About Bob Debski

Thank you for taking the time to explore this little fingerprint of my creative psyche. The fact that you were either interested or curious enough to learn more about me, indicates that my art had some impact on you. Hopefully these very carefully arranged ones and zeroes helped return you back to a beloved destination, recreated the awe of nature that surrounds us or rekindled a memory that had been lying dormant for several years. Either way, I am honored to have touched your life in some way.

You are probably curious about the name of this website. “La route non prise” literally translates from French to “the road not taken”. Let’s face it, everything sounds better in French. Even green beans sound sexy and appetizing when called haricots verts. 

I did not select “the road not taken” as a direct reference to Robert Frost’s poem. The reality is that I do not regret the decisions I have made in life. I can’t say that all of the decisions that I have made have resulted in verdant fields of rainbows and unicorns. Some of the paths I have selected have been nearly impassable with mud or laden with swarms of mosquitoes. Sometimes you have to backtrack to that divergent intersection and try the other route out of pure necessity or ease of forward progress.

The creation of this website finds me at a point in life where I have the opportunity to return to these intersections.  As those far wiser than myself had forewarned, fifty years of living have passed as fast as turning the pages of a captivating book.  I have recently acquired the new title “empty nester” and I am very appreciative of the AARP for sending their nice little card in the mail. I now have the opportunity not to question the decisions that have led me to my current destination, but to head back and revisit the roads not taken.

There are several people I would like to thank for inspiring me to bring this website to fruition. First, I would like to thank my junior high school art teacher Mrs. Calabrese. Without her, I still would not be able to paint outside the lines. I’m sorry, I know that this assignment is 40 years overdue. I also need to recognize my parents who understood the necessity of developing both the left and right side of their children’s brains. Although that exercise at the Akron Art Institute where we had to impersonate an elephant was very bizarre, please do not hold yourselves accountable for my decision to pursue other career paths. Furthermore, without my son’s relentless urging, these images would still be imprisoned on my hard drive. I am continually inspired by his courage to explore new and foreign roads. You have taught me to “remember the spoon”. Most importantly, without my wife’s unique perspective on life, these images would be very symmetric and one-dimensional. You have helped me to see things in life that I would have walked right past. I look forward to many more years of captured memories.

My wife and I reside in suburban Philadelphia. Our home is now run by our dogs, a recently added Tibetan terrier named Mosley and an “American Schitzel”, Murphy. Although educated as an electrical engineer, I thank God that I have been able to have a successful career without ever having to determine how an electromagnetic wave propagates through free space. When not editing photos, I am purging the stress of everyday life climbing the hills of the local countryside on my road bike. If that is not totally effective, a glass of scotch and listening to Acoustic Alchemy is sure to reset my mind for the challenges of the next day. Much of my inspiration for recording life’s ephemeral moments comes from being a cancer survivor. It has taught me to never forget that life is short.