I thought this one looked like one of those motivational posters you see hanging on an office wall, or in a school classroom.  Truthfully I took it because I always try to get pictures of birds flying.  It isn’t easy and I think I have about ten that actually look decent.  I have had a change of heart in the last week or so when it comes to my photography.  It isn’t easy for me to get out and take pictures in the winter and for a while I thought I might be losing my touch.  As most of you know I have a short attention span and it has surprised me that I am still so fascinated with my picture taking.  I have always been interested with photography, and when I was 12 I took a picture of a frozen tugboat that was put on the front page of The Bayfield County Journal, unfortunately my first published poem was mis-credited to my brother but since I saw my picture on the front page of a newspaper I was hooked.  I took fourth place in a make up your own G.I. Joe action figure competition that same year, he was a combat photographer named Snapshot.  I dreamt of being a photographer/journalist traveling the world capturing history in the making, while dodging bullets and wooing beautiful women.  Of course those dreams only lasted a few years and once I decided that I wanted to be a writer I forgot about cameras.  Of course the writing hasn’t actually panned out and a few years back while I was trying to get my footing back in the real world I took a walk into the woods with my wife’s camera and I noticed that while I was silently stalking unsuspecting flowers and wildlife I felt peaceful.  It had been a long time since I had felt any peace inside myself and time sort of just stopped while I enjoyed the combination of being in nature and capturing those moments to remember forever.  I was addicted when I got home and started looking at the photos I took, it wasn’t because they were good or anything, it was because looking at them reminded me of the inner peace I had felt when taking them.  That was a little under three years ago and I have had a camera with me ever since.  Photography kept me sane while I battled to become a good person again.  My pictures helped me through some fairly tough years and if it wasn’t for my camera and my wife I hate to think where I would be right now.  I freaked out yesterday because my picture may or may not have been whizzing around the internet and a part of me wanted credit, or money or something but after some thought and some deep contemplation I am thrilled that my picture may be viral.  It means somebody liked it and maybe it brought them the same inner peace I get from taking them.  I spent all winter going through over 10,000 pictures, it kept me connected to my passion even though it was too cold or I was too busy to go take more.  Photography has even taken over my passion for writing, again and someday I hope to blend the two of them together to share the peace it brings me.  I may look like a tool because I lug my huge camera case with me wherever I go, but I am not doing it to show off or whatever, I am doing it because I don’t want to miss anything.  Of all the pictures I went through this winter, I deleted three, because they were too blurry.  My intentions were to get rid of all of the bad ones, the problem for me is that they all mean something to me and it is hard to delete something that brought me peace or happiness.  Well I hope everyone enjoys my hobby and thanks for your continued support and as always………………………..inner…………..PEACE!!!!!!!