And so it begins.

This blog is the title of and about a new book to be published hopefully in mid to late 2010. After a long and tortuous career in IT, I am basically throwing that to the winds in favor of what I truly love. Nature Photography and writing.

This won't be a coffee table book in the classic sense. In fact, it won't be that in almost any sense, other than that it will feature my best and most inspired photography work.

But it's going to be much more than that. This book will be truly be my heart and soul on paper.

It's a story about how I came to find solace and comfort in a National Wildlife Refuge, and how it became my own. How being there, and photographing the birds and other creatures that live there, saved my life. About a shattered life that had been spiraling down into the abyss for the last 5 years, and the loss of almost everything I had held dear.

What was on the surface an escape from reality, soon became an obsession and a place where my soul could soar, and my spirit be rejuvenated. Where I'd come to make friends with some wonderful people, many of whom were there with similar stories. Shattered dreams. Broken homes. Divorced, retired, some alone, some almost destitute. We all found and continue to find a piece of heaven there.

It's a story of love. Love for the birds I photograph, for the incredible bustle of life that is the refuge. Love for the friends I've come to be close with.

I've spent over 150 days there in 2009 alone. I've taken tens of thousands of photographs. I want to share my story. Our story. And the incredible things I've seen. I want to share a story of how this place, with all it's living treasures, saved me and gave me hope. How it gave me something to live for, when it seemed that all the fates had aligned against me.

I'm not a world renowned photographer. But I am a very good one. Not because I have the best gear. Not because I'm classically trained. But because I am passionate about what I do. About the birds. Because I love what I do, and I love and appreciate my subjects. How I love that place.

I'll be updating here as the book progresses and sharing stories and some photos from the project. I hope you'll join me here and follow along. It's going to be quite the journey.