My Life in Pictures

2011-06-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

“A pipe in the mouth makes it clear that there has been no mistake–you are undoubtedly a man.” -A. A. Milne

2011-03-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Cities of the Dead
My cemetery obsession all started here. On a visit to New Orleans we took a city tour one morning, one stop of course, a cemetery. "Cities of the Dead." It was like being in another world, for me anyway. There were rows of tombs as far as the eye could see. Tombs so close together, it reminded me of books stuffed on a shelf. Rusted iron fences, crumbling bricks, statues missing noses and bearing scars from years of weather induced torture. Remember Katrina? Our ten minutes seemed like ten seconds. I couldn't look at one for being distracted by another. Each so uniquely different than the next. These pictures were a few of my favorites.

I'd like to know the story behind this one.

This one I thought was rather unique. I love the Mardi Gras beads. You probably can't tell, but there was also a bamboo plant and a Bart Simpson doll in the background. This one was more like a shrine, visited quite often.

Memories

2011-03-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

These photos are inspired by memories from my childhood. The scarves belonged to my dad's sister Willa, known to all as simply "Boot." I'm not really sure about the origins of such a nickname. After her passing, we found many scarves in her possession. I can remember them tied perfectly around her neck or head, topping off an outfit consisting of a painted sweatshirt. And don't forget the bright pink lipstick. What I remember most about Aunt Boot is that she brought something for us every time she came down from Memphis. Every. Time. Moon rocks, jewelry, socks, the list goes on and on. I think every family boasts a member of this caliber. Like it or not. A yard sale vixen. Bargain hunter. Hoarder, possibly. Anyway...I came across the scarves Saturday morning and was reminded about my idea of hanging them on a clothes line and photographing them blowing in the breeze. Easy, carefree, how I envision the trip to Heaven.
The clothes line appearing in the photos has played a major role in my life. I realized that the clothes line was my father's way of forcing us to "go green." And when I say force, I mean force. I suppose he was ahead of his time. If you planned to use the dryer, you had to secretly do it between the hours of 8-11 and 1-3, with one ear turned toward the road. (He was know to occasionally pop in for lunch during the summer and arrive home promptly at 4:15 in the afternoon.) Rain or shine, sleet or snow (exaggerating just a little), the clothes line was to be used. The only way he could tell if the dryer had been used was with towels. There is clearly a difference between towels fresh out of the dryer and towels fresh off the line. Towels off the line are so stiff, they will literally stand up by themselves! They also serve as a natural exfoliant when toweling off. I had a system worked out for hanging underwear to ensure that they could not be seen from the road, but that's another story.

Paper Cranes

2011-03-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

I began an Origami unit with my students this week. We started by making paper cranes. The pear trees that surround our campus are in bloom. While stunningly beautiful, they give off a rather "distinctive" smell. I won't tell you what John and I call the trees, it's rather juvenile. Today during my planning time at school I decided to take a few cranes out for some fresh air and let them fly beneath the branches of the trees. The wind was blowing and it was hard to get a good shot. Several parents who were picking up their children early strained their necks to figure out what the heck I was doing. I'm sure the secretary just told them that I was the art teacher...

The Perfect Tree

2011-02-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

We went to visit John's family last Sunday and spent most of the afternoon walking in the fields surrounding their house. I spent most of the time following behind snapping pictures as usual. I've really started to notice trees lately. I'm always on the lookout for the "perfect" tree. I find that I am drawn to the older ones with contorted limbs. Trees with character, I call it. I think I got a great shot of John and his cousin Ben in one of the best trees I have ever laid eyes on.