Happy Thanksgiving 2021
All of us at photoPXL, Rockhopper Workshops, RaberEYES, and KevinRaber.com want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. It seems as though every year lately I say, “What a year it has been.” This year is more of the same.
On the home front, Debra and I are happy and have lots to be thankful for. It’s been a trying year for Debra, however, as her mother, who has been in nursing home care for the last five years, just passed two weeks ago. While there is a lot of sorrow that goes with this, there is also comfort in knowing her time of suffering is over.
Debra’s mom and dad were incredible and accomplished folks. As you may remember, right when the pandemic started, Debra lost her dad to COVID. It was quite sad as he was taken before his time. Then Debra became seriously ill with COVID. That time seems very long ago now, but it felt like an eternity when we were living with it. So, as a result of all of this, we had a lot to be thankful for at Thanksgiving last year.
Debra now has a great job she loves with the Attorney General of Indiana. She enjoys all the benefits that a job like that brings and loves the people she works with and the good her office does for the people of Indiana. It’s great to like where you work. I miss her every day, though, and miss the times we worked together every day. Trust me, though: She is a part of photoPXL and Rockhopper Workshops and knows what’s happening.
Rockhopper Workshops once again has had a challenging year due to the postponements of workshops due to COVID. However, the future looks bright as many of our workshops for next year are sold out or close to selling out. Make sure you stop by rockhopperworkshops.com and check out our available trips to Iceland and Greenland. Also, stay tuned for announcements regarding our fine art printing workshops, which we will hold in our Indianapolis studios.
I also feel as if many of the plans we had for photoPXL were slowed down considerably since we couldn’t travel or get together safely in the same room. That’s about to change, we hope. In a few weeks, we are going to do our first video production in almost two years. It will be focused on printing, and we have an all-star cast lined up. It will be fun and informative. We’ll share information on social media and post an article of some behind-the-scenes goings-on once we start.
Plus, as travel opens up, we have several people we want to visit and do in-person videos with, and we hope that we will also have visitors to the studio we can make some videos with.
I am thankful to feel strong and energized and in good health. I am really looking forward to the coming new year and to growing all our operations. I am thankful for such a great audience and for my involvement in photography, which is such a great field. It’s the only thing I have ever known, and I am still not tired of it.
Our kids are doing well, and we are looking forward to a traditional Thanksgiving Day with everyone at our house. Everyone in our immediate family has been vaccinated and is healthy. Another thing to be thankful for.
In closing, I am especially thankful for readers such as yourself who visit photoPXL and help support us with donations or memberships. It’s a privilege to be part of a large and really nice community. I couldn’t do any of this without the authors of articles and the support of our immediate team: Chris Sanderson, who keeps a watchful eye on the forum and helps readers with login issues; Michael Durr, who is our talented videographer and editor; and Debra, who keeps me in line and is forever supportive. They have blessed me to make thousands of photographic friends and acquaintances over the years.
On this Thanksgiving, I’ll take a moment to reflect on all of these things and count my blessings. Thank you, be safe, and enjoy your holiday.
Kevin Raber
November 2021
Kevin Raber
Indianapolis, IN
Photography is my passion and has been for 50 plus years. My career in photography has allowed me to travel the world, meet some of the most interesting people on the planet and see things I could never have dreamed of. My goal is to share the passion of picture taking through photographs and teaching with as many people as I can, hoping it brings them as much joy and happiness as it has me. I do this through photoPXL.com, this site, as well as Rockhopper Workshops, and other projects, as well as teaching as Artist In Residence at the Indianapolis Art Center.
