Daily Photos

< August 2006 >

August 1, 2006
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear; Those of mechanics -- each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong... The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank and beam; The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work... The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat -- the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck; The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench... The hatter singing as he stands; The wood-cutter`s song -- the ploughboy`s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown... The delicious singing of the mother -- or of the young wife at work -- or of the girl sewing or washing --Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else. WALT WHITMAN

August 2, 2006
`More lighter fluid!` Picnic -- 12:00pm. Picnic -- 12:04pm. Boo-boo. She jumps higher than she is tall. How is that possible?

August 3, 2006
I arrived at the jazz concert a little late, but went directly to the front row, as usual, and started taking pictures . . . After the first song, the saxophonist/band leader gestured for me to come up and speak to him . . . I gave him a look that said `Me? Now?` He nodded, so I went up and he asked what I was taking pictures for . . . I told him it was just for my personal interest, so he said okay and I sat down, feeling awful for the interruption . . . Then DURING the second song he handed me HIS camera and asked me to `Take a few shots of the band`!

August 4, 2006
I`ve owned my camera for 801 days and this is the first time I`ve noticed this at my breakfast table. Hi, biscus! Just grass. LOOK what I made today. If offered a brand new car or a 1969 Camaro Z/28, I`d choose the latter (even with its big klunky headlights).

August 5, 2006
Finally, a blue sky (see June 6, 2006). Well I built me a raft and she`s ready for floatin`. PATRICK SIMMONS (of the Doobie Brothers) A river runs through him. Thar she blows! See gull?

August 6, 2006
Same place, same rock, same species as May 22, 2005, but a different result. Sunday sunflower. One fish, two fish. The gigantic Asukadera Temple, erected in Japan during the 6th century, dwarfs the surrounding forest. After years without rescue, Gilligan and the Skipper built a more sturdy hut by the edge of the lagoon.

August 7, 2006
Seems like a lot of makeup for a nun. This time of year, it`s either too hot to take pictures outside, or it`s raining. That`s why they call `em flip-flops. I could never wear them. My footwear is laced on tight, thanks. It`s the edge of a building and a roof, I`ll give you that much. But is it shot from above or below? The second optical illusion of the day. How did he get that lawnmower into the tree?

August 8, 2006
Pot of the morning to you. Floral timidity. Segregated ducks. I recently found out Mother Dunbar is under there too. Oh boy, you have the biggest grave! You`re still dead.

August 9, 2006
Race you to the top! Buzzbee Berkeley. Stand out from the crowd. Remember the fallen. `Say uncle!`

August 10, 2006
Life`s just a bowl of cherries. We all scream. Can I borrow your iron? On the outside looking in. High roller.

August 11, 2006
Said the voice inside my head: DON`T THINK, JUST SHOOT. Two points! One point! You`re getting sleepy . . . It won`t melt -- it`s glass.

August 12, 2006
À la glouaithe dé Dgieu. Spooky in the daytime, probably terrifying at night. You may approach the bench. At the world headquarters of the Asterisk Appreciation Association. Heron at rest.

August 13, 2006
A 1958 Buick Century is . . . as big as a Buick. It`s never too hot to sing the blues. Teach your children well. `Would you like some smoke with that?` People stop and stare, they don`t bother me, for there`s nowhere else on earth that I would rather be.

August 14, 2006
I thought they slept in their coffins during the day. Answer the question `Why are there flowers?` and the answers to all other questions will follow. Looks like a girl to me. She rocked and swayed with her red CD player, saying it was `a camera for the birds.` Tee for two.

August 15, 2006
Somewhere on the other side of the world, a typhoon is brewing. The secret lily. Lutheran stained glass. Tired of the obscurity of Hollywood films, Kirsten Dunst seeks fame in a Dayton, Ohio, vocal ensemble. This photo is stale.

August 16, 2006
Midst summer`s heat, his heart lies cold. Remembrances for a child who plays no more. Rest, peace, quiet. Send me a bill. Don`t do it to yourself.

August 17, 2006
Old neighborhood, new flower. Brand spankin` new freshman with her brand spankin` new computer, just out of the box. Brand spankin` new freshmen enticed to credit cards by a free t-shirt. An old fight song being learned anew. Top of the evening to you.

August 18, 2006
Smelled nice too. Nearly buried berries. Party`s over. As if we needed enticement to draw people to the library. Photos on the floor: there must be an exhibition coming. Notice these are in real frames, for a real gallery.

August 19, 2006
`Who needs high school? I have a CAREER!` A VW Bug made of wrought iron. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but you don`t want to drive it in the rain. The most popular vehicle at the car show was the gull-wing Mercedes-Benz. Never did catch up to the guy. Evening steeple. A rare after-hours photo from a person who usually brings up the drawbridge by 6:30.

August 20, 2006
The poor dog is thinking, `But I don`t need to lose weight.` I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. HENRY DAVID THOREAU I got in my car, went out and found me some nature, took some pictures, got back in the car and went home. I can`t remember ever seeing a bluebird before. Can I have a pony? PLEEESE!

August 21, 2006
First day of school. Conventional aerodynamic wisdom is that it`s impossible for anything with that body and those wings to fly. Before . . . . . . and after. I left out During (when I smashed my thumb with a hammer). That`s abbreviated CAVD (see January 14, 2006).

August 22, 2006
Unlike equilateral or isosceles triangles, a scalene triangle has no equal sides, and its three angles are different. Advice to other photographers: don`t touch. Ouch! Dusky leaves at dusky sundown. Quantity ensures quality. I took 21 shots of this bee and flower. At the corner of Jackson and Green. Hey -- I should do a photo exhibition all about INTERSECTIONS!

August 23, 2006
`Mon Souvenir de Paris` or `What I Did Over My Summer Vacation` by Kacky Pance. These are the locations for the gigantic billboards promoting my exhibit. I thought about joining this organization, but the membership fee is astronomical. On a day like today, shooting venetian blinds from the living room couch is about as good as it gets. A regular part of my diet. You wouldn`t want me to go against nature, would you?

August 24, 2006
I`ve been feeling, oh I dunno, kinda REMOTE lately . . . What one shoots in an empty art gallery. As the night wore on, I considered using it as a security device. Will you come see me Thursdays and Saturdays? What have you got to lose? STEPHEN STILLS My most successful self-portrait yet (since you can hardly see me). Descent into the underworld.

August 25, 2006
Eye-You-Pea-You-Eye -- before the game. Eye-You-Pea-You-Eye -- after the game. Backwards pool. Diner romances, new and old. It`s just another Friday night for me.

August 26, 2006
I promised to take a photo of the 10,000th visitor to my exhibit. No matter who you are, I can probably beat you. Scenes from a Saturday morning walk. This kind of flower is in its glory during the morning. A handmade gift, like a leaf or a scrapbook, is valuable beyond the worth of its materials.

August 27, 2006
The county fair opens in three days, and the cotton candy is already made? Yummm! Screams coming soon. Studying in the library on a Sunday evening? They`ll soon get over it. It was not so good the second day. Night light.

August 28, 2006
And OUTSIDE it was raining even harder. In case you didn`t believe the previous caption. So THAT`S where it goes all summer. If pizza is cheating, then I`m switching diets. A broken spoon has no handle, A king from a deck of cards has no land, A sea of tears has no shore. YIDDISH SONG

August 29, 2006
What hath man wrought? Perspective can be deceptive. It`s clear to see who`s the rotten egg. Weep ye no more. This phase of my photographic development will be remembered as The Time I Discovered Dark.

August 30, 2006
Time for the county fair! Reason No. 827 of Why I`m Glad I Don`t Have Kids: what`s fun to them looks deadly dangerous to me. So that`s why they call it a goatee. He shall separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. MATTHEW 25:32 I`ve been working nights lately to earn money for a new camera.

August 31, 2006
La jeune Parisienne. Another night babysitting the gallery. Strangely, the sequence of photos has been changed. By ghosts? Like a really long accordion. At the Smithsonian Institution`s National Museum of Power Tools. The minimalist ping-pong game.

×