Hello everyone,
What a year it has been. A year I am sure many of us would like to forget. When I look back, I try my best to find the positives that have taken place and discard the negatives. (no pun intended)
The most recent positive is the fact the club voted to award Steve Muench Honorary membership for all the hard work he put in since we lost Rick White as Competition Chair. We all know that Steve made it possible for us to continue as a club with our competitions, meetings and even an exhibition. What most of you may not know is that Steve created what I believe he called “Mind Maps.” When I first looked at these mind maps with the Board of Directors, I thought I was looking at the diagram for an electrical system of a nuclear submarine. I am still trying to wrap my head around how he did all this. He is an amazing person and I have written a personal note thanking him and advising him of his Honorary membership.
It has been an honor to serve as President of the Santa Rosa Photographic Society these past two years. I got to know many of you a bit better, and along the way I hope I have become a better person and a better photographer. I do have to apologize for not being as involved in the past several months as I would have liked, but I have had things going on that have kept me busy with other endeavors. I think this is a perfect time for Joel Brown to move into the position as President and I am looking forward to working with him in any way I can.
I also have to thank all the other members of the Board of Directors, committee members and volunteers who make this club possible. Without these people I couldn’t have made it longer than the first several months. Our club is so much better with their participation and leadership. If you haven’t yet volunteered to be involved in one of our committees, please don’t hesitate to do so. You will find out it is more fun than work. Thank you for showing me your kindness, sharing your wisdom, and creating an opportunity for me to grow as a photographer.
Finally, thank you very much for your very generous gift certificate to Safari West. I plan to take our 5-year-old grandson so he can see the wonders of the animal kingdom. Oh, and I won’t forget my telephoto lens. I guess that means I will have to bring Nancy along so I can be busy taking pictures for our Nature competitions.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a joyous Holiday season.
Mike