Summer solstice rambling

Happy Summer Solstice! (Well, yesterday....got a little waylaid on the post timing...) I wish I had something quintessential summer to share with you but, alas, I was in a 4+ hour board meeting yesterday late afternoon until just after 8pm. My summer solstice celebration was spent watching the last rays of the solstice sun fade under the horizon as I was driving home, due west.  Ah well.............  A beautiful sunset is never lost.

And now for some creative rambling.........

A friend posted these inspiring words by the late British photographer, Sam Haskins, via Facebook which got me to thinking:




                                                                                                                                                         
In planning my outdoor sojourns, does my usual cup of tea, laptop, and a good hiking guide make me a qualified hiking leader? Or a writer?  Or a travel blogger? Or a rambling on and on about anything and nothing blogger?


And what about these tools from my earlier days of using film and disposables and skinny point and shoots and 3 megapixel camera phones... Were they really necessary to hone an artistic eye?


Now, my arsenal includes an antiquated Canon 30D (still love it), about 6 different lenses with varying expense levels plus a Lensbaby series, some simple post processing software with 2 Macs and a scanner (still don't own Adobe Photoshop CS anything and probably never will....).  Does any of that make me truly a photographer? An artist? Or do I just like gadgets to play with - with hopes to capture some memorable moments?

I think it's time to stop buying gadgets and perfect what I own. Antiquated or not.  All of this is thinking out loud for me as I ponder,  'What do I want to really do with these efforts? These things? The experiences so far? Where do I want to go with this?'

Some say that heartfelt intentions create paths to get you to your destination. If that is so, and I believe it to be, then some of the opportunities presented to me in my 53 years of living have certainly shown me the intentions from the heart and soul have been heard.  It's been a fun journey so far. Let's see what the next fork in the road presents.......

Enjoy these long summer days and cooler starry evenings.........


All images ©Diana Shay Diehl


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