September 1, 2007 – Awesome news. I just sold my first photograph, a picture of Harold McEachron, to his granddaughter Liz. The picture will be in the Art Harvest show at Gardenworks October 13, and this means I am no longer an amateur but a professional. It’s one of my favorite pictures, and I am very excited to have sold it, especially to a member of his family. Tomorrow I go to collect the cash. Thanks, Liz.
  It’s especially good news today, since I nearly blew up the tractor and burned the house down. I put some boxes in the burn barrel, and the wind blew some sparks onto a bed of hay put onto fresh grass seed behind the driveway. The hay caught fire, and the fire rushed towards the Kubota, which has a dead battery and couldn’t be started or moved away. A huge can of gasoline was sitting nearby. I managed to get rid of the stomp out the flames, and figured I had to do that as I grabbed the phone and prepared to call the Hebron Volunteers. The wind blew my way, and the green grass didn’t ignite, and the fire was out as quickly as it started, after some determined stomping on my part. I got the dogs out of the way first. Many safety lessons to be learned there, and I learned them all, believe me.
  So I was especially glad to sell the picture. I am no longer an amateur.