California Coast

This will be a picture heavy post without too many words.

We stopped in Pismo Beach, which is a sweet little town with a nice pier.  I like being able to shoot from above, which is a great angle to document guys with metal detectors.

Morro Bay is another pleasant town.  We were blown away to see these sea otters rafting at the end of the day so near to the town.  The wide angle lens doesn’t make them seem so close, but they were right there.

Next stop was the amazing elephant seal beach just near to San Simeon.  These seals have been coming to this location since the early ’90s.  Noisy and smelly (but in a very nice way).  Remarkable to be so close to these creatures.

They are molting at this time of the year and aren’t particularly active.

Next up, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park near Big Sur.  Well worth a visit.

It is Spring out here and wild flowers are everywhere.  This looks to be some sort of iris.

This spectacular field is just off Highway 1.  We came around a corner and this scene took our breath away.

California poppys.  Cris says they are the state flower.

Point Lobos State Park is a wonderful place to hike and get close to the ocean.  The trails are  extensive; it would be easy to spend a whole day here.

I had never been in the redwoods before.   This same photo has probably been taken a million times, but who could resist.  Big Basin State Park is just north of Santa Cruz.

Since I’m in California, I can get away with the word awesome.  Truly amazing.

Had a nice walk yesterday from the Exploratorium up to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Finally saw “The Changing Face of What is Normal” exhibit and will post some shots and my reaction soon.

Lemons and Tortoises

I was all set to do a final post about last weekend’s trip to to DC when the news of events at the Marathon started trickling in.  I just felt so bad for most of the week that anything I could say here seemed trivial.  Last night I flew out to Southern California to meet up with Cris who has been staying with her sister in Orange County.  Since things in Boston appear to be mostly resolved, and it is so nice to be here with family, my mood has lightened considerably.  And who wouldn’t be cheered by the sight of these lemons growing in Lynne and John’s front garden.  I will never cease to be amazed by this tree.

And Lynne’s desert tortoises have recently come out of hibernation.  She suggested I grab a hibiscus flower and as I walked toward George here, he came to me and got right to it.

Pups in the Park

I made a run down to DC yesterday to deliver more household stuff for Peter’s apartment.  Today we went to see the Nats and were delighted to discover that it was “Pups in the Park” day.  And as is obvious, there was sniffing.

This picture shows Gio Gonzalez’s first pitch, which B.J. Upton promptly put into left field for a double.  It went downhill for the Nationals from there.  The final was 9-0 Braves, but it was a fun game to watch.  Peter was especially excited about being able to walk up to the box office and get $20.00 seats an hour before first pitch.  Something that hasn’t happened at Fenway for a very long time.

This is my second trip to the park, and the fact that you can see the Capitol as you are exiting from the upper levels is way cool.

Pete also told me that these cherry trees were an important part of the planning of the park.  So nice to see them in bloom.  It was beautiful here in the District today and a perfect day for baseball.

Spanish Moss and Buds

We are heading North today after an amazing, recuperative stay in South Carolina.  Spring has arrived in full force; trees are budding out and the weather has been beautiful. / I got a ton of work done on the suitcase project while here.  The American Society of Picture Professionals is featuring the project in a story in their next publication.  They are the first to have focused on the preservation aspect of the materials since many of their members are curators.   I am so happy to get this side of the story out.  And I have sent six images to the Exploratorium that they will be using to produce postcards to sell in the museum store.  Finally, today I got a nice email from Yvonne Boots-Faubert who looked at some of the fabric/sewing based contents of the cases and wrote a nice post on her blog.  Check it out.  I am so happy when people look at the photographs and are stimulated enough to get creative and apply it to their own interests.  Thanks, as usual, to all of you who are following this site.

Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus)

Hey Cris!  The paperwhites are blooming.  They smell great and are awaiting your return.

Plant

Cris thought this was a clematis, but upon looking at pictures that are online, I am quite sure it is something else.  In any event, it was outside all summer and appeared to be totally dead.  I moved it into the shade and watered it regularly and it came back. / It is an appropriate flower, as earlier this morning I went to the doctor and was informed that I had “pink eye”.  I almost laughed when he told me, as I don’t think I have heard those words since elementary school.  It is still kind of fun to say….pink eye.  It is a total drag though; certainly not a good condition for a photographer.  He gave me some drops and I hope it starts clearing up soon. / The picture in the background is my mom and was taken in 1956 in Lermoos, Austria.  Here’s a link to a previous post about that trip.

Milkweed

When I was a kid we used to call these milkweed pods and after doing a search I found this .  It is a pretty cool plant.  When they pop open lots of fluffy white stuff comes out and is blown along with the wind.  We used to pick them when they were at this stage and open them up.

Something New

 

 

 

 

 

This post is a way to jump-start my brain.  I have been so preoccupied with Peter that it has been difficult to concentrate on anything else.  It feels great to be focusing on photographs again.  None of these pictures seem so interesting on their own, but together reflect what’s been going on for the past month.

Above is Tom Schack’s birthday cake from the now infamous “Schackstock” at Snowzies in Sunderland.  Bands started playing at 1 pm and things shut down at closing time.  His Mom, Dad, and Sister were there as well as lots of his friends.

He is just about the nicest guy in the world, and was really enjoying himself.

This flower starts showing up partway down the drive in early August.

When I was shooting the Tilghman project in August I made sure to visit Miss Pigsley.  She lives down the street from Jennifer, has an air conditioner in her shed and will never be bacon.  I took this for Peter because we are both huge P.G. Wodehouse fans and any stories with Lord Emsworth feature his obsession with “The Empress”.  This pig is magnificent and is very happy to have visitors.  She used to drink massive amounts of Kool-Aid until the vet put her on a diet.

On the Sunday morning before Peter Carroll and I left the island, we went to the church to document a service.  This gentleman was in the pew in front of me.

I have always liked cattails.

When Cris, Pete, and I went to see the Sox in August, the Olympics were going on and this guy was checking out the US Women’s Soccer action.  Technology!

I had a hard time getting the white balance right in this shot.  I walk past this box on my way to shoot the suitcases.  It always reminds me of  this Little Feat song.

Going back to Meadville means more than hot dogs and ice cream but two stops are essential; Eddie’s and Hank’s Frozen Custard.

I have been going to Hank’s since it opened in 1952.

Peter loves it too.

There is only one reason to post this photo.  It might be the only time you can see Red Sox pitcher Clayton Mortensen at bat in an American League Park.  At this point the Sox were up something like 12-1 and I still can’t figure out why Bobby Valentine had him at the plate.  Kind of cool though.

When we were at Pymatuning watching the ducks walk on the fishes backs we met the woman I posted about earlier.  She was wearing this shirt which got us talking.  I’d like to visit sometime.

It is very rare to be in on an historical moment, but I can say I was there when one of my neighborhood friends coined the term “Rat Lake” for the body of water that appeared after the flood control dam was built.

I usually help Thom Kendall out with the photos on media day for the UMASS football team.  The new coach is a really great guy.  This picture pretty much tells you most of what you need to know about Charley Molnar.

The Pearl out on the deck.

Cris and I went to Amherst Coffee today.  I often take a shot of my cappuccino for some reason.

Never one to hide my emotions, I have been mentioning to just about anyone I talk to about my feelings of having Peter off in DC.  So many of you have told me that he will be fine, and I want to thank you all for your support.  One of the best bits of encouragement came from Leamuse in France as a comment on my earlier post.  “Bon courage et bon chance.”  Thank you so much; it really helps.

Pond Scum

When I was shooting film, I was a stickler for getting the best image quality out of a negative.  I prided myself on shooting Tri-X and being able to make great prints.  But I was always open to photographs that had real feeling to them and that might not have been perfectly sharp or in focus.  /  I have photographed this little pond before.  The green algae that shows up in the late summer is such a beautiful color.  I took a series of shots last week and since it has been so humid, the lens fogged up when I got out of the air conditioned car.  I didn’t notice until I reviewed the image on the lcd screen on the back of the camera, so I wiped off the lens and waited to shoot more until the fog cleared.  When selecting a photo to post here, this slightly foggy one looked the nicest.  So even though it is a bit soft and diffused, I like it better than the non-fogged, sharp ones. /  Also, some purple loosestrife again.

Bulbs

Cris and I planted bulbs in the garden 5 or 6 years ago.  The daffodils continue to come up in droves, but this year only one tulip bloomed.  I remember reading that tulips don’t last for more than a few years, but we had a pretty good run with them.

I have been keeping an eye on the tulip which initially bloomed about 2 weeks ago.  I think the weather conditions this year have been almost perfect for the longevity of all of our flowers.  About a week ago I noticed that one petal of our tulip started dropping and today it looked as if it was ready to fall off.  It offered a perfect view of the important reproductive bits.  I was never good at science in school, but the two words “stamen and pistil” come to mind.  Am I even close?