Roger M. Marty - CIOS 258 Lesson Week 2

Five photos I did not take but wished I had. (In order of my level of self disappointment.)

1. As is true with everyone one in life my grand-parents, parents, aunts, uncles and many close friends have gone on before me. As with many things in life I always seemed to be too busy to take as many photographs of these loved ones as I could. BIG MISTAKE!

2. In 1967 I was in the Republic of South Vietnam, having won a scenic tour there with the United States Marines, we were north of KheSahn on Hill 881. Our first days there were in jungle so thick you could not walk through it. Two days later it was a barren hill of dust and destruction. Those days cost many of my friends their lives and I have always regretting not getting more photographs of them prior to this day.

3. In about 1984 I was on a hunting trip along the Melozitna River north of Ruby, Alaska. It was a clear cool evening and the sun was just setting. There was a light fog forming along the river and the sun was shining through the fog in rays. Just across the river appeared the largest Bull Moose I have ever seen. He looked surreal as he had been thrashing around in the thickets and had a large quantity of brush, moss and mud hanging from his enormous rack. The light struck him from the side and he was a silhouette in the shining rays of sun all clouded by the early evening fog. Camera and rifle were in the tent some 100 yards away and I could not take myself away from the site of this moose to fetch either one. Wish I had gone for the camera.

4. I have been fortunate to be able to live in and travel to many places in this great world of ours, Alaska (most certainly my longest and dearest love), Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Montana, Okinawa, Tokyo, Japan and Viet Nam. This is not about one photo I did not take but of about thousands, of the spectacular places I let slip by on this journey of life without taking time to preserve it for all to see and enjoy. If we do one thing is this life’s travel we should document it.

5. Every year we celebrate a holiday – Halloween. We are fortunate enough to have in excess of one hundred child from infants in mother’s arms to seventeen and eighteen year olds grace our front door for their annual hand out of goodies. My favorites are the toddlers dressed as everything imaginable ghosts, goblins, witches, cowboys, vampires, jack-o-lanterns, genies, rabbits, pirates, snow men, firemen, policemen, nurses, doctors, sports hero’s, and many I cannot recall. You name it they come dressed for the occasion. I have always wanted to photograph them all as they come by and do a collage or some such with them all. Never have.