Dad and Mom

#dad

A photo of my dad, LeRoy Howard with my mom Lynette taken in 1954

Obviously I did not take this photo as it was taken a year before my birth but I love this picture of my Mom and Dad.

I've posted this one on Photo Friday for this weeks challenge #dad.

Am I a fraud?

My previous post was not written by me. I asked CHATGPT to write a blog post based upon the following input:

Write a simple blog post explaining that I am in a bit of creative slump and cannot seem to come up with anything new and creative, or attention getting.

So, the post about being in a creative slump was written by AI. It's not a bad post but it really isn't written in my style. It's a bit too clean, maybe a little too eloquent for me. It did however,  capture my feeling and intent. So what do you think? Is AI the wave of the future? Will we all be getting CHATGPT to write for us?

 **Overcoming a Creative Slump: My Journey**

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. Today, I wanted to share something a bit personal that I've been experiencing lately—a creative slump. As someone who loves to create and share my work with you all, it's been a bit disheartening to find myself stuck in this rut. 

No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to come up with anything new, creative, or attention-grabbing. Ideas that once flowed effortlessly now feel out of reach, and the usual spark that ignites my creativity seems to have dimmed. It's a frustrating and, at times, isolating experience.

But I believe in being open and honest with my community, and I know that many of you have likely faced similar challenges in your own creative journeys. Creativity is not a constant; it ebbs and flows, and sometimes we just need to ride out the low points.

I've been spending some time reflecting on what might help me overcome this slump. Perhaps a change of scenery, diving into new experiences, or even taking a brief break might be what I need to reignite my creative fire. I'm also exploring different sources of inspiration and allowing myself the grace to step back and breathe. Having said that, I am going to take a break, go to a nice resort in Orland, and laze by the pool for a bit.

I want to thank you all for your continued support and understanding. Your encouragement means the world to me, and it motivates me to keep pushing forward, even when the going gets tough.

If any of you have tips or experiences you'd like to share about overcoming creative slumps, I'd love to hear them. Let's support each other through these challenging times and come out stronger and more inspired on the other side.

Until next time,

Ron Howard

Hilton Grand Vacations Resort -Las Palmeras, Orlando, Florida

 Photo Friday: Coffee Shop

I'm enjoying a cup of Caffe Macchiato at Costa Coffee in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. These are a couple of shots that I took during a trip that my wife and I made to Scotland. We absolutely loved the Scottish Highlands and I like the two-fisted coffee cups at Costa. 

One of these is also posted at Photo Friday, as the challenge for Friday July 19 is #Coffee Shop.

Transforming a stair landing into my office/studio

I love old houses! My home was built in 1900 and has gone through several renovations over the years. It’s fascinating to think about all the people who have lived here before us and imagine how they used the space. 

For example, what is now our dining room used to be the kitchen. I can almost picture the original owner cooking meals for their family on a cast iron wood burning stove. Our kitchen, on the other hand, used to be the back porch, which had its own well. You can still see the old stone lining of the well underneath the floor in our kitchen.

The second floor of my house used to be an apartment with its own entrance. The stairs were removed in the 1960s and the porch was enclosed to create a sunroom. We still have the two original bedrooms and bath, a hallway that also once served as a kitchen for the apartment, and the landing. There are also four separate attic spaces, each at one corner of the house. 

Speaking of my office, I recently converted the small landing at the top of the stairs into my office/studio. It’s a cozy 8x9 feet, and I’ve decorated it with a few tongue-in-cheek touches that give it a Ron Howard vibe.

Photo Friday - Roadtrip

It's Friday. Another opportunity to participate in the Photo Friday weekly challenge. The challenge word this week, July 12, 2024 is #Roadtrip. This is a shot from a trip that my wife Susan and I took to Scotland in March / April this year. The Highlands and the Isle of Skye are beautiful and we absolutely fell in love with this country.

Photo Friday is the fun, easy, and sociable photo sharing website where photographers of all skill levels share pictures from their lives with people all over the world, for free!

Launched in 2002 as a weekly photo challenge website, today that tradition continues with a weekly challenge word or phrase that we hope will inspire you to get out and create your own personal photographic interpretations of the challenge. You don't have to participate in challenges to share your photos on Photo Friday, but we hope you will!

PHOTO FRIDAY - TOWER

This is a night-time shot of the Heidelberg Materials plant in my hometown of Leeds, Alabama. I am posting this one here for the Photo Friday July 5, 2024 challenge "TOWER". If you are a return visitor to my blog  then you know that I love night-time photography. There is something about the light at night that transforms an object or scene, often giving them an almost magical appearance. 

Shot on an Apple iPhone 15 Pro  ƒ/1.78  1/5  6.765mm  ISO1250