Note: We’ve had a few weeks in a row of long, serious posts, and next week I will start a two-part series on Moral Foundations Theory. Plus, this week everyone in Europe is on vacation to go skiing (this is only a slight exaggeration; the Europeans really do have it all figured out, don’t they?). So I thought we all might enjoy a shorter post with lots of pictures this week. Enjoy, and get ready to think about an ethical puzzle next week!
Thanks for a beautiful and thoughtful piece. I agree that to get better at something we should learn to practice and cull. (Remember: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!) I also think that people should talk to real people more, and not watch so many movies or other fiction. Most professionals at anything know about the 10, 000 hours it takes to master a skill.
I love the rainbow picture and the red tablecloths blowing in the wind at Faulhorn. Their shadows look like a modern quilt pattern, so I’ll show that to my fabric friends’ group next week.
I’m curious as to what kind of camera you use now.
Thanks so much for these kind words! I do think the more a person knows about an art form, whether through friendships with artists or through trying it out oneself, the more obvious it is that you need hard work and practice as well as ability.
I'm still using my old iPhone for my photos! I am hoping to buy a newer phone with a better camera this summer, but for now my trusty iPhone is on the job!
Love your pics and the idea that we get better as we work at something, not as a matter of serendipity because we have the right song playing on the soundtrack of our lives.
I'm so glad you listened to the song! I have loved Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama ever since I saw them in The Gospel at Colonus about thirty years ago.
Your photos are beautiful! And I’m a horrible photographer so I appreciate that skill even more. I’d be interested to hear more about the oldest hotel in Europe.
Thank you so much! The hotel is a special place--it has been in the same family for four generations. Because it's so high up and inaccessible by road, it is very spartan. Most of the rooms are dorms for hikers, and while there are a few private rooms, they are quite plain too. Hotels like this are characteristically Swiss--high-altitude housing for hikers and climbers, with dinners at a common table. I've never stayed here, because I do the hike on which it sits (from Schynige Platte to First along a high-altitude ridge) in a single day, but lots of hikers break the hike--which is quite strenuous--into two days and sleep at the hotel. I have taken a break there for drinks a couple of times, and they have a lovely patio with a view that just cannot be beat!
Oh: and before there were helicopters, supplies were brought up by donkey! Horses can't manage the steep path, but donkeys can!
Aww, what an adorable cow at the end! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for realizing that your strength isn't making your kids stand still for photos, LOL!
I remember well the awful moment as you take the last photo in your 24 or36 roll of film in your camera! And you are miles from the nearest pharmacy or grocery store to buy more film. Or waiting a week to get those precious photos back only to find you messed up nearly all the shots because you had your finger over the shutter or someone moved or the light was wrong! This is something the future generations will never have to suffer! Thank you digital cameras!!
I began reading this week’s edition on my phone and quickly switched to my iPad to better enjoy your photos in a larger format. I am also thankful to read that your often posted perfect photos are actually carefully chosen and not all your shots are actually perfect, gives me hope that I too can improve if I just keep trying!
That brings back memories! I'm so grateful for digital cameras, but I do miss the anticipation of opening up that envelope to see how my photos turned out!
As for your second point, it's so important to remember that every photo we see from professional photographers is the best one out of scores of attempts, and that most have been rejected. It's kind of like how we watch Olympic figure skaters and think it looks so easy, because we haven't watched the tens of thousands of hours of practice that came before.
Thanks for a beautiful and thoughtful piece. I agree that to get better at something we should learn to practice and cull. (Remember: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!) I also think that people should talk to real people more, and not watch so many movies or other fiction. Most professionals at anything know about the 10, 000 hours it takes to master a skill.
I love the rainbow picture and the red tablecloths blowing in the wind at Faulhorn. Their shadows look like a modern quilt pattern, so I’ll show that to my fabric friends’ group next week.
I’m curious as to what kind of camera you use now.
Thanks so much for these kind words! I do think the more a person knows about an art form, whether through friendships with artists or through trying it out oneself, the more obvious it is that you need hard work and practice as well as ability.
I'm still using my old iPhone for my photos! I am hoping to buy a newer phone with a better camera this summer, but for now my trusty iPhone is on the job!
Love your pics and the idea that we get better as we work at something, not as a matter of serendipity because we have the right song playing on the soundtrack of our lives.
Yes! Exactly! Even very talented people have to work hard and practice—even Mozart and Milton!
Loved your photos and the descriptions!
Thanks! You know how much I love your beautiful country!
The photos are wonderful - and I LOVED the gospel singing! It's a grerat idea - and very YOU!!!!
I'm so glad you listened to the song! I have loved Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama ever since I saw them in The Gospel at Colonus about thirty years ago.
Your photos are beautiful! And I’m a horrible photographer so I appreciate that skill even more. I’d be interested to hear more about the oldest hotel in Europe.
Thank you so much! The hotel is a special place--it has been in the same family for four generations. Because it's so high up and inaccessible by road, it is very spartan. Most of the rooms are dorms for hikers, and while there are a few private rooms, they are quite plain too. Hotels like this are characteristically Swiss--high-altitude housing for hikers and climbers, with dinners at a common table. I've never stayed here, because I do the hike on which it sits (from Schynige Platte to First along a high-altitude ridge) in a single day, but lots of hikers break the hike--which is quite strenuous--into two days and sleep at the hotel. I have taken a break there for drinks a couple of times, and they have a lovely patio with a view that just cannot be beat!
Oh: and before there were helicopters, supplies were brought up by donkey! Horses can't manage the steep path, but donkeys can!
Oh my gosh!!! Once you cross that horse-versus-donkey line, you are talking STEEP!!
That’s really cool, Mari! I’m one for long leisurely (not terribly challenging) hikes, so I appreciate living vicariously through you!
Aww, what an adorable cow at the end! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for realizing that your strength isn't making your kids stand still for photos, LOL!
Ha! So true! BTW, the calf was so friendly! I got to pet him after I took the photo.
Mari this was wonderful. And somehow all your photos evoked awe rather than jealousy. Well maybe a little jealousy.
"Awe" is exactly the right word. I always say that hiking in the mountains is my temple.
I remember well the awful moment as you take the last photo in your 24 or36 roll of film in your camera! And you are miles from the nearest pharmacy or grocery store to buy more film. Or waiting a week to get those precious photos back only to find you messed up nearly all the shots because you had your finger over the shutter or someone moved or the light was wrong! This is something the future generations will never have to suffer! Thank you digital cameras!!
I began reading this week’s edition on my phone and quickly switched to my iPad to better enjoy your photos in a larger format. I am also thankful to read that your often posted perfect photos are actually carefully chosen and not all your shots are actually perfect, gives me hope that I too can improve if I just keep trying!
That brings back memories! I'm so grateful for digital cameras, but I do miss the anticipation of opening up that envelope to see how my photos turned out!
As for your second point, it's so important to remember that every photo we see from professional photographers is the best one out of scores of attempts, and that most have been rejected. It's kind of like how we watch Olympic figure skaters and think it looks so easy, because we haven't watched the tens of thousands of hours of practice that came before.