-
Notes on a Bench
Previously a tree stood on either side of this bench. Modest trees. Occasionally somebody would sit on the bench and look out over the park. I don’t recall when, but one day I noticed that one of the trees was gone. Just a small stump remained. Sometime later, the second tree was cut down. Nobody […]
-
Gloomy Afternoon
I was out walking to clear my head, or to find peace, or to have a break from the chaos around me. I had a lot on my mind and, well, as they say solvitur ambulando. He was in the hospital. Had been for three weeks. He was not doing well, refusing either to get […]
-
Any ol’ Aspect Ratio
Unless you had a darkroom and some motivation, film made it inconvenient to use aspect ratio as a creative option. Film came in standard sizes. If you thought a particular scene looked best in a square format, you reached for your 6×6 camera that shot square negatives. If the next scene leant itself to a […]
-
Utility Poles
When I reach the ridge, I see the scattering of utility poles. Their diminutive size, their construction, and the material all contribute to a sense of old. They bring power to a handful of houses, now owned by wealthy people who want to pretend they are also important. Signs all over the place screaming “Private […]
-
Tehachapi Blvd
I had just finish breakfast at Kelcy’s and looked to avoid the day’s tasks. So I walked along Tehachapi Blvd. Just a couple of blocks, the downtown section. It has a dated feel. Not like the retro-revival main streets in so many upscale cities — Tehachapi doesn’t have the wealth to support or the culture to […]
-
N. 44th Street
I had planned to walk from gate A5 to B16, about half a mile in PHX. However, my flight arrived at A5 scant moments before they closed the boarding door at B16. A frantic dash through the airport merely got me to the customer assistance counter a few minutes quicker than walking would have. Rebooked […]
-
Looking in …
I had an hour to waste, so I walked around the block, a bunch of times. I looked in the various windows as I circled Castle Green. I had crashed a wedding there once, years ago. I was promptly thrown out. The old women talking in the sitting room looked disapprovingly at me as if […]
-
Packing List
The trains pass slowly through town. I could probably run alongside and climb on. I wonder where I would end up. Years ago, when a freight line still ran through the local town, I did climb on. Hours later it stopped outside some dusty town. I got off and went in search of a phone. […]
-
Corners
One day I saw an oil painting of corner in some quotidian street corner in an unnamed (and unremarkable) Dutch town. I was struck by the vivid blue sky and the bold orange and red of the buildings. Two figures stood at the corner. Corners, I thought. What can I do with corners? There are […]
