My Blog

Budget vs. Hobbies – Finding a Balance

Life, Photography, Tools

Happy New Year all! Hope the holiday season was everything you wanted and that you received and gave everything that made your season perfect. I was actually quite ill over the holidays, struck with a seasonal flu (and maybe other bad bugs) that kept me at home for quite some time. Eventually, this becomes boring, so I turned my diminished brainpower to exploring a topic I had not explored lately: how best to balance budget and hobbies in retirement?

I actually have had a budget every year since retirement. And at the end of every year, I check it to see just how much difference it has not made to my end of year finances. I’ve decided to give it a more meaningful try for this coming year, especially since travel will be big on the agenda this year.

Budgeting has long been the mantra of financial planners who work with young investors, particularly the part about saving for retirement. But few seem to have good advice on how to manage that money after retirement. Why of course the floodgates open, no? This post is not financial advice. This post is about a few things I’ve learned about having fun responsibly in your golden years.

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Year End Thanks

Life, My Community, Photography

As we approach another year end (wow!), most of us take stock of our year and what it has brought us. I tend to do that more often than annually, especially after a particularly stressful experience. This year, there hasn’t been a lot of stress, thankfully, although the challenges of getting older and of supporting family members getting older do bring their own moments of pause.

I like to make lists, of things I’ve done, things I need to do, things other people need to do. So it’s somewhat easy to look back at those now. I’ve actually accomplished quite a lot this year, but have decided that next year needs a whole new direction. Why? Read on.

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The End of Photoshop – For Me

Photography, Tools, astrophotography

It happened unexpectedly, unannounced. One day I was minding my own business, reading email, and one popped into my feed. Oh, no, another ad. But this one was different. It was from that venerable king of creative editing software – Adobe. It was a reminder that my subscription for my Photography Plan would renew in a month. Ok, great. Then I saw it, at the bottom.

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Give Nothing for the Holidays Except Yourself

Life, My Community, Photography

It is that time of year again when we turn our attention to purchasing gifts for those we love, to acknowledge their place in our lives and to say how much we love them. It’s a joyous activity for many; It is a classic dilemma and typically the source of much stress and consternation for most.

If you are as old as me, there does come a point though when many of us decide we have enough stuff and ask not to receive anything material again. Although I still like to hear about toys as much as ever, I’m there – I don’t need to own them. It’s a bit of an odd feeling. Yet somehow appropriate as you head toward your twilight of life.

Instead, I’m suggesting a new approach this year. Making yourself the gift. I don’t mean anything cringeworthy. Instead I’m talking about the gift of your time. If you are as old as me, it is now the one thing that means everything.

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Why AI is No Big Threat

Career, Life, My Community, Photography, Tools

Back in 2020, I did my first blog post on AI, commenting that while many saw its emergence as a threat, I didn’t. With the choices available to them, people like me could elect how much if any machine-learned automation might become part of our lives.

It’s five years later and I thought I would revisit that idea again, again from the perspective of a senior retiree. I do recognize that other lifestyles and financial circumstances might result in a different viewpoint, but this is mine.

Here’s how AI has impacted me in the last five years and how it might impact me in the future.

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Getting Lost in Muskoka (Spiritually and Literally)

Landscapes, Photography, travel

I’ve returned from a few days “up north” immersed in this year’s fall colours. Whenever you take a vacation, you hope to have stories to tell, and in my case, photographs to go with them. I definitely do for this trip.

This was a visit to several stops, including Gravenhurst and Huntsville and various tourist attractions associated with or close by each. I decided to string a number of stopping points together and make a 3 day mini-vacation out of it. You could just as easily take a single day and drive a couple of hours, get the immersive experience, and return home. Many do.

There is something about Fall and fall colour here in Ontario, Canada that has always drawn me emotionally. It signals the end of summer, but also points to change, and warns us warm-blooded (and cold-blooded) souls to prepare for the cold. The last few years, I’ve looked forward to the change of seasons. It brings a sense of calm and progression – an order in a chaotic world. Did I make the most of it this year? Read on…

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Is Simple Better?

Photography

There seems to be a move afoot in photography – a move away from full manual control of camera settings and detailed processing of images using one or more editing tools, all the way to letting the camera handle things with automatic settings and built-in profiles. We just pick the mood we are in that day and shoot away.

Say what? Isn’t that what we spent years overcoming? The shortcomings of that dumb box? The mantra that full control over every pixel from capture to delivery is the only way to enjoy photography. A real photographer only shoots in full manual mode. A photograph ain’t finished until it has been “photoshopped”. Not any more. How did this happen?

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What I Did For My Summer Holidays

Life

I remember being a kid and going back to school in September and on the first day, the teacher would always ask us to stand and talk about what we did for the summer. Coming from an immigrant family with limited funds, I had no fascinating stories to tell about far-flung destinations visited, or summer camps that I attended, or even the new bike I had received and rode endlessly. For us, it was about playing outside, with friends, and when it was too hot, being lazy and hanging out down by Lake Ontario or at the local splash pad.

That trend has continued for me into adulthood. I don’t travel in the summer, except locally. I don’t own a vacation home or RV or trailer. Instead, I make the most of my suburban home, creating a peaceful garden oasis with outdoor seating, a pond, bird feeding stations and perennials. I love it and it serves me well.

This year, I decided I needed to do the same inside, modernizing and updating the visible surfaces (ceilings, walls, floors) with new materials and colours. For most of the summer, my house was awash with contractors, and I was living in the basement, eagerly awaiting for the changes to be completed. Why would I post about this on a photography blog? Because I found the artistic choices made for the inside of my home are very much related to my current aesthetic as a photographer. Find out how.

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For Sale – Maybe?

Life, My Community, Photography

As you get older, the possessions you have collected over your life begin to be less important. Some naturally wear out, some become obsolete, and some you just lose interest in. I’ve been on a decluttering kick for more than a year as I approach the end of my 7th decade, and it has been remarkably refreshing. It’s an odd sense of starting over, of zeroing in on what’s most important. For the most part, I’ve felt very good with the choices made.

What has surprised me though is how difficult it is to re-home camera equipment and accessories. The consumer market is changing and has changed significantly. It’s been frustrating to declutter these items. Find out what I have tried and what success I have had. It might surprise you…

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Creative Ideas at the Creative Lab

Artistic Ideas, Expertise, Learning, Photography, Portraits

Yesterday, I dropped by the Canon Creative Lab in Mississauga where they were hosting Image Wonderland. This was an event showcasing Canon gear (of course), along with a number of sets with models and high end props (including a vintage Cadillac) where you could try out the gear. I’ve never been to one of these, and honestly did not know what to expect.

I’ve been a Canon fan-girl forever, and we were also encouraged to bring our own cameras and shoot away. Images could also be printed through the onsite Canon Print Shop for free, although this was confined to 4×6 prints for walk-ins, and 11×17 prints if you submitted them ahead of time. And there was a series of talks given by Canon Ambassadors, including Irene Rudnyk, Sal Balaji and Steve Russell.

What did I see and experience at the event? Read on…

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