Though I've used photos from different parts of the country before, in 2010 I limited the images to only include those taken in Knox County here in Ohio. I took a break in 2011 but did help the church out with their global outreach calendar.

Because I've received several inquiries I'll be creating another calendar for 2012, I'll be using more photos from here in Knox County but also including some from other parts of the state. Go ahead and click on the cover image to expand it... how many locations do you recognize (don't let the image placement influence you)?

Not only did Chris and I have a tough time deciding on which images to use but we also had to narrow down the scripture verses to go along with each one.

For the cover I took a slightly different approach from those in previous years, incorporating a photo of an Ohio road map, then adding polaroid replicas of each of the images used on the inside. I picked up the proof from PIP Lewis Center on Friday, August 19th and its looks fabulous! A limited quantity have been ordered and should be available around the first of September. They'll also be available at the Gospel Supply Shop and the Knox County Art League in downtown Mount Vernon.

Eric, Anisa & Jeff

For the last couple of months I've been working with Anisa Hardin and her folks to publish her first book, Diary of a Cabin Girl. It's a Christian fiction story intended for 9-13 year-olds. On August 6th I was able to deliver the proof copy to Anisa with artist Eric Mize also on hand.

The story of 12 year old Nicole takes place in the early 18th century, she works as a cabin girl on the Storm Haven, a sailing ship. Nicole doesn't know her last name because of being separated from her family when she was very young. She writes each days' events to her diary, not realizing that she is recording the most drastic changes of her life. When she finds out what has been missing in her life, it turns out to be much more than her family.

Check availability at your favorite bookstore or purchase a copy online from;

Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Diary of a Cabin Girl is published by Koozzz Publishing of Mount Vernon, OH, it's the first book in a series titled The Heritage Diaries. I've already been briefed on volume 2 and anxious to begin working on it.

Eric Mize was the artist providing the illustration for the book cover, he and Anisa worked together to make sure that the drawing was authentic to the period.

In downtown Columbus, Ohio we're fortunate to have a replica of the historic sailing vessel The Santa Maria. I was able to schedule a photo shoot one morning and received approval from The Santa Maria Ship Museum to use one of the images for the back cover.

I've said that most of what I love to photograph are the outdoors; landscapes & wildlife.  Not knowing if I would have enough pieces to display I began rummaging through what I did have. I also ordered a few larger sizes and a whole slew of 5x7's. As it turned out I surprised even myself with the number of pieces I ended up with.

A large crowd showed up for the first friday event and I was able to share a bit about some of the pieces that were displayed. I was even able to sell a few of the smaller pieces which was a real encouragement to me.

Here are a few photos from the event.

We enjoy reading Jeff Stahler's Moderately Confused cartoons, especially the reader caption contests that he holds each month. I thought this one from May 2011 was right on target and captured the growing popularity of e-readers and their growing impact on traditional books.

Caption Contest #35 Winner Columbus Dispatch

United Features: Jeff Stahler Bio