I'd guess this man didn't know or care about the sunset that was painting the sky with radiant colors over his shoulder; he was that focused on his fishing. And I can't talk. All I cared about that lovely display of nature's wonders was how it could be used to advantage in my photos. After all, I'd dragged my friend down to the riverfront after dinner last night because I'd caught a glimpse of the sky on our way to a play at Windsor, Ontario's Capitol Theatre. My friend was waiting patiently at my side, so I didn't want to take any more time than was necessary, time I might have used simply to drink in the beauty I was seeing.

We move through life missing most of it. Isn't that true? As photographers perhaps we SEE more than most, but maybe our absorption with the visual keeps us from being as emotionally engaged as one who simply appreciates the world around them without trying to capture or compose it. A camera can be a window, yes, but it can also be a door, a closed door. It's hard to relate with a camera pressed to your eye.

Thankfully, when we got to the theatre and sat down to see Les Miserables, my camera was safely in its bag with no more photos to take...at least that night. I say "thankfully" because I wouldn't have wanted to keep myself from seeing AND feeling every single minute of this exceptional production put on by Theatre Intrigue of Windsor (http://www.theatreintrigue.ca). They were performing the "school edition" because the actors, who came from Ontario, Michigan and Ohio, were students aged 11-18. If you'd heard that, you might have said as Pat and I did before the show started, "Well, it's a long play. We'll probably leave after the first act." That was before we'd seen and heard the first five minutes. Except for maybe two uncertain singing voices, this was as good a production of Les Mis as anyone could want. We not only stayed to the last minute of the last scene, but were moved to tears more than once. If you live anywhere near Windsor, Ontario, do yourself a favor and get over to the Capitol Theatre this weekend or next. I can pretty much guarantee you won't be sorry.