Virtual-Doug

Photography and Retirement

So what does an old-timer do when he retires?

In my case, it has turned out to be a lot more than I anticipated!  But then again, I know I won’t garner too much sympathy for saying I’m overworked, eh?  I have to admit, my days are full.

As I’ve written before, caring for my mother is a major time sponge.  For instance, I was sitting at my computer this morning writing up the minutes of a meeting, when the phone rang.  It seems that she could not get the coffee pot to work, so I walked over there to fix that problem.  At 5PM, I’ll pick her up for dinner, but that really means the evening is spent with her until 8:30 or whenever she wants to go home.

Photography takes up some time, though frankly, not as much as I would like.  There is much to learn, and I am loving the learning.  Most evenings finds me on one of the many photography Internet discussion boards.  My current favorite is the Texas PhotoForum .  But, taking pictures of the most fun.

Be sure to click on each picture to see a larger sized image.

I was playing with my new ultra wide-angle lens to take this – I liked that fact that I could get Mom in focus, and the signatures on the Christmas Table Cloth are in focus too.  These are “memory” shots – the ones you look back on in future years.

Or sometimes I’ll go over to our church.  The traditional red poinsettias were not used this year – we had white ones instead (though they look pale yellow to me.)  Most churches are decorated nicely at Christmas, and ours is no exception.

Of course, it just ain’t Christmas without a children’s Christmas pageant at church.  As usual, the kids were fantastic – they had all the adults eating out of their hand.  I must admit, this year’s pageant was a bit unorthodox – but then, that suits me just fine.

I wish I was a morning person – I’m not – but I admit I like the peace and solitude of mornings.  It was a nice quiet foggy sunrise when I took this one.  It looks like its out in the middle of nowhere, but was actually near a busy intersection.  I’m sure some of the drivers sipped their coffee and wondered what the nut case was doing out in the mist with a tripod and camera taking a pictures of a field.

One day, I went to visit a retired priest and his wife who are good friends and mentors.  Father Bob is in declining health now, but his spirit still soars.  He posed willingly as “payment” for me showing him how to use his new digital point & shoot camera.

So the days are busy – church activities (I spent three hours there yesterday, and another two hours this morning writing up the minutes of a meeting), caring for Mom, learning photography, and preparing for my upcoming return to Việt Nam.  Probably my blog writing has tailed off because much of my writing energies are now focused on writing the weekly Mommy Report to family so they can keep up with her situation.  That takes time too.

Life is good!

Merry Christmas

Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ !

A Double Dose

A Double Dose

This will be an interesting five weeks.  The Mystery Guest Blogger’s mother flew in the other day for the holidays and more.  No – I have no problems with my mother-in-law.  She’s a great lady and we’ve always gotten along just fine.

She has been deaf since her late teens – and I mean deaf.  At most, she could hear a rumble or a vibration, but certainly nothing intelligible.  Television is unwatchable without closed-captioning.  A few years ago, she had a cochlear implant.  While that allowed her to hear sound, her brain’s ability to filter and use sounds she has not heard in 60 years makes talking an iffy proposition.  She still relies heavily on lip reading.

Like my mother, she is a widow, though a more recent one.  The two have always been friends, even before the MGB and I were married.  The two moms are mutually enjoying another episode of “Walker – Texas Ranger” on the Hallmark Channel. 

It will be fun to watch them try communicate.  With my mother’s declining ability to remember words, her speech is sometimes a puzzle.  Can my mother-in-law decipher it?  I don’t know, though on the first evening,  I noticed they worked very hard to talk and share.  Its important to both of them to keep on living – and sharing long relationships.

A Short Return to Việt Nam

The decision has been made.  Its kind of a God thing.  I don’t really have the money to make such a trip, but then again, I feel obliged to return.  I have a friend in Huê who is not doing well, and as a friend, I feel like I must return.  Hey – that’s what friends are for, right?

But, it’s a month before I leave.  I could have left immediately after Thanksgiving, but I couldn’t get home before Christmas.  I think every expat in Asia wanted to be home for Christmas, so all the trans-Pacific flights were booked – as were all the connecting flights inside the United States.

So – off to Việt Nam on January 6, and stay in Huê for three weeks.  I know I’ll be there during the rainy season, but I’ve been wet before.

Counting the days.