With Turkey Day tomorrow, and the first Thanksgiving having occurred in New England, it seems appropriate to do this blog that includes photographs of pumpkins, one of the staples of many modern-day Thanksgiving tables.

Arnie and I enjoy challenging our participants to make a shot different, to seek their own vision, to go beyond their comfort level. It’s how they improve so much.

For New England Fall Foliage, we had a number of assignments for our group, one of which was to do an abstract of a pumpkin at our favorite pumpkin farm, where they also make wonderful pies and cheeses. Starting out with the deer-in-the-headlights look, they got into this assignment, to wit the following:

Recently, a local group of us gathered to share photographs from the last six months of travels. Arnie chose a strictly Sicilian collection, while I did a potpourri from our other workshops.

As I perused the images, I was taken back to an amazing day we spent with Turi Siligato, self-taught master chef, wine connoisseur worthy of inclusion in the Wine Spectator, hunter and forager for the ingredients in his wonderful recipes, and undisputed entertainer supreme…

After Going the Extra Mile, we’re back to Same Place — Different View from Canyon de Chelly and Navajoland, 2010 Edition. We’ve pick four locations for this one — the site of one of the many Anasazi ruins in the canyon, a trading post, the badlands, and one of the overlooks at Canyon de Chelly to contrast and compare how our students treated a location or scene.