Rob Spring's Picture: Childhood Revisited

Rob Spring of Barre, Vermont said of his picture from the Baker's Dozen mini-portfolio, "Here is a photo of my grandson, Waylon, with his dad, my son-in-law. This was the last ride on the swing that my kids used more than 30 years ago. The swing was attached to a limb of an ancient but dying Vermont sugar maple which was cut down the next day after standing in what is now our front yard for over 155 years."

This looks so much like one of my own pictures that I don't have to wonder why I like it. We don't even really need to know that this commemorates the last day of a long-standing tree, although it's a bonus. What it made me think of when I saw it was that there's a relatively short window for us, as children, during which a swing is good for playing on. How long it is, really? Six or seven years maybe, maybe less. But with most childish things that pleased you when you were young yourself, you get a chance to revisit them again when they make your children happy. It's really tough to say who's happier here, the child or the man; they both appear to be enjoying themselves equally. And I'm glad I wasn't imagining the resemblance between them. Their expressions are the same.

I just love pictures like this when they're my own—straightforward documents of people, places and times that were important to me. I would have loved to have taken this, if these were my family members. And it's a charming shot even though they're strangers to me. Great job, Rob.

Mike

Book o' the Week

The Atlas of Beauty: Women of the World in 500 Portraits. "Since 2013 photographer Mihaela Noroc has traveled the world with her backpack and camera taking photos of everyday women to showcase the diversity of beauty all around us. The Atlas of Beauty is a collection of her photographs celebrating women from all corners of the world, revealing that beauty is everywhere, and that it comes in many different sizes and colors."

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[Michael Perini]

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[Peter Wright]

Congratulations on getting the new TOP underway! This is not so much a comment on the post itself as a book recommendation – you have provided many to us. Perhaps you know it and the author already? I refer to Parker Palmer’s recent book “On the Brink of Everything”, which is a collection of reflections on aging. As I read the book I was reminded of you and what you tell us about your style of writing. Palmer would seem to fit very closely with your values and philosophy, and has a very similar writing style. I think you would be most interested in his essays on his approach to writing and how (somehow) his essays (you would call them Posts 😏, but he is about twenty years older than you) get translated into books. It would be interesting to know if you are familiar with his work.

[Rob Springf]

Thanks for the kind words Mike. This is a special photo for not only my grandson but for both my children.