Mer in India

NEW BLOG!!

2009-01-30T10:41:00.001-08:00

Since I enjoyed posting pictures and getting people's feedback while I was in India, I have started a photography blog in Chicago... www.MerinChicago.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

What is Documentary Photography?

2008-09-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how to approach all the images I shot while in India. I sort through them and feel nostalgic, but only for part of the experience, the part that created a beautiful image. The images re-create the memories each time I look at them.

From the Chris Marker's film Sans Soleil: "Remembering is not the opposite of forgetting. We re-write memory, much as history is re-written. How can one remember thirst?"

So enjoy my re-written trip.

Looking Back

2008-09-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have to say that when I was in Calcutta during the hottest/muggy time of the year it was not my favorite place. But looking back it sure was picturesque.

For the photo geeks out there, these images were shot with my twin-lens Rolleicord with expired film. Thus the square format and the really 1980's feel.

Home At Last...

2008-07-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

So I am back in the US now (same cell number although all my numbers are erased). I am adjusted to the time difference, but still feel a bit lost as to where I should call home. I blame it on the fact that I am still living out of a suitcase. Soon very soon I will be in Chicago for good...but for right now it feels like moving purgatory.
The final weeks in India were a whirl wind of visiting friends, taking a 24hr train ride from Kolkata to Delhi, and trying to both slow and speed up the clock.

In one of my very first posts I relished in some of the unusual and unexpected things I could get in India. (I mean who knew that I wouldn't need to bring enough Peanut Butter to live off of for 6 months?) So as a bookend to that post I would like to present to you a list of things that you can get in India that became core to my experience:

1. Gummy Sour Straws, Apple are the best.

2. Rickshaws, These fantastic small car/bikes. I got a great deal of thrill as we drove at high speed on the white line between buses and cars. Or on the occasional sidewalk.

3. Chai. What we serve in coffee shops should be called water compared to the milky sweet Chai you get in India. I even had a dream about Chai while there...let me explain before you open the phone book to see if there is an addiction withdrawal program for Chai. On any train there are guys who walk up and down the aisles with Chai for around 12 cents. So when they called out Chai at 5:30am I was still asleep and it became incorporated into my dreams.

4. No voice mail. It is nice to not have to check messages, but if someone really wants to get a hold of you they call and call and call and call....

5. All groceries are delivered to your home if you ask. A necessity when you are three floors up and getting a water drum delivered. But I also had a small bag of groceries delivered once when I was sick and didn't know if I could lug home all the orange juice I had bought.

6. You can get just about anything repaired on the street. The most intriguing being umbrellas! Break the handle, ripe the fabric, bend the spokes all of these things can be fixed! Which is nice in a country that has monsoons.

7. A complex recycling system. An example of free market doing some good. There are big companies who buy plastic, cardboard, glass, etc. So there are individuals who come get your trash sort everything, and then redeem it for cash. They also then place the biodegradable waste into specific bins the city has out.

This is just an initial reaction to my trip. As I go through my pictures I am sure I will remember more things I will miss about India. For example: I have a picture of a guy riding on the back of a car feet on the bumper one hand on the roof and smoking a cigarette with the other!

I need a vacation to recover from my vacation

2008-07-06T02:49:00.001-07:00

I am coming to the end of my six months here in India (only 10 days left in fact). The heat, food, and constant hagglers have worn me down a bit. But before you roll your eyes and ask: "Is she really going to go on a vacation after being gone for six months?" the answer is no. I am already on vacation right here in India: I am in Darjeeling.

The British had the right idea when during the summers they would retreat from the heat up to Darjeeling. So for the past month I have been trying to follow suit. I have been impeded by striking, protests, and general political unrest. (see Bethany's post). A halt was called to the strikes so I hopped in a jeep up the hill. It was well worth the wait. The weather is exactly like Michigan in the fall. It is cool but not cold. (which is going to mess with my mind when I get home and it is hot). The rain actually brings out a colorful array of umbrellas. And it also relieves any guilt I might have about spending a whole day inside with hot chocolate and a book.

But between downpours I have wandered around the city, which is kinda like working out on the stairmaster. I have stood for several hours at a political rally (they have happened almost everyday we have been here). I have also toured a tea plantation. The tea plantation was really an interesting experience. I went to Makaibari Organic Tea Plantation who sells most of their tea to Tazo Tea. My tour guide named Om says that Tazo Tea names one of their varieties "Om" partly because of him. Other interesting facts: Green tea can go from plant to package in about 4hours while Black Tea takes 24hours. Both of those time frames seem very short (It takes me way longer than 24hours to get even a sock to dry here). The machine in the picture sorts the tea according to grades, from whole leaf to tea leaf dust. I am bringing some tea back to the States, all are welcome to come over for a cup of Darjeeling Black Tea!

A week at 10,000 feet

2008-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

At the end of June I went on a week long trek in Manali with a group of photographers from India and one from Singapore. It was an amazing trip, both climate wise and photographically. Feel free to ask me for the highlights of 1,271 photos I took when you have a spare hour... or two... But for those of you who have more pressing things to do here are the highlights of the highlights:

The distance between our three camps was about a 5hr walk, a lot of uphill and it did rain on us. But with the rain and hills came some beautiful scenes.

The weather in general was in constant flux. I wore four layers one day and the next I got a sunburn. But the fast movement of the clouds created some stunning views, like this one that was the view from our tents.

It was a great chance to relax and enjoy nature. It is absolutely amazing how many different climates and landscapes there are within one country.

(By the way this was with a point and shoot digital, behold the power of the macro):

Museums and Crazy Roads

2008-06-27T03:20:00.000-07:00

Kolkata is an unusually beautiful city with crumbling British Architecture and monsoon weather, BUT it has not completely won me over. Let me explain the reasons, in case anyone accuses me of judging a city too quickly... or simply on reputation.

1. Picking a driving direction is like picking out a dress for a wedding, it depends on the time of day of the ceremony. Observe:

10am:

2pm: (Same buildings in the background)

2. The Indian Museum. And you think your child hood field trips were bad?!?! Check out these exhibits. While they would make a beautiful set for a twilight zone movie, they remind me why I can't remember a single field trip from my childhood. Except...nope still can't think of one.

Ok, enough on the quirks of Kolkata, I also have two equally shallow and irrelevant reasons to like the city:

1. There seem to actually be traffic laws. For stopped vehicles at least. I feel bad for the bike owners in this photo. If you aren't going to enforce red lights than why enforce no parking on a 6 lane road?

2. There was a newly renovated section of the museum that had one of the displays that makes ones' skin crawl, then makes one think.

Caption: Ornaments (anklets/toe rings) from the stomach
of an estuarine crocodile weighing 7,207 kg (15,888 lbs).

Although I could continue my point, counter point list on Kolkata, I have a ton of photos from Manali where I just returned after a week at high altitude. And yes I mean above sea level, not Manali's other reputation. (Hint: It is a hippie hang out city).

New Nephew

2008-06-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome Nathan Robert Thornburg to the Family!

Born June 4th at 10:36am to Loralei and Rob.

More pictures at http://www.thethornfield.blogspot.com/

Rajasthan

2008-06-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Jaipur at Night and Amber Fort

I have a new talent! I can play Finger Billards, or rather Carom. After visiting the Taj Mahal I decided to continue my tour of India with a six day tour of Rajasthan. (Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur)

Why so quick? Well there has been major turmoil going on involving the Gujjar. The night after I took the Jaipur-Delhi train that stretch of rail was torn up in protest. But since I was already safely in Rajasthan all I had to worry about was getting home, but I had a week to figure that out.

Rajasthan while defined by some as a land of Palaces, Forts, and the Desert, for me it signifies Hospitality. After five months I have been followed by touts, ripped off by Rickshaws, gotten sick by a fair number of food born causes, so as I left Delhi alone to go into the heart of tourism I had my best poker face on. The one that says don’t mess with me and I know where I am going even though I have never been here nor can I tell you what street I am on.

Rajasthan while a bustling tourist destination normally, was in the off season, which means it is hot. So hot that I think shop keepers couldn’t even be bothered to shout out onto the street at me, let alone follow me. I stayed at three different hotels, all Lonely Planet approved, but I found them by Rickshaw recommendations…a chance to be ripped off and be paying their commission, but it was a blessing. It was truly too hot to wander around lost searching on my own for hotels.

My entire laid back attitude towards the trip allowed me to sit for hours sharing photos, drinking Chai, go spice shopping for a dinner of Mutton I was then invited to, and to play hours of Carom. Thus discovering my new talent. Carom, a game not for the weak in geometry, is all about bouncing off one wall and knocking pieces into goals. I did go to beautiful Palaces, Forts, and the Desert (where I rode a Camel) but by spending the hot part of the day hanging out with hotel owners and tuk-tuk drivers I saw more into the lifestyle of a specific community than I think I had experiences in Delhi over the last 5 months.

Spices:

Udaipur Lake

Oh and although the train is still disrupted (two weeks after my trip), my ticket home took me a different route so there was no problem getting home.

Jodhpur: Blue city

Taj Mahal

2008-05-31T01:34:00.000-07:00

I, like the good tourist I am, visited the Taj Mahal a few weeks ago. This building is probably one of the most photographed sites in the world (a google image search brings up over 555,000 images). So I spent an entire day there and challenged myself with coming up with unusual views or at least views that were particular to the day that I visited.

My favorite is the reflection in the black ring because it eludes to the legend that the King was going to build a Black Taj across the river from the White Taj for his own burial.
The other pictures were only possible because it rained the day before and since I was there right after they opened there were still puddles on the ground.

I spent the day reading and writing and watching the light change.

2008-05-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

May has been quite a month I have been all over Northern India and hit a highlights tour that rivals most two-week package deals to India. I am currently sitting in an almost empty apartment as our departure from Delhi is within 12hours. We are heading west to Kolcatta and some much needed change from the air in Delhi.

Before I get to the beautiful photos that I took at the Taj and in Rajasthan, I will update you on a few more amusing tales from the last month of Delhi.

If you haven't already read Bethany's post about broken windows, here is a small recap. In two nights we managed to break three windows of our apartment and rip the entire frame off in one case. There have been unseasonal rains here in Delhi, global warming yes, but it was divine to have a sweater on to sleep (granted the sweater was also with shorts and all the windows open and fan on, so we aren't talking cold, but simply windy). Anyways, the windows broke as a combination of not locking them open and the wind slamming them shut, and B breaking hers in an attempt to let the cool rain air into her room. Bad news for windows.

We discovered the value of a good tailor. We have been getting a few suits made from a suit Bethany brought from the US. The most interesting part about the process is that I truely have no knowledge of how clothes are put together. My suit coat has gone through several re-adjustments because I don't know how to say exactly how and where to change the fit to get the look I want. We have been spending lots of time on the internet researching patterns, fabric, latest trends, and for a few days dress ideas (although this has been abandoned at the moment).

In the US I did this rather strange photo project where I turned fruit into Lanterns by hallowing them out and putting a light inside. Since the fruit here is quite different I decided to do an India extension of the project. I have no idea what this fruit it, but it looks cool.

Sad but those are the highlights from Delhi for the last month. Granted I have been spending most of my time outside of Delhi, stories and updates coming soon...

Delhi

2008-05-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have been making the most of the hot weather here in Delhi...mainly by avoiding it. I go out photographing in the late afternoon and evenings. Here are some of the more beautiful shots at night. I am shooting on a tripod which makes it almost impossible to take images without anyone noticing. Not that it matters much because I shoot with such a long exposure time that people blur anyway. It is almost a pleasant surprise when someone shows up as a a solid human rather than merely an impression of themselves.

Please indulge the necessary shot of a beautiful tomb, the gate to it looks straight out of a the Godfather to me (Although twist my arm... I admit it! I have never actually watched the movie). And yes that is actually the color of the sky at dusk... gray, looks like rain but no that all the dust in the air.

Varanasi

2008-04-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

Almost the day after I arrived back from Puri, I decided to take an impromptu trip to Varanasi. The city boasts the Ganges River, the holy river in India where people go to bathe but also where people go to die and then be cremated. The city is spread out along one side of the river, the other side is desert. Tourist season is over, so I found the city laid back and quiet compared to Delhi. I took boat rides and walked along the river during the day. And at night I watched thunderstorms roll in over the desert, two nights in a row. Very peaceful and a very memorable city. In some ways the city reminded me of Venice, with its winding streets and life centered around water.

I took many photos so here is just a sampling.

Beach

2008-04-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

It was pointed out to me that even though I went to the beach, I failed to post any pictures that were of sun and sand. So here is my ode to the Puri Beach!

Puri- The One Act

2008-04-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Scene: A luxury hotel restaurant. 4pm, that ambiguous time between lunch and dinner. Only three customers (Merideth, Bethany, Adam) in the restaurant, and 6 staff members to look after them.

Enter Waiter stage right.

Merideth: I'll have the cheese sandwich. (points to menu)

Waiter: (Looks at menu. Pause) Not available.

Merideth: (Looks at the menu card. where approximatly 1/3 of the other sandwiches have cheese on them. Including the veggie & cheese sandwich) Is the veggie & cheese sandwich available?

Waiter (Looks at menu card.) Yes.

Merideth: Ok. I'll have the veggie&cheese sandwich.

Waiter: Ok

Merideth: Can I have that without veggies?

Waiter: (catching on that I am up to no good. Re-consults the menu and after confirming I am not attempting to order the line that reads cheese sandwich, which is not available answers:) Ok.

Merideth: Ok. Veggie&cheese sandwich no veggies.

Waiter: Okay. No veggies.

Exit Waiter. 5 minutes pass, giving Merideth time to reflect on the fact that there is in fact cheese in the kitchen. However ordering just a cheese sandwich is somehow not possible. Perhaps this is a yet undiscovered campaign against boring western meals that only consist of carbs and dairy. I can imagine campaign banners with dejected cartoon vegetables and evil looking squares of cheese.

Enter Waiter with the menu.

Waiter: (opens menu and points) Cheese sandwich available.

Exit Waiter. Merideth is given another 5 minutes to contemplate the humor in the fact that obviously there was a consultation between the cook and waiter. Ending in the verdict that in fact a veggie/cheese sandwich without the veggies is just a plain cheese sandwich. So, ok, fine you can order your plain cheese sandwich...at least that is what you think.

Enter Waiter with sandwich. Sandwich has no veggies but inexplicably has pineapple. Because while asking for no veggies, I did not ask for no fruit. Which begs the question if I had gotten veggies on my sandwich would it also have pineapple?

Score: India 1, Merideth 0.

Although the exact hilarity of the situation is a bit lost even with careful a re-telling, the cheese sandwich was the tip of the ice-burg (in a country without snow). There was a taxi driver with apparent short term memory loss (who would drove past a museum, pointed it out, then when we tried to go back to the museum, didn't remember pointing it out). There were business cards where the addresses were descriptions like "across the street from Tosali Hotel." And then there was the overly ambitious hotel staff who almost drove me to cutting up a comment card in order to draw my own "do not disturb" sign.

But in the end it was a relaxing week, despite the sitcom. The Temples were beautiful. Especially the Sun Temple at Konak. I have come back to Delhi with new energy to learn Hindi faster (or perhaps just the words for cheese, museum, and do not disturb).

Happy Holi

2008-03-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Despite my best effort to be an observer for Holi. I went to a workshop early Saturday morning and at noon when I left Holi was in full swing. I was colored by a family and a few kids. Not nearly to the extent that everyone else was, but for only being outside for only 15minutes pretty good. Everyone I ran into seemed in a wonderful mood. I got wished "Happy Holi" by lots of strangers.

Photography In India

2008-03-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I added an update so be prepared for a laundry list of happenings...

I had my first bought of illness here in India. The culprit may never be known since Bethany and I basically eat the exact same thing here. But on doctors orders I ate probably they most bland diet ever for about a week. Which did not include dairy. This cemented in my mind that I would waste away if I were vegan, and that I am really lucky not to be lactose intolerant. Right after I got better I read a book about The 1854 Cholera Outbreak in London called "The Ghost Map" by Steven Johnson. Really interesting I highly recommend it. But I am glad I chose to read it AFTER getting better, otherwise I would have been convinced I had Cholera.

My involvement with the photography community has started to take off. I have been to a few shows and joined a group called "Delhi Photography Club." What makes this group unique is that they are also working with different social causes, and volunteering their skills as photographers, so I am looking forward to working with this group. This weekend I am sitting in on a workshop for beginning photographers.

I am taking a break from the city this next week! Bethany, her boyfriend Adam, and I are all heading to Orissa, Land on Temples and Beaches. Should be a nice break from the skillet that Delhi feels like. I hear spring may be coming to Chicago soon. But here it is 95*F outside right now, and 89*F in my room. So I am sitting here under my fan and don't plan on venturing outside until after the sun goes down.

That's all my news. This weekend is the holiday called Holi. It is when people throw a colorful powder on each other. I've heard it can get out of hand, so I plan on finding a high vantage point to watch and shoot some photos.

2008-02-26T09:35:00.001-08:00

Nepal was a really interesting trip. Lots of religious sites. We also took a plane trip to fly by Mount Everest which was obviously really impressive up close.(First image) I didn't know this but in Himalayas there is also a the holy mountain that no one is allowed to climb.(Second Image)

The two middle images are a Buddhist Temple and buildings on the edge of a tributary of the Ganges, the holy river that also runs through India. The tradition is that after death the body is cremated and then put into the Ganges.

For the last few months there has been an petrol shortage in Nepal, so there were lines of cares, bikes, and people lining up waiting for shipments. A fight broke out in one of the lines the day we left, so there were hundreds of people waiting in line with no petrol and then an equally long line of cars/bikes with petrol just burning it up because of the traffic.

Enjoy the images. I have more but wanted to post a few at a time.

Evening in Delhi

2008-02-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

There isn't much to report from Delhi. I am settling into my life of going to photography shows and reading through photography books. That is of course when I am not trying to memorize the Hindi letters. Not only is there an entirely new alphabet to learn, but a letter will change depending on what other letters are around it. Needless to say it is slow going.

In a few days I am going to Nepal to join my parents on a three day excursion. They have been traveling around northern India for a week and a half now. I am curious to see what they like, cause then I plan on getting on a train and doing some exploring!

This is the view out the back window of my apartment at dusk. I climbed up on the toilette in my bathroom and stuck my head out the window to take the picture.

2008-02-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Because there is such a level of dust and pollution in the air here, frequently things are painted and re-painted. I woke up the other morning to a ladder almost directly outside my window with someone re-painting our building white, and mind you I am on the fourth floor! But there are more interesting manifestation of these ambitious projects, like when they appear in the midst an image or are part of a whole wall that needs to be re-painted.

Advertising

2008-02-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

This drink was almost too beautiful to drink! Look at it! It looks identical to the menu!

So despite the fact that this shop's coffee tastes burnt, they certainly know how to sell it to you. They even put those little rosette flurishes in my coffee the other day. It still tasted awful, but at least it was pretty!

List of things you can get in India

2008-01-30T01:13:00.000-08:00

I know it will come as no surprise to anyone that you can get a lot of Western comforts even when you are in India. However, even I am surprised at some of the things you can get in India:

-A good cup of coffee or a latte (This is one I am particularly thankful for.)

-Subway. In fact it even smells like the US version and has the guy who lost all that weight is on the billboard (no, I have not eaten there yet)

-Malaria (unless you take pills that as I found out this morning should NOT be taken without food).

-Cadburys Chocolate, in fact there are snickers, mars bars minstrels and other delights. I wonder what will happen to those in a few months when it is really hot?

-Peanut Butter!!!!

-Ice Cream (Baskin Robbins) and Gelato

-Laminating Machines, which explains why all those “official tour guides” have very impressive laminated cards

-These are of course just a preliminary list and doesn’t include things like gum, pasta, Gatorade, Nike, popcorn, Pantene ProV, and just about every sugary cereal you could want.

-More to come as I discover them.

Here At Last

2008-01-27T22:27:00.000-08:00

I have safely arrived! On the flights over I was delighted to learn the British Airways gives you a pair of socks. As far as I can tell this is for several fantastic reasons. So your feet are warm. You don't have to worry about getting your own socks dirty, since my mother always scolds me for walking around in white socks. And lastly and most importantly I was wearing hiking boots so I am sure my seat-mate appreciated that I was able to cover the lovely smell. I was less delighted that I also received a cold from the airline somewhere between the London airport and Delhi. On a postive note since I was in the London airport for 8hours I will be posting some lovely images of waiting, a tribute to a class named "Nothing" I took last spring.

Initial reactions:
While I wouldn't say the air stinks, it doesn't smell all that good either. The air is also cold. What initially felt just cool when I arrived, now feels cold! Now we of course are not talking Chicago cold, where it snowed the night I was leaving. Which by the way, allowed me to see the really interesting process of de-icing a plane which involves a yellow liquid. Anyway now that I am here and settled my lovely l.l.bean alarm clock/thermometer tells me it is only 58 degrees! I am sleeping in many layers and have asked my landlord for extra blankets. EXTRA BLANKETS IN INDIA?!? I guess in March I will be lamenting the days of sleeping with the blanket over my head, but right now I am cold.

The food is really good, despite my nervousness and the large number of cliff bars I have in my suitcase. In fact it is almost lunch time and I am looking forward to the meal. This is quite the contradiction to my previous visit to India, where I was fed fuzzy naan (fuzzy being the polite way to say that there was hair baked into it).

All in all I am going through the standard culture shock, which so far involves lots of sleeping and reading. Two things I really enjoy, so no problems yet. After I get settled a bit more I plan on venturing out with my camera and then the fun will begin! But for now, my hands are too cold to keep writing and I am going to go eat and then go home to make tea.

Too soon/too late lessons I have learned

2008-01-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Lesson 1: DON'T APPLY TOO SOON:

Seeing as how it is illegal to be in India without a VISA, I wanted to give lots of time to the embassy. Time to loose paperwork, take lunch breaks, find my paperwork again, and then make me jump through a few hoops. So I sent my application in three weeks before I was to sail away into the blue yonder. WRONG. It is activated that day, which means despite applying for a VISA I will still be in the country without a legal right to be there for two weeks! Fear not a few tears later and re-applying I now have a legal visa.

Lesson 2: DON'T APPLY TOO LATE:

I am turning 25 tomorrow, which means at midnight tonight I turn into a pumpkin. Or rather I return to the beautiful age of 15 when to get somewhere you have to ask your parents to drive you, which really makes dates sucky. ie my drivers license expires. (this would not have happened if three weeks ago I had mailed in the card and kept the picture on the card currently, where I have long reddish blond hair and look like I am 18, neither of which is close to how I look now)

So I elected to go to the office and renew in person. But sadly on the day I chose the computers were down right from the time they opened at nine am.

So I went and got an immunization shot. Great customer service there, they even offered to give me an extra shot!

11am computers still down. So I went and bought some camera equipment again from someone who understands customer service. I bought a few lenses, filters, a bag, some cleaning supplies (the bare necessities I assure you).

2pm computers still down. I go and get my teeth cleaned, where the hygienists offers me a discount because I helped her floss between a few of my teeth which are glued together with a metal bar.

4pm computers still down and now there remains only 1 hour between me and turning into a pumpkin.

In the end I did get the equivalent to a hall pass from them so if I got pulled over by a cop I could show them a very impressive piece of standard office paper with "computers down" written on it, and the date stamped on it.

But allas there has not been a third and beautifully processed bureaucratic form?!?

As my sister so nicely put it this is really just a sneak peek of things to come in India. Great.

Moving to India

2008-01-03T08:53:00.001-08:00

Hello all.

Since the cute parallel web address M in India (Bethany's is B in India) was taken by someone who apparently speaks Russian and likes pink, I will have to settle with mer in India. Hopefully there will not be the same expectations for witty writing as there are in Bethany's post, but please feel free to expect fantastic pictures on this one.

As of now, there is no need to ask me a bunch of questions about why I am moving to India or what I am going to do there, because really there is only one answer necessary: I don't know, but I am sure something fun and exciting will come out of this trip.

That isn't exactly true. Loralei has come up with a fantastic idea, (the one sister who is not going to move to India, because a. she has a family and b. is pregnant, so the heat would be miserable.) Jig-saw-Puzzles! If you have ever been so luck as to attend a Christmas,Thanksgiving,Birthday,Reunion or other food centered holiday with the Lacina/Thornburg/Zamoiski clan you will know we have a natural affinity for puzzles. Obsession really, that sometimes involves stealing a pieces of the puzzle to put in your pocket and produce at the last moment so YOU can finish the puzzle. (Just kidding I have never done that, although there have been accusations). I plan on taking some breath taking photos and turning them over to a puzzle company to make money. It seems the perfect harmony of two of my talents. No need to ask my if you can have a picture from my trip, I will keep people posted on which puzzles are mine, so you can all order your very own.