Marion Griffiths says she has always had a camera. “I never took a photography class,” says Marion. “I just like to play around with taking pictures.” Then a friend of Marion’s traveled to Africa and showed Marion her photos of the natural landscape and wildlife. “They were amazing,” says Marion. “I wanted a camera like hers!” That year for Christmas, she got a Lumix digital camera and has been shooting photos of her own natural surroundings ever since.

Marion and her husband, David, are originally from Cleveland, Ohio and came to Michigan to attend Hillsdale College in 1967. Marion says Hillsdale became their home. David taught in the Theater department at Hillsdale College, and Marion worked in production and inventory control management for an automotive company. The couple recently retired and moved, with their two cats, to The Prairie Cottages, UMRC’s newest independent living neighborhood located on its Chelsea campus.

With a keen eye for detail, Marion says she is finding plenty of inspiration right in her own backyard – from capturing rain drops on autumn leaves; to winter berries encapsulated in ice, hanging from a snowy branch. “I’m opportunistic,” says Marion. “I take picture, picture, picture to find the best shot. And, with a digital camera, I can delete the ones I don’t like.”

We are pleased to be able to showcase Marion’s photography on our UMRC blog in the months ahead.

For more information about United Methodist Retirement Communities, Chelsea Retirement Community, or The Prairie Cottages, visit our website or contact Natalie Jentzen, Sales and Admissions Manager, at 734-433-1000 ext. 7365.