2005 has been a year of ups and downs. I finally finished the Public Library Helper, the book I have been working on for two years covering all aspects of running a small public library. ALA Editions cancelled the book for unknown reasons, but of my 300 page manuscript, my editor at ALA Editions only made notes on 7 pages so to me it appears they never even tried to finish what I had worked and researched with much of my free time in 2003 and 2004. Neal-Schuman, another publisher of library titles, also looked over my manuscript and passed on publishing the book. I eventually ended up putting the whole thing online at www.mei.net/~elsner/ I wrote it to help small public libraries everywhere first and foremost; and now it can.
Went back to school at Grand Rapids Community College for a fun photography class. First time I'd done any of my own developing or printing in the last 18 years. I ran out of time and enlarged very few shots. Only one in here is the one of Beth...never quite figured out printing. I'm using black and white photos from the class for this year's Christmas letter. Look for Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon shots next year as Beth and I are heading out west in early January, 2006.
Beth Broadhurst and I officially were engaged to be married on November 5th at the library's staff appreciation dinner. Took her totally by surprise and since I work with Wendy, her neighbor and best friend, the moment was captured on camera. We're thinking 2007 on the dunes of Lake Michigan for a ceremony, after Beth finishes college. She is again a college senior, this time at Western Michigan University, after 17 years off to raise two great boys, Dan and Jason. Dan is a full time Army National Guard member soon to be stationed back in Michigan at Battle Creek's Fort Custer. Jason is a high school freshman, wrestler, skater, and quickly advancing bass guitar player under my haphazard tutelage. Beth, Jason, and I took a thousand mile trip to see Dan graduate from basic training in Columbia, South Carolina last October. We saw the Columbia Zoo and Edventure Children's Museum while in Columbia. Stayed with Beth's brother Bill and his family (wife Janell and daughters Cassie and Allie who are small, but adorably cute) ;) in Savannah. They showed us around town including the historic homes and monuments downtown and took us to a great Atlantic Ocean beach. The meandering return trip took us past alligators and black widow spiders, wondrous waterfalls, an amazing rock and gem museum, the Biltmore Estate, and Cumberland Gap.
I've known Beth since I started working at the Delton District Library 1 3/4 years ago. She and her boys have been occasional members of Wendy and Tim's role-playing group on Friday evenings. Beth attended Gen Con this year with the gaming group and ran two successful costume design seminars. Her other self-employment plan, besides her seamstress business, is Mary Kay Cosmetics and is growing nicely. She's going back to Gen Con next year and I too shall return, although not to the Milwaukee scene of David’s and my adventure involving no AC, 90's (both year and temps), massive humidity, and twin beds which sank over a foot in the middle! Seems Gen Con has gone upscale and moved to Indianapolis these days.
My library consulting business slowed down with a full time job all year. I did run a technology course at the White Pine Library Cooperative in Saginaw last April. I also took my guitar to the planning retreat for Woodlands Library Cooperative in May and was invited to perform at Reading and Camden Township Libraries July 8th. Thus was born the official start of Platypus Dominion, long the coolest name in my mind for a music group. Beth came along as the Platypus Wrangler and ended up helping get the children involved in singing along and playing percussion instruments from my collection. I was talked into doing a solo act as part of the summer concert series at the Delton Library on August 19th. Beth and I also sang at the library during Delton's Hometown Christmas this year. With practice we might be very good performers. :)
I have become very active in the Delton area being secretary for the Delton Area Rotary Club, sitting on a grant review committee, and serving as board member for the Thornapple Arts Council. I donated four of my photographs to the Art Council's annual auction. Through a large collaboration a mural was painted and hung on the side of Delton Hardware depicting scenes of Delton's past within huge letters spelling out the town's name. It was a fun event, mostly completed in one day with 70+ people painting, and I can point to the mural and say I painted the whole thing! Ok, so it was just the back of the masonite panels with sealer, but I painted the entire back! ;)
It is wonderful living so close to the woods and lakes here. I canoed Lower Crooked Lake with Beth in a borrowed canoe which we were trying to paddle backwards all morning! :) My buddy Mark from Grayling visited one weekend with two kayaks, one of which I bought, and we kayaked Hall, Cloverdale, Wilkerson, and Jones Lakes. Kelli, David & Robyn, and Lisa & Cory all managed to find my house for lovely visits. Chris and Janelle spent the 4th of July here and caught the Gun Lake fireworks. Beth and I returned the visit in October and howled with the wolves north of Lafayette, Indiana after visiting Fair Oaks Farm (think cow theme park) during Cowtoberfest on the way down. I want to get out more, both cross country skiing and kayaking, in 2006. It might also be nice to actually play a round or two of golf for a change. I did enjoy Gun Lake, dining on the patio at the Bay Pointe and swimming at Yankee Springs State Park.
At the end of June I attended ALA's Annual Conference in Chicago and had a great time. Was wined and dined by my editor at ALA Editions and warmly greeted by the publishing head who was looking forward to seeing my book in print. Funny how things change in a month or two. Talked with Henry Winkler and David Sedaris and saw Barack Obama and Laurell K. Hamilton, to name a few. The hotel room I stayed in had a view of both Lake Michigan and the Sears Tower.
Grandpa Elsner passed away from this world in August after over a year in a nursing home. He was ready to go and we said goodbye in good fashion. We all miss him. Amanda and Rick divorced after five years of marriage in 2005 and are now in houses of their own with Amanda still in Kalamazoo and Rick in Lawton. Rick seems the same as always. Amanda seems much happier overall, is dating, and is dealing well with her fibromyalgia. Chad, Jessie and Calvin moved too, from Grand Rapids to Jackson where Jessie is teaching full time. My wonderful friend Grace moved in for a few months after graduating from college, got disgusted with the job prospects in Barry County, and moved back to Ohio. I still have two closets and part of a room full of her stuff.
Many great trips were had in 2005 starting with a visit to the Carolinas in February to see Heather and her fiancé Chris in Charlotte. We went up to the mountains and saw the resort where they filmed Dirty Dancing and hiked where a few scenes from Last of the Mohicans were filmed. After watching Grace graduate from Mt. Vernon Nazarene in May I hung around eastern Ohio and attended a pow wow at Zane Shawnee Cave as well as touring the cave. Beth and I hit both the local Silver Leaf Renaissance Fair and the Michigan Renaissance Fair in Holly that she had never been to before. Staying close to home we hit the Battle Creek air show and fireworks and the Funny Car Nationals at the Martin dragway. Martin is regularly visited (and where my phone exchange locates me) since Beth and I are now both members of Martin United Methodist Church.
pinhole camera shots direct to photo paper
Last updated 12/15/05 by Edward Elsner. 100% original content.
