I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and enjoyed it in a responsible manner. It was a little strange celebrating Labor Day this time around; I haven’t met with anyone for my day job since March. And I wonder how many people actually bother to think about Labor Day. Just another holiday weekend and a good time to buy stuff on sale.

During the summer I’ve spent a lot time in my in my darkroom, which turns out to be a great Covid-free environment. But this weekend, after a lull in the action, I loaded my cameras up with film and started photographing again. Don’t worry; I made sure I had my mask with me just in case.  Turned out I needed it.

I was going to publish some thoughts surrounding the Fourth of July, but never did.  Wasn’t ready. Not sure I am now. Given the meaning of that holiday and what we were facing as a nation, I tried to think about what is good about America rather than what divides us.  As the weeks have gone by I’ve kept trying to think about this, but sometimes it’s hard to do. Just this Saturday I was about to make a picture of a couple of elderly women sitting outside a general store in one of the small hamlets that dot the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River.  Chatting over cigarettes, one thought to ask me if I was “part of that BOM thing”? I hadn’t heard of BOM, but then she corrected herself and said “BLM”. “You’re not part of Black Lives Matter”?  Wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.  So I just made the picture and walked away. We’ll see how it turns out.  In the meantime, I’ll keep on thinking, because the good is still there, even when it seems to be overwhelmed by the fog surrounding us.  I know it’s true because I saw it in my Covid-19 pictures, and I see it every day.

Labor Day signifies the end of summer and the beginning of a more serious time of the year. The leaves have already started falling here in Pennsylvania, vacations, for those that took them are behind us and kids will be going back to school … albeit in unusual and different ways.  It was a summer I’ll never forget … just part of a year I’ll never forget.  In many ways it has been the worst year I’ve ever experienced, but in some ways it’s turned out to the best.

So guess what … I’m not giving up … there’s a lot of pictures yet to be made!

Stay safe,

Michael