Tony Snow and my Friends at Summer Camp 1970-71

Every time I heard the name Tony Snow I would wonder could he be the same Tony I was sweet on all those years ago. My sister Jessica heard of his death on the internet and pulled out her albums from Summer camp in 1970 and 1971 and there he was the young Tony Snow standing next to her future husband . The Kumbaya years when we were so young and full of life and love. Tony and I did not go to the same school or church and we did not live in the same community. We saw each other at camp or at conferences and spent a lot of time on the phone. Tony was so tall and I was so short. I remember we went to the Cincinnati Gardens but I don't know why all I remember was I had on a pair of slippery shoes and the side walk was covered in ice and I held tight to Tony's arm for fear of falling. The young Tony I knew briefly was brilliant and I loved his poetry. I was sad to hear of his death and my heart goes out to his family. I am also proud of his accomplishments as a musician and a journalist but I think I would have loved to have had a serious talk to him about his last job.





1970 the barefoot Tony and his cabin mates at C.Y.F. Wilmington Conference Camp Christian















Our Friends 1970
Middle row second from left Scot
bottom row from Left Michael, Chris, Jeff (my future brother-in-law to be and ex brother-in-law to be) standing David







In 1970 I was not able to go to Summer Camp due to Scoliosis. I was spending my second summer flat in bed with a body cast after enduring three surgeries and I don't know how many body casts. I still had another surgery to not look forward to in my future. Spending two years in bed was hard on my friends and family, I wasn't much fun and didn't have much to offer. I had two friends when I emerged from the bed sheets in a walking cast but not able to sit, Rhonda and Vicky stuck by me through those difficult years. The first summer Rhonda was on house arrest one of her conditions was that she could visit with me. She was under arrest for her rebellious ways and I was under confinement for my crooked body. We have kept in touch all these years. The second summer Vicky and her family were kind enough to take me in for a week so my family could have a much needed vacation. It was rare for me to go anywhere. Unfortunately I have not kept in touch with Vicky. I wonder where she is?




Rhonda in 1970. In 1971 she was having her first child and did not go to camp. Rhonda became a nurse and had two boys. In August of 2007 I traveled from my home town of Abbotsford British Columbia to Kentucky to spend eight days with Rhonda and her husband Jim. She found out she had cancer in 2006. A year later I watched her as she became weaker each day. I was so grateful for those last eight days with her, She passed away two weeks after I came home. I miss her, like Tony she was too young to go and had so much more to offer to this world.










Vick in 1971






My sister Jessica (Debbie at the time)1970
























1971: Second row from left Jessica, fourth in Mary Jane, Trudy, bottom row with teddy bear Jan








Myself in 1971.


























Vicki , myself and the rest of the cabin mates in1971






The boys in 1971. Cabin # 26 had the majority of long haired Jesus freaks.
Back row Second from left: Jeff, Tony, Michael, Chris, ?, David, Scott.
Chris was the Senior Officer in 1971 and looked so much like our vision of Jesus that the girls all had a crush on him, or maybe it was just me. As I look at the photo I find it interesting the way he is in the center of the photo, It's been a long time since I have heard from Chris. I didn't keep in touch with Jeff, the brother-in-law but I am sorry I didn't send my regrets when my nephew, Jeff and Jessica's son Ian passed away at the age of 26.

In 1971 we could only dream of our futures. Some of us were able to shape our futures to our desires and some of us have floated freely letting life shape our futures. Now we think about the future of the planet and our children, our thoughts have grown and my teeth hurt when I think too much about the future.

The photography of Craig Carmichael

This is a good selection of Craig's work as he traveled across this country of big sky and diversity.



































Old car























French door














Quebec country lilac
















Stair case

Craig Carmichael, Photographer

Taking photo's of a photographer made me a bit nervous, until Craig mentioned that he was nervous when anyone wanted to take his picture. That evened us out.
I love talking to people who love to laugh and Craig is a laugher in fact he felt his role in his family was to be the one to make everyone laugh. I find this a good quality in a person. The only problem with conversations with Craig is that we never want them to stop.
Craig was born and lived in Sudbury Ontario till he was 10. The family moved to Kitchener, Waterloo were he lived till he was 38. He met his beautiful wife Wendy in Ontario. She came to him to do a photo of her boyfriend. Six months later she was single and they met at a Kiwanis club and hit it off. A month and a half later she came to his studio for a visit and said guess what I just bought. He didn't know what it was she could have bought. She said "I bought a wedding dress." His response was "Who's getting married ?" She said "You are!" They have a great relationship, when Craig gets out of sorts he calls on his "inner Wendy" Wendy is a remarkable thinker, knows all the right questions, is very supportive and calming. I didn't ask how many wives Crag has had but he does have two kids which are now adults and four grandchildren, that he is quite proud of.
Craig has done a bit of traveling every couple of years he likes to cross Canada or the states by car or motorcycle to take photo's. He has been to Southern France, Paris and Mexico. In Paris they met up with friends from Dublin, Hong Kong, and Barcelona. On A trip to Mexico with the Rotary Club to deliver 240 wheel chairs, Craig took a little walk on his own to do his photo thing. He came upon a shoe shin stand with a group of men hanging around. When they saw Craig they started pointing at him laughing and saying "You dead, you dead." Craig was a little confused as to the comment that he was dead and they said "You crocodile man you dead." They were sure he was the dead Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter so they gave him a free shoe shin.
Craig works with a digital 12.8 mega pixel Canon DSLR. He is a member of NAP, National Association of Photo shop. He has gone to their Las Vegas seminars in photo shop, and has gotten a lot out of them. In the past he has done weddings, portraits and glamor shots, but in the present he is most interested in taking his photo's to the computer and putting them together adding color and mixing them up in photo shop. He has done some awesome work.
Walking down a city street with his camera inspires him to take photos of everyday life. His admirers who hang his photo's on their walls, overheard comments at his shows and his wife are all inspirations for his work.
Craig's motivation is to do the perfect picture, which he will never archive because if he does what else is there to do.
Craig does a lot of charity work. He was very moved by the response when the Rotarians took the wheel chairs to Mexico. He was the President of the Rotary at the time. He is vice chair of Hospice, has been active with Big Brother, Breast Cancer, donated many photo's for many charities. He is very giving and humble.
In the world of artistry "Learn the rules and then brake the rules"
www.craigcarmichael.com

Master Dabbler

As kids growing up we think about what we want to be as adults, and some of us as adults are still thinking about what we want to be.
I am a dabbler but the stigma around a dabbler is that you are a master of none. When I do what I do I do it to the best of my ability and if I don't it's not worth doing. I also find that I inspire others with my diversity. So I have decided that I am a Master, I am a Master Dabbler and I am proud of it!

Beaded dragonfly





















The Master Dabbler in the hat and garments of my design and making





Fish in the fish pond.
















A display at Berrybeat Festival Abbotsford downtown

Midsummer Festival 2008 Smithers BC

Steve and I drove from Abbotsford in our Smart car for the 25th annual Midsummer Festival in the beautiful setting of Smithers BC. A potpourri of notes could be heard from guitar,sitar, to trombone and trumpet. The list of Headliners were Michelle Shocked,Rita Chiarelli, Hungry Hill, Random order, Mark Perry, The Kerplunks, Navaz, Slidin' Clyde Roulette. I loved it. I got to see most of my old friends.