I’m proud to be a photographer for The Mountain-Ear. I started about a year ago, when my husband, John MacKay, asked me to take some pictures for his first Mountain Folk Tales column. I’ve taken most of the pictures that have run with his columns since then. My most photogenic subject so far has been Smokey Bear, last year’s Mountain-Ear Pet of the Year.

Before we moved to Ned, John and I had a monthly biker magazine in Florida. I learned my craft by taking photos of beautiful motorcycles and pretty girls. I take a lot of pictures of whatever I’m shooting that day. Then, I review them carefully to find just the right one or two. I have so many pictures saved, including thousands of our puppy Grrr (rest in peace, my darling), our newest puppy and former Pet of the Year Sophie (you’ve probably seen her at the Post Office, it’s one of her favorite places), our cats, and the wildlife. We live on Lazy Z Road, where photo opportunities abound.

When I’m not taking pictures, I’m usually with John and Sophie. We like to walk around Chipeta Park and then cross over to the other side of the Res. Sometimes we’ll check out the Post Office, then stop at Salto for a cup of tea. We also spend some time at Mud Lake, and at Castle Rock down from the Res. Most everything we do includes our Sophie.

We subscribed to The Mountain-Ear before we even moved here. It is a solid newspaper - well put together and readable, the stories are interesting. It has heart. I especially like James DeWalt’s columns, and Alexander Shalom Joseph’s poetry. I’d like to see more letters to the editor, it’s always fun to hear what other people think.