One of my goals in life is to be better than my television -- not superior to its circuit boards or technical construction, but better than much of the programing the TV would bring into my house if I let it.Sometimes Leah and I turn the TV on in the morning to watch reruns of the show “West Wing” while we’re eating our oatmeal. If you haven’t seen “West Wing,” it was a series about life in the White House, its story lines depicting idealistic individuals committed to public service, folks working in government for what they believe is humanity’s common good.
The problem for me watching “West Wing” comes during commercial breaks, when I’m bombarded by promos for “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and some restaurant reality show (I can’t remember its name,) both of which appear to be about sex and more sex, with subplots depicting people who can’t get along with one-another, who are trivial and petty and as shallow as human beings can get.
Most days I’m happier if I begin my day by bypassing the TV and taking an early-morning stroll through the trees I’ve planted behind our house. The pictures you see here were shot from pretty much the same spot, the photograph above made in cold, blue, winter light three weeks ago, the image below shot three days ago as sunshine broke through fog.
There’s a four-legged who lives in our house (last photo below) who I know believes that my mornings should be spent, not watching television or taking photographs, but taking said creature for a walk. He follows me around, indoors or out, patiently waiting to go. I was out this week taking morning photographs of our very early-blooming witch hazel when I realized my walking buddy was watching me.
Maybe someone would like to pitch a TV show about my life: “The Real Photographer/Dog Walker of the Pacific Northwest.”
