero popped up.

But what really stood out most this morning was an unexpected surprise. I spied one of our neighbors out for a stroll. We don’t see anyone from this particular family as often as we once did, so we stopped to say hello.

It was clear that our quick visit was not well-timed. He was on a mission. He hadn’t even noticed that he was covered in duckweed as he set out, so we didn’t keep him long. He reluctantly consented to a quick photo and bid us good day.

Considering events of the last ten years, I couldn’t help but see myself in my neighbor. He’s crossed some rough roads, overcome some seemingly overwhelming obstacles, and yet he keeps plugging away.

Life just keeps getting better.

Judging by the size of those claws, he still has some fight left in him.

Keep chasing that dream, neighbor.

© 2012 Mark Gunter - all rights reserved

Behind the scenes, upgrades offered some interesting opportunities that I wanted to explore, but several obstacles stood in my way. Lack of knowledge being chief among them, I didn’t turn my attention to ‘fixing’ things until recently. With more time available than I’ve had in over three years, I dug in and did what I had to do.

Beyond a few cosmetic changes, the only major change you’ll notice (assuming you paid any attention before now) is the loss of posts from the past. I’ve got the databases and someone out there could probably restore them for me, but I’m choosing to move ahead.

I will continue to tweak things behind the scenes for a while. That’s just my nature. But I am already starting work on a related project, hopefully short term, that I believe will make the work (and sacrificed posts) well worth it. Expect at least one post a week, usually Wednesday. Expect that to change as I hit my stride.

So, sit back, relax, and let’s see where this goes.