Post Number 366 – The War of Fog (or My first year of photo blogging)

Posted: February 7, 2014 in Aerobatics, Aircraft, Angels, Bald Eagle, Birdfeeder, Birds, Black & White, Bridges, Butterflies, Cannon Beach, Cherokee Marsh, Children, Creativity, Cronkite, Dane County, Digitally Manipulated Images, Dogs, Door County, Dragonflies, Fireworks, Flight, Flowers, Great Blue Heron, Happiness, Humor, Ice, Inspiration, Jets, Landscapes, Macro Photography, Madison, Maple Bluff, Minot, Nature, Nature Photography, North Dakota, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Coast, Photography, Photos Taken Within 100 Meters of Home, Places, Sunset, Thunderhead, Train Trestle, Trains, Trestle, Warner Park, Weather, Winter, Wisconsin, Wisconsin River
Tags: Bald Eagle, Bald Eagles, birds, bomber, Bridge, butterflies, butterfly, Cherokee Marsh, de-icing, Dragonfly, eagles, flower, Flowers, Humor, lake mendota, Landscape, Landscape photography, macro photography, Madison, Madison Wisconsin, Maple Bluff, nature, Nature Photography, North Dakota, photo blog, Photos Taken Within 100 Meters of Our House, snow, Souris River, Sunset, sunsets, Wisconsin River

I have had this blog for less than one year and recently I posted my 365th post so I decided to memorialize the occasion. Point-of-View.com has been pretty difficult for me. I suffer from a chronic disease that makes it hard to concentrate and to stay focused and I am often in pain and quite tired (thus the “fog”). When I started this blog I had no idea how much energy it would take and what a challenge it was going to be (thus the “war”).

I started this photo blog in part because the writing that used to come so easily to me now comes slowly and messily like the last bits of toothpaste squeezed out of the tube. Until relatively recently, I was able to work at least part-time in the career I had long pursued (I was an attorney working with intellectual property and technology law). That work is no longer available to me because it requires more energy, a better memory, and greater nimbleness of mind than I currently possess. I tell my friends that I am not dumber, but I am slower.

During the early days of my illness, boredom was a constant companion. Then, a few years ago, my wife bought me a new camera. While I had always enjoyed photography, suddenly I had a lot of time available in which to pursue it. So off I went on a photo binge. Many of my photos are taken of things very close to home – typically in our yard or neighborhood; indeed I have a category in my blog for “Photos Taken within 100 Meters of Our Home.” Many others are taken on the way to visit or at my in-laws. (My wife has a great family!)

As the years went by and the shutter clicked, hundreds and then thousands of images filled up space on my hard drive(s) and I began to think about sharing my photos. I am and always will be an amateur photographer. I do not have the energy nor do I have the desire to sell any of my work (although I do donate my work to non-profit auctions and the like). Eventually I decided to try blogging and started start Points-of-view.com.

Keeping up with this blog has been difficult for me. What has made this easier is that many of you who have visited this blog have been extraordinarily generous with your thoughts about my photos. I am not too proud to admit that when someone says a photo of mine is “stunning” or “wonderful” or “amazing” it makes me feel good. That isn’t the sole reason for the blog, but it sure doesn’t hurt! More important for someone who had spent all too much time just sitting at home is that my blog brought me into a community of people from around the world whose blogging about their lives and travels has made boredom impossible and made frustration, fatigue and pain more bearable. While it is still so very much more difficult to write than it used to be, I have all of the time I want to do it and so it is okay.

This post contains some of my favorite photos from my first 365 posts. When I was looking through the posts to put together this collection, my biggest thought was how thankful I am that I have had this opportunity. Mostly I thank all of the people who have visited my blog. I also want to give a shout out to WordPress because I really doubt I would have had a “Post 366” had I not been blogging with WordPress, which has made setting it up my blog and keeping it going so much easier for me than would otherwise have been the case.

I hope you enjoy this collection.