I am grateful. Grateful for the provisions of this day and for those of the past. At least, the provisions that I can remember! I rarely forget faces, but I am not that great when it comes to remembering things and places. Fortunately, I have a camera to record the events and can relive it later. When I look at the images, I can recall what I was feeling, what the weather was like, and the picture brings back memories. One Thanksgiving (about 15 years ago), we had the opportunity to visit some friends who had moved to Wales. Once I looked on a map and saw how close we were to Ireland, we left our friends after a short visit, then took a ferry over to Ireland.

We did not have that much time, but headed over to the western coast near Galway. As we got close to the Cliffs of Moher, this rock structure was in the middle of a field. I had never seen a dolman before and found this “mini Stonehenge” fascinating. As I began to set up the tripod and the panoramic view camera, a storm began to blow in. The skies grew dark and took on a dramatic appearance. That moment was such a gift and I will never forget it. The adrenaline was really pumping!

I love the writings of John Ortberg and read this selection earlier today after a friend emailed it to me. “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It opens us up to wonder, delight and humility. It makes our hearts generous. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation. Gratitude is not something we give to God so we make sure He knows, that we know, how much trouble He went to over us. Gratitude is more than that. It's the gift God gives us that enables us to be blessed by all His other gifts, the way our taste buds enable us to enjoy the gift of food. Without gratitude, our lives degenerate into envy, dissatisfaction, and complaints, taking what we have for granted and always wanting more."

May God richly bless you this Thanksgiving.

This image of Portal Dolman was created with a tripod mounted 6x17 panoramic view camera and medium format color transparency film.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

This is one of my favorite photos of all time. This place is called "Portal Dolman" and is located in the western portion of Ireland, near the Cliffs of Moher. One of my clients, (now very dear friends), Greg and De Selby, had moved to Wales (UK) and invited Sally and I over to visit them. Realizing we were so close to Ireland, we rented a car and took a ferry over to this beautiful country. The water ride took a few hours and we watched "Braveheart" on the way. We landed at the southeast portion of the country and made our way directly to the western coast. Along the way, we came upon this scene. It was so breathtaking and the adrenaline was really pumping. I set up my panoramic view camera, loaded it with color transparency film and then a storm began to move in, hence the dramatic sky. This Dolman probably houses the graves of a family and the large rocks are probably about four feet high. It is estimated that this Dolman has stood for at least 6000 years, making it older than the pyramids! It is situated in the Burren County Clare. I can't wait to return to the Emerald Isle.