How very strange, after 41 years of teaching, after 32 years at the same school, to not be attending those first-day meetings with other educators asking, "So how was your summer?" Hearing, especially from the international teachers I have worked with for so long, about the far-off reaches they have ventured to during this time.

Then the general meeting and the great hope and expectations, summations of the obvious, official proclamations, and, at least for me, a huge curtailing of the creative photographic process that I love so much. So though I am old now, at least my legs are strong, and my eyes (as my eye doctor told me the other day) are in good shape.

This has been a summer of learning and working on my Hudson River Artists project. I have an amazing mentor helping me to work on skills that are important to me and, at least from what I have seen, what I am learning will be relevant and, in some cases, "dramatic" to the photographic process I follow.

There will be more time now to pursue what I love most, and if I use it wisely and don't waste this opportunity, I will continue to improve not only in photography but in other areas that define what is most important to me.