Saturday Slight

A couple of days ago, a son of my friend and classmate Joan Andrews Thompson, requested membership into our Sandpoint High Class of 1965 Facebook group. 

Upon accepting his request, and looking at his Facebook page, I was awed by a collection of magnificent nature photos. 

Later, Joan told me about her son Matt Slosser.  

He's a Portland firefighter who saves his days off and works holidays to build up enough time to spend two months during each summer at the family's cabin on Lake Pend Oreille. 

"It is his 'heaven on earth,'" Joan says. 

I also learned that Matt had wanted to be accepted into our 1965 group page so he could watch a recently released short documentary video featuring another our classmates, Dann Hall. 

If you have not seen this video, it's worth watching at the link below. 

  https://vimeo.com/585973663

Matt Slosser loves photography, and Joan tells me he spends a lot of time in Dann Hall's studio during the summer months.  

I asked Matt yesterday if I could feature some of his photos on my blog this morning. 

Happily, he agreed. 

Matt says he uses a Canon camera purchased from Costco and a "cheap" 600 mm lens, which he says "works well for my skill set." 

Well, there's the equipment and then there's the eye of the photographer. I'd say Matt's work indicates that he truly has the eye and the talent to capture the beauty of nature.

 

I'm honored to feature of some of his work this morning----most shot around the lake and some in Oregon. 

Thanks, Matt.  Keep up the good work. Hope to meet you some day.  

And, thank you, Joan for providing some background on your talented son. 

 

Matt Slosser

Matt and his mom Joan. 

In other news, I saw the gem below posted earlier today on Facebook by my friend Glenn.  

I think he's revealing some truth about euphemisms.  There ARE times when harsh, painful reality will and should have more impact.

From Glenn:  

I think the first place experts dropped the ball is when they named it "covid" instead of some medieval s--- like "bloody lung" or "the red strangles"

That said, here's a powerful article published by the Associated Press yesterday about the state of Covid in our state. 

Be assured:  this story is NOT laced with euphemisms. 

Thank you, Chris Moon for sharing this link with me.  

 https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-idaho-09941b507483a5c7b0183dcbf03a8254?fbclid=IwAR23WJ4PJ50ybdDbaHR87qQ3ReNL-BOEkezuXC3zoGYbj-bII3BMJ462b-4

Now back to something optimistic.  I always know that when my friend Julie Knox posts pretty much anything, it will be uplifting. 

Thanks, Julie, for directing me to this wonderfully upbeat and happy video. 

Clarksville Elementary School music teacher Emmy Bodner recorded her students in different groupings throughout the year, singing “We Are the World,” to creat the music video.  CREDIT:  Clarksville Elementary School; Michael Sanders.

 

Finally, who doesn’t love the hymn “Amazing Grace”?

I’ve loved it even more,  since learning a few years ago that it was inspired by an event John Newton experienced in County Donegal, Ireland, the origin of some of our family roots.

Here’s a powerful version of the inspiring, oft-heard hymn. 

Happy Saturday.