I Got Lucky

Today is my 17th blog anniversary.  I remember writing that first blog post.  I didn't say much, but I remember double and triple checking that it sounded okay and my spelling and grammar was correct.  I still agonize over that and still read my posts aloud and try to catch as many mistakes as I can.  

We'd had a big snow that morning and I had a tiny Sony point and shoot camera that we used to take random pictures of things on and off the farm.  I had no real interest in photography.  I just occasionally took pictures and definitely always did when it snowed.

This picture of PPPP and Peabody was taken that morning and the black background was just the side of the barn before the shed and the shed's shed were added.  I'm quite sure I didn't plan for it to look like a starry night sky.  I just got lucky.

I don't remember when I finally realized that I enjoyed taking pictures and had a little bit of aptitude for it.  I don't remember when I got my first "real" camera.  Oh, wait, it was August of 2007, so I must have gotten it for my birthday, just a few months into my blogging :-).

I actually enjoy when artists write to ask permission to paint my pictures.  I know they could just go ahead and "steal" them (and I've caught a few on that over the years), but I love to hear from them and find out which picture they like and hopefully see what they create.  Which reminds me, there is Yet Another Christmas Post coming!

I think Bonnie Mohr might have been the first artist who contacted me about using one of my photographs.  She'd picked the "starry night" picture.  The very first picture I posted on my very first blog post.  Well, actually it was the second picture on the page ;-).  I loved what she painted!

She offered to sell us the painting and I would have loved to have bought it, but it was out of our price range.  I'd checked back a few times over the years to see if she'd ever offered a print of it, but finally gave up.  I do have a box of Christmas cards with the painting though.  I stumbled across them at the North American.  That was a great story :-).

When I realized that today was my blog anniversary, I thought back to that picture and all the pictures I've taken over the years and how many have been used by artists all over the world (!) and am truly flattered.  Out of curiosity I decided to search her website again, but couldn't find the painting anywhere.  I started searching to see if it showed up anywhere else and luckily found it offered as a print from another merchant!

I feel like so much of my life has been lucky.  I also realize that the harder you work, the luckier you tend to be though.  I am so grateful that I've worked hard enough over the years to have a blog that I can scroll back through 17 years of pictures and stories.  And yes, there are plenty of things that sure didn't feel very lucky, but so many treasures along the way.

And luckily I'm headed out the door to go take some more pictures.  My year old blogger self would never have believed that :-).