Family
It has been a while since I've posted a photo of Glenyce Jane, primarily because it's been a while since Deb and I have spent quality time with her. But next weekend . . .
This photo was taken at GJ's baptism celebration in the Black Hills and the red dress is one that she will not be likely to wear again - kind of like a gown an actress would wear to the Academy Awards, I guess.
Canon 5DIII 1/200s f/4.0 ISO640 50mm
A concern I have about retirement is that as I transition from my "normal" public self to my retired life, some people will start to think about me in the past tense. An even bigger fear is that I might show up somewhere and someone without proper social filters might say, "I thought you were dead!"
Well, I'm alive, though this blog has been on hiatus. So today, like the mythical Phoenix, it rises from the ashes. At least for a while.
And is it any surprise that I return with a photo of our amazing grand daughter, Glenyce? And there are more where this one came from. Do you have a few minutes? There are only 600 or so . . . .
Our grand daughter, Glenyce Jane, was baptized today in front of many friends and family at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Rapid City, South Dakota. I must say that though I am no doubt a bit biased, it was a beautiful ceremony. And since I have designated myself the Official Photographer of Key Events in the Life of Glenyce Jane Shephard, I took many photos. But the one you see here is a favorite of many. See more here.
This is the doting great mother and namesake of our new grand daughter, Glenyce Jane. And GJ is worth doting over. :-)
Glenyce Jane isn't even 12 hours old in this photo, which documents GJ's first serious bath. And serious is a good word for it - the health care worker, who was very good at what she did, didn't exactly treat our new grand daughter like fine china.
In this photo, GJ is getting her right arm pit scrubbed and I suspect that years from now, she will either be grateful for the documentation of such moments in her early life. Or she will be embarrassed. . . .
My Instagram followers will recognize this shot, which was published there yesterday. But my regular readers will know that redundancy is one of my hallmarks. So why not publish it here, as well?
The subject is, of course, our new grand daughter, Glenyce Jane S. The event was her first bath, being administered by a loving, efficient medical care expert, who did not pamper GJ.
I don't know know what kind of thought 10 hour old humans are capable of, but GJ's expression seems to be one of mild frustration mixed with resignation. She seems to be say, "If you really have to, I suppose. . . "
Words fail to convey how I feel about the birth of our new grand daughter. But here she is, only three hours old. She's so new to this world that her parents (Brian and Katie) have yet to name her. But we like her nick name:"June Bug."
I suspect I will be posting a few more of this little girl from time to time. . .
There is nothing particularly unique about this photo, other than the subjects, who are unique. And this is no doubt one of those photos that has much greater meaning to me and my family than it would to the casual observer. For this is my son Brian and daughter-in-law Katie. And they are expecting their first child (and our first grand child) in late May. And it's a girl!
I have been to Las Vegas only once, and this photo documents the highlight of that visit: our hotel had a swimming pool! That's my brother Mike and my dad sitting on the diving board. And the story I am told (because I don't remember it) is that when no one was looking, little 7-year-old Scotty went out to the edge of the board and jumped in. The problem was that Scotty really didn't know how to swim. Whether that event occurred before or after the photo was taken, I can't say.This photo doesn't pass the test as far as quality photos are concerned: it has compositional issues and the photographer (my mom?) posed us with our backs to the sun, leading to underexposed faces. But like billions of other bad vacation snap shots, it is still an important photo - at least in my personal history.This photo, incidentally, was in an album that my aunt Betty had kept. In managing her estate, we ended up with several of her photo albums and it is obvious to me that even though she lived in California, her South Dakota family was very important to her.
That's me on the left (sitting backwards on the big tortoise) and my brother Mike on the right. I think the photographer is our mom. And the tortoises were residents at the Reptile Gardens in the Black Hills. Or maybe they were an attraction at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota?
I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.
I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.