A 10th wedding anniversary traditionally is celebrated with a gift of aluminum or tin.

For Sondy Daggett, her 10th year of marriage to Liz Hoskins was marked with a gift of Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries shared through a window.

Employees at Bickford of Marion, the assisted living and memory care center where Hoskins is a resident, surprised the couple with the anniversary gift on May 1. Despite the current coronavirus-related mitigation practices, the staff had created a special moment for the couple, who have been partners for 24 years.

Daggett burst into tears as employees played their wedding song — Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time.”

“It just touched my soul,” Daggett said.

Across the state, moments like this are relegated through windows or over a phone call. As the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeps through the country, long-term care facilities have locked down in an effort to keep residents healthy, which means their families are no longer able to hug their loved ones, or sit with them in their rooms.

For many families, the feelings at such times this time are conflicted. Typical Mother’s Day celebrations have been placed on hold, and recent milestones have been missed by those living in long-term care facilities. Simple visits through windows feel distant.

“Those are the moments you remember and you miss,” said Daggett, recalling memories of visits to Bickford of Marion from Hoskins’s grandchildren and family gatherings during the holidays.

Hoskins, who has dementia, has been a resident at Bickford since August 2019.

“The pandemic has taken this away,” Daggett said.

But beyond this new dynamic with which family members are left to grapple, they also have the constant worry that their loved one could fall ill.

So far, Bickford of Marion has not seen any cases.

“Every time you read about another outbreak — whether it’s close to home or anywhere in the country — it brings home how fortunate we are so far,” said Matt Hoskins, Liz Hoskin’s son. “I can’t imagine the anxiety the residents and staff are having once it breaks through the wall.”

As of Friday, 29 long-term care facilities across the state, which includes skilled nursing facilities and senior living centers, among others — have reported outbreaks of COVID-19 among hundreds of their staff and residents.

As a result, for some Iowans, that fear has become a reality.

Ruth Brackett’s son Jamie Degner, a 38-year-old resident at Harmony House Health Care Center in Waterloo, tested positive for COVID-19 this past week.

Degner, who has severe autism and intellectual disabilities, has been a resident there since he was 15 years old.

More than 60 residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at Harmony House, an intermediate care facility. It’s one of two long-term care facilities in Black Hawk County reporting an outbreak, defined as three or more positive tests among residents.

Degner received his test results on Tuesday. He’s had lower-than-normal oxygen levels, but otherwise has recorded his usual vital signs and has not experienced symptoms.

Brackett said it is “unbelievably difficult to not be able to go be with him through this.”

As with many facilities across the state, Harmony House closed its doors to visitors in early March, when the first cases of COVID-19 began being reported across Iowa and the nation. Brackett said her son’s cognitive abilities make it impossible for him to understand that she is unable to visit because she might make him sick, so the staff instead tell Degner his mom is “at work.”

While she’s optimistic he’ll improve, Brackett worries whether Degner’s virus would take a turn for the worse.

“It’s tough because I have to trust” the staff, Brackett said. “There’s nothing I can do, so I can’t spend a lot of time dwelling on what I might do differently.”

The families that spoke to The Gazette believe the leadership at long-term care facilities are doing what they can to keep its residents safe and healthy.

At Bickford of Marion, officials have taken the unique step of promising public transparency of possible COVID-19 cases in its facility. On the website of every Bickford location is a feature recording the number of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Whether it’s COVID-19 or not, we want to be transparent with families about their loved ones’ care,” Bickford of Marion Executive Director Jacobi Feckers said. “I don’t know why other nursing homes haven’t taken that step because I haven’t spoken to other facilities, but I’m thankful that’s the route we’ve taken.”

It’s not just families who are placing their trust in management. Ron Moore is an independent living resident at Cottage Grove Place, one of the largest senior living centers in Cedar Rapids that has reported an outbreak of COVID-19 this past week.

According to the latest data from public health officials, five residents and staff there have tested positive.

The outbreak originated in the skilled nursing unit, and officials said they are working to ensure the virus doesn’t spread to the assisted-living and independent-living portions of the facility. They restricted movement between the facilities and conduct frequent temperature checks of staff.

So far, the general feeling among residents at Cottage Grove Place’s independent-living housing is that management has “done a good job” of controlling exposure.

“The feelings of the residents here are positive,” Moore said. “They appreciate what management has done to protect us.”

Still, life looks much differently at Cottage Grove Place. Moore said his schedule typically is packed with weekly book clubs and coffees with friends. Now he and his wife take walks, or try to connect with friends over email.

“I’ve found (residents) are not depressed at this time,” he said. “But in the future, if this goes on for many months? My prediction is yes, depression will be a serious thing.”

Local senior living centers have come up with unique ways to allow visitors to see their loved ones. Gina Hausknecht, a 55-year-old Iowa City resident, was able to see her mother in person for the first time in weeks after her assisted-living home, Oaknoll Retirement Community in Iowa City, created a “drive up” visit option this past weekend.

While Hausknecht sat in the car, she was able to speak with her mother, 93-year-old Ellen Hausknecht, for an hour outside the facility. Before this, it had been emotionally difficult for Hausknecht not to see her mom weekly as she usually does

“It sunk in that I don’t know when I’m going to see my mom again, and that felt really terrible,” Hausknecht previously told The Gazette.

Hausknecht said she hopes to take this year’s Mother’s Day as an opportunity to do something special, particularly given the difficult past few weeks.

“Our family isn’t super-big on these kinds of holidays but we do like to acknowledge them, and this year it feels important to take hold of any opportunity to celebrate,” she said.

Other facilities, including Bickford of Marion, also have eased restrictions on sending food and gifts to residents in time for Mother’s Day. Matt Hoskins, Liz’s Hoskins’ son, said the family’s usual Mother’s Day plans are impossible this year, so they hope to send Liz’s Hoskins artwork from her grandchildren along with other gifts.

Brackett, who will be apart from her son Degner this year, said she hadn’t planned anything for the holiday. She looks forward to her first in-person visit with him after the pandemic, when she will bring his favorite meal from McDonald’s and a new deck of Phase 10 cards.

Despite the feelings of being separated, their wedding anniversary on May 1 likely is something Daggett will cherish, she said. With Daggett acting as Hoskins caregiver since her dementia diagnosis in 2016, their wedding anniversary has been something the couple hasn’t celebrated in a significant way in some time, she said.

But that worry still creeps in the back of her mind. Daggett said she’s trying to remain “as confident as anyone can at this point.”

“I learned a long time ago you can’t worry about what you can’t control,” Daggett said. “But does that mean I still wake up at 2 in the morning worried about it? Of course I do.”

Comments: (319) 398-8469; michaela.ramm@thegazette.com

Release announcement of version 2.2.0 of the Exhale WordPress theme.

BIG NEWS: My custom Lightroom presets are now available and 50% off for a limited time with discount code HOLIDAY50. Link in profile!

This collection includes two styles (Everyday and Clean) that I use to edit every shot on this feed. I can’t wait to see what you all do with them! Stay tuned to my upcoming tutorials on how to put the presets to good use. ???? (at Toronto, Ontario)

Lights, camera, action. ????
—
A few more days left to get 50% off my custom Lightroom presets! Link in profile. (at Toronto, Ontario)

A lot to look forward to in 2017. How did 2016 treat you: ???? or ????? (at San Francisco, California)

Analog, Mapalong, more tries at trans-Atlantic sleep, Cuba, Fontdeck, and my youngest son entering school; it all happened in the last year. At the end of 2007, I wrote up the year very differently. After skipping a couple of years, this is a different wrap-up. To tell the truth I put this together for me, being the very worst of diarists. It meant searching through calendars, Aperture, and elsewhere. I hope it prompts me to keep a better diary. I give you: 2010 in pictures and words:

Analog.coop is still fresh after launching in December. We’re still a bit blown away by the response but decide not to do client work, but to make Mapalong instead. We jump through all kinds of hoops trying to make it happen, but ultimately it comes down to our friend and colleague, Chris Shiflett. He gets us going. It snows a lot in Bristol. The snow turns to ice. I slip around, occasionally grumpy, but mostly grinning like an idiot.

My family and I go to Cuba on our first ever all inclusive ‘package’ holiday. It’s a wonderful escape from winter, tempered by surreptitious trips out of the surreal, tourist-only island, to the other Cuba with an unofficial local guide. My boys love the jacuzzi, and sneaking into the gym. Z shoots his first arrow. Just after we return, he turns 4 years old. Now, he wants to go back.

I visit Chris in Brooklyn to work on Mapalong. We play football. Well, Chris plays. I cripple myself, and limp around a lot. At the same time I meet the irrepressible, Cameron Koczon. We all get drunk on good beer at Beer Table. Life is good. Cameron comes up with the Brooklyn Beta name. It starts to move from idea to action.

Just before Brooklyn, a discussion about First Things First opens during a talk at BathCamp. The follow-ups become passionate with posts like this straw man argument and a vociferous rejoinder.

The sun comes out. The garden becomes the new studio. Alan Colville and Jon Gibbins stop by as we work on Mapalong. The hunt starts for a co-working space in Bristol. I write pieces about self-promotion and reversed type. Worn out from the sudden burst, I go quiet again.

We find a place for our Bristol co-working studio studio. Mild Bunch HQ is born! I design desks for the first time. Our first co-workers are Adam Robertson, Kester Limb, Eugene Getov, and Ben Coleman. Chris and I meet again across the Atlantic; he makes a flying visit to Bristol. The gentle pressure mounts on fellow Analogger, Jon Gibbins to come to Bristol, too. Something special begins. Beer Fridays have started.

Fontdeck comes out of private beta! Almost 17 months after Rich Rutter and I talked about a web fonts service in Brighton for the first time, the site was live thanks to the hard work of Clearleft and OmniTI. Now it features thousands of fonts prepared for the Web, and many of the best type designers and foundries in the world.

For the first time in around 15 years I visit Belfast. At the invitation of the Standardistas, Chris and Nik, Elliot Stocks and I talk typography at the Ulster Festival of Art and Design. We’re working on the Brooklyn Beta branding, so talk about that with a bit of neuroscience thrown in as food for thought. Belfast truly is a wonderful place with fantastic people. It made it hard to miss Build for the second time later in the year.

June was busier than it felt. :)

Summer arrived in earnest. X has a blast at his school sports day. I do, too. Mild Bunch HQ is liberally dosed with shared lunches from Herbert’s bakery and Licata’s deli, and beers on balmy evenings outside The Canteen with friends. That’s all the Mild Bunch is, a group of friends with a name that made us laugh; everyone of friendly disposition is welcome!

8 Faces number 1 is published and sells out in a couple of hours. I was lucky enough to be interviewed, and to sweat over trying to narrow my choices. The .Net interview was me answering a few questions thrown my way from folks on Twitter. Great fun. Elliot, Samantha Cliffe, and I had spent a great day wandering around Montpelier taking pictures in the sun earlier in the year. One of her portraits of me appeared in both magazines. Later that month, I write about Web Fonts, Dingbats, Icons, and Unicode. It’s only my fourth post of the year.

Sometimes, some things strip me of words. Thank you.

The whole of Analog heads to Brooklyn for a Mapalong hack week with the Fictive Kin guys. We start to show it to friends and Brooklyn studio mates like Tina (Swiss Miss) who help us heaps. It’s a frantic week. I get to spend a bit of time with my Analog friend Andrei Zmievski who I haven’t seen in the flesh since 2009. Everyone works and plays hard, and we stay in some fantastic places thanks to Cameron and AirBnB.

Just before I head to NY, Z starts big school. He looks too small to start. He’s 4. How did time pass so fast? I’m still wondering that after I get back.

The whole of Analog, the Mild Bunch HQ and many others from Bristol, and as far away as Australia and India, head to New York for Brooklyn Beta! A poster whipped together my me, printed in a rush by Rik at Ripe, and transported to NY by Adam Robertson, is given as one of the souvenirs to everyone who comes.

Meanwhile, Jon Gibbins works frantically to get Mapalong ready to give BB an early glimpse of what we’re up to. Two thousand people reserve their usernames before we even go to private beta!

Chris and Cameron work tirelessly. Many, many fine people lend a hand. We add some last minute touches to the site, like listing all the crew and attendees as well as the speakers. Cameron shows off Gimme Bar with an hilarious voice-over from Bedrich Rios. Alan narrates Mapalong and we introduce our mapping app to our peers and friends!

It’s something we hoped, but never expected: Brooklyn Beta goes down as one of the best conferences ever in the eyes of veteran conference speakers and attendees. ‘Are you sure you’ve not done this before?’ I hear Jonathan Hoefler of Hoefler Frere-Jones ask Cameron. It makes me smile. The fact one of our sponsors asked this question in admiration of Chris and Cameron’s work meant a lot to me. I was proud of them, and grateful to everyone who helped it be something truly friendly, open, smart, and special.

The BB Flickr group has a lot of pictures and links to blog posts. Brooklyn Beta will return again in 2011!

X turns 7. I realise he really isn’t such a toddler anymore. It took me a while even though he amazes me constantly with his vocabulary and eloquence. His birthday party ensues with a trip to Legoland on the last weekend of the season to watch fireworks and get into trouble. Fun times finding Yoda and the rest of the Star Wars posse battling each other below the Space Shuttle exhibit.

8 Faces number two is published after being announced at Build. Much of the month was spent juggling Mapalong work, and having a great time typesetting the selections spreads for each of the eight faces chosen by the interviewees. That, and worrying with Elliot how it might print with litho. It all turned out OK. I think.

The .Net Awards take place in London. Christened the ‘nutmeg’ awards thanks to iPhone auto-correction, I’m one of millions of judges. We use it as an excuse for a party. At the end of the month, lots of the Mild Bunch go to see Caribou at The Thekla. Good times.

Mapalong goes into private beta! We start inviting many of the Brooklyn Beta folks, and others who’ve reserved their usernames. Lots of placemarks get added. Lots of feedback comes our way. Bug hunting starts. Next design steps start. We push frequently and add people as we go. Big things are planned for the new year!

The Mild Bunch Christmas do goes off with a bang thanks to Adam Robertson making sure it happened. Folks come from far and wide for a great party in The Big Chill Bar in Bristol. Lowri sneaks shots of Sambuca for the girls onto my tab, and we drink all the Innis and Gunn they have.

A few parties later, and the year draws to a close with a very traditional family Christmas in our house. Wood fires, music, the Christmas tree, and two small boys doing what kids do at Christmas. It’s just about perfect; A tonic to the background strife of the month, with a personal tragedy for me, and illness in my close family. Everything worked out OK. Steam-powered fairground rides, dressing up as dinosaurs, and detox follows with a bit of reflection. New Year’s Eve probably means staying in. Babysitters are like gold dust, but I just found we have one for tonight, so it looks like our celebration is coming early!

In the new year, I’ll be mostly trying to do the best I can for my family, my colleagues, and myself. The only goals I have are to help my children be everything they can be, make Mapalong everything we wish it to be, and feel that calm, quiet sense of peace in the evening that only comes from a day well done. Other than that I’ll keep my mind open to serendipity. (…and do something about some bits of my site and the typesetting that’s bugging me after writing this. :)

If you made it this far, thank you, and here’s to you and yours in 2011; may the best of your past be the worst of your future!

We’re very excited to announce a new major update for our Reel theme. The new 3.0 version brings new color schemes and many improvements to the Portfolio Showcase widget. What’s new in 3.0? 5 New Color Schemes + 2 New Theme Styles Full-width header option New styles & options for Portfolio Showcase widget 5 New Color Schemes After long research […]

In 2015 we launched Social Icons Widget by WPZOOM with the intent to provide WordPress users with a simple and easy-to-use widget for adding social links to their websites. With over 100k installs at the moment and continuous positive feedback from the users, it kept us motivated to constantly improve and keep updating this free plugin. Now, to keep the […]

Great news for the users of Presence — our multipurpose theme. We have finally released the long-awaited 2.0 version, which features major changes and improvements. What’s new in Presence 2.0? Beaver Builder Integration Dark Skin New Demo: Organic Shop New Typography and Colors options in the Customizer New Templates in Page Builder Beaver Builder Integration If you have followed recent […]

If you’re a video producer or vlogger looking to set up your own video website to showcase your content, you’ll most likely need one that reflects your own unique style. You’ll need to think about the gallery options you’d want, color schemes, customizations, and the type of business you’re running. You should also consider the different technology you’ll need to […]

Interaction Designer’s 2020 portfolio

Design Sojourn is an exciting strategic design consultancy passionate in helping our clients leverage on Design Led Innovation to make people's lives better.
We have openings for Designers or Design Researchers with a strong background in Ethnographic Design Research.
Requirements after the jump.

The post We are Hiring (2020) appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

Avada Avada is clear, versatile and has a completely responsive design! Avada sets the new standard with limitless potentialities, top-notch help, and free updates with newly requested options from our customers. And its essentially the most easy-to use theme available on the market! Avada could be very intuitive to make use of and utterly able […]

The post 2017 Best Coffee Shop WordPress Themes appeared first on WP Theme Designer.

Boutique Boutique offers you full means to create a tremendous on-line retailer. It’s trendy design and completely different layouts and limitless potentialities will aid you to place your merchandise in focus, It’s also fully responsive and you won’t worry how your prospects reach your store (It really works fantastic with both desktops and smartphones) Boutique […]

The post 2017 Best WordPress Themes for Boutiques appeared first on WP Theme Designer.

Education WP Education WP is the following era and among the finest training WordPress themes round, containing all of the energy of eLearning WP however with a greater UI/UX. This WordPress educational theme has been developed primarily based on the #1 LMS plugin on the official WordPress Plugins directory LearnPress, which presents you an entire […]

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Authentic Authentic is a light-weight & minimalistic WordPress theme good for life-style bloggers & magazines. It has so many superb options that may make your weblog or journal stand out amongst others. Let your guests benefit from the muddle free contemporary design of your new web site powered by Authentic. Maple Maple is a daring, […]

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Een unieke dag in London met sprekers over ontwerp, innovatie en samenwerking. Vanuit verschillende oogpunten worden de onderwerpen besproken in uitdagende sessies met grote interactie met het publiek.

It says it right there in my Twitter bio, I am a Sex Geek. It’s a term that was coined and made popular by renowned sex educator Reid Mihalko and I’ve been one since before there even WAS a term for it. A Sex Geek is much like a geek of any other flavor. Geekiness […]

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If you weren’t working on a remote team before, well, chances are that you probably are now! I know that I love working from home, but when you first start working remotely, it can start as a bit of a challenge. Of course, it has its pros and cons, but it’s just a learning curve. […]

Read More at 10 Tools That Will Help Your Remote Design Team Stay On The Same Page

As a designer, we’re overloaded with choices every day, but there are some apps that are absolutely worth your time and investment. Finding the best ones and most useful ones can be a difficult task, so we’re going to make things easy for you and give you our top 10 apps and websites we couldn’t […]

Read More at 10 Websites and Apps All Designers Should Be Using

Support two entities with the price of one.

Old paper textures are one of my most commonly used design resources, as you may have noticed from my tutorials! I have always just downloaded whatever third-party assets I could find, so I thought it was about time I made a collection of my own old paper textures to keep handy in my digital toolbox. […]

The post 20 Free Old Paper Textures with Creases, Folds and Stains appeared first on Spoon Graphics.

Support two entities with the price of one.

By now, anyone who has the internet has heard about how hackers targeted WordPress plugins during January and February 2020. Quite understandably, this hack job left many WordPress users wary about the damage done. For one of the most prevalent website template providers on the planet, this was an eye-opener. This hack job was also […]

Sony introduced the a6400 model of digital cameras in early 2019. The a6400 rapidly became a best-seller among both professional and amateur photographers. The camera is smaller than standard digital single reflex cameras but still uses Sony’s extensive line of lenses. Sony has achieved all this using an APS-C sensor system in a mirrorless body. What is Sony a6400 crop Continue Reading

The post What is the Sony a6400 Crop Factor? appeared first on Photodoto.

Whether you’ve just purchased the Nikon D750 or you’re still in the research phase, you likely already know this is a DSLR with an amazing price point. It’s still one of the top rated cameras, even after more than 5 years on the market. Lightweight and extremely reliable, with excellent dynamic range, the Nikon D750 is a full frame DSLR Continue Reading

The post Nikon D750: Answers to Your Real Questions appeared first on Photodoto.

Have you dreamed of a simple yet feature-rich portable camera? Something that’s a step up from compact cameras but still small enough to carry around in your day bag? A camera that will deliver the image quality of an entry-level DSLR without the bulk? Oh, and still be affordable? The Canon m50 mirrorless camera just might be your dream come Continue Reading

The post Why Buy? Canon m50: A Real Review appeared first on Photodoto.

This is it! Your one-stop shop for developer tools and resources. Designed to save you time and money, streamline project workflows, boost productivity, or all the above, Choosing the right tool for the job is never easy for several reasons. There’s a huge number to choose among, you have to know what to look for, […]

The post 6 Must Have Developer Tools and Services for Your Projects in 2019 appeared first on WebAppers.

Whether you’re skipping Black Friday to concentrate on Cyber Monday or planning for a shopping spree during both days doesn’t matter. The subject here is Cyber Monday Deals, and there are some great ones indeed. Some Cyber Monday deals expire at midnight on Monday December 2nd, others are valid a day or two longer, and […]

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It may seem a bit curious that more than a few app websites are only given a cursory inspection by app owners. It is given before being largely ignored because visitors have gone elsewhere. The reason for a given website may be completely valid in that it addresses a well-established need. It has a poor […]

The post Mobile App Website Inspiration: 20 Application Websites and Tips to Help You Design One appeared first on WebAppers.

Print Peppermint is one of the most refreshingly creative online printers on the internet at the moment. Their endless range of high-end business cards with unique special finishes like: foil stamping, die-cutting, embossing, letterpress, and edge painting, coupled with a meticulously curated family of thick premium papers make them a rather deadly force. Move over Moo and […]

The post Giveaway: 500 Holographic Raised Foil Business Cards – 100% Free appeared first on WebAppers.

Having too many WordPress themes to choose among is of course better than having too few. But there are times when searching for what you really need is like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. If you’ve been looking for a top-of-the-line multipurpose theme you will probably find it right here. We’ve listed […]

The post “Needle in a haystack” search problem? Check 15 of the very best WordPress themes for 2020 appeared first on WebAppers.

In this Chalkboard Text Vector tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a chalkboard vector effect with some gradients, a bristle brush, and some freebies from Vector Mill! This chalkboard text vector effect tutorial is relatively simple and can be applied to many other Illustrator projects. Use this effect for logo creation, back to school backgrounds, […]

The post 20 Minute Tut! Create Your Own Customized Chalkboard Text Vector appeared first on Vectips.

In today’s tutorial, we will find out how to create vector sunbursts by using Transform effect and stroked paths. The techniques described here allow you to edit previously-created sunbursts that can result in an infinite number of variations. Have fun learning in our vector tutorial! Tutorial Details Program: Adobe Illustrator CS5 – CC Difficulty: Beginner […]

The post How To Create A Retro Sunburst Vector In 10 Minutes or Less! appeared first on Vectips.

Summer is in full swing here in the states! It’s a perfect time to grab your skateboard and go cruising. Today we’re going to learn how to design flat skateboards and colorful vector longboards in Adobe Illustrator! We’ll be working with Clipping Masks, Stroke, and Pathfinder panel. Let’s get started! Tutorial Details Program: Adobe Illustrator CC Difficulty: […]

The post 10 Step Tutorial: How to Design Flat Skateboards Using Adobe Illustrator appeared first on Vectips.

Welcome back to another Illustrator tutorial from our retro hardware series! In this how-to, we’re going to learn to create a NAS Icon (or a Network-Attached Storage icon) using some simple geometric shapes and tools. So, get your software up and running let’s jump straight into it! Tutorial Details: How to Create a NAS Icon Program: Adobe […]

The post Create a NAS Icon in Just 30 Minutes Using Adobe Illustrator appeared first on Vectips.

The end of this month kicks off the busy summer travel season, which causes many designers to get behind on your design work. But it doesn't have to be that way. Instead, you can use stock graphics to speed up your design work this summer, so you can still enjoy those much-needed getaways and outdoor time. And right now, we have two iStock promo codes that can save you some change...

The post iStock Promo Codes – May 2020 appeared first on Vectips.

The year ahead should be a really exciting one for design, with the introduction of wider support for SVG and a host of new things we can do with CSS as CSS4 gains broader acceptance. In taking a look back at what made a big splash this year, I hope you will be inspired to […]

The post Design Trends in 2016 & What to Expect in 2017 appeared first on Web Designer Wall.

All websites are somewhat interactive…we click on links or scroll a page, but truly interactive websites take us on a user-driven adventure or draws us in through motion and sound while giving us the power of choice. Interaction can be as simple as a series of clicks that navigate us through a story or landscape, […]

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Front-end development is quickly becoming more and more focused on efficiency – faster loading and rendering through selector choice and minimizing code. Pre-processors like Less and SCSS go a long way in doing some of the work for us, but there are plenty of ways to write minimal, quick CSS the native way. This guide […]

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WordPress is a perfect example of how the web has evolved from static to interactive, a shift driven by our desire to share thoughts and a great opportunity to promote our goods. A truly good WordPress theme goes beyond simply looking good to offer solid core functionality and administrative features. There are hundreds of WordPress […]

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It’s that time of year again and if you’re a regular JMG-Galleries reader that means one thing… it is time to kick off the 11th annual best photos of the year blog project. This is by far my most popular blog project with hundreds of photographers taking part last year (see Best Photos of 2016,  2015, 2014, 2013,  2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007).  It’s great to see the community of photographers that have developed around this blog project. As always I hope the exercise of picking your best photos helps improve your photography (10 Ways to Top Your Best 20xx Photographs). So without any further delay here is how you take part to submit your best photos of 2016. How to Participate (Read Carefully) Review & select your best photos from 2017. Note: Photo edit carefully narrowing down your results to your best 10 or 5 photos. Reference Pro Tips: Photo Editing with Gary Crabbe for pointers. Create a blog post on your website or a Flickr/500px set containing your best photos from 2017. Complete the form below by Tuesday JANUARY 2rd at 11:59PM PST to take part. The following Tuesday, or thereabout, I’ll post a link to all submitted sites and photos on my blog. Throughout the week I’ll also share the results across all my social media accounts. Spread the Word! Feel free to spread the word of this project on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, photo forums you frequent and/or your blogs. All who are interested in taking part are invited. Loading…

I’m happy to report 2017 was a much better year than 2016 on many fronts. Family was healthy, we avoided experiencing the passing of family members, there was a fair amount of travel, a few great photos were taken and most importantly to me my boys continue to experience nature and ask for repeat camping trips. In past years yearly recaps I’ve emphasized how much of my focus has shifted from taking nature photos to instilling a sense of wonder about and deep respect for nature in my two young sons. That continues to be the case.   I’ve never delved into it too deeply in past yearly recaps why my prioritization has shifted. In part it’s likely very obvious for some. That said I do want to call it out. I became a photographer because of my love for nature. If I hadn’t been so intrigued by nature I’d never have had a reason to pick up a camera. With the onset of social media and mobile phones with cameras I’m not sure that can be said of many young photographers today. More and more as I view photography online I wonder whether people are truly interested in their subjects (all styles of photography not just nature) or just trying to increase their follower stats because that’s the thing to do in this day and age. Perhaps my cynicism is getting the better of me after working at Borrowlenses where I dealt with photography talking heads & professional and aspiring professional photographers on a daily basis. An element of my becoming a jaded photographer I’m sure (kudos to my friend Richard Wong for writing that post). I’ll avoid going down the path of airing dirt for now as that’s a series of posts unto itself. Anyhow once my boys got old enough it was quite natural for me to want to go back to my roots enjoying nature over photography. I’d like my children to deeply respect and value our natural world. What would I be teaching them, about nature and in general, if I was always taking photos on our trips versus living the moment? For that reason my yearly recap photos have and will continue to be split between family photos and everything else. While my boys are in their most formative years I’ll continue to put my emphasis behind experiencing nature versus artistically capturing it. The fact that my boys regularly tell me, often out of the blue, they want to go camping again means the world to me. I’m incredibly grateful one aspect of my professional outdoor photographer mind has not lost a beat and that is timing our trips for optimal conditions. This used to torment me as I’d leave my DSLR behind, but the more my boys reminisce and ask for more nature experiences the more I know I’ve made the right call. Now that that’s out of the way… my favorite photos, in no particular order are below. Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to view this post and my blog in general.  If you happen to have a recap of your best photos of 2017 I invite you to submit it to my blog project, where I list the best photos of photographers who read my blog. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to get inspired at the beginning of the new year. Best of  Landscape & Nature I took my boys to witness the total solar eclipse in August of 2017. We went off road to an isolated mountaintop with 360 degree views in eastern Oregon. My focus for the eclipse itself was on the experience with my boys, but we did star gaze a lot at night before the big day. In trying to explain how the earth moves I set up a quick star trail sequence to show the boys. This was the result. Water levels were near record levels this spring in Yosemite Valley. I made what has become a regular hike to Upper Yosemite Falls to take time-lapses of moonbows with my friend, Brian Hawkins. Like me, he seems to have enough screws loose to think this night hike is a good idea along with huddling in ice cold mist to capture this view. At the beginning of the year I timed a trip to Yosemite Valley to capture some long overdue winter star trail photos. This was a single 2+ hour exposure taken with my Canon 5D Mark II. Pictured is Three Brothers with star trails reflected in the Merced River. Another single 2+ hour exposure taken with my Canon 5D Mark II. Pictured is Upper Yosemite Falls as seen from the valley floor. For most of my family trips this year I’ve rented an SUV outfitted with a rooftop tent via PacificOverlander. I took this photo on the first night of one of my trips with the boys as we explored the Owens Valley. While they slept I snuck in this photo of our truck/tent under the Milky Way. If you’re unfamiliar with PacificOverlander it’s well worth investigating. I’ve had several amazing experiences and my boys keep asking me why I keep giving the truck back. They regularly have so much fun on these trips it would seem they’re sold on having a truck/rig like this of their very own.   Best of Family Taken on our trip to see the total solar eclipse, the boys enjoy hanging out in the tent atop our PacificOverlander SUV. This photo sits atop both my home and work desk. It’s probably my favorite photo of the year as it captures the raw joy my boys have on our camping excursions. I spoiled my kids with ice cream atop the Glacier Point lookout in Yosemite National Park. A moment I enjoy remembering through this quick snapshot. Wrangling family for a group photos is… a challenge. This is especially true when the boys enjoy making faces and test the patience of my wife. Every so often though a photo comes out just right. This was one that I took while we enjoyed a sunny day at a beach near Half Moon Bay. Not a technically […]

Get ready to start 2018 off on the right foot with some creative inspiration. The results of my 11th annual Best of Photos project hopefully will provide just that by introducing you to photographers and their work from all over the world. Get ready to travel around the world in 100+ links. For those who are new to my blog project, photographers taking part span the gamut of photo enthusiasts to professionals. The great thing about photography is that no matter what your skill level we all can relate equally in our love for the art of photography and visually exploring. With that in mind I encourage you to reach out to photographers whose work you enjoy to keep sharing & growing as an artist.  I am incredibly thankful that this tradition has been embraced and enjoy seeing how familiar faces have evolved their work & grown over the years.  I hope reviewing your best photos of the year and comparing them to years pasts keeps you inspired and aware of your progress as a photographer. If you’d like to take part next year and be informed when submissions open for the “Best Photos of 2017? blog project add your name to my mail list. You won’t be spammed. I send out newsletters quite infrequently. Thank to everyone who took part!  I invite you to visit each link below as I have and introduce yourself to many of the participating photographers. Best Photos of 2017 Jim M. Goldstein – Best Photos of 2017 by Jim M. Goldstein Randy Langstraat – My Ten Favorite Photos of 2017 Michael Russell – My Top 10 Photos of 2017 Phil Colla – Best Natural History Photos of 2017 Greg Russell | Alpenglow Images – 2017 year in review Mike Matenkosky – My Favorite Photos from 2017 Khürt Williams – 2017 Favourites Carl Donohue – Expeditions Alaska Kevin Ly – Kevin Ly | Best of 2017 Martin Quinn – Quinn Images – Best of 2017 Robin Mayoff – RHM Images Best of 2017 Craig L. Howe – On the Move Johann A. Briffa – 2017: A Photographic Retrospective Harold Davis – Harold Davis—My Best of 2017 Denise Goldberg – top photos :: 2017 William Bean – Bill’s Blog Greg Clure – Best Images of 2017 Rick Holliday – Best Images of 2017 Peter Carroll – Peter Carroll – Favourites of 2017 Mike Chowla – My 10 Best Photos of 2017 Wendy M. Seagren – wendy seagrens best photography 2017 QT Luong – 2017 in Review, Favorites, and Seasons Greetings Jenni Brehm – Changing Perspectives Rachel Cohen – Rachel Cohen Photography Brian Knott (FMKphoto) – 2017 year in review Shikha Shrivastava – My favorite photos of 2017 Dave Wilson – Dave Wilson Photography – Best of 2017 Larry Millican – Millican Photography Alexander S. Kunz – My Favorite Photos from 2017 Mark Duffy – 500px Stefan Baeurle – Top 10 Favorites of 2017 Adrian Klein – Favorite Photos of 2017 Alan Majchrowicz – Photo Highlights 2017 Russ Bishop – Russ Bishop Photography | 2017 – The Year in Pictures Todd Henson – Best Photos of 2017: My Favorites of the Year Peter Tellone – My 2017 Top Ten Best Images Aaron Hockley – thisGruntled – Best Photos of 2017 Tony Wu – Favorite Photos of 2017 T.M. Schultze – T.M. Schultze Website Andrew S. Gibson – My Favorite Photos From 2017 John Pemberton – JPSquared – Images of 2017 Scott Thompson – Scott Shots Photography’s Top 10 Tahoe photos of 2017 ElDuro Tuco – ElDuro Tuco The DarkSlides – The DarkSlides Jon McCormack – From Ancient Cities to Endangered Animals – 2017 in Photographs Fred Mertz Photography – Fred Mertz Photography Richard Valenti – Richard Valenti Photography Jeff Hubbard – My Favorite Photos of 2017 Andrew Scharlot – 2017 Best Pictures Deb Snelson – Favorite Photos of 2017 Richard Wong – Favorite Photos From 2017 – Richard Wong Caleb Weston – Dubland Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images – My Favorite Landscape Photos of 2017 – A Year-End Retrospective Tom Whelan – Nature Diary Robert Varley – Robert Varley Kyle Jones – Favorites from 2017 Neil Creek – Neil Creek – Photographer tim fiddimore – North Devon 2017 Richard Murphy Photography – Best of 2017 Alan Dahl – Favorites of 2017 Gabor Ruff – Natural History Photography – Highlights from 2017 Kevin Ebi – Living Wilderness: Best of 2017 Clint Losee – 10 Best Landscape and Scenic Photos of 2017 Mark Hespenheide – Best of ’17 Ilias Katsouras – Okrivadas David J Grenier – 2017 Top 12 Photographs J. J. RAIA – 2017 Jim Goldstein Project Rob Tilley – Best of 2017 – My Favorite Images of the Year Björn Göhringer – Top 14 From 2017 Bernt-Inge Madsen – Bernt-Inge.com USKestrel Photography (Pete Miller) – My favorite images of 2017: A Different Perspective Milan Hutera – 2017 in Pictures Fred Murphy – Fred Murphy Photography Harry Hitzeman – My Top Photographs of 2017 Andrew Thomas – Best of 2017 – Aerials Dean Foster – 2017: Year in Review Simon Ng – 2017 A Year of Water Michael Katz – Michael Katz Photography Drake Dyck – Top Ten (favourite) Images of 2017 Jose Manuel Santos – The Magnificent Douro Valley Gary Buzel – Gary Buzel Studios Bryan William Jones – Top Photos of 2017 Peter Knott – 2017 Favourites Kamala Venkatesh – Kamala Venkatesh Jason Frye – My Top 10 of 2017 Jackson Frishman – Favorites of 2017 Thomas Yackley – Top Ten Landscape and Nature Photos of 2017 Mark Graf – 2017 – A Year of Despair and Dragons Kurt Lawson – 10ish Favorites of 2017 Jorge Ramirez – Selection 2017 William Neill – William Neill’s Light on the Landscape Photoblog Daniel Leu – Favorites – 2017 Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston – Top 10 Favorite Images from 2017 ~ Journey of Light Photography Mike Christoferson – 2017 Has Come and Gone Carol Schiraldi – Best of 2017 – My Top Images Robin Black – My 10 best photos (or personal favorites, anyway) of 2017 Bryn Tassell – […]

It’s that time of year again, it is time to kick off the 12th annual best photos of the year blog project. I’m proud to say over the years that hundreds of photographers have taken part (see Best Photos of 2017, 2016,  2015, 2014, 2013,  2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007).  It’s great to see the community of photographers that have developed around this blog project. As always I hope the exercise of picking your best photos helps improve your photography (10 Ways to Top Your Best 20xx Photographs). So without any further delay here is how you take part to submit your best photos of 2018. How to Participate (Read Carefully) Review & select your best photos from 2018. Note: Photo edit carefully narrowing down your results to your best 10 or 5 photos. Reference Pro Tips: Photo Editing with Gary Crabbe for pointers. Create a blog post on your website or a Flickr set containing your best photos from 2018. Complete the form below by Friday JANUARY 4th at 11:59PM PST to take part. The following Tuesday, or thereabout, I’ll post a link to all submitted sites and photos on my blog. Throughout the week I’ll also share the results across all my social media accounts. Spread the Word! Feel free to spread the word of this project on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, Google+ (even if it is about to die), photo forums you frequent and/or your blogs. All who are interested in taking part are invited. Loading…

2018 has been quite the year. You wouldn’t know it from my blog, but it’s been one of the most hectic years I’ve had in a long time. Much of that centered around establishing a new home base for my family, albeit in the same area. Uprooting a family of 4 in the SF bay area is not for the light hearted. Luckily everyone has been quite excited about our move, but it has taken up most of my free time. I’m happy to say that I’m starting to get my nose above water and eager to do a bit more photography. Another development this year was my acquisition of the domain calphoto.com and the CALPHOTO California photographic condition mailing list associated with the domain. Interested in real-time photo conditions across California? Then be sure to join. CALPHOTO is comprised of a great community of people who share a common interest in photographing and preserving the beauty of our state. With limited time this year I focused on trips for my kids versus dedicated photo trips. In years past I’ve mentioned how my focus was to foster a deep appreciation of nature and the outdoors with my boys and that has firmly taken hold. I am regularly asked when our next camping trip will be and what other cool places we can visit. I also get a great deal of joy from the kids when we’re driving around town and an epiphany hits that we haven’t been to Yosemite in a while. I suppose that adds to the prospect of more photography and photo trips as they’ve been picking up an interest in taking photos too. That should give you an idea of 2018 in a nutshell. Here are my 8 best photos of 2018… Landscapes Fall Color Abstract Redwood Circle of Life Fresh Snow in Yosemite Valley Rays of Sun in the Redwoods National Forest Family Fun Someone has picked up good tripod technique by watching his dad. He started doing this on his own randomly during our trip. He was insistent he use my tripod even if he was just resting his camera on top of it without a base plate. Fun at the Trees of Mystery Trees of Mystery Portrait Holiday Photo Hijinks Thanks for looking and have a great new year!

I’m excited to share the results of my 12th annual Best of Photos project.  115 photographers from around the world (amateur and professional alike) have shared their best photos of 2018.  I’m always amazed at the quality of work shared and I hope it’s a source inspiration to you for the coming year. For those who are new to my blog project, photographers taking part span the gamut of photo enthusiasts to professionals. The great thing about photography is that no matter what your skill level we all can relate equally in our love for the art of photography and visually exploring. With that in mind I encourage you to reach out to photographers whose work you enjoy to keep sharing & growing as an artist.  I am incredibly thankful that this tradition has been embraced and enjoy seeing how familiar faces have evolved their work & grown over the years.  I hope reviewing your best photos of the year and comparing them to years pasts keeps you inspired and aware of your progress as a photographer. If you’d like to take part next year and be informed when submissions open for the “Best Photos of 2019” blog project add your name to my mail list. You won’t be spammed. I send out newsletters quite infrequently. Thank to everyone who took part!  I invite you to visit each link below as I have and introduce yourself to many of the participating photographers. Best Photos of 2018 Jim Goldstein – Best Photos of 2018 by Jim M. Goldstein Michael Russell – My Top 10 Photographs Of 2018 Dave Wilson – Best of 2018 Joseph Smith – 2018 Favorites – A Baker’s Dozen Randy Langstraat – My Ten Favorite Photos of 2018 Chuq Von Rospach – Chuqui 2018 Best Of Photos Rachel Cohen – Best of 2018 Lucy Autrey Wilson – A Thousand Words Romain Guy – Best of 2018 Alexander S. Kunz – My Favorite Photos from 2018 Stefan Baeurle – Top 10 Favorites of 2018 QT Luong – 2018 in Review Jenni Brehm – Best pf 2018 – Changing Perspectives Sean Bagshaw – My Favorite Photos Of 2018 Johann A. Briffa – 2018: A Photographic Retrospective Exploring Light – 2018: A Year In Review Drake Dyck – Top Ten (favourite) Images of 2018 Richard Wong – Fine Art Photography Prints – 2018 Ramen Saha – 2018 – Ten moments Martin Quinn – Quinn Images 2018 Favorites TheDarkSlides – TheDarkSlides Best of 2018 Denise Goldberg – top photos :: 2018 Peter Carroll – Favourites of 2018 Jeff Hubbard – Ten Favorite Photos 2018 Gary Crabbe – My Favorite Landscape Photos of 2018 – A Year-End Retrospective Harold Davis – Harold Davis – Best of 2018 Werner Priller – My Favorite Images of 2018/ Phil Colla – Natural History Photography – Best Photos Of 2018 Aaron Hockley – Tech Photo Guy: Best Photos of 2018 Dan Baumbach – 2018 in Review Jao van de Lagemaat – Jao’s best images of 2018 Pete Miller-USKestrel Photography – Favorite Images of 2018 Shikha – Eastern Sierra – My favorite images of 2018 Bruce Leventhal – Reflecting on 2018 Christopher Sheppard – The Stories Behind My Favorite Photographs of 2018 Alan Majchrowicz – Photo Highlights 2018 Tom Whelan – Nature Diary Todd Henson – Best Photos of 2018: My Favorites of the Year Khürt Williams – Island in the Net Patricia Davidson – My Top 10 Favorite Photos of 2018 Russ Bishop – 2018 – The Year in Pictures Jim Coda – Some of My Favorite Images from 2018 Steve Cole – Birds Eye View of 2018 Fred Mertz Photography – Best Photos of 2018 Martijn van der Nat – Best of 2018 Graf Nature Photography – Twenty Eighteen Wanderings Scott Thompson – My Top 10 Tahoe Area Photos of 2018 Kyle Jones – 2018 Favorites Clint Losee – My Best Landscape and Nature Photos of 2018 Caleb Weston – Caleb Weston – Dubland Media Greg Clure – Best of 2018 Rick Holliday – Favorites from 2018 J.J. RAIA – J.J. RAIA Best Photos of 2018 Francis Gagnon – Francis Gagnon Best Photos of 2018 Mike Chowla – My Ten Best of Images of 2018 Carl Donohue – 2018 in photos Kurt Lawson – 10 Favorites of 2018: From Lava Rivers in Hawaii to Yosemite Snowstorms William Bean – William Bean T.M. Schultze – My Favorite Photographs of 2018 Andrew Thomas – Aerial Adventures – Best of 2018 Matt Conti – 2018 Top 20 Photos Daniel Leu – Favorites – 2018 Carol Schiraldi – Best of 2018 from Carol’s Little World Alan Dahl – 2018 Favorite Photos Milan Hutera – 2018 in Pictures Kathy Barnhart – Flickr Sensing Light Best of 2018 Album Greg Russell – Alpenglow Images 2018 Year in Review Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston – Top 10 Favorite Images from 2018 Kevin Ebi – Living Wilderness: Best of 2018 Jackson Frishman – Favorites of 2018 Greg A. Lato – My Favorite Photos of 2018 Mike Shipman – Mike Shipman’s Best of 2018 Beth Young – Best Photos of 2018 Dale Grosbach – My Favorites – 2018 Brent Huntley – Photography and Travel Charlie Russell – Best Wildflower Photos for 2018 Bryan William Jones – Jonesblog Tony Wu – Favorite Photos of 2018 Adrian Klein – 2018 Photo Retrospective Scott McGee – Top 10 of 2018 William Neill – My Favorite Photographs of 2018 Thomas Yackley – Yackley Photo Anne McKinnell – Best Photos of 2018 Holly Davison – Top Ten of 2018 Brian Knott – Brian Knott Photography 2018 Year In Review Anna DeStefano – Affirmation Photography’s Best of 2018 Ingeborg Fernau – Magicalglow Photography Blog Emil Powella – Top 10 of 2018 Elduro Tuco – Elduro Tuco Eric Chan – Favorites From 2018 TP Chapman – Best of 2018 Ilias Katsouras – Okrivadas Molly Dean – Best Photos of 2018 Sarah Marino – 2018 Wrap-Up and a Few Favorite Photographs Michael Frye – My Top Photographs of 2018 Jim Stamates – Memories of 2018 Tim Aston – Favorites from 2018 Samantha Decker – My Best […]

It is time to kick off the 13th annual best photos of the year blog project! I’m proud to say over the years that hundreds of photographers have taken part (see Best Photos of 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007).  It’s great to see the community of photographers that have developed around this blog project. As always I hope the exercise of picking your best photos helps improve your photography (10 Ways to Top Your Best 20xx Photographs). So without any further delay here is how you take part to submit your best photos of 2019. How to Participate (Read Carefully) Review & select your best photos from 2019. Note: Photo edit carefully narrowing down your results to your best 10 or 5 photos. Reference Pro Tips: Photo Editing with Gary Crabbe for pointers. Create a blog post on your website or a Flickr set containing your best photos from 2019. Complete the form below by Sunday JANUARY 5th at 11:59PM PST to take part. The following Tuesday, or thereabout, I’ll post a link to all submitted sites and photos on my blog. Throughout the week I’ll also share the results across all my social media accounts. Spread the Word! Feel free to spread the word of this project on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, photo forums you frequent and/or your blogs. All who are interested in taking part are invited. Loading…

Thanks for checking in to see my best photos of 2019. This year for a variety of reasons I didn’t have many opportunities to get out and pursue photography to the degree I’d have preferred. Some of the reasons why were good (new house, settling in, kid activities with both boys being in elementary school for the first time, etc.) and some were downright bummers (passing of my grandfather, getting used to this aging thing, etc.). Through it all though I got the kids out on some bigger trips this year beyond our regular trips to Yosemite. We drove from California to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Glacier National Park in Montana. With my focus on the boys having a great experience my normal serious photographic endeavors were kept on the sideline. As always I felt good with that decision after hearing how much they loved Glacier National Park, especially given Glacier it is a personal favorite of mine. In 2020 I’m looking forward to exploring more of my favorite locations with them and seeing it all a new through their eyes.  All that being said enjoy my best of the year…   Landscapes & Wildlife Much of my time outdoors this year was spent showing the boys more of my favorite locations and experiencing the great outdoors while indulging them with great views and of course many evenings of campfires and s’mores. The following view at Two Medicine lake in Glacier National Park was incredibly memorable as we explored the shore and skipped rocks.   Of all my time at Glacier National Park I’ve never once seen a Pika… until this year. Not only are they well camouflaged and hard to see, but they’re incredibly fast. Being small even photographing them with a 400mm lens isn’t nearly enough magnification. The first photo below is a severely cropped photo taken at 400mm. The uncropped photos, 2 down, is included to give you an idea of how hard it is to find them in a rock pile. Add in their constant state of running, to forage food for the winter, you have an even tougher subject to photograph. That said I do have a good number of Pika butt photos now.   While in Glacier National Park it’s always fun to see marmots scurrying about. On a hike at Logan Pass my boys and I saw several. One of the more interesting was perched in a tree surveying his territory.   Adventures with the Kids My boys enjoying a brief encounter with a curious ground squirrel was amusing. Even more amusing was the play structure my youngest son built for him with rocks near his den.   My youngest still has not shaken his interest in photography. While he wasn’t as steadfast about using a tripod this year he still seemed to enjoy taking some ‘serious’ photos.   A brief moment my kids weren’t a blur from running around, tackling each other, and/or tackling me.   A personal favorite of mine taken by a passing hiker. Thanks unknown hiker, I salute you and your ability to capture a well framed photo while maintaining focus. You’d be surprised how hard it is to get that even with an iPhone. Thanks for checking in and Happy New Year!