Category: Blog

Today was the actual first day of my swimming class. Monday’s class was cancelling because of rain and lightening. I’m the only one that can actually swim in it. There are a total of five people in the class and the instructor is a teenage boy maybe 18yrs. He speaks Spanish (for the two women in the class). I’m mostly interested in developing better technique and he’s helped with that already. He asked if I wanted to try the breaststroke and I said yes but, when it came to execution I went nowhere and felt uncoordinated. Once I get my lungs working better I should be able to work on my kick which is what bothers me most. I am enjoying this so far.

After the swim I went to the museum to install my photos. I have 120 prints but as it looks I won’t need to install them all to reach 10 ft. up the wall. The grid is 8 across and 12 high but, I may add another two rows tomorrow when I go back to take a final look at it. The museum’s new director mentioned to me several times that he liked my work. Upstairs they are currently exhibiting Ansel Adams and Clyde Butcher (FL) whose work is similar to Adams only pertaining to Florida’s remaining wilderness (Everglades and such places).

I wouldn’t characterize myself as an overtly political person however, Sunday I was invited to assist a friend with his neighborhood John Kerry Rally. I know him from being a member of Black and White Men Together, the social organization. I’ve met a good number of men I’ve become friends with years through that org. Anyway, my friend Tom, is a Democrat, recently changed from Republican. He is a great person, and very handsome, loved by friends and neighbors alike. His neighbors told me they had a fire in their house and he offered his house for their children for a while.

As Sunday blossomed the crowds arrived along with a fair number of politicians, some in office, others running for office. I was totally surprised to see so many. There had to have been between 10 to 12 during the day.

I’m not Democrat but, like many have said, GWBush has had his time in office and it’s time to send him back home. I’m non-partisan. In the past I registered to vote as Democrat but, both parties leave something to be desired. I can’t say I’m interested in being part of a national political organization anyway. I don’t have time to volunteer yet I know in order for my concerns to be heard, I would have to find a way to get inside. I’ve been a member of cultural and arts organizations over the past and I know what work is needed from me in order to effect incremental change. Removing GWBush from office is not incremental change!

You want more cops do ya? He was at the grocery store giving somebody a ticket a few weeks ago.

I know people love black tee shirts but, I don’t. I was heading the the Univ. a few days ago and saw an accident at my offramp. There was a handsome, hunky FL. Highway Patrolman out there talking to some woman whose car had gotten spun around the wrong direction. Luckily, I had the camera. *wink*

Yesterday, was a view of Minnesota. Today, is a view of downtown Ft. Lauderdale from the Univ. complex also used by Broward Comm. College where I used to teach. There are not many tall buildings but, during peak hours the streets are filled with people and cars.

Last June (2003) I was in Two Harbors, Minnesota. It was VERY cold and windy on the edge of Lake Superior. There was a pro-am bicycle race that I wanted my friend, who used to preside over the national org. that sent cyclists to the Olympics and Worlds, to take some pics of for possible publication. He said I should do it myself so, I went up. While there I saw an old friend that we (Florida Cycling Federation) took to Dominican Rep. for an internationl race back in 1986. Anyway, my MN friend had his digital camera and I used it to take a few pics. Thank goodness I did because my film wasn’t loaded properly and I lost a roll of film. My light meter wasn’t working properly and the images have color and tonal problems. What a bad trip it was for the main thing I wanted to do.

Anyway, we spent two days with the race since it was in the upper part of the state where he has a family cabin. We stayed there the remaining time. I vividly remember our canoe trip across the lake, including getting covered with ticks on our hike to see a smaller lake. There are lakes, large and small, everywhere.

The mining and logging trains used run throughout the area but today, there’s only a few tracks in use. The building shown is a museum, store, and train station. It was overcast that day. Sorry.

I went back for my third dental visit. The first was to find out what needed to be done and schedule the time. I knew what needed to be done. Today I finished up the first part of my teeth fixing. I had the second tooth extraction done. It was a lot of trouble to remove. It didn’t hurt but, it might when the drugs wear off later. I feel better about the situation but, I would like to replace those two teeth with something. Having a big gap between teeth I need to eat will not be fun. Strange but good, neither tooth gave me any aches. I used toothpicks after eating to keep my teeth as clean as possible. This was a long time coming but I’ll feel better after all this is done.

ruralrob posted a chipmunk and here’s my squirrel response. I wanted to post this a while ago (November, 2003) but never did. There are lots of them on campus and they rarely dash away in fear. They just stay far enough away from us humans for their own safety.

Drawing – Hockney takes art back to basics provides an interesting read that should be motivation for some.

Drawing should be regarded as a major art form, artist David Hockney said. Despite long being seen as “almost irrelevant”, drawing is a vital part of every creative process, Hockney adds.

While I teach photography and computer oriented courses, I emphasize all my students keep a sketchbook. Most of them don’t but, those that do understand there is an important relationship between it and the finished work. I do check them during the term to see what they’ve done. Maybe, I should put even more emphasis there. I do say that sketchbooks don’t have to be all drawing but, can have text and collaged things pasted in. It’s about the process, even if the actual drawing is roughly done.

While he finds contemporary use of images “very fascinating”, Hockney maintains drawing can be one of the most direct forms of communication.

“Practically everything comes to life on a drawing board – there is a diagrammatic aspect to it.”

One of the more memorable exhibitions I remember while living in Florida were the Picasso notebooks at the Museum of Art Ft. Lauderdale. With the resultant images incorporated into prints and ceramics, for instance, it was the thinking process of Picasso that was revealed for me. It was the development of a narrative in drawing that provided me with an appreciation of Picasso that I didn’t have before that moment.

I, for one, would like to see more original drawing. I’m sick of seeing the copying of Japanese animation characters. Even if we don’t have an unusual drawing style, whatever comes from within has certainly got to be better than copying those big eyed humanoids.

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