Having a grape time

Sometimes you sit and watch a moment unfold before you. Sometimes you think you’re documenting an aspect of that moment and find that you’ve captured something altogether unexpected. So it was while sitting on a friend’s back patio this fall, separating grapes from raisins, feeding grapes to chickens, and chatting the afternoon way.

Her daughter, my pal and a favorite photo muse, was doing the “toss the grapes into the air and catch ’em in her mouth game,” when one of the chickens leapt from the ground and into the frame. I think she wanted to be the center of attention.

A glorious morning

…but these ain’t morning glories. Dried calendula blossoms come to life when mixed with hot water. Soothing for the soul and on the eyes.

Seduction in a basket

In the past several years, I’ve noticed a trend in my travel habits: my taste buds and inner compass find the local farmer’s markets. Food is a gateway to any given culture – domestic and foreign – but I’ve noticed that in addition to the beauty of the raw ingredients themselves, the way they are presented to the customer is a truly varied thing.

At Montreal’s Marche Jean-Talon, a venue I visited at least four times during a week this summer, produce lounging in baskets (instead of the heaps that I’m accustomed to), provided a new perspective on the beauty of peppers, beans, carrots, and mushrooms…

The finale, was the behind-the-scenes cart of cabbage. Savoy, oh, the savoy…

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.