Boat in the Sky

Yeah, I already have a title, and that's what will help me determine the finished look the piece will have as the two parts relate to one another. I put the limitations to my traveling to good use today and got a major ways with completing this project. I'll take some details tomorrow with the sun and hopefully get a way further on this. The concept of a boat being nestled on the table seems to suit my sensibilities, I just hope I can get the legs to look good and the transition to the top satisfactory. I'm my own worst enemy so much of the time!

Painting... Take the Time!

OK, so the photos I snapped and will post have nothing to do with painting, but I need to get myself motivated to finish the "Tres Chic" table for the Children's Museum Auction among 2 dozen other things and so that's my excuse. The next post will be a photo of that table in progress.

I saw the apple on the ground up at Vern's and I just had to get a picture (I've gotten a little feedback - mostly "yucky, why take a picture of that?") because it showed so much determination (the apple) to exist and present so much interest and character in the details of its appearance. The background was left after the trimming of surrounding vegetation. Age and aging? Don't get me started, there is so much to be said for things as they are... we can't or shouldn't change the process of getting older. If people want to modify it, that's fine, technology and such allows people to do so with varying success, but to me it's the inside, not the surrounding shell htat's the important thing. So, I guess we just need to respect those that are older for just reaching that point and make sure that we find out about the inside, the part that counts!

Berries have been everywhere this summer! The raspberries are pretty much gone by as most of them have fallen, but the blackberries have just started to ripen. How cool (notice the "cooling" reference used to combat the high heat and humidity we've been suffering the last few days) is it to have berries continually ripening throughout the summer? I really like the blackberries, too! This shot shows the vines pretty full and just starting to ripen. If I were to use these berries and their continually ripening, unfolding appearance as a personal metaphor it would have to be a transition, a change or changing, not of the whole, but of an aspect or part. The plants continue, browning back and then lying dormant during the winter to spring forth and ripen in the summer warmth.

Haze From Hell

Well, it's really (I don't think anyway) not as hot as hell might be, but I took some liberties with this first shot in shooting right at the sun this morning. The haying season, albeit late because of all the wet weather, still makes these monolithic looking sculptures in the fields. The way they are positioned beside each other I realize is completely random, but they have an infinite relationship to one another as one moves ones point of view. I like this shot for the balance of the objects and for the obvious haze in the immediate background. The telephoto brought the background closer, but it also showed how much moisture was in the air. My studio is stifling hot right now, so I'm preparing to move to the basement to read.

The next shot is a social commentary (subtle?) on the stationary Island Explorers buses. I know the idea is that you can move a lot of people fairly energy efficiently with these buses (noted for their use of natural gas/propane as fuel) but is it the economy that has them all "out of service"? I see these things that make decent pictures but also may have a story within them as well. This shot is a cool (which I really need right now) random repetitive pattern of the bus bodies.

Luna Sea Portrait

Funny how fate and the miraculous workings of the universe sometimes come around and provide irony in people's lives. My brother built a "punt", which is what I have always called what might be a rowboat to others or maybe those that are "come-from-away"s. He gave it to our family back when we were all living together in the early 80's and we named it the Luna Sea, not looking toward (or being able to see into) the future or how mental illness might effect our family or our lives, and it's always been a watercraft for us.
Last night, after returning home from New Hampshire to a houseful of overnight guests (which was cool because Andrew brought his guitar and we jammed for an hour or so) consisting of my niece and two of her friends and their accompanying partners, I took a moment or two to go to the shore and gather some photos of the sunset. The one I'm posting was the last one I took and I think the best. I darkened it a bit to make up for the automatic exposure compensation that the camera invokes, and I find that much more satisfying than trying to set manual and do half a dozen shots to get the right one. I like that the darker look is the edge of night and that it actually shows the boat up well. Ahh, the goodness of PhotoShop!
I'm doing an early entry here to try and get back into the swing of things as taking a break from life and home has its disadvantages as well as its good points. I must make a list of things to do!

Heading Out!

As soon as we finish packing things up we will check out and head most likely south toward Rochester or Concord and then take a leisurely drive back to Sullivan. It's hot again, but on the road not a big deal, so it's just driving. A nice stay here in Gilford, the people are nice and tourism is a huge piece of their economy, which looks pretty good to me the casual observer. Everything seems busy and moving, but I have no idea what things are usually like in a typical season here.

Yep, the room's a mess, but we don't own it so apparently don't care. I like that Jen is not constantly cleaning everything around the room and it is a good sign that she has had the chance to relax a little bit and think of other things. Everything has gone fine at home (from the daily phone call checkup reports) so that is also a stress reliever.

I'm ready to go back home and can't wait to get back, and I could tell this from my early rise (for a vacation day) and restlessness this morning. The photo is "doctored" a bit as it was blurry and such from incorrect camera setting, but it's a good "motel room - we really don't live here" image.

Lake Winnipesaukee

Boats everywhere! I thought that the coast of Maine was somewhat "boaty", but the lake here in the lower segment of New Hampshire is so crowded with people that it's really unbelievable. I did notice that the Gilford public beach was closed due to a high bacteria count, and that reminded me of the time about 20 years ago that we headed to Montreal and stopped at Burlington, Vermont and Lake Champlain on a very hot weekend in August. We tried to go swimming and the beach there was closed for the same reason. I understand that the very hot weather is the biggest contributor to that, but it didn't seem to dim people's enthusiasm for activities around the lake! I'm still trying to make up my mind about traveling... the getting away from the everyday routine and responsibilities is the best part of that, and I do fully understand how good it is for stress levels.

Sugarland! Great Show...

... at the Meadowbrook Pavilion. What a nice venue for a concert, with the open-sided roof and the soft breeze keeping things cooler. Everyone was so nice, no disagreements, no rowdy (although some inebriated) behavior and a great sound. Because we were in the third row on the left side we had this giant screen in front of us of a live video feed from a couple of hand-held cameras that 2 guys kept moving around the stage for different shots of the performers during the show.

2 photos (we were told not to bring cameras or recording devices) were from my cell phone and I was ticked that there were all kinds of people with cameras there... I could have gotten some great shots! Oh, well what is, is! Anyway, a picture of Jennifer Nettles from the big screen and a picture of Jen trying to contain her excitement as Sugarland prepared to come on stage.

A Nice Drive And An Early Dinner

So we left Portland around 10 this morning, hooked up on route 25 and followed it down into Meredith, NH arriving at our motel (Fireside Inn) in Guilford around 1:30. Nice room with a balcony and 2 big beds and all the little amenities like coffee and TV and such. I missed a few good shots as we were coming into NH in terms of the views of the mountains and such, but I wasn't really focused (no pun) on the scenery, more on the road and the radio.

We had an early dinner at T-Bones in Laconia with a nice view of the lake (I won't try to spell Winnipeepee) and all the activity upon it. There are marinas everywhere and the amount of money tied up in these boats and all the trimmings has got to be phenomenal. Just up the lake from our motel is this huge marina that's a "Yacht Club" and seeing these guys out on their boats with hoses washing everything down got me thinking about the economy and who suffers most when there is a "downturn". Those making $200,000 or more? I doubt it. Even if a citizen holds onto their job and they're making $30 - $40 thousand they will be hit harder.

Anyway, I couldn't finish all of my chicken fajitas salad, so I'll post a picture (in keeping with the "food" theme) of what I had left over! Yummm! We are now off to go to the Meadowbrook Pavillion to see "Sugarland", just a walk up the road of a mile or less will save us a lot of traffic aggravation. Sad thing is no cameras, but I will bring my sketchbook and try to get a drawing down.

Food & Flowers

I'll start with breakfast as we ended up at the IHOP and making breakfast into lunch. We had an awesome server who was as friendly, efficient and capable as any I have seen. It was an excellent meal, and the IHOP has always had a wide selection of very high quality. A reasonably good start to the day.

After breakfast we ended up going to a movie "Funny People" that is Adam Sandler's new one. A lot of his stuff has been just silly, but this film was really a poignant view of what differences the realization of death can make in a person. For me, the realization of death has just made life more real, but from the movie it's the suffering of being sick before you die that makes you appreciate those around you.

We had a nice dinner with Cary, Torrey's ex-girlfriend and still friend whom we still love a lot. She is a marvelous young woman from Cranberry Isles who has an exquisite sense of taste and style and who is going back to school this fall for nursing. The photo is of her and Jen at dinner in Pizzaria UNO at the mall.

The day was about food, but the flowers around Portland and the Mall are really gorgeous and it seems that so many people take this natural beauty for what it is (beautiful) or there wouldn't be all the plantings and such around to make everything look nice! Beauty is where you find it, isn't it?

She's Wonderful!

Last night was spent in Portland, and our son Torrey worked until 8 p.m., so we met him and his new girlfriend for dinner at the Sea Dog. I was very impressed with her joy for life, her intelligence and her style. She was very articulate, had a sense of self (confidence) even though she was somewhat nervous about meeting us, and she is a beautiful young woman besides. Her smile was infectious. She definitely passed "the audition"!

Of course I write this in the past tense as this is "the morning after", but I doubt seriously that much has changed with her since last night, or with Torrey. We did have some great moments and the discussion/conversation was all over the place, which was very stimulating. The photograph I chose is not the best portrait of the two of them, but shows in an instant the connection and sharing that already takes place between them. You know, it's odd funny that we all get so wrapped up in relationships and how they affect others, the perceptions that friends and relatives have of one another, but in the end it's all about who we have in our lives and around us that really makes us who we are...