These pictured cuties, were one of the tap dancing acts that we saw last Saturday, as part of Dancing in the Streets. What is that writing on the plaque in the background of this post’s photo? For those of you who are not Rey, “Spes Mea In Deo Est” means “My Hope Is In God”. It is a common Latin Masonic motto that appears upon the Saint Louis Scottish Rite Temple’s parking garage.

Christian, Greg and I attended the Schiller’s Canon EOS class last night. It was a good class and I learned a lot. I’ve had my 5D for almost a year now, but frankly have felt a bit intimidated by it. I’ve used it on a few dedicated photo-shooting outings, but have primarily continued to rely upon my Canon SX10, Canon’s best point-and-shoot, at least at the time of purchase. For Anne and me, our normal photographic outing is bicycle driven. So, for the heavier 5D, lugging it about town and country is not a forgone conclusion. It can get very heavy after a long ride, I know. I am also concerned about the safety of the 5D, while piloting it on the back of a bike. On its last bike outing, the balloon glow event, I snagged the camera’s shoulder strap with my foot. I was kicking my foot over the bike; it snagged the camera strap and pulled the camera out of my messenger bag. Fortunately, the camera didn’t fall far and landed on grass. Finally, there is the gravitas that such a camera brings to any picture-taking party. This class won’t help with the camera’s weight or safety, but it did make it seem a little less intimidating. I especially liked the interweaving of Saint Louis shots in the examples of various techniques. It allowed me to acutely gauge my aptitude versus the professional.

I find myself obsessing about this blog, its hits, comments and likes, but that is an after the fact obsession, much like the criminal must return to the scene of the crime. When I first started this blog, I use to get comments like, “Great Picture!” These complements always left me wanting to ask, “What about my writing?” I think that my lack of thankfulness for those complements was derived from the effort it took me to string two sentences together, let alone a cogent post. Besides the unanswering silence to that unasked question was answer enough. That was then, this is now. Once tongue-tied in front of the keyboard, I can now blather with the best of them, that is, if all you want to read is blather. With the lodestone of writing shed, I have found renewed interest in other abilities. I do not purport to be a great photographer, or even a good one. I only say that I can adequately photograph a subject or scene. I would like to do better, hence, I took the photography class last night. Here is a toast to great expectations!