Watching the New President

May

I can't remember when I came by the negatives but my mother gave them to me. "These are from your Uncle Elmer, he said you should be the one to get them." It was an odd assortment; roll film of different sizes and some glass plates, sitting in a cigar box. The people in the pictures were dressed in styles from the early twentieth century. Scattered through the collection though were negatives of my uncle's wife, Florence. They stood out. There were 17 individual portraits of her and several with other people.

I knew my aunt and uncle when we were growing up. They had a farm in Manchaug, Massachusetts. It was a treat to visit. My uncle had two tractors parked in the barn. He'd bring them out. I'd ride with my uncle and my brother would ride with our dad. We'd go down to the river. It was better than an amusement park ride.

The pictures of my aunt, though were of someone I didn't know. She was much younger. My uncle called her "May."

They seemed carefree, posed in different locations. Probably taken on a Sunday, they were an early record of a relationship that endured a lifetime.

I do wonder about my uncle's gift. That somehow he wanted these pictures to survive and say something. Today everything is stored in digital. And even though May's likeness started on 116 and 620 film, they too are now in digital. Hopefully the technology will be around 80 years hence to view these images. At least the negatives are resting in archival sleaves now. Maybe one of my children will look after my cigar box.

The Last Tomatoes of Summer

It's been a few months since I pulled up the last of the garden. It was a very small suburban garden, four rows. Here was a case though where size didn't matter. The first row, zucchinis, we had coming out our ears, I gave away bags. Lynda even made zucchini bread with chocolate chips, not bad. The next row was peppers, green ones and chillies. We roasted the chillies, ate some and froze some. We're going to do more chillies next summer. Then there was a row of cucumbers. Not sure what happened. We had some good ones but many were small and curled and didn't seem to ripen to a healthy looking green. We still want cucumbers though. We'll have to rethink what we do next time. And finally the tomato row. We've had gardens before. Growing up we both had gardens. We know there's a difference between home grown and store bought.

I guess it's been a while since we've tasted something from our own dirt. But these tomatoes were the big surprise. They were too good to be true. Almost from the beginning I knew there would be an end. Once they started coming in I was eating them twice a day, for lunch and then at night for dinner. After awhile Lynda complained she was overdosing on tomatoes. I said, ' They'll come a time when they're gone.' I reminded her of the flavor, the texture, their sweet juiciness . . . a tomato and mayonaise sandwich.

We were getting night time temperatures near the low thirties and for a couple of weeks we covered the plants. Then one night it went down to 27. The next morning the plants had turned black. It was over. There on the kitchen counter in the harvest basket was what real tomatoes would taste like for another year. We let the last couple get old and wrinkly and pass naturally.

Standing in the Right Spot

I almost always carry a camera when I travel. A couple of my regular destinations have spare tripods. Lately, it's gotten easier shooting digital. A few months back I upgraded my normal lens with one that has vibration reduction technology. It's suppose to give an additional 3 stops of speed. It appears to work. However, I'll not stop carrying a tripod or using it when I should.Tripods tend to ground you, they often stay put. You walk around the tripod and maybe move it.

I'm reminded of Ansel Adams' most famous and popular image 'Moonrise, Hernandez.' His account of the moment is fascinating. Driving by and seeing a potential opportunity after a day of difficult photography he pulls into a roadside ditch. He orders his son and travelling companion to help quickly as the sun is about to dissappear. He doesn't mention any problem with planting a tripod in the right spot. The Moonrise shot is a long one. So plunking down the tripod a foot to the left or right may not have made much of difference. Still, I would liked to have asked him.

Today though, it's a much different scene. I do drive by on my way to Colorado once in awhile. I look for that moon and those special clouds.

For me, I like to think that being on planet Earth is the right spot. After all on another planet the atmosphere could be thick with sulphuric acid, blurring my focus or the atmosphere could be 900 times heavier, carrying equipment would be a real chore or maybe the light is just plain bad.

December 31, 2008, Manchester Airport, New Hampshire