Volume 53, Number 1

(Trigger Warning: the following post is sans satire and heavy on the sentimentality.)
These blog postings serve three purposes: (1) entertainment (sometimes), (2) enlightenment (upon rare occasions), and (3) as legacy documents--an intermittant diary, if you will--that may be read long after I'm gone (assuming that my kids and grandkids remember to keep up the monthly eNom fees :-).

For the benefit of those of you who wonder why-the-heck I don't retire, here is my Mission Statement (of sorts):
I love Arkansas and have long felt privileged to have opportunities to photograph its many scenic wonders and historical treasures over the years (decades, actually). I plan to continue following that passion as long as I am physically able.  I think I still have much to contribute in the area of travel and tourism—especially heritage tourism. If, indeed, I am deemed too old or intractable in some circles of influence to be a part of their hardcore commercial initiatives, then I consider that their loss—not mine.  No one—no corporate entity--owns Arkansas sunrises or our state's natural beauty and colorful history.

Some acquaintances chide me to do more “positive thinking” and interpret my alter egos' attempts at ironic humor as “sarcasm” and “cynicism”--instead of the intended examples of exemplary Swiftian satire. Perhaps I  do need to stifle my penchant for wiseacre wordplay.
(beat)
Naw, not yet. :-)
Although my occasional satirical asides elicit considerable approbation from many folks, it does get me into hot water from time to time. (Some people have no sense of humor when it’s their ox being gored. :-)
I think some friends—or “long-time acquaintances”—might like to see me hang up my commercial production spurs and retire to academe or to some presumably less unseemly pursuits. However, although I may be past full-tilt-boogie striving and thriving, I plan to keep surviving—and to keep doing what I still can do pretty darn well.