Kip’s Comments - March 22, 2023

Reconnecting with Bill

The more I wander this dirtball called earth, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. Of the little I know, one detail I am aware of is the value of friendships. Friendships - close or closer than you realized. Friendships - the kind where you see someone from across a room and within a few words have reconnected after years of disconnect.

Today I, along with other public health, EMS, hospital, and EMA planners, met to conduct an exercise to plan for the future. Our group was divided by counties - filling a hall at Upper Iowa University. As I participated in the discussion, one fellow caught my attention as he took his seat with his county of residence. I thought I was seeing Bill, but yet I was not certain. The last I knew, Bill was the captain of a whale watching ship in the Pacific Northwest. Eventually, during a break, I texted the fellow next to him - another friend (Dan) - to ask who the guy was that looked so much like Bill. My other friend did not receive the text in time to answer my question.

Soon after the exercise wrapped up my friend Dan waved me over to his table. As I approached the table my wondering ended as I recognized Bill was back. Almost as quickly as a snap of fingers the years apart vanished and we almost picked up our conversation where left off so long ago.

Yes Bill is still running the big boat in his retirement while at the same time he is connected locally. He is as well as can be expected as am I. We talked, we laughed, and we agreed to get together to catch up on old times. What an interesting sidenote to today’s gathering!

During the few minutes as people arrived and prepared for the exercise, conversations included the foggy conditions we had this morning. There were at least two of us who find fog pretty, unless it makes driving unsafe. I am one who enjoys fog and what it does for photography. For example - before work I photographed trumpeter swans and wood ducks in fog. My compositions began with close-ups of both species - where the birds were a major element in the frame. Eventually my favorite image became a much wider view that featured the timber, the shallow water, the fog, and the swans. I will share several versions of compositions. Which do you prefer?

Trumpeter Swans in Fog - Image 795983

Wood Ducks and Trumpeter Swans in Fog - Image 796028

Wood Ducks in Fog - Image 796046

Trumpeter Swans in Fog - Image 796014