Here they are, after much deliberation, my Tomato Lineup for 2010. There is a definite bias toward black Russian heirlooms this year; not only do they do well in our cooler climate, but they are dark, sweet, smoky and delicious! Check out the links for more information.

Thessaloniki: A Big, Fat Greek Tomato!
Paul Robeson: A Russian Black Heirloom.
Black Cherry: A Bite-Sized Black Tomato!
Black Prince: Another Handsome Black Russian.
Champion: My Token Hybrid.

Getting pretty crowded in the old nest these days...

A Mourning Dove slammed into my front window yesterday, hard enough to leave this mark. And she survived.

I find this comforting today.

February 2010: there's a new kid in town...

I have so enjoyed sharing my work via my blogs, albums and tweets this year. Talking about and showing what I do has added such depth to my understanding and appreciation of my craft. I sometimes assume that anyone can do these things; I lead a rather solitary existence, and to have input and feedback from a diverse group of wise, intelligent, engaged souls increases the value of this experience exponentially.

So thank you, my colleagues, relatives, friends, clients and followers who have become part of the rhythm of this new life. My world has expanded a thousand-fold since I brought you all together, and the resulting synergy is kind of blowing my mind. It has been fascinating to see what has become possible in the last ten years.

Think of it...ten years ago I didn't even have a digital camera. Now I can carry an entire multi-media studio in my shoulder bag, including the ability to share what I create immediately via the Internet and see it distributed worldwide. That is so cool, especially for someone who gets bogged down by middlemen. I can report what I see and what I know in real time. And, it appears, there are folks out there who are actually interested in what I share. That gives me confidence to keep going, to keep giving.

But in spite of all this technology, it has been the human touch behind it all that has kept me from feeling like some sort of a cyber-recluse. We want to meet, in person, these friends we already know so well. To spend time together, over a drink or a meal, in a garden or a conference room or a bar. These meetings have been the highlight of my year, and I feel so fortunate to have a job that is allowing me to foster such connections on a much grander scale. The desire to reach out and connect is strong; providing new kinds of venues (or adapting existing ones) to meet this need is an exciting concept. The new social tribes we are forming are still quite young; can you image how it will be in another 10 years? Heck, another 2? We are redefining how people network, how businesses advertise, and how to be connected in a disconnected world.

I've had many people ask me how I can spend so much time on the Internet, as if I'm just playing games or tweeting what I had for lunch. And to them I say, for someone who wants to share their work with the world, this is the most efficient way. Think how many letters, faxes, packages, phone calls and meetings it would have taken to communicate a year of blog posts, Facebook albums and tweets directly to each person that saw them, interacted with them, and hopefully got something from them. Not to mention the cross-conversations and discussions they fostered.

So of the thousands of photos I took this year, the one I choose to illustrate 2009 is this simple shot taken of the couple next to me on the flight home from a conference. These hands speak to me of trust, hard work, devotion, love, and connection. In the end, it's not about the SEO or cloud computing or IC codes or blog hits or follower counts. It's about the real connections that these tools allow us to make, whether our hands actually ever touch or not.

Happy 2010 to everyone, I'll be seeing you around!

Laura

Last month Photographer David Perry did a blog post about turning an ordinary mason jar into a “Point-and-Shoot Macro Photo Lightbox/Tripod Substitute Combo.” I thought it was a great idea, and decided to try it. Lacking a mason jar I used a glass vase with a narrow neck that offered the same kind of support for the camera. My subject was this year's haul of seeds from my Manihot trees, which I think look remarkably like a bunch of busy beetles. I look forward to playing more with this technique; thanks David!