I get interesting and unexpected notes in e-mail. This most recent one is from a photographer in the St. Louis area:

Hi Joe

We haven't met, I hope someday we might. You have critiqued Photos for a very good friend of mine, Sharon Spear, a couple of which were taken by me, like a dummy I had not the sense to thank you. So thank you for your time & kind comments.

When I first saw the photo of you on the Wicker settee my first thought were of a very good friend of mine, the 2nd was of Hemmingway.

I have one question, at what point does one become a GWC? I may have reached that status.

Take care
Frank

Sometimes I actually think I do some things right. Praise is always a good tonic. It seems, in my case, the effects don't last very long.

Of course, I have to answer Frank:

Hi Frank –

What a nice note to be confronted by first thing in the morning!

No thanks are necessary. It’s so rare that anyone actively solicits my opinion that the flattery of the request has been enough to get me through the day. (Have you ever noticed that on most occasions when someone asks for your opinion, what they really want is your unconditional support?)

Speaking of flattering, I’m quite pleased that I remind you of a friend (though any comparison to Hemingway might be a little over the top).

As for GWC* status, if you think you’re there, you’re there. The real qualifier is a certain world-weariness brought on the lengthy diatribes and pompous posturing of so called “pros” who spend a lifetime photographing naked women “for the sake of art” while denying the sheer pleasure of hanging out with naked women has anything to do with it. They probably buy Ploughboy for the articles, too! If you’re prepared to admit there’s something elementally kewl (“cool” to old farts like me) about having women slip out of their panties simply because you’re waving a camera around – welcome to the club! Of course, that some decent pictures come out of it is hardly beside the point.

Regards,
Joe

I've been assembling bookcases for the last couple of days. I tire easily so I'm moving along at a rate of one bookcase per day - one more to go. I've started hauling books up to my office, too. It's so wonderful to have access to them. It's been over a year since we packed them in Pennsylvania and now they're finding homes on some very nice looking shelves.

I like this house. I think I like this house better than any house I've ever lived in. Maybe I will develop that sense of it being home. I certainly hope so. It's been a lifetime since I felt like I was "home".

* GWC; Guy with a Camera. A term that most often refers to quasi-photographers with "point-and-shoot" cameras who hire models in the hope of "copping a feel".