Yay, we’ve got a date!

Put it on your calendar — Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013, from 2 to 8 p.m., at the Alma VanDusen and Peter Kaye rooms at the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia.

Now it’s off into the great unknown, making Greg’s photo show happen.

Greg’s first public photo show will be a retrospective of his life as a photographer, kind of the beginning and the end all in one.

Greg McIntyre’s a 70-year-old retired newspaper reporter-copy editor who lives in Langley. He loves everything and anything, especially politics, tennis, basketball, sociology, human rights, the environment, books, magazines, newspapers, education, cameras …

For 60 years he’s been searching for the perfect camera. He still believes it must be out there somewhere. If you have any ideas about that he’d love to hear from you.

In the meantime he loves using the cameras he has to take pictures of … well let’s start with what he doesn’t take pictures of — landscapes, birds, flowers. He likes pictures of nature but human nature.

He takes pictures of family and friends and the human situations he’s interested in. And signs, there will probably be a couple of pictures of bumper stickers and campaign and road signs in the show.

He and his older daughter Sara waited to see when his younger daughter Emily, who lives in Portugal, could be in Vancouver before booking the date for the show.

When Emily finalized her plane flight reservation and said that husband Eduardo Sirtori and their five-year-old son Santiago will be coming too, Greg e-mailed Eduardo to say how happy and excited he was to hear that Eduardo will be able to see the photos.

Eduardo’s reply is worth quoting verbatim.

Here’s Greg’s e-mail:

Hi Eduardo

I’m very much looking forward to visiting with you. You took such good care of us when we were in Portugal. We saw so many interesting places and heard so much beautiful music. And met so many lovely people!

I know you will be away from home for a long time. I hope we can make it an interesting and productive visit for you. I’m making a list of things you might like to do and see. We’ve got two cars and you can go off by yourself sometimes too. I know I used to enjoy going off by myself to the coffee shop hidden inside the bus depot and have a coffee and read the paper.

And I loved the long walks with Santi.

And I have to admit I’m so excited that you’ll see my photo show and see some pictures of Emily when she was younger.

I’m so happy you’re coming.

LOVE, Greg

And Eduardo’s reply:

To: Greg McIntyre

I am exited to see your work!

I am honestly not vey interested in seing Emilys photos from the past since she just gets more and more beautiful every day. If you have some photos from her in the future I will buy them all.

Take care. e