A couple of weeks ago, I was bringing in my camera gear from my car and noticed that the sky looked absolutely amazing. So, I pulled out one of my cameras and took a bunch of shots. Here are a few…
The Flying Scotsman video
Suffering Man’s Charity aka Ghost Writer release
Also, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my grandpa recently. I have been very fortunate to live within walking distance of my grandparents since I was 4, making it possible for them to have been extraordinary influences in my life. Alongside my parents, they have taught me how being kind to other people and making responsible decisions are keys to living a good life. Unfortunately, after 60 years of marriage, my grandma passed away in 2005 at the age of 85. She was such an important part of my life and I miss her very much.
My grandpa is now 90 years old and will be 91 this May. He has lived an incredible life and I really enjoy sitting with him hearing stories about how he and grandma got together, what his childhood was like, and little bits of advice on how to live life. I try to engrave the stories in my mind for my own reference and so that I can one day share them with my own kids. It has often crossed my mind to jot the stories and thoughts down on paper, but have failed to actually do it until now. While this isn’t paper, I hope to continue to blog about the things I learn from my time with Grandpa and hope that my cousins and other family members who visit my blog will enjoy hearing the stories I am able to hear.
Tonight, over a dinner of soup and sandwiches, we had a conversation which danced around the main theme of the importance of family. On the table lay a stack of old family photos, some of which were nearly 100 years old that we had been browsing through the night before. This was the inspiration to start this post series now– stop thinking about it and just do it. As a photographer, I have the unique ability to frequently capture moments in photographs. More importantly, I have the honor and responsibility to document people. I’m guilty of not doing this quite enough when it comes to documenting the people I care about… that changes now.
Here are two photos I shot a couple of weeks ago of my Mom, Grandpa (center) and my Uncle John. Interesting fact about my uncle: His name is John Calvert and he is my grandpa’s older brother at 97 years old! The most fascinating thing is that he is a world famous magician and still travels the world performing. Right now, he is driving all over the United States with his wife on a huge magic tour. They also have one sister, my Aunt Betty, who is 93 and lives with my grandpa. Longevity definitely runs in my family.
(In the left photo, Mom and Grandpa were pointing at my Grandpa in his high school graduation photo in a historical album from his hometown.)
I look forward to sharing more photos of my family and more about what I learn from my time with Grandpa.
