A Long-overdue Thank You

Dear A,

Thanks to you, I joined SmugMug some years ago.

Thanks to you, I kept taking photos.

Thanks to you, I have experimented, moving from bridge cameras to an interchangeable mirrorless lens camera.

No thanks to me, I am slow to thank you. This is that thank-you.

I must add that I am slow to learn. I put off making the transition to the new SmugMug till the proverbial last minute, and even then I had to email you for advice. 

User-friendly, it isn't.

But . . .

It's certainly cool.

For the first time -- yes, the first time -- I experimented with PicMonkey just now.

(Has it always been available so easily from SmugMug and I only just noticed? Please: don't answer that!)

Oh my. What fun. 

How numerous are the pleasures of daily walks with a camera and of time spent adjusting the photographs.

I owe you.

Big time.

Respectfully and fondly,
Robley, your sort-of-in-law

Writing Well Matters

I've taught composition for a bit more than thirty years. Every day, I read and respond to student papers, and every day I wait for one to awaken me with a committed, original voice, reminding me why writing matters.

Today, I opened an envelope and found these thank-you notes from my 7-year-old great-nephew and his 5-year-old sister.

Lesson re-learned.