I have led a full life so far.  My professional life is rife with blasts of frenetic activity.  That aspect has reaped rewards on many levels, the most important being from a job well done.  On a personal level like all of us there have been ups, downs and in-betweens.  My ups and downs lean to extremes, but the down times are less frequent and not as long or deep as they once were.  This has come from accepting there are two strands of life.  Those I can control and those I can’t.  I am at heart a loner, pushed out of that shell by the important people in my life who understand my limitations and tolerate them.  While this push is uncomfortable for me, I succumb because of love.  I am most at peace in coffee shops.  I love the aroma and the steam rising from the pour of good strong coffee.  And I love the feeling of peace pervading there.  That peace frees me to take photographs in coffee shops.  These were taken this morning on a short walk to, and outside of, Ho Lo Jo, a wonderful cafe a few blocks from my home where Lisa the proprietor makes great homemade apricot scones.  I read the New York Times over a scone and some medium roast hand poured java, and had chats with some good friends.  These cafe chats always lead to discussions of photography, likely from my camera always being close by.  My cameras are constant and cherished companions