One of the things I’ve noticed about the readers of this magazine is that you’re a passionate group. You know what you love, and you show me almost every day through your photos, letters and submissions that you spend a considerable amount of time trying to capture the essence of what the Finger Lakes Region means to you.
Passion can be the final ingredient that makes a good creation great. It’s what pushes us to be just a little bit better than everyone else.
Clara Rose Thomas is just one such passionate person. In the article starting on page 38, the author, Rich Finzer, writes about a woman who always wanted to learn how to weave, but she thought she’d wait until retirement age to pursue it. She was convinced to start much earlier than her golden years, and her love and excitement for that skill has earned her numerous awards and accolades. She is now considered a master weaver and a national treasure of sorts. I’m sure it wasn’t easy or convenient for Clara Rose to begin when she did, but she persevered and has become something more than she probably expected.
I receive many inquiries from people who want to either write for the magazine or get their photos published. The one common trait among all of them is how strongly they feel about their work and what they’re portraying. I am humbled by their exuberance for the Finger Lakes, and I know how lucky we are as a magazine publisher to have such interested people willing to share their ideas and talents. We have a very loyal readership, and I think the readers like to read about real people doing real things.
It is time again for the annual photo contest, and I can’t believe how far we’ve come in the amount of photo submissions. This year we received well over 1,100 photos. Every photographer that sent in those photos felt strongly enough about their work to act upon their passion for the region. I thank you for the opportunity to look over each and every photograph and to get an idea of what you feel is important enough to capture that particular image.
I’m going to invoke my right as the editor to give you my editor’s choice this year for the contest. Up to this point I’ve seen many good photos of the white deer at the Seneca Army Depot, but this photo, to me, really captures their innocent and inquisitive spirit, and the deer have posed nicely for the photogapher as well. Readers, please keep taking those amazing photos and enjoy your winter!
by Mark Stash
