By Vladimir Brezina and Johna Till Johnson
Picking Vlad’s photos for our calendar is an annual ritual for us. It’s harder than it sounds, because you’re looking both backwards and forwards at the same time: remembering the past while wondering about the future. And, like most artistic endeavors, you’re never sure how it will turn out.
This year the task was particularly challenging, for various reasons. So we were both pleased and surprised at the result. Our theme, as you can see, was “water”. But the selection of photos carried a greater-than-usual sense of whimsy. It also included some of our favorite photos (you’ll probably recognize at least one).
See what you think:
Cover
(Story and more photos are here)
If I were called in
To construct a religion
I should make use of water.
Philip Larkin, Water
JANUARY
(More photos are here)
February
(More photos are here)
March
.
April
.
May
(More photos are here)
June
(Story and more photos are here)
July
(Story and more photos are here)
August
(More photos are here)
September
(Story and more photos are here)
October
(More photos are here and here)
November
(More photos are here)
December
(More photos are here)
We use Shutterfly—convenient if at times annoyingly restrictive in the format options that are available—to print our calendar. The calendars from 2013 and 2014 are here and here.
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 
My favourite is Oct – the DoF is great.
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Thanks! Vlad had to explain to me what Depth of Field is. :-).
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well, i’d have to say i fell in love with ur squirrel buddy there an ur photos of ur adventures… keep on keepin on u guys are fun to read 8-) an Also 2 Kewl fer Skewl :) ThanQ :)
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That’s my favorite, too. He always makes me smile. Thanks for posting!
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beautiful expression
of adventure foto skills :-)
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Why, thank you! :-)
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These are all so lovely and/or creative. I find that I cannot pick a favorite. I agree with your religion quote!
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We can tell from your own blog that you’ve got the religion! :-)
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all are wonderful…but, October/November are so bright with those Fall colors!
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Yes, that was a beautiful sunny Fall… :-)
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Oh, February is adorable! The fat little squirrel and heart-shaped berries in the background….perfect! The calendar is beautiful.
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We somehow suspected the squirrel would prove the favorite :-) Thanks!!
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It’s great.
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Thank you!!
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Lovely selections — great calendar!
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Thank you so much! :-)
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I don’t like squirrels, but I like your February photo. How can that be? Nice work all around.
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It works because they can pose so adorably…. Thanks!!
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Great choices!
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Thank you, Terri! :-)
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“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water”. Loren Eisley
Love these photos, wish I could have the calendar, but I’ll keep coming back to see each month again.
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Another good quote that I’d forgotten about—we’ll keep it in mind for the future!
Actually, you can buy other people’s calendars from Shutterfly—unfortunately, Shutterfly’s prices have gone up quite a bit with their success. Now these calendars cost $25 or so each…
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You take and have shared so many great shots. It must have been challenging to select 13. I love June! :)
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We have a lot of photos, but many of them don’t bring to mind any particular month. For some months we didn’t have all that many candidates…
I love June too! ;-)
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Brilliant, and beautiful! I liked a lot of the images. My favorites May, July, Aug. Sept, and Nov. Well done!
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That’s almost half of the months! Thank you so much!!
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Nice one
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Thank you :-)
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Those are great and fit the seasons really well!
Nancy
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Thanks, Nancy! We worked quite hard at fitting the individual months :-)
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Lovely selection & I like the Philip Larkin quote at the beginning. That’s a religion I’d consider joining.
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It doesn’t cost anything to join this particular religion :-)
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Beautiful! :)
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Thanks, Jane! :-)
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Well done – I always used to make a calendar, need to do a belated one for this year! I rely on electronic calendars but somehow miss having one on my wall!!
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That’s what we thought, so we do one physical calendar, with a few copies to hang various places and to give to interested friends, each year now…
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Very good!
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The calendar is wonderful….as are the photos and background stories to which they link. Thank you for your blog and for providing so much enjoyment!
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Wow, thanks for going back and reading the stories. I’d forgotten how many of them there were. Very much appreciate you reading the blog, and taking the time to comment!
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Excellent! :) See you soon! Jean & Alex
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Thanks guys! Glad you liked it!
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Splendid, indeed A!
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Thank you!!
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Love them all. :)
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Excellent! Thank you so much!!
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A great selection of pictures. I think October’s is just beautiful.
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Yes, I think October is somehow special. I must think that because I keep using that photo over and over ;-)
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beautiful!
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Thanks!!
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April, July, October and November are fabulous ! :-)
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Funny, I worried that October and November might be too similar to each other. But judging from the reaction in the comments, I shouldn’t have worried! Thanks for posting.
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Great shots, if the squirrel had been smiling…but Johna’s makes Dec my favorite :)
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Why thank you! Pretty impressive to beat out a squirrel on the cuteness front. :-) Thanks for viewing, and posting!
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Every picture is beautiful. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been to choose 12 photos from the large collection of photos you have. Happy New Year!
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We do have many photos, but not so many that immediately suggest particular months. It was harder to find those this year than in the last two years, when we already used up all the obvious ones…
Happy New Year to you, Robin!
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Nacely done.
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Thank you! Happy New Year!
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Wonderful job! And yes, I remember many of the photos.
All great. But am I partial to October and November because of those specific photos? Or am I partial to those photos because those two are my favorite months? A fun question to ponder during snowy January.
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Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Another as yet unsolved question ;-)
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Love these pics and the pregnant lady is beautiful. so spiritual.
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A bit of a pre-Raphaelite atmosphere there… :-)
Thanks!!
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Yw
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