The Waves

North Georgia Creek



Photographed 10/06


It's the waves. That's why I can't swim to safety on the warm beach. It's a rip tide! No matter how hard you swim, you just exhaust yourself. This is where I am now.

It's all the little things piling up to drag me under. I keep looking for something, a piece of wood, a discarded cooler, something t help me stay afloat. The waves are relentless just as life itself is.

Yes, this was the week we had planned to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway taking in the great fall colors and sites of the North Carolina and Virginia mountains. Sue had taken off from last Friday the 20th until the coming Monday. We had even reserved a mini-camper van for the drive. We were going to take our time and stop when and wherever something caught our eye. I was going to take hundreds of photographs but, this was not to be.

We ended up at home. Me, in a wheelchair and Sue taking care of me. Oh, that's right I forgot to mention I got a terrible case of the flu on Monday and have been in bed most of the week, We went for a short drive Sunday and I shot 8 photos. The one above is one of them.

Bear with me here but, I have to say this again. Sue is the greatest gift God could ever have given me. She is smart, strong, witty and forever beautiful to me. I will love her unwaveringly until the last passes from my body.

General Update - My 200th Post

Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery - Conyers, GA




I got the results from the orthopedic surgeon the other day. The people in the emergency room were wrong. My leg is broken (the femur behind the kneecap).
No weight on it at all for 8 - 10 weeks. So I am in a wheelchair until then.

Another View in B&W


This means we will have to cancel our trip to drive and photograph the Blue Ridge Parkway in the NC & VA mountains. The mini motorhome will not accomadate a wheelchair. I'm very dissapointed as this would have been our first get-a-way in several years. We would have been there for the peak of the fall color too. We might be able to go sometime in December.

The Pond at the Monastery in B&W

I am going to my first attempt to sale some of my photographs at a craft show on December 2nd. I've got some of my North Georgia photos printed and matted and working to get others printed into note cards and post cards. I don't know if I sell anything but I should at least get some feedback as to what people like and want.

If you want take a look at my primative web site and let me know what you think might sell. I've got some better photos not on there yet I'm still working on. It's at www.northgeorgiaimages.4t.com Thanks for your help.

Regards to all,
Mark

The Ocean Voyage of Life

My life is much the same as an ocean voyage. At one moment I'm riding on the crest of a wave, the nest slamming down into its trough. It a continuous cycle of momentary highs followed by body jarring lows. Somehow I've managed to stay afloat and keep my head just barely above the gritty salt-water.

THE CREST
This weekend I was atop one of those waves. I got to take my first real shower in NINE months. I didn't even realize it had been that long until I looked back to when this three foot long plastic tube was out into my chest. It was a real head to stump shower that lasted until the hot water gave way.

THE TROUGH
I came crashing down after realizing my knee injury wasn't getting better. I thought it was better but after the weekend my leg was so swollen I couldn't get my prosthesic leg on. I've been using a wheelchair since last week. As a mater of fact I'm The new owner of it.

I've got an appointment to see the guy who fixed my hip fracture about three years ago. He did a great job and I've never had trouble with it. I was lucky to get him too because it was by chance he was in the hospital when they brought me in. So, I guess I'll see what he thinks and go from there.



Some more birds from our feeder