Like the warning says, “do not try this at home!”

I think I like Photoshop’s blending much better…

From a technology standpoint, this has been an interesting time. For me, 2009, started with an initial foray into WordPress, leading to this blog, and 2009 has ended with an upgrade of my primary computer to Windows 7, an interesting and exciting migration. Apple TV has gotten iTunes and online media content off my computer and into my living room.

My iPhone has allowed me to become ultra-mobile, and the new and useful apps just keep coming. Add to that my Amazon Kindle e-book reader, along with my regular laptop computer, and I have a movable feast – the ability to read, write and create anywhere, anytime.

And the mobility has served me well – I’ve gained several new customers and, with that, the necessity of additional travel. In this tough economic environment, it is a privilege to be able to forge new customer relationships and develop new business, and despite the added strain of heavy travel, I’m thankful for the opportunities.

I’d like to send a warm thank you to my readers! I’ve received many helpful comments and constructive feedback on this blog during the past year, and for those of you who check back here regularly, thank you for taking the time to do so! I really appreciate that, with all the myriad information available on the web, you choose to read my ramblings. I promise to work hard in 2010 to focus a bit more to provide consistent and useful information.

And last but not least, I’m thankful for my wonderful family – my wife Carol, our children, and our grandchildren! We have grown this year in both closeness and in number, and our family has been and remains the foundation of my existence, the wellspring of my inner joy, and my safe port in the storm. I thank you for putting up with me!

Who knows what new experiences 2010 will bring? We are about to find out. Meanwhile, I wish you all a safe and prosperous New Year.

I was happy to have purchased Induro’s C214 Carbon 8X CT-Series tripod during Photoshop World Boston back in March. I have found the C214 to be lightweight, sturdy, reliable, and most importantly, affordable! Combined with the Induro DM12 ballhead, I have a budget minded gem of a tripod, just right for my mid-sized SLR rig.

This weekend, though, I got my money’s worth and more from my Induro. My wife and I joined my parents in the mountains of northern Georgia, land of a thousand waterfalls. It being the peak weekend for fall foliage in that area, we were taking in the scenery and visited some of the local waterfalls as well, including Helton Creek Falls near Blairsville, GA. I was able to capture some nice pictures such as the one below:

Now, Helton Creek has a two-tier cascade, and there are stairs to get up up the first level (shown in the photo) to view the second cascade. From there, it is also possible to look down over the first level, and it is breathtaking with the water hurling by and pounding over the falls. To give an idea of the magnitude, here’s a magnified section of the image above. If you look closely, you can see a man standing near the top:

We were up near the area where you see the man standing, and a tourist had ventured out onto the rocks to snap a few pictures upstream. As I looked on from the edge, I saw him slip, his feet went out from under him, and he began sliding over the edge!

It is amazing the way time slows, and the number of thoughts that can go through your head in a moment’s time. I recall thinking there was no way to get to him, and he was going over – and would surely be killed on the rocks below. He went over the first ledge and I thought that was it, momentum would carry him onward.

Somehow, through, he managed to catch a foothold on the next (last) ledge down, and kept from going over. He was still standing on slippery rocks, water rushing by, and 2-3 feet to climb up the rocks to get back to safety. Several people started to hedge towards the rocks to make an attempt to reach a helping hand, but the footing was too treacherous, and the distance too great. Fortunately, I was there with my tripod, already fully extended, and was able to stand in the relative safety of the bank and offer him the end of the tripod. He grabbed it, I pulled him up, and aside from being shaken up (and likely having a bruised backside) he was fine.

All’s well that ends well, but what a nerve-wracking experience! I’m glad I was there to help, thankful I had the Induro tripod, and relieved that it is made a solid and sturdy as it is. A life depended on it.