Well, here I am; at the end of what was supposed to be a “Fall Color Tour” Across the great state of Michigan.

If I were to rate the success of this journey on the grading scale from school, I’m giving it a “D”. Barely passing.

I’ve been in the state now for about 40 days. It’s exactly like I remember.

Wet, rainy, cloudy and very, very uncooperative related to photography.

It might just be my “luck” here.

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I have had nearly zero success in this state regarding photography over the course of my life. I think the only instance in which I have walked away incredibly satisfied with an image from my travels in the state is the time at which I captured the Milky Way over the Tahquamenon falls in late February.

Par for the course, this trip has ended with a less that satisfied man as it relates to the photographic experience.

I believe, in the 18 days we have been driving around the Upper Peninsula along with the Upper lower portion of the state, we have had 3 days with sun and cooperative skies in order to do photography. The rest have been rainy, windy, and cold.

Naturally, if one is using a drone to do a lot of capture, well, the circumstances above are not ideal.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

This will be the last time I will traverse Michigan in an attempt to do anything photographically speaking, unless I need drab, rainy, dreary, somber type images. Should I need those, the opportunities will most certainly be plentiful.

Yes, as a photographer, we are supposed to do the best we can with the circumstances we find. True. There comes a point, however, that enough is enough weather wise.

I do have family and friends here so I’d imagine once departed from the state following my dad’s funeral service, I’ll be back on and off. I won’t likely make it back here to spend any significant time with the hopes of producing photographic art.

It will be more to visit my mother, help her with her home and the estate and perhaps see a friend or two along the way.

Today, I am choosing to embrace Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.”

Being here for the past 45 days has been a good thing. Certainly it’s good to have been able to help my mom and my dad for his last days on earth.

There’s still a lot to do but much has been accomplished related to organizing life for my mom post dad’s departure. The majority of large issues have been resolved and my mom does a great job of putting her feet to the pavement to take care of things as they come up.

While I am not happy at all with the outcome of trying to do fall video and photography, I am very pleased with the fact that I was in town at a very important point in life; that being the passing of my father.

I am grateful the Lord has freed me up and allowed me to be available to help. Well, better said, the Lord led me to let go of everything which then put me in the position I am today. It’s been through that leading and my willingness to listen and then do that I have been afforded the opportunities I presently am seeing.

It’s taking care of things which matter most. I address that in the video below.

Thanks for being here.

rob