My Cousin Paul

My maternal grandparents produced six children and those children produced 15 grandchildren. I was the second oldest of the batch and have fond memories of big Thanksgiving dinners with all the aunts and uncles and cousins. I remember good food and laughter. Thanksgiving was the main time I got to see them all, since we lived in a different part of Texas.

As time has moved on, some have passed. I think there are a dozen of us left on this earth. We are an eclectic bunch, but there are threads of interests and occupations that either have a genetic component or were just picked up from our parents or grandparents: car afficionados (collectors of cars and sellers of cars); gardeners; seamstresses; teachers; artists; writers; chefs; kayakers; dirt bikers; diplomats; beer lovers; moms; pops; animal lovers; travelers; musicians; computer programmers; photographers…

My grandfather took lots of slides of family and places he and grandma traveled. I remember long slide shows where we enjoyed seeing each other projected on the dining room wall. One of my uncles also took lots of photos, mostly with slide film too. Grandma and grandpa gave me my first little camera when I was eight years old and I was hooked. As the years went by I took thousands of photos. Not so great at first…I got better as I studied photography as an adult at the local community college. I have used many of my photos to illustrate my blog pieces throughout the years.

My cousin Paul is also a photographer. He worked many years as a biologist for the Navy. His travels gave him the opportunity to take photos of many places and the creatures who inhabited those places. He recently retired and has set up an online shop to show off his wonderful photos and sell prints of them. Here is a photo I recently bought:

Paul’s photo of a ruby crowned kinglet showing his ruby crown. This is an 8X10 inch print that I got a frame for. Here is another shot of the photo on my dining room wall.

I love how the background foliage accentuates the bird’s crown color.

His website has more great photos of birds and other critters, plus some wonderful waterfall pics.

Please check out his website at:

noplanetbphotography.pixieset.com

And may your day be filled with small joys!