Overcoming retirement boredom

14 Sept 2026

32 years in uniform, countless deployments, more than a few missed events at home, a few (OK, a lot ) relatively long and uncomfortable rides on red fabric aluminum framed seats, a ton of  adventures and great memories that I sometimes misplace in my mind…. I truly miss those days. So many friends, some no longer with us, but all securely etched in my mind .   It seems the more that time passes the more restless I become.  My movements aren’t quite as effortless as they once were.  My endurance has suffered the same fate as my flexibility, but I somehow still feel like there is work left undone and challenges to meet and defeat.

It took a while, but the answer is a pastime I’ve enjoyed since the 3rd grade and has been waiting in the wings for me to wakeup and bring it to the forefront …photography!  I am trying hard to record the travels and experiences Pat and I are fortunate enough to experience in a style or fashion that is more than a nice photo of a pretty scene.  I am focused on producing quality photos such that they are fitting to frame and hang in my home, or your home or office.  One of the photos I captured,  2 stallions racing toward Pat and I in southwestern Wyoming (I call it “Running Free”) now hangs in our daughter-in-law’s doctor’s office.

There is so much more to me bringing my old hobby back to life than meets the eye…new and vastly improved equipment (my Nikon Z8 is great and a project in and of itself!), photo editing on the computer ( geez, in the old days I remember just having to be careful controlling how prints were processed), composition, lighting, shooting in the rain, and on and on.  I love it!

Rather than rambling on endlessly, I will wrap this up with a few closing thoughts.  I know my work has a ways to go , so please if you want to comment or make some constructive critism of my work please send an email and unload on me.  There are many ways to improve and getting some good constructive criticism is a good one.  I plan to regularly add photos to my gallery, so please check from time to time.  And, I plan to add to this blog frequently if the proper words come to mind.

Thanks for stopping by…Have a good one!

Bud