Dragonflew

I sit here on a warm sunny September afternoon in San Francisco thinking back to the cool wet September morning I experienced in the Adirondacks over Labor Day weekend.

On the drive from Schroon Lake, NY, to Montreal, we pulled off the interstate to fill up and empty out (shall we say) at a local gas station. I had a few moments to stand in the gentle rain and breathe in one last gasp of late summer mountain air, when I literally gasped at the sight of this winged jewel on the ground at my feet. No fluttering or sign of life was left in this svelte body except a magical mesmerizing glow.

The dragonfly was a dragonflew.

Happy 4th!

This is far from the typical July 4th image, but it’s one of my favorite found flag moments. And it reminds me that I need to walk around the Mission with my camera with a little more frequency.

Organic elephant?

As I sit here contemplating a walk up the hill to peruse the neighborhood Saturday farmers market, an image I made from the same market a couple of years ago keeps coming back to haunt me…with laughter. This was one of those days and times when I actually came home for my camera to capture what I hoped would still be as it was. Thankfully, yes!

Memorial moment

Zelda installed her new flag today. In a fortuitous yet unintentional way, this is my ode to Robert Frank and his iconic photo from a parade in Hoboken, NJ.

Amsterdreaming

In the past week, Amsterdam has come up at least four or five times in the course of spoken and written conversation. Flipping through images from my brief visit in 2006, I am reminded by how inherently artful this city truly is. How I long to once again stroll the streets, but perhaps next time, I will be rolling the streets on a squeaky creaky bicycle.

Film and gifts…still for sale?

During a visit to Washington, DC, in the fall of 2008, I was struck by the technological datedness of this sign. Even then, a mere 2 1/2 years ago, I imagined that most tourists to The Mall and environs were using digital cameras and their phones. I doubt the sign catered to someone like me who did indeed have film in her camera and could have run out at a moments notice.

Can someone tell me if this sign (and many more like it) are still decorating our nation’s capital? And if so, does it actually lead you to film?

A view from the floor

Etta was the first of three women (me being the third) on my father’s side of the family to move from the east coast to San Francisco Bay Area on her own. She was, technically speaking, my first roommate in San Francisco, as I lived in her guest room for several weeks until I found roommates closer to my age. The last six years of her life, I literally lived two miles up the road.

It drove Etta crazy when I would opt to sit or recline on her living room floor instead of a chair or the sofa during my periodic visits. At some point though, she came to accept that I enjoyed the perspective and comfort the floor offered. I never said it aloud, but this was the only angle from which I could actually look up at her. She was a diminutive woman, just a wee bit shorter than 4’10”.

Each of our visits included a ritual pot of perfectly brewed black tea with milk accompanied by a plain biscuit or simple cookie. Her English roots were strong despite the fact that she arrive in the U.S. around the age of three. This week will find me raising a cuppa in her honor as the twelfth anniversary of her passing passes by.

I (he)artichoke

This morning, one of the focaccia selections at Arizmendi Bakery was smothered with artichoke hearts and topped with a smattering of red onion and red pepper. This savory delight felt like an outsider to the muffin, brioche, and scones already in my bag, but temptation got the best of me.

I shared that mighty piece of focaccia with my sweetie, and ever since, artichokes have been on my mind. Remembering how majestic and beautiful they can look growing in a friend’s garden…

Photos with my first camera

I was five- or six-years-old when I received my first camera. With a film cartridge of twelve exposures loaded into it, I went outside and took pictures of my world. At the time, it was the neighborhood boys who were my playmates. And being boys, of course they had tadpoles, a snake, and puppies to show off.