Fathoms

hell, no...this isn't our photo. just looking at it makes me hyperventilate. i'm back to snagging a picture off another site and hoping that giving credit where credit is due makes it okay. this week we were flipping through magazines that our therapist had shared with us, an underwater publication for which her son is the digital photo editor. wow...it was fascinating! it opens up a whole other world--one we aren't likely to experience much of in this lifetime. dive photography is not for the faint of heart...or pocketbook. so for you fellow landlubbers who prefer their cameras not require waterproof housing for a shoot, live vicariously by checking out the galleries at his underwater video and photo shop in california--backscatter.

Flower Power

back in the full moon days--when i had a spacious office arranged to my liking with comfy papasan and butterfly chairs, a tabletop water fountain, sand pit & pendulum, and a zen rock garden--one of my co-workers declared me an 'atmosphere junkie' (this was before fung-shui was common vernacular). working from home now, where space is at a premium, a more minimalist approach is necessary. you have to take atmosphere where you can find it. this solitary flower was rescued from my otherwise wilted valentine bouquet earlier this week and stuck in a perrier bottle, brightening my desk for a few more days. supposedly flowers help achieve a positive flow of energy (i just couldn't bring myself to say 'chi') and the meaning of deep red flower color is recognition. hmmm...anyone reading this?

Trip Not Taken

the travel itch is upon us, prompting the spontaneous idea of packing up for a short road trip this weekend. the new year rang in with a jam-packed calendar and we could use a little time away, not to mention fresh (photo op) scenery. it usually isn't too hard to talk ourselves into following through with this sort of plan, but after the initial exhilaration of the thought had passed, a reality check revealed the coffers to be too depleted. plus, since there aren't many desirable destinations closer than a five-hour drive, the available time was too short. so we unfortunately will not be seeing lubbock in our rear view mirror this weekend.

Cairns

"Old friends, they mean much more to me than the new friends...'Cause they can see where you are, and they know where you've been." Harry Chapin, Let Time Go Lightly

those lyrics have always stuck, even though new friends can be pretty awesome in their own right. in recent years, we've both had the pleasure of reconnecting with old friends. i've struck up an e-mail correspondence with two childhood friends at whose ocean house my family used to summer (it was probably just a few weeks, but it seemed like the whole summer back then).

revisiting this memory-packed home in maine twenty years later, the circle of life continued as the charming matriarch i remembered from my youth now helped my own kids rearrange stones. i learned the significance of a cairn as i built my own temporary landmark in that dedicated yard space and have loved the word ever since. i don't come across it often, but it popped up last week in my inbox as the word for the day (cairn). then as i perused the online journal of one of my new/old friends, it appeared again--as the inspiration for a piece of jewelry that she created in tribute to her father. hopefully she won't mind that i snagged this picture off of her site (i'm getting rather adept at photo-thievery). i'll make amends by supplying the link so you can go there for yourself. we're not into jewelry, but if we were, this looks like cool stuff. check it out: jewel tree

Grand Central

photographer diane arbus said "I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse."

Little Thespian

last night we all went to see mesa perform in two one-act plays. this child loves the stage--between this show and practicing for the school play, we've barely seen her for months. she literally eats dinner in the car between rehearsals. in this photo she is one of the ugly stepsisters (excuse me..."beauty-impaired family figures") chatting with the show host in 'ever after.'

the plays were written up in the entertainment section of the newspaper yesterday. this photo, of her playing little red riding hood in 'big bad,' accompanied the review and i have used it without permission (as if saying that make it legit). the article was titled "though short on polish, CATS kids on stage offer plenty of fun" and the reviewer closed the piece by saying "all in all, the evening made me wonder how many would continue in theater." don't count mesa out.

The "Languishing" Part

there are just some times we go stir-crazy in lubbock. this season of year is one of them--when it is cold, dry, brown, and every allergen imaginable is in the air. kids are home sick and the winter doldrums are in full force. a number of friends have escaped this black hole in recent years...off to live in seattle, colorado, michigan. maybe joni mitchell is right that "you don't know what you've got 'til its gone," but here are some things we are pretty sure we will not miss about lubbock when we eventually leave:

• lack of natural beauty: sure, every part of the country has its own particular beauty if you pay attention...but it gets old being in an area where you have to look so hard to find it. this is our view out the window each time we fly back. geometric, yes; visually enticing, not exactly.

• conservatism: in a survey last year, this lovely place ranked second only to provo, utah as being the most conservative city in the nation. the ironic thing is that we are both actually pretty conservative in our views, but living here makes us come across as ultra-liberal by contrast (not to mention hell-bound heathens...or are those the same thing?)

• environmentally unconscious: while not being extreme tree-huggers, it would be nice if simply recycling or bringing your own bags to the store was not such an anomaly. how about this...when people running the register pull out a bag for one item and then proceed to throw it away when we tell them we don't need it. it happens regularly.

• car-oriented: public transportation is limited and it is not a pedestrian- or pedal-friendly town. the bike lanes are in the gutters and the sidewalks end abruptly in strange places. we can build a new multi-million dollar freeway, but good luck with rails-to-trails.

• the strip: you have not lived in lubbock until you have been to the vegas-like strip of road outside of this dry town where everyone has to go to buy alcohol. this is a sight we will not miss when we finally live somewhere that we can walk into the local grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner.

• lack of unique choices: we are bound by strip malls and chain restaurants. in a college town this size, it is inexcusable to not have an independent film theater, a whole foods market, and a vitalized downtown. not to mention a breakfast place that serves mimosas ;) if you don't want to order from a predictable menu, see a mainstream movie, or go country-western dancing, your evening options are limited.

lest you think we are just ungrateful ranters, we promise a future post will be devoted to the things we would miss about lubbock. feel free to weigh in.

Dr. Wright's Opus

more than even mr. holland, the man pictured here (at 19) is deserving of a movie about his life's work. this week marks the end of an era...dr. wright's office is closing and he is officially retiring. at 86, that might make sense for someone else, but anyone who knows my grandfather wouldn't have been surprised if he had practiced his alternative brand of medicine right up until his body retired as well. however, a combination of unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances led to this reluctant decision and now he finds himself hanging up his stethoscope after 55+ years of serving his patients.

everyone needs a hero and my grandfather is mine. he has long marched to the beat of his own drum. those familiar with his nutritional philosophies know that he has been a voice crying in the medical wilderness for many years. he is not afraid to speak and live what he believes, even when it is contrary to popular thought. he writes journal articles, letters to elected officials, and has even authored two books. he speaks at conferences, on cruises, and still has his own weekly radio call-in show. he has told all those with ears to hear what he holds to be true, but not without compassion and gentleness of spirit.

he and my equally awesome grandmother have raised five children (no easy task) and spawned multitudes of grandchildren and great-grandchildren who can appreciate a solid family heritage. (after enjoying a visit with gg & granddoc the other evening--too infrequent for living in the same city--one of my kids said "i like them"...and then realizing how perfunctory that sounded added with a wry smile "i guess we'll keep them" ;)

my grandfather’s outside interests have been wide and varied through the years. this man has flown his own plane, built his own car, developed his own pictures (a gene he thankfully passed on) and has been a national doubles tennis champion in the 70+ age group. he has never slowed down...and it is hard to imagine that eyesight problems or retirement will do the trick either. by the looks of this photo from our family christmas party, he's got the idea on how to celebrate. cheers, granddad!

Product

our latest photo gig involves shooting products. it's funny because it says right on our web site "if you want studio lighting or a contrived setting, look elsewhere." of course, we meant portraits, but we might figure out that applies to inanimate objects as well...i don't know. it is worth trying something different and expanding our portfolio. a successful business friend tells us to "follow the market," which sounds like it might lead us in an unexpected direction. and while we'd love to be artistic, we'd also really like to pay the bills doing this too (it's tax time...don't get us started.)

we get to use the products (kids t-shirts, hats, backpacks, other accessories) on models too, so that might be more our cup of tea. spitfire obviously wants to be considered for a modeling jobs...she would not stay out of the way while we were trying out some concepts. here she is looking her happy and tigerish best as the t-shirts come out of the dryer.

Full Frame

this drives us crazy. when taking a picture with our camera, the aspect ratio is 3:2...meaning that when printed, the photo is shown in its entirety (without cropping) at print sizes like 4x6, 8x12, 12x18, and 16x24. but when you go to buy a frame, what are your standard options besides 4x6? right...5x7, 8x10, 11x14, 16x20. rarely do you find full-frame options off the rack for frames or for mats. this means the expense and aggravation of doing a lot of custom matting/framing.

i'm sure there is an explanation for this involving historical standards and vary film formats. or maybe it is the conspiracy of some strange bedfellows who both benefit from the status quo...like the liquor store owners and the baptist preachers who continue to vote together to keep lubbock a dry town. but it really gets annoying that most standard printing options necessitate cropping...or if you get a photo printed full frame, it is not a simple matter to frame it. here is the same photo without cropping (4x6), at 5x7, and then 8x10. you can see how much you lose when it gets blown up and trimmed. but if you can even find a place that will print it 8x12 for you, good luck framing it easily. aaaarrrrggggg....