June Just Flew By

some of the people on the garden tour

Well, it seems true that the older you get the faster time goes.  I am not sure where the month of June went, but I know that I have some of it captured on many rolls of film.  First of all, there was getting our gardens ready for the Ann Arbor Garden tour, which took place on June 13.  So, the first half of the month was taken up by that.  It was a huge success, and we had over 800 people go through our yard in 6 hours that day.  Hardly time to take any photos of event, as I was busy answering questions and chatting with visitors all day. The rain held off for the most part, and a constant stream of visitors went through.

Rolls of film to be processed.

Then, there was  Photostock 2015, which has become a yearly rite of photographic cameraderie (intentionally misspelled) in NW Michigan.  Bill Schwab continues to make the event relevant and attract a growing ban of people that are not only excellent photographers, but darn good people.  My buddy Marc Akemann and I went together, and as is the case on our photo trips, it was a lot of fun and I went through far more film than I thought I would.  I met some very interesting photographers that presented their work at the Birchwood Inn.  Anne Berry and Lori Vrba showed their passion for their work, and it certainly resonated with me.  Photostock is more than a bunch of photographers playing with their gear, talking, and drinking over the fire -- it has always been a source of inspiration where we get to see what other photographers are doing, and what photography means in their lives. It is easy to say "Photography is my hobby." It's often harder to tell others your motivation, what inspires you, and what role it play in your everyday experience.  You can get that at Photostock.   Just a few samples of images from Harbor Springs are below.

Fence scene

Foggy Morning

Twilight Harbor Springs

On the way up and back, I continued photographing all of the post offices that I encountered on the back roads that we drove.  Someday, they will be put together in a book, but it really is one of those long-term projects.

Back in Ann Arbor, I went to drop off a roll of color film to be processed at CameraMall, and finally succumbed to the lure of the Fuji X100S camera.  It's another tool, of course, but it's pretty damn nice.  I'll do a separate post on it soon. My initial feeling is that Nikon should allow Fuji to design a camera for them.  This one has the look and feel of a film camera, and the results are wonderful.

A new tool, the Fuji X100S

The next week found Adrienne and I traveling to Luther, MI for the annual Michigan Entomological Society meeting at Rockwell Lake Lodge, which is owned by Hillsdale College.  It was a great time to see colleagues and friends, and I was presented with a Honorary Lifetime membership for my 30+ years of service to the Society.  I really had no idea that would happen, and I was pretty much speechless when it happened.  I have never been so surprised!

So, here it is July 5th, and in another day we are travelling to Marquette for a few days, and I'll report on that trip after we return.  




Here are a few shots from the X100S.

Baldwin PO

Ludington State Park

back stairs, Ludington.