How to fill time in retirement

Remember the Polaroid? Take a picture, and almost instantly, usually about a minute, you could see the result of your photograph. Seems kind of lame now that we have digital and all photos are truly instantaneous. But before the Polaroid, we had expose a whole roll of film (typically 24 or 36 exposures) before we brought it to a store specializing in developing film. Within a few days you could see the results of your photo taking, good or bad. The Polaroid allowed quick results, but there was still a steep cost to take each picture, so perfect was still not the goal, but just a good picture of the moment. My dad started putting family photos into albums after they moved to Florida. In 1980, he started to keep what I call a photo Journal, the pictures intermixed with ticket stubs, newspaper clippings and other non-photo items. This is a special period for me because after I graduated UVM in the spring of 1979, I moved to Florida to live in the trailer with my parents. My niece Lori, ...

When I started to get serious about photography back in Junior High School, I learned that film was precious and that each photograph you take should be a keeper. Frame it correctly, make sure the light was right, and most importantly, choose a subject that was important to you. Well, in the digital age, the motto has become "Just Take the Picture!" (I have left out the colorful adjectives.) So I do that and let me tell you, I spend way too much time sorting through the crap. The good thing is I still have a lot of the training from those early years, so I do frame it, I do check the light, and I try to choose a great subject. Some of these photos have already been shared on Facebook, but I like to tell the story behind the photos. My nephew Brandon lives in Melbourne too, and he had his friend Rob visit from Vermont. Rob had the last day free before his flight back so I took him to the Port. Of course, we stopped at the Rising Tide Tap & Table for some food. Rob, a che...

Scanning in old photos is a tedious task, but I know people have been enjoying the old photos I have been sharing and the best part, great memories of an earlier time are aroused. One of my photo bags was full of pictures of me from about 1973 to 1975. I was going to Middlebury Union High School (MUHS) then and was involved in many activities. The first photo is of me wearing a sling. My junior year, I was playing running back and I broke my collarbone in a scrimmage. We were at Burlington and I was carrying the ball and I felt a sharp pain in my neck area when I was tackled. Kind of winced but stayed in for the next play where I was the lead blocker. This time, when I hit the defensive player, wow, my shoulder hurt badly. I went back to the huddle and told coach Hubie Wagner I think I hurt something (he was in the huddle because it was a scrimmage). The Burlington Doctor came over and asked about it and said I must have pinched a nerve. I went through Saturday, Sunday and a...