Month: July 2004

Click to view. Click to return.

Same as before, click to view, click to return.

Here are some of the interesting things one finds in the Minnesota woods. Click any thumbnail to see a larger view. Click the larger image to return.

This Daily Selfpic has begun for a variety of reasons. I’m actually finding it rather fun now that I’ve started it. It’s interesting to see myself in such a variety of environments, even though I was in Minnesota for five days. I got lots of pics while there and maybe that helped me get moving along on this project. The only place to make comments is here, if any are warranted. Enjoy them for what they are.

Daily Selfpics

I have returned home finally, yet I really miss being away from home. Partly it’s the escape from responsibility, partly it’s exploring new things and places. My friend and I explored two new places this summer. Last summer he did something he never did before, canoe across the lake and up a narrow river. It took us several hours. Again, the time spent was about the same as well as the distances.

First off, we hiked around a lake that was rocky and many sections uphill. The official distance was 5.6 miles. We stopped along the way three times to rest. My calves hurt for two days after this hike. We both took some pics but I have so many I haven’t had a chance to get any online yet. Give me time.

The following day we canoed up a river and back. It meandered down from the lake on which his cabin sits although, we climbed into the river from the roadside going into town. Both trips included his dog. Hiking was okay. Canoing was also okay but, it took a while for the dog to settle down enough to make me feel comfortable. That meant I didn’t take as many pics as I would like and the ones I did take I didn’t really like much.

Some time was spent in town at the Blueberry Arts and Crafts Festival. Some of the work was very nice but, I’m not as good as ruralrob when it comes to photographing people. I’m very shy about photographing hunky men in public. Of course, I only saw two other African American men, and one woman in my five days there. I wasn’t getting stared at but, I know I was an oddity. The people are extremely friendly however. Anyway, I saw some drop-dead hunks at the festival. I was enjoying the thick legs, hairy faces, and big smiles. I was the one doing the staring.

Anyway, pics will be posted as soon as possible…

Okay, I’m here in upper Minnesota. Pics to come soon. It’s cool (60s) and has rained quite a bit in the past few days although, I only arrived yesterday. On the way out of Minneapolis we went by the Walker Art Center’s outdoor sculpture park. They have some major pieces and people love being out there. There’s also an arboretum on the grounds. I didn’t go into the Walker because most of the galleries are closed due to their major renovation and expansion.

Even though Miami Art Museum is planning to expand into a brand new facility, in a different location, having something like this outdoor space would be awesome. Major collector, Marty Margulies doesn’t seem to have any interest in such a project. His sculpture collection is covering the grounds of FIU (Florida International Univ., a state univ. in S.W. Miami). I guess things will just have to be worked out as they develop. I hope things can benefit all of us.

I’ve also attempted to do a daily selfpic over the past few days mimicking clarkelane although, different in purpose I supose. What is the purpose? Whatever the thinking was when I finally decided to do this now, I’m just trying to take daily selfpics without posing, without thinking much about it, without any other purpose than to see myself in my living environment (which I’m not too thrilled with at the moment).

In my third attempt at this I got different results. The first two times, on two different days the results were both the same. It said Querrelle wanted to marry me. I knew that was wrong.

And here, I’ll admit to having an attraction to both however, I know londoncubuk would reject me in half a second. Jawn, on the other hand, I would hope for a favorable reaction.

Fossil findings blur picture of art’s birth as scientists have now dated the artefacts, by looking at the rates of decay of radioactive carbon atoms in samples taken from the specimens. There has always been speculation about the origin of ancient artefacts and who created them and, why. Even though I’m not able to argue for the whys of creation, I do find the pieces profoundly more stimulating than much of the artwork I’ve seen over the past twenty years. I could go back even further than twenty years but, I won’t.

Part of the thing I find interesting is understanding the nature of human migrations and their interaction with Neanderthals. The article in question talks about Europe although, it would be fascinating to see when and how other parts of the planet came to have similar-in-time artefacts.

The motivation for creating some kind of object with a non-utilitarian use would seem to be a continuing motivation in human history although, how that notion intersects with our highly charged capitalist, socio-political environment seems, at times, to have gone astray.

I prefer the dried fruits more. I posted both for comparative purposes.