Week 43-Harley Chicks & Dude

My husband bought himself a 1968 FLH Electra Glide Harley Davidson for his 49th birthday. He has been talking about it for years and I knew it was only a matter of time when the day would come where he would walk in the house and say, "I bought a Harley". It kind of went like this,"You don't have to get me anything for my birthday because I think I am buying a Harley tomorrow." He isn't big on buying things for himself so I figured I'd believe it when I saw it, but low and behold, he did show up with a Harley the next day. Photo shoots will be about the extent of our Harley enjoyment for now. It needs some work before he can rev the engine and get it out on the highway. My friend and fellow swimmer, Kirsten, ("KGirl") is posing here with me and the Harley this week.

And the Harley Dude himself-

Location: The Shop

Photographers: Dan Donovan & Kirsten Thompson

Week 42-In Progress

Week 41- Making Sense of the Senseless

Tyler Ryan 9-18-91 to 4-28-10

A boy in our community took his life last week. The service celebrating his brief life was held yesterday at the Fenn School.

For me, the best way to sift through my emotions is to write my thoughts down. I hope in sharing my thoughts I do not offend anyone. In fact, what I hope, is that my words might create some hope where hope has been stalled.

I did not know Tyler, but my son, several high school kids and the CCHS football team have been affected by this trajedy and in turn so have I. I have learned Tyler touched many hearts in his short time here with us and has done so while carrying a heavy and emotional heart himself. In astounding numbers, adults and children, came to pay their respects over the last few days.

It’s really impossible to make sense of this. While I continued to go over and over in my mind why this happened and what went wrong and why couldn’t he reach out, a qoute popped into my mind. I found this quote in the home of a relative, thumb tacked to a wall. Here is the qoute: “To understand is to stand under, which is to look up, to which is a good way to understand” Now, maybe this qoute was simply written to get youngsters to look up to their elders, but what I see is that understanding requires many perspectives and even then, understanding, may be just a viscious cirlce, going around and around and around. In regards to Tyler that is exactly what is happening in my head. I have to halt it! I have to stop this viscious cycle!

Halting the viscious circle required looking into the thoughts expressed at the service and trying to find a common denominator in Tyler’s life. The thread he seemed to weave into the lives of all who knew him was empathy. He had an empathetic heart for everyone; his family, his friends, his classmates, his teachers, his teamates and his community. Abundant empathy, this was expressed over and over. Abundant empathy; A blessing and a burden? For those who reap the benefits of empathy this is a blessing but for those who carry this great gift, whose hearts, beat after beat offer empathy, perhaps a burden. Empathy is a great gift and it is what makes us human. It’s why we reach out to others and offer our support and love. To halt the spinning and the senseless questions in my mind, I will take with me, on my journey in life, from Tyler, “empathy”. Empathy is a path of humanity, bravery and compassion; where our hearts spill with emotion for what we know to be difficult. May we all walk this path as we head forward on our journeys.

In closing of the service yesterday, Reverend Lombard asked everyone to take what was good in Tyler and nurture it within themselves. This is a good way to heal. Anyone who has lost a loved one or who has suffered a broken relationship would do well for themselves to heed this advice. If you can take the essense of someone who has made an impression in your life and shape it and form it into who you are that person will always be a part of you. That person who you have lost can reside and walk with you whether or not they are “there”.

You are all in my toughts as we move forward.

week 40-Handsome Jack!

CCHS Sophmore Semi

May 1st, 2010

Week 39-Caden/Take 2

Last week I spent a few days with my nephew, Cade, my brother, Evan and my sister in law, Christy. Cade is just learning to walk. He can take a few steps on his own. Remember either when you, yourself of your child was just learning to walk or ride a bike and that overwhelming excitement passes over you when you realize you are up and doing it and then because you are so excited about your new accomplishment you lose focus and crash! Ya! A lot of that going on!

Cade is just learning how to kiss. It's the cutest thing you have ever seen. He gets his lips all puckered up and sucked in and then he releases a big smack and an even bigger smile! If you then throw a kiss back at him he will keep doing it right back at you! He isn't into skin to skin contact just yet, just air kisses for now!

So...., I think Cade is saying here in this photo," Well, at least she isn't making me balance on her toes like she made me do in the very beginning of this silly endeavour when I was only 4 months old!" (see August 2009)

Location: Lafayette, CO (Cade's backyard)

Photographer: Christy Little Schneider

Week 38-Royal Arch

This week I traveled to Boulder, Colorado to visit my brother, his wife and my 11 month old nephew, Cade. Cade was in one of my first handstand photos balanced precariously on my feet. Yesterday, we enjoyed a misty, then rainy hike in the Flat Irons which is in Rocky Mountain National Park. Cade was breaking in his very plush Kelty backpack. Luckily, we purchased the one with the miniature pup tent which serves as rain and sun protector. It attaches to the top of the backpack. Cade was pretty unhappy with the weather conditions and finally cried himself to sleep while crusing down the mountain on his pop's back.

This hike was 3.6 miles round trip and led us to some flat irons which are rock formations that look like the old irons your great grandmother may have heated on the wood stove. The trail then lead to this beautiful arch on a mountain top that overlooked Boulder Valley. Although the weather was not ideal we still had a great view of the valley.

None of my handstands were that great so I am posting one that shows how I get into the handstand. I come up with my legs separated and then try to bring them together. This photo is really about the impressive Royal Arch anyway. You get an idea of it's massiveness by how small I am and the people behind the arch are. Can you see the rain drops on the camera lens? Jeez, I just can't seem to get away from those rain drops! Today, though, it is sunny and on it's way to warm here in Boulder, CO. Perhaps another hike?

Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Royal Arch Trail

Photographer: Evan Little

Week 37-Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Feet

There has been record rainfall here in MA so it only seems appropriate to capture a handstand in the rain. One weekend in mid-March we had over 10 inches of rain! That is the equivalent of 70 inches of snow! Many people have had to deal with flooded basements, fowl swimming in their front yards, rivers over flowing and even cars stranded in a sea of water! Mother Nature is carrying on with her deluge of rain this month too. This photo was taken on Friday, April 9th.

Location: Fiske Street

Photographer: Dan Donovan