Summer's End

Summer is virtually over here in Northern Michigan. Despite the still warm daytime temperatures, you can feel the chill in the air at night as it drops into the 40s. There is never enough Summer here for a person who spent so many years in California where it is perpetually sunny and never has that Michigan bite of winter, Autumn and even Spring.

This year has been one of extremes, and I'm not talking about weather anymore. It seems like we are entering a new phase of our life as a family. For the first time in very many years, only my daughter, Lauren, and her two children were able to come for the summer visit and even they had to make it only a week. Duke and Rosemary are confronting the challenges that most young marrieds face.

Evan just married a wonderful girl, Clara, in March. Schedules have changed and lives have changed. Alexandra is now living in New York City, Jake is at Los Gatos High School, Lauren is involved in work and theatre projects, Evan is off to Spain to supervise visual FX on a film for almost half a year. I love change and view it as opportunity, a chance to create something new and make lives better so I'm not disappointed.

Dan and I are in a new phase. We are ready to return to California for more of our year. We are working hard as artists to build a following and to support ourselves with our creativity. It is a leap across a wide chasm but not one we are not poised and ready to do. Bravery, persistence an understanding of marketing will see us through.

I have a great backlog of photography ready to be marketed and Dan is becoming increasingly well know in the jazz/music world. His web site, danjacobsmusic.com is visited by thousands each month. We are each ready to take that leap.

The photo above is of us and the Theodores, Dan's sister's family. Each year we do one or more "jump" photos. When the spirit moves us it has become a thing we all do, individually and as a group.