Marina is ill...

Marina, one of the beluga whales at the Georgia Aquarium is ill, isn't eating and has lost her sense of direction. Sigh....

Beluga Webcam:
http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/exploreTheAquarium/webcam-beluga.aspx

Haiku three verse, three person composed poems

red brown rumpled chair
a crumpled autumn sleeping -
curled up tabby cat.

Lay. sunkissed in sand
foam tipped satin before me.
A darkening sky.

This grey october
yellow leaves on the fire pile
succumb to the rain

black out on the lough
biting air distills the sense -
held close we shudder

hot bread coming out
sweet aroma of home time
dough-filled air a map/shout

children in the park
sparkling glass house a backdrop
laughter lifts the air

there a starry dock
angular shadows surround
hiding the lobsters

home. an unfixed place
it stays the same but changes
when cold i fly south

chimneys. burnt orange sky
makes silhouettes of starlings
slicing apple pie

bark now black from flame
embers refusing to glow -
this chance missed this time

cradled waiting to
begin breathing, cold water
on face and life slapped

moon on silver sand
silhouettes the lone figure
sea wave. eyes. undressed

soup bubbling orange
dark room. her mind elsewhere now
cold night falls down still

this eye

she needs a little repair
to become clear again
and go on seeing

All Around The Barnyard

All Around The Barnyard, an art show of 25 photographs, is coming to the end of its six-month run at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture's offices at 109 State Street in Montpelier. The work reflects the book work I've done on farms in Vermont, published in six books. The show will be coming down later in December. If you can't make it to Montpelier, a similar show is up at the offices of the Windsor County State's Attorney in White River Junction, Vt.

In the photograph above, Governor Jim Douglas enjoys an ice cream cone while talking with Deputy Secretary for Development Anson Tebbetts at the show's opening in July.




A selection of photographs from the show, from top to bottom: A group of Shetland yearling rams walk down their pasture at Maple Ridge Sheep Farm in Braintree, Vt. A Columbian Wyandotte hen scratches for seeds, insects and pebbles in the woods behind the chicken coop on Carrie Maynard's property in South Royalton, Vt. Chocolate — a Quarter Horse — doesn't mind the light snow falling on a winter morning in Anne Adams' pasture in Strafford, Vt.

refresh

Although we're well into Autumn and the roses are long gone, this image reminds me to hit the refresh button once in a while... clear the cache.... try new things... take a new path.

New Wedding Samples

I had another busy wedding season in 2007. I've finally updated my Web site with a new set of samples of my work from the past summer. Click here to see the full site. Here's a few to whet your whistle:





From top to bottom are photographs from the weddings of Maggie and Chris in New Haven, Vt., in September, Alison and Dylan in West Newbury, Vt., in October, Kate and Welly in Little Compton, R.I., in August, Alison and Andy in Manchester, Vt., in June and Mima and Todd in Hartland in October.

Thinking Visual

During the first half of 2007, I photographed countless pieces of fabric that Sonja Hakala shaped into quilts. The result is Teach Yourself VISUALLY Quilting, printed by Wiley Publishing in early November 2007. We came up with about 650 photographs for the book. Sonja did an amazing job, not only in writing the book and creating the pieces we photographed, but keeping keeping it all straight.

At left, Dori Galton's beautiful quilt finds a fitting place to be displayed at the Pomfret (Vt.) Town Hall. And one toothless model enjoys the comfort of a cozy quilt at right.

travelling

Vermont Weddings

In October 2006, I was fortunate to be a part of Helen and Chris' wedding in Stowe, Vt. The wedding is featured in Vermont Magazine's Annual Wedding Guide. I enjoyed my time as their photographer and am happy to see the couple's wedding day highlighted in the publication.

The photograph at right was taken during our tour around town for formals — it was one of my favorites from the wedding season.

simple

little time for photos this week and it's making me ill.

Old Farmer's Almanac

Get my drift? Take a look at the 2008 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac to see an excellent article by Chuck Wooster of Sunrise Farm in Hartford, Vt., and a selection of my photos from our upcoming book, Living with Pigs. The book is to be published by Lyons Press in June 2008. And, of course, the Alamanac gives you all you need to know about Hurricanes, Blizzards and Droughts!

In photograph above, weaned piglets nap in a pile at North Hollow Farm in Rochester, Vt.

(By the way, a drift is a herd of of domesticated pigs).

when I woke up this morning

your creepy fingerprints were all over my photographs

I want you to go away

slither back under your rock

Another Day in the Life

Coming next summer to Strafford — another Day in the Life. On Memorial Day 2007, eighteen photographers fanned across Tunbridge to photograph the people, places and events for A Day in the Life of Tunbridge. A Silent Auction of framed prints and sales of a DVD slide show have raised nearly $2,500 for the steeple repair fund for the town's churches. Next July 4, plans are to do a similar Day in the Life in Strafford as a fundraiser for the town library. Stay tuned...

In Tunbridge, ribbons are ready for parade participants (at left) and audience members listen to the reading of names of Vermonters killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Dinosaur Blog

In my boss' office, he had a cartoon of two dinosaurs looking at a computer. The caption said: "I just sent an email!" Well, that's about how I feel as a blogger. Here we go!

The above picture shows a couple of the Hansen siblings posing somewhere in South Dakota's Black Hills in 1976. I don't remember if the Stegosauras is real or not. It was so long ago.

floating

for now...

don't ask...

for advice, you won't get anything you can use....

for time, they're too busy....

don't ask

my buddy

nothing to say about photography today, except.....

Does everyone have a camera (or more than one!) today? It sure seems that way; and the question repeated, is there anything that hasn't been photographed? Everything from the moon and the stars to the raindrops on your window has pictures of it stored somewhere. And still we click...

P.S. I hadn't read Stephen Fry's post at T.O.P. when I wrote this...