In the Headlights

Atchafalaya Houseboat, 30 Years Later

I read and blogged about a book that was given to me by my friend Cate, who told me that it reminded her of me (for no reason that I can fathom):  Atchafalaya Houseboat:  My years in the Louisiana Swamp.  That was June 12, 2006.  I can find it by searching the archives, but can't seem to link to it.

It was the story of Gwen Roland and Calvin Voisin, who, in the 1970's escaped "civilization" by building a houseboat on which they lived in the Louisiana Bayou for nearly ten years.  They lived pretty much as our pioneer ancestors would have, catching and growing their food, trading for other goods. 

One of the people they met then was C.C. Lockwood a wonderful nature photographer.  He photographed Gwen and Calvin  over those years.  One of them was featured in National Geographic's 100 Best Pictures.

Now, thirty years later, Louisiana Public Broadcasting has produced a documentary about those days, as well as a retrospective view of the tim, hosted and narrated by Gwen Roland, the program features many of Lockwood's gorgeous photos of the swamp, evoking its beauty and making me yearn for such a life, surrounded by nature, sleeping when it's dark, working hard, eating well, sharing your life with animals and a afew Bayou denizens. 

The show airs August 31 at 10:30 PM Eastern Time.  I had the privilege to preview it.  The sheer visual beauty of the setting and the photos is enough to make it must-see.  Roland's commentary and her meeting with Voisin and Lockwood after thirty years is also compelling, as is her retrospective view of her life back then and the twists and turns it has taken since.   Looking back is somewhat difficult for her, perhaps not the idyllic hindsight I'd have expected, but the reality we all experience looking closely at our pasts.

[Purchase CC Lockwood's book at buy.com]

[Image of Gwen Roland today from Fresh Fiction]

Is it Real? Or is it Photoshopped?

L.C. sent us this, with the comment that Stryder wondered if it was Photoshopped.  I don't think it is. Then I do think it is.   I think the squirrel fits so well among the puppies...then again, I'm not sure it's not.  If you think it is, or isn't, for a particular reason, please set us straight.  Meanwhile, the rescued squirrel is Finnegan, the pregnant Papillon is Mademoiselle Giselle.  Photoshopped or not, it's pretty cute.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Red!

Today would have been Red's birthday.  He died of multiple myeloma three and a half years ago, give or take.

This picture was taken when he was driving a tour bus for American Sightseeing in Miami.  He had a beard pretty much all the time we were together, except for when he had to shave it for a job, like here.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Merry Christmas

     

The first three I took at Rockefeller Center.  The last three are windows at Sak's Fifth Avenue.  These were action scenes, with everything moving, and people were five and six deep at thewindows.

Merry Christmas, my friends. 

The Ultimate!

So last week, we were in New York for a meeting.  My friends, Monica and Mark, and I were walking up to the Carnegie Deli.  I was talking to them, and finally got to the end of the line at the Carnegie, only to discover that my friends were no longer behind me.

I looked down 7th Avenue, and they were about a block back, chatting with a handsome young many whom I took to be a friend or relative.

So I walked back, just in time to see them say goodbye.  After that, the floodgates were open.

TIM TEBOW.  Can you believe we ran into TIM TEBOW?  Every time they mentioned his name, it was in bold lettering, large font.  And believe me, I heard it plenty the rest of the trip.

Tebow was the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, and Mark and Monica are manjor Gators, so they spotted him quickly.  He was in New York for the Heisman ceremony.

And while they didn't get an autograph, they did get this photograph:

 

Go Monica!

Goosebumps!

No, this doesn't have anything to do with the R. L. Stine books.

Rather, it has to do with the Naked Cowboy, who was in his skivvies at about 30 degrees the other night.  The link above is to a YouTube attestation that he can't sing, or play the guitar, yet seems to be strangely successful.

But the strangest thing of all is that it was cold as hell, and you could see your breath, and there he was in his boots, hat and undies doing his thing.  Dang!

 

 

And the truth is:  nary a goosebump was noted.

[Second and third photos courtesy of Shawn Lea]

Through the Eyes of the Condor

An Aerial Vision of South America, by Robert B. Haas.

Photographer Haas travelled in South America for years.  This beautiful coffee table book (not to demean it...it is meant to be a centerpiece) has over 100 aerial photographs taken in (or rather over) 14 countries.  The perspective is wonderful, the photos are gorgeous--cities, plains, forests, lush colors, beautiful patterns, with commentary by Haas throughout.

He took the photos flying over the land in small planes and helicopters.

The book was a gift from the folks at White Oak.  They chose it because one of their two new conservation species is the Andean Condor (the other is the Somali Wild Ass).

 

Got to the National Geographic to see these and more photos from Haas's magnificent "Through the Eyes of the Condor" photo exhibit.

Bill-Bored? No Longer!

Normally, I am anti-billboard.  I think they clutter up our highways and make everything ugly.  I know...they bring in revenue.  I am usually happy to see those with quotes from George Carlin that dot U.S.1...they make me think and laugh.  Better still are those that are only on the internet.

Dee Ray sent us a bunch of billboards.  They are all Photoshopped, but hilarious.  Compliments of Dribbleglass and Worth.  I just spent a half-hour at Dribbleglass browsing their trivia, funny pictures and billboards section. A half-hour I can scarcely spare, since I am preposting this on Thanksgiving so that when I go to Melissa's wedding, I won't have to find time to blog.  I wound up saving it to my favorites.

Worth 1000--one picture is worth 1000 words--is perhaps the best Photoshop site, full of contests and amazing pictures.  Some serious gross-out Thanksgiving photos, if you're in the mood for roast long pig.

Meanwhile, check out the stuff below, and link to those sites, but be prepared to get lost for a long time.

Sunflowers

I took these photos of a field of sunflowers at the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina this summer.

 

 

Lilies

Every time I go on a trip and come back, I find a delightful surprise, compliments of my cat/house sitter, Priscilla.  Last time it was these lovely lilies.  A few days later, they looked like this.

Eventually, all those lovely buds opened.