Past and Present

Got an email from a friend today that reminded me it was one year ago today the gypsies arrived at Skukuza (a rest camp inside Kruger National Park) in South Africa where we were traveling on one of our great Gypsie adventures. Thoughts about the whole experience have been on my mind all week remembering what a great time we had meeting so many fellow gypsies in such a far away place. South Africa was such a wonderful, exotic experience, almost mesmerizing to the mind that we were so far away and yet felt so at home. Much of this feeling due to the great hosts and many women we met in classes.
Teaching, traveling, meeting new people that want to talk Gypsie 24/7...priceless.

It almost seems like a dream when I look at this photograph. Unlike many of the other animals we saw, he was so calm and collected as our car approached.
Taking every step slow and methodically, one at a time.
I sometimes find this is a great way to approach a project: lay your photographs out on the table and ask yourself, "what is the real story?" Is it a birthday party, or is it about the change that has taken place during the year? Is it the vacation or is it the feelings you felt when you saw something you had never seen before. That's what Africa did for me. The story became more than pictures of people and animals. It was the feelings about the people, the sights and smells of new things, and the wonder of otherwise very common things.
So give yourself 15 minutes before you start the layout, or open the mini-book, to think of the real story (one step at a time).


That was the past and this is the present.
These just came with the May release:
ATC SELF-INKING STAMPS

Three self inking stamps that come in this cool little stack. There are six different styles: Journal, Ink, Write it, Label, Parenthesis, Confidential.

Love the storage factor here. Fabulous...love it...want them all.