This was the week I finished my radiation therapy. Twenty weekdays in a row, and it felt like FOREVER! I would go into details of why it sucked, but no one really wants to know that much ?.
This week’s pics even include a couple of shots of the place where I spent time with the giant machine and another of the awesome people who took such great care of me. Beyond that, there are just a bunch of other pics I got this week. I have to say that my weekly Keeley is going to be my favorite this week because Keeley is pretty much my favorite every day. She has significantly improved our lives and our general mood. I don’t know if I ever mentioned it, but she is a certified support dog. Her previous owners had to get her that distinction to be able to fly her to Singapore inside the plane. But we believe it. She knows when we are feeling down, and she (all 35 lbs of her) will climb into your lap and cuddle with you. There’s no way to be down when this dog is doing that to you.
Remember, don’t forget: if you click on the first shot, you can scroll through using your arrow keys or by swiping. Also, while you are looking at the individual photos, click the small i at the bottom of the page to read the full caption and see my photographic metadata.
I love clouds. I love photographing them. When some people think about clouds (you know who you are ?), all they envision is rain. I enjoy those great big clouds with plenty of blue sky surrounding them. Maybe it’s just the blue sky I adore. Here in the Seattle area, after we’ve had rain—as we did in the early hours today—and it starts to clear up, you get the most stunning blue sky, and the clouds appear huge, puffy, and bright white. That, to me, is the sky just screaming—“TAKE MY PICTURE!” So I did. I should add that I did nothing to this photo. That blue is right out of the camera. I left the tree because I wanted to connect to the ground.
Spring is nearly here. I know that it officially begins on Thursday, but here in the Seattle area, we are seeing the daffodils sprouting, along with overnight temperatures in the 30s. Either way, our last two days have been only partly cloudy with that beautiful blue sky I showed you yesterday. Today, those lovely flowers caught my attention.
Both Kathleen and I are huge Muppet fans. We always have been. Since I am the cook in the family, I have my very own Swedish Chef. Therefore, it became clear that an hour before going to bed, I realized I had not yet taken a photo. As particular as I am, I have to take a photo every day this year.
On my second-to-last day of radiation at Kaiser-Permanente on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, I was driving through Volunteer Park again. I realized it would be wrong to take just the Midnight Sun sculpture (a few weeks ago with the Space Needle in it) without capturing a shot of the Volunteer Park Conservatory. The conservatory was built in 1912 from, believe it or not, a kit; it houses some amazing plants. Maybe later in the year, the interior will appear in my photos. You never know.
Today was my last day of radiation for my prostate cancer, so I had to get a photo of my technicians as well as the technology they used. This will be one of the few shots I take this year with my phone. It’s a very unusual image because the part they’re in turned blue. I couldn’t see that on my phone when I snapped the picture, but when I opened up all three copies I took, there was a blue hue on them and the machine. As you can see from my previous shot, there’s no blue present there. That in itself is kind of scary. I wanted to share this because it has been a HUGE part of my life for the last four weeks.
Saturday night is the time for our weekly Keeley. She should be worn out because, to celebrate my finishing radiation, we did a 4.56-mile walk today. I think I overdid it. It was a long and busy day. She usually perches on our recliner when Kathleen is sitting in it, but I was going for the hawk-looking-for-prey vibe.
My oldest and dearest friend in the world (we’ve been friends since 5th grade) sent me a beautiful bouquet to celebrate the end of my radiation treatments. I only wish we had stayed in touch (there was a time when we lost contact) when she went through the same ordeal and beat cancer herself; I could have sent her the same beauty. Thanks, Randy.
Photography to me is catching a moment which is passing and which is true. —Jacques-Henri Lartigue
