Spring Springing

The weather here in Pittsburgh has been wonderful for growing things -- the trees, the shrubs and the flowers. We had several days of warm, almost summer weather in April. The it turned cool and wet. now freezing, so every thing responded to the rain. Then in early May the sun came out in all its glory and everything sprouted. But it's been hell on us humans. The pollen have thick. My car is a new coat; sort of patina of white with a tinge of green. And everywhere there are the petals, some white, some pink, floating down from the trees, giving the ground the sense that we are all royalty, walking on the beautiful petals.

from the berkeley

20230328

i realized that i haven't use this tool in just over a year. with the assistance of my colleague Trevor Irving, i've doing some background work on the website. i have also been writing, several short stories and a three part novel. The first part is complete, except for a final read/edit. i'm already beginning chapter 3 in the second volume.

i have been doing very little new capturing. my photography work has been focused on the website and on working with my existing images. recently, i have been trolling through some of the old originals, locating some real gems. and then i find one that begs for me to work with it in Photoshop, as illustrated with the image i distribu5ted through the rabbit hole the other day.

i am seriously disturbed and worried about the future of this country. military abroad and guns at home. and the country is exploding, just like the cholate factory. And then the leader of the Republican party declares "there's nothing more we can about guns." Why is that statement not an obvious sign of insanity?

from the berkeley

this is the initial edition of this little blog post, "from the berkeley." the title comes from the building in which i reside, and is visible near the beginning of each of the "Stories." some of you may be familiar with my other postings by email and through Facebook, "from the rabbit hole." those are almost entirely comprised of photographs, with a reference to this website with each of the recent postings. i intend for this blog post to complement both the rabbit hole and the website.

as my brief biography indicates ("About"), my influences have been diverse, from the documentary work of the 1930s and early '40s, to the revolutionary work of the artists of the 1920s. when i visit a museum, i am as attracted to the fine artistry of the landscape artists of the 18th and 19th centuries as i am to the Surrealists and Impressionists of the early 20th.

the images in my collection are similarly divided. The images in some of the Galleries have been extensively modified using Photoshop. That is clearly stated in the accompanying brief for the "Galleries." However, there is at least one gallery which consists of photographs that may have been enhanced a bit with Photoshop, but are otherwise straight photographs ("Reflections") that similarly seek to play with folks' vision -- the information that humans absorb through their eyes.

i welcome you. i'm going to find a way for this to be an exchange, with folks on the list able to respond to my comments. this is the start. we hope to grow. even at my age. hey, you can't stop growing. otherwise dust.

20220309

today's "rabbit hole" image is "pine creek impressions." the original image was captured on a trip up through central Pennsylvania back in 2014. Pine Creek is at the bottom of Pennsylvania's "Grand Canyon." this image was captured farther south after the creek spills out onto comparative flat land. it was a lovely early fall (October) day and the colors, especially the yellows and oranges were beginning, softly. Back home, I played with the image using the "Pixelate" filter in Photoshop (tm) to further soften the colors.

20220421

i've been doing a good deal of writing, both fiction and nonfiction. the non-fiction often begins, in my head, with events or people in my own life, and i then twist them one way or the other. as i feared, my photography is getting lost in the bureaucratic red paper society. i keep trying. a fellow gave me some ideas. don't hesitate to drop a card. OK. i can do that.

photography is certainly changing the character of war. whites killing whites gets attention. How about Yemen?

20220422

spring is springing. the flowers blooming, the trees budding. the sun. the sun. i am gaining intrigue with the trees of the neighborhood. especially the trees rooted between the curb and sidewalk -- a space of no more than 24 inches. the tree needs to grow, so the roots curl over.

on a personal note. i've been making some changes to the website with more to come. hopefully soon.