Flags and Canoes and a Sunny Day!

September 11th is the birthday of my good friend Jim.  Jim has a tattoo that fills up his entire back and is dedicated to the heros of 9-11.  For this recent September 11th Jim wanted to celebrate his birthday and the 10th anniversary of 9-11 by canoeing down the St. Croix River with flags showing our love for our country.  Ten of us gathered for a fun day of paddling.  It was 80 degrees and sunny and we passed along flags to people we met as we stopped at various beaches.  It was an amazing day that will be in my memory for a long time.

Pieces...

Let's get one thing straight... I LOVE taking things apart.  My entire life I have been enticed by a broken object to take it apart and see how it was put together.  Stereos, tv's, radios, vcr's, dvd players, printers, etc.  And of course cameras.  I have taken many cameras apart but this was my first digital camera I took apart.  This camera was so close to my heart and spent so much time with me.  Last weekend I spent 3 hours out in the backyard sitting comfortably at a table slowly and precisely taking my old friend apart.  I saved most of the pieces in different cups... all the small screws and all the coolest looking electronic pieces.  It never ceases to amaze me how electronics are put together.

How I got my name of "PaddleTramp"

My name of "Paddletramp" started sort of as a funny joke and it stuck.  I have a passion for both photography and canoeing and I also have a full-time job as a pre-school teacher for the past 23 years.  About 4 or 5 years ago or so I had an awesome assistant teacher named Maria.  We hit it off right away and I also took note that she called me "quirky" in the first 15 minutes she had met me.  But I knew she meant it in a kind loving way :)  A few months into the summer that she worked with me, she made me this bright yellow t-shirt that said Paddletramp on it.  I loved it immediately and have worn it canoeing many times.  Later, when I needed to come up with a new email address I thought long and hard and suddenly "paddletramp" came into my mind.  Then when I wanted to name my Fine Art Photography business, the name "Paddletramp Photography" was at the fore-front.  Yes, if I would have named it "Debbie Hartmann Photography" maybe people would remember my name better.  But "Paddletramp Photography" is way more fun... and that is a big part of being me... having fun at whatever I choose to do.  So Thank You Maria...for the yellow t-shirt...and for the name of Paddletramp that keeps the fun in my photography!

Caught in the Act

Couldn't help but post this.  I couldn't help but feel a little invasive of some private time during this grasshopper photo shoot... but I kept taking the pictures anyway.  Here is my favorite.