Still kinda groggy from all the travel we didn’t jump right out of bed this morning. Well, I didn’t. Gloria did like every other day. I don’t understand how she does that.
Since we have not spent any time as a family in 2018 being together is what these few days are about. I tried to find evidence that all four of us had been together yet this year and couldn’t find any. So this is the first time we’ve all been together in the same place this year.
That said, I took some time to take some high quality photos of all of us together so I can make nice prints to hang on our wall at home.
Olivia has a new boy cat named Tron. He has a sweet personality but so very shy. It took some time for him to warm up to me. But once he did it was mostly like I wasn’t there. Especially when he spotted a squirrel the same size as himself through a window as I got my cameras together to take pictures of the girls.
He loves being outside. Those big ears of his make it clear he can basically hear anything. When I went out to set up for some photos he followed me out. He is not one to bounce into a scene instead making sure that the coast is clear.
I’m standing 50 feet away with a 600mm lens. He did come out to play while I set up. When Olivia brought Tron home I was worried that he would not stay close to home. But that will not be a problem. He definitely knows where home is. Now I just worry about his size. The squirrels are larger than he is. He is clearly growing from his kitten pictures but still so tiny. Man, does he love his mama. There is safety there.
One of the main reasons I wanted to bring my cameras, not that I would ever leave them behind, was to take a contrasting photo from one that was taken by a professional photographer in Memphis back in 1999. We had been taking photos for some time when the girl became restless complaining about being tired and not wanting to take photos anymore. The photographer said, “OK, let’s take a break!” At that moment the girls just relaxed. Then all I heard was “click, click, click, click …” when this photo was taken:
It’s one of my all time favorite pictures of me and my girls. I realize that it captured a moment in time that will never be revisited in the same way. They will grow up. They will move on. It didn’t seem like it then while we were immersed in the chaos of raising a family. It wasn’t until many years later I realized just how special this photo would become. They will never be that tiny again.
I wanted to take a current photo in a similar setting.
Time flies. People would tell me when I was a younger man that you need to enjoy every moment because at some point these moments will seem fleeting. That time is now. Hold on tight if you’ve got ’em!
We enjoyed a quiet Christmas evening together. Soon we will part ways again. It won’t be too long before we get back here again.