My karma (or what's left of it) is safe.

This is one of the photographs in my "Missing Persons" series that I just added to my website. [Nearly all of my photographs are of people. The photographs in this portfolio are, too, but the people aren’t visible. They were there a few minutes ago or will be back a few minutes from now.]

This is the workbench of bell-maker Gordon Barnett on Vashon Island, Washington. I took it at an artists studio tour on the island a few years back.

Mr. Barnett makes jewelry but especially tiny, beautiful silver bells. I was fascinated both by the jewelry-sized tools on his workbench and by the wonderful light pouring in through the window overlooking the straights between Vashon and the mainland. If I lived there I would never get anything done other than staring at the view.

When I printed this photograph I noticed (alas, for the first time) the two hummingbirds silhouetted in the window -- even their wings are sharp! I had seen hummingbird feeders outside the window but not the birds. OK, said I to myself, I have used up all the karma that I am every liable to accumulate in my entire life!

I send a copy of the print to Mr. Barnett (I do that a lot) who replied that, sadly, the birds are carved wood from Indonesia. My karma reserve (if there is any) is safe. It's still a wonderful photograph.