The project
Sometimes the most overlooked places are the ones closest to home. For my latest photography project, I decided to focus not on a distant landscape or a faraway city, but on a single corner of my own town. The idea was simple: spend time photographing one small area: an intersection, a block, even just a corner, and see what I could discover by looking closer.
What I found surprised me. Details that I normally pass by, for instance peeling paint on a fence, the way light falls across a sidewalk in the late afternoon, the quiet rhythm of people going about their daily routines, took on new significance through the camera’s frame. Photographing this one spot reminded me that every corner has a story, and that beauty and meaning are not reserved for the grand or the exotic.
This project is still unfolding, but already it has changed how I move through my town. Instead of rushing past, I pause, notice, and frame. A corner becomes a subject; the familiar becomes new.
How come in all those years I had not noticed the waiting area for the Feline Health center?
Checking in
In a previous post, I mentioned wanting to share more about my experience with widowhood. The reason is simple: I want people to know. For those who have recently lost their spouses, or will someday, perhaps my experience, though personal, can offer some insight.
One of the most insulting side-effects of widowhood is having your friends walk away. I have since tried to understand why people will forsaken us when we need them the most. I came up with five hypotheses:
1. Discomfort with Grief
Many friends withdraw simply because they don’t know what to say. Grief makes people uncomfortable, and the fear of saying the wrong thing often leads to silence or avoidance. Instead of showing up, friends may step back, leaving the widowed person feeling even more isolated.
2. Shift in Social Dynamics
When friendships are built around couples, the loss of a spouse changes the balance. Invitations to dinners, vacations, or gatherings may decline because the widowed friend no longer fits into the couple-centered activities. Over time, this exclusion can weaken bonds that once felt strong.
3. Emotional Distance
Some friends expect grief to follow a timeline. After a few months or a year, they assume the widowed person should “move on.” When the reality of grief proves to be much longer and more complex, friends who cannot understand that distance themselves, creating a painful sense of abandonment.
4. Projection of Fear
Being around someone who has lost a spouse can force friends to confront their own fears of mortality and loss. For those not ready to face these realities, avoidance feels easier. Unfortunately, this leaves the widowed person carrying both their grief and the loneliness of friendships that have slipped away.
5. Unequal Energy Levels
Grief drains physical and emotional energy, making it hard for the widowed person to initiate calls, plan outings, or show enthusiasm for socializing. Friends may misinterpret this as rejection, disinterest, or negativity, when in truth it is simply exhaustion. Without patience and understanding, those friendships often fade.
Regardless of the reason, I have absolutely no desire to ever connect with those who disappeared following the death of husband! On the flipflipsideside, I am very grateful to those who, despite their own discomfort, decided to stick around. Those are my true friends!
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Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous
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It is all about the light 
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