We attended a party in honor of the 2nd birthday of my grand niece Evie DeGeest a few days ago. I wasn't going to take photos because most of these events are very well photographed. But I couldn't resist. Alicia, Evie's mom, is a designer by bent and trade and DeGeest birthday parties are always brilliantly planned and certainly photogenic.
Maybe it's because of the birth of our grand daughter, Glenyce Jane, but these days I seem to look at the children in our family differently. "Wonder" and "awe" are two words that come to mind to describe how I feel when I study the face and eyes of a child like Evie.
I wonder about the gathering of all the forces that shape the person that Evie is becoming. And I wonder what she is thinking and what the world looks like through her eyes. And isn't it awesome that what begins as a microscopic fusion of DNA ends up becoming a wonderfully complex bundle of cells, thoughts and inclinations like beautiful Evie?
Canon 5DIII 1/80s f/2.8 ISO500 168mm
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I can't help it. Here's a photo of Glenyce Jane Shephard striking a pose with her grandma Deb. Great faces. And wonderful catchlights in Glenyce's eyes.
I went looking for something that made me smile and this photo of father Brian holding daughter Glenyce upside down is the first thing I found. I used to hang him upside down when he was two feet tall and so Brian is obligated to continue the tradition. No children were harmed in the making of this photo. :-)
So it's been several days since I've posted a photo of our grand daughter, Glenyce Jane. So here you go. . . .
Though the title of this post suggests it, Glenyce Jane isn't particularly fashion conscious. Nor am I, her grandpa. But I do know that the right hat can help accessorize a beautiful face. And here's the result.
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 . . .
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!"
This is the doting great mother and namesake of our new grand daughter, Glenyce Jane. And GJ is worth doting over. :-)

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."