The amazing Ladies of the Bog...

...are back, and as lovely as always. The ladies are Cypripedium reginae, Showy Lady's Slipper Orchids. They are the largest and most beautiful of the wild orchids of New York State.
When I first moved to the Adirondack area, several new friends asked if I had ever photographed the Showy Lady's Slipper. I had not and asked where I might find them. Several friends showed me areas, where they might be found. And a few more friends helped me search for them. It was well into June and we had not found them. I was extremely disappointed and for a while thought they might not really exist, they might be like the elusive Snipe.
The Friday before Father's Day, quite discouraged, I stopped at our Post Office. The Postal Clerk asked why I was so glum. To the answer, she smiled and said, there are hundreds on our property. She gave me directions and permission to photograph to my heart's content. Which I did then, and continue to so every year, along with about 200 or 300 hundred other happy photographers from all over New York State.

What a difference a day...

...makes, and what difference a week makes. I "retired" a few years ago, but volunteer at an Art Museum, as a docent, doing tours for elementary school children. My business as a Nature Photographer keeps me fairly busy, and I am a member of an Artist Co-op in Old Forge, New York. As a member we share time working at the shop. However, this past week was very serendipitous, and one exciting event after another kept occurring.
I learned about and became a staff member of a fairly new Nature Center, and will possibly be doing some field guides, using my photos. The Nature Center does tours for elementary school children. Hiking, Mountain Biking, Cross Country Skiing and Snow Shoeing are just a few of the exciting things offered at the Center.
Life is good... and exciting and fun and I am very, very grateful.