Ann Sandler, of Slow Shutter Speed, proposes this week’s Lens Artists Challenge – #339 Life’s Changes. Change is the one constant in my life. Things have been stabilized a bit since retiring, but before then – Oh, wow! I moved so many times.
The biggest change was moving to Australia from California. It was a huge move for me, never having even traveled outside the US.But it became the most memorable adventure of my life. I had become acquainted with someone in Australia whose company did photo and video production and marketing. I was ready for a change and wanted to travel someplace new to live while I could still enjoy it. I retired from teaching and moved to Melbourne Australia. Starting as Creative Consultant, then Creative Director, and eventually General Manager of a new office in Sydney, I found I loved everything about living and working in Australia.
In Sydney, I lived in Surry Hills. The picture is my Surry Hills neighborhood, shot from my back porch. (The feature image above is an edited version emulating watercolor.)
These back porches are a meaningful symbol to me, because frequently neighbors would get together there and have evening-long large outdoor meals. I loved this aspect of Aussie life – The sense of community and the outdoors, people getting together with friends outdoors for convivial gatherings. The people in Australia, without exception, were the warmest, friendliest, most open and outgoing people I’d ever met. (I also liked the Sydney skies!)
I made many wonderful friends in Melbourne and Sydney. Eventually I had to return to the US for family matters. Now I live in New England, one of the two regions of America where I am most at home, the other being California. But I’ve stayed in touch with many of my Australian friends, and I love that. (I’m also a news junkie, so I still read the Sydney papers!)
Before Australia, my lifelong career was in education, teaching math and doing school administration. My photography started as a child when my Grandmother gave me a Kodak camera. But photography took a back seat during most of my teaching career, so I have few images from that stage of my life.
That career represented almost constant change, since I changed schools and jobs frequently. Below, a selection of the schools (and one university) where I lived and taught.
(Clockwise, from upper left) Nashville TN, Cambridge School of Weston MA, Michigan State University, Tilton School NH, Harker School CA, Tilton School NH
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