All my life I was raised as Cherokee. When the different Indian rolls were started in the early 1900’s my grandfather and grandmother registered as Cherokee (In the Missouri band and not on Dawes). Then my birth dad did and his children, under the same Missouri roll.
Today I got the results back on my 23andme Ancestry test; the results were upsetting and shocking. Three of my 1st cousins did the test (I learned after my results) and their results were the same, so 4 test could not result in the exact same error.
As it turned out I have no Native American blood in me at all. ZERO. NADA. Now imagine I’m 51 years old and have been taught and believed that I am Cherokee, to learn in 1 split second I am not. I am still in a state of numbness.
So what am I?
Almost 71% British, yes British.
Then Scottish, then French and a little less than 1% Nigerian.   
From the Scottish I am of the Royal line of Scottish Kings, From the British I am of the same family as Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, and from the French Marie Antoinette. I had known that my ancestors arrived in England from Normandy with the invasion of 1400 and fought in the Battle of Hastings, but after that I knew little, now I know more. The report did tell me that my family did arrive in England in the 1400’s and came over from Normandy, so that was confirmed. Since all current British can trace their families to that point it is reasonable. I suppose my family then married into or were part of the royal line already. I had known for years about the Scottish blood and the Scottish right of king, that was already known. I do not think Prince Phillip’s family has the right to the British throne so although there is royal rights they are not to the current ruling family.
I am disappointed, I would rather be Cherokee, and perhaps it is because my entire life belief has been such. I know I am still the same person who spit into that plastic tube before the test, but I no longer have the same ancestral beliefs or past. It has really altered my self view and my inward view.
Who am I?

I was sifting through YouTube videos and found these 2 awesome videos. (I may find more.) But these 2 really caught my eyes and ears. Why? Well glad you asked. When I was in photography many many many years ago the first rule or principal I learned was “The Rule of Thirds”. When I had my video equipment about 5 years ago I would share with others interested in photography “The Rule of Thirds” and they would give me the deer in the headlight look. I will admit it was frustrating.
Well as of late I have gotten back a prosumer Canon Vixia (the 1st generation with the aluminum body and extra mounts) as well as a Canon Rebel T6. So I started readying and studying again to refresh my mind and as before I mentioned “The Rule of Thirds” to a few who have cameras and got that same look. Again I was stumped. Then I read the manual for the Canon Rebel and guess what…yep they do not mention “The Rule of Thirds” as a practice, in fact I think they call it an optional such and such. It was not what should have been taught.
So when I watched these 2 videos I was taken back to the mid-1980’s and my photography school days and got excited. I like the way it is presented in the B&H video better, but the VideoBlocks video also has a few good points. The VideoBlocks video explains that the only reason one should break “The Rule of Thirds” is if shooting a horror video or wanting to make their photo viewers uncomfortable.
Many horror movies are shot with subject in center and it gives the viewer an eerie feeling, but why? Because as humans we do not ever see anything centered (this is if you have vision in both eyes and have a normal field of vision.) I am about to explain what I learned way back in the 1980’s and I know for fact that some will say “my field of vision was centered”, or something similar. There are a few reasons why, 1st when one becomes aware of something the brain does without our input some will alter their perception so they will see centered. Yet others will for the sake of disagreeing.
 
Okay, the next time you are in a group of people (you can do this in any setting but groups of people work best) find someone to talk to and have them stand in front of you, dead center. Now cover your left eye and then your right, notice what happened to the person? Now uncover both eyes and let your vision readjust, if you do not fight it your subject will shift just a it off center, odd.
Now years ago evolutionist taught we adapted this for survival from enemies and predators, however as with all things evolution as soon as science gets round to it it proves one evolution theory wrong and so they have to find something else. So after a greater understanding of the brain was learned it was understood why humans see off center, it has to do with love and family. All humans see off center but it is how parents use the skill that scientist came to understand it correctly. When the truth was discovered it was learned it applies to hearing as well. As humans we keep our center of vision as well as side vision areas clear to keep an eye on the kids. Now be in danger or just caution it does not matter even if the kids were perfect they will still require the watchful eye of a parent.
 
So back to “The Rule of Thirds”, since the brain knows we do not see centered, centered subjects throw the brain off. Someone takes a nice photo but the subject is centered, viewers praise it, but inside they….not sure but it is a really nice capture. But same subject with “The Rule of Thirds” applied and that nice photo becomes an awesome photo. Now there are always the “that’s your opinion” crowd and that is fine, everyone has an opinion and that is fine. But keep in mind this is all vetted and understood, it just is a fact of the brain.
Enjoy the videos.

I have posted before about my dog Falco. Well he hates cameras and in this video he really goes on the attack.

Cj spotted this spider spinning it's web and suggested I shoot it, and I shot it with my Canon. First time for night time shots, tried several settings, don't recall where I was what I shot which photo. But this spider was very busy.

​With the events in Pennsylvania involving the Catholic Church I wanted to post my experience from attending St Anthony’s Catholic Church School for Boys in Okmulgee Oklahoma in 1974 when I was 7 years old. I am posting the account as it is written from my personal life memories and the account from my published novel “David’s mark”.
Prior to this I had never attended the Catholic Church and did not understand the religion and did not know the difference between the priest and his underlings, I did notice they all wore gowns. From my 7 year old mind all the male leaders of the church wore gown’s so I did not know who was the priest and who were the underlings. What I have posted here is all I will post about it. I will NOT post the details of what happened and I do remember, it is just not needed to go into graphic detail. If you are a person that must know details you may want to seek personal help. The fact that the news has been saturated with news of the Catholic Church has been depressing and has caused nightmares to resurface. I have also started to have flash memories return of my time at St. Anthony's. I mentioned that I contacted a lawyer and I can't get ANY justice, ANY form of anything. To be blunt I feel the priest there got a freebie from a 7 year old boy. 

I asked my mom before she died where she got the idea and
she refused to tell me details about any part of that August through early October nineteen seventy four. I told her the things I did remember and she told me that it’s best that I didn’t try to remember the rest. The only detail my mom willingly filled in was that it was dad who forced her to remove me from the school, and he never explained why. Since my mom was seeing Mike at the time I’m going to conjecture that Mike was the catalyst behind the entire idea. My mom and Mike’s brilliant idea was to enroll me in a Catholic school for boys. It turned out to be a very very bad idea. I was taken to St. Anthony's Catholic School for Boys, which
was only a few blocks away from our house, and enrolled. I had not been in a church in over a year and the last one I was in was tiny, this church was massive. The school sat at the bottom of a hill and I had to walk up a set of steps to get to the church. To enter the sanctuary I had to walk down a long arched outside hallway. The door to the sanctuary was wooden, huge, heavy and dark. There was a sidewalk that went to the left of the sanctuary doors that led to the parish door, which was also made of wood, huge, heavy and dark. It was not until my early forties that the nightmares of St. Anthony's finely stopped. In the nightmares I was always floating just above the ground
in the arched hallway, when I reached the massive doors they opened up to allow me in and I was sucked away into darkness. I always woke up at this point, soaked with sweat and sometimes I think I had wet myself as well. I would get up, clean myself up, put on clean underwear and lay a towel on the bed under me, always trying not to wake up my wife. Sometimes she did wake up because she felt the wetness.
School there was harsh; nuns in a boy’s Catholic school really
were mean. I did get the ruler smacked across my palm and knuckles many times. The corner was a main stay for me and the other boys had no mercy on me. I don’t remember asking for any of what they did to me, nevertheless I was the object of their bullying. I also had to go to the sanctuary every day for choir practice. All the boys had to sing in the choir, there was no getting out of it. Inside the church I remember it being dark, and mostly wood, and the feeling I got inside that church was cold and distant. But I loved to sing choir music. I remember being taken to the parish a lot, but once I went through the door all goes to darkness. At times I’ve had dreams about going through the door and being met by the priest and taken away, and I wake up cold, shivering and covered with sweat. No matter what I asked my mom about St. Anthony's she told
me that some things are better never spoken of. I used to beg her to tell me and she always refused. In the end she never told me what happened to me while I attended the Catholic school for boys. I called St. Anthony's when I turned forty and asked about the
school records from the nineteen seventies, the nun asked me my name and then put me on hold. When she came back on the phone
her explanation was difficult to believe. “Mr. Smith?” She started off. “I’m still here.” “All the records from nineteen seventy four were destroyed
while they were being transported to the Diocese in Walnut.” “Excuse me?” “The records from the year you were here were destroyed in
transport to Walnut years ago.” She explained again. “I understood what you just said, but I never gave you the
year I attended, I only gave you my name. So just from me giving you my name you were able to know what year I was there and that those records were destroyed? If those records were destroyed, how did you know what year I was there from just me giving you my name?” I reasoned out for her. Click, she hung up the phone on me.

​

My Memories & Interviews with Mom & Secretary of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Okmulgee:
Mike was a Catholic and attended church at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, it was a few blocks away. St. Anthony’s was a huge church and complex, it included a boy’s school. Mike attended school there and convinced mom to enroll me. Mom did not seek Doc’s approval. For decades I suffered the most terrible nightmares from my time at St. Anthony’s, unbearable dreams. The nuns were very abusive, and there are some photos of me from this time with broken fingers, I know some were broken after 1974, but during 1974 the Catholic boy’s school is the only place I could have gotten them broken. The nuns would often crack my knuckles with a ruler and the other boy’s would beat me bloody. Everyday all us boy’s lined up in the outdoors hallway and were marched up the steep hill to the church. The outside had huge archways and we marched in a line under them to the huge wooden door. Inside the sanctuary we were marched to the choir area where we were lined up and then had to sing.
After practice I was escorted through several sets of doors and down some stairs, to a room with a small bed where I was sexually abused. By the priest or an assistant I can’t say. He did wear a robe, but I can’t see his face in my memories. I believe some of the other boys were likewise abused.
In 2005 I called the church and was told all the records from the 1970’s were intentionally destroyed. The person I spoke with was able to find my name and the year I attended school, but stated the detailed records were destroyed.

I did attempt to sue the church but Oklahoma has a 2 year limitation after age 18. I could go into a more detailed account of the abuse while I attended the boy’s school, but I deeply fear those memories.
 
 ​Interview with Mom:
Mom told me she told Doc that I was attending the Catholic school for boys and he exploded in anger and ordered her to pull me out. She told me that Doc went there to pick me up and took off with me. I asked her where he took me and she said she did not know.

If her memory is correct Doc simply picked me up after school and took me to Grandma Watts’ house. He had come up to visit for my 7th birthday and while here I spent my entire time at Grandma’s. So to better understand I think he picked me up at the end of a school day, took me to Grandma’s and told mom not to allow me to return next year.

As I mentioned I now have a Canon Rebel DSLR and I got it yesterday and took it outside right away. Here is a sample of my first attempts.

​Years ago I took 2 years of professional photography training and worked on a major motion picture with a small walk-on roll. That of course is the basis for my interest in photo/video art. Now It has been many years since I have used a professional camera, but recently I started up again and I will be posting some of my photos here, not to brag, but to share.

I have noticed a few changes, terms has changed. “Rules of Thirds” is not longer used, instead they now “explain” in detail what framing and subject off center is. Why not teach “Rules of Thirds” and continue to teach the principal. I recently spoke with a young wedding photographer and to my surprise he had no idea what “Rules of Thirds” was. I also read the manual for my camera and was stunned by the fact that very childish terms are now used for the big photo words of the 1980's. Sure ISO, F-Stop, etc is still in the picture (ha) but so many principal concepts are gone. In one case I said “frame them between ‘this and that’” and in the photo there is a real picture frame coming out of the subjects head. Another feature being defaulted with today’s cameras and being taught it “mass snap”. Back in the days of roll film you had 12-24 frames to get the shot, so that met doing it right the first time. Cameras today are defaulted to take as many as 4 images with a single click, and iin some cases 3 that are combined into one. One manual I read instructed the photographer “set the camera to Automatic and take several show of the subject” it then instructed them to choose the best one and photo edit it. You realize of course ones who practice that is NOT a photographer. I have also learned that many “professional wedding photographers” do not know how to pose their subject. Well anyway it’s just the way the world of photography is today, anyone can buy a camera, set it to take photos and call themselves a “wedding photographer”. I will not make such a claim, I have never used one of these modern DSLR cameras and this is my first encounter with them so it is all a learning experience.