It is so tempting to write about my friend Michael in rhyme. He’s always perky and quirky, chatty and batty. He loves telling tales and cruising yard sales. But, no… I’ll stick with the prose for now because, although he’s one of those people who loves to entertain others with his humor and his anecdotes and even the odd, excruciating pun, it’s the more serious side of Michael that has won me over in the couple of years I’ve known him. It’s his helpful side – he physically built the Little Free Library in front of our children’s school so that our neighborhood could participate in this wonderful book giveaway program. It’s his generous side – he buys a round of coffees for our group of parents the first Wednesday of every month, and on multiple occasions, he has rushed over to our house with tools, sleeping bags, and other items we needed in a hurry. It’s his artistic side – he is a remarkable photographer who has a knack for capturing the essence of a person, the inner structure of a flower, the uniqueness of a moment. His photograph of Robin Williams, which perfectly conveys the wacky but sensitive brilliance of the comedian, graced the cover of Time magazine in 1979. He is also a sweet, loving step-father to Melodie and husband to Amy, who he married after the girls jointly proposed to him two years ago.

Today, I gave Michael a digital camera. I take most of my pictures with my cell phone now and they’re good enough quality for my needs. This Olympus camera was given to us by a Japanese friend a few years ago and is more sophisticated than we need, but I had an inkling that he might like to use it to teach Melodie about photography. I can picture him now, thoughtfully explaining composition, timing and shutter speed to this bright, wide-eyed young girl, who listens intently, taking it everything in, jokes and all, occasionally rolling her eyes. Soon the two of them are laughing, photographing, shooting and hooting, snapping and clapping. And so,….with such a spirited friend, rhyme wins in the end. With someone like Michael, it’s fun to recycle…