luck and light

Two headstones off a Kentucky road

2010-01-04T09:05:00.001-08:00

foggy morning was calling me

2009-10-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite houses on Hyde rd.

2009-10-14T15:01:00.002-07:00

a little old man lives here and is surrounded by pear trees

the last campground

2009-10-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

Bryce and a Raven

2009-10-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

snippets from Zion

2009-10-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

is it a cloud or alien spaceship?

2009-10-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

strange things grow on the ET HWY

2009-10-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

pretty little lake with new snow

2009-10-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Nevada

2009-10-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

on the way back from phoenix

2009-07-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

all the way to nashville for this

2009-07-08T09:42:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth Edwards sighting!

2009-06-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Melissa waiting for a bus

2009-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

I met Melissa waiting for a bus on 5th St. She was so kind to let me take her photo. She lived in town and was just shopping and taking the bus up town. She just had her birthday and she turned 35 I think. I said she looked a lot younger. She said that many people tell her that and she loves it.

When I commented that her ring around her neck was pretty and asked her if it was special, she said no, that it just matched her dress.

2009-04-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Lydia waiting for a bus

2009-04-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

Lydia was waiting in a part of town that surely did not fit her refined sensibilities. She was thrilled to have her photo taken and I thought she looked so beautiful standing there. At one point (bottom laughing photo) a truck drove by and honked and Lydia said as she was laughing "They must think I'm from Hollywood!" I agree.

jade

2009-03-10T21:20:00.001-07:00

one of my favorite magnolias

2009-03-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

love these textures

2009-03-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

the evening light

2009-03-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

bee dreams

2009-03-07T21:08:00.001-08:00

i love these tulip trees

2009-03-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

the evening before the time changes

2009-03-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

spring is pink and blue

2009-03-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

lily with a textured background

2009-03-07T13:35:00.001-08:00

i'm loving these big beautiful days - i can see spring from here

2009-03-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

same acacia tree - 2 different days

2009-03-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

oak silhouette

2009-03-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

mustard and a passing storm

2009-03-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

buckeye telling us it thinks it's spring

2009-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

vines in winter

2009-02-17T10:50:00.001-08:00

i lived here once, mendocino coast,ca

2009-02-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

bridge - russian gulch, mendocino,ca

2009-02-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

crow - mendocino coast

2009-02-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

oak lightening

2009-01-19T19:08:00.001-08:00

the beauty in winter

2009-01-16T07:28:00.001-08:00

goldendale bound

2009-01-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

after i invited myself for a visit, johnny and dede were the most gracious of hosts and hostesses. i missed the snow and luckily, the rain. but we had freezing fog which was intriguing. we drove through the hills looking at the windmills, which were beautiful. visited dede at her office way out in the middle of beautiful nowhere.

next day johnny drove me all over hell and back looking for photos - some of which follow this post.

the pacific northwest is a lovely place. i love the trees and the dramatic weather. all kinds of

wildlife. the barge moving up the gorge was the first photo series i took. they had just picked me up from the airport. so sweet to be so patient with my photo obsession.

it was great to visit and we are planning another soon - for sure christmas 2009. can't forget to mention the yummy duck johnny and reggie brought home.

back home now and super tired. dogs all sleeping at my feet - i missed them.

out to the hot tub in a few minutes and then an early bedtime.

indian pony - horse havens mountains

2009-01-15T15:12:00.001-08:00

barbed wire in frozen fog

2009-01-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

hawk - horse havens mountains - wa.

2009-01-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

elk sunning - naches washington

2009-01-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

indian ponies - horse havens mountains

2009-01-14T18:22:00.001-08:00

church windows - wasco,wa

2009-01-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

barge in the fog headed up the gorge - oregon

2009-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

vine ties in winter

2009-01-14T17:57:00.001-08:00

lily unfolding - in red

2009-01-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

lily unfolding - b&w

2009-01-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

lily unfolding - color

2009-01-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

jade - "better than the crap you have at home"

2009-01-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

sunflower in winter

2009-01-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

oak and vines at the end of the season

2009-01-05T08:22:00.001-08:00

first sunset of 2009 - bodega bay - ca

2009-01-04T08:26:00.001-08:00

right before christmas

2009-01-04T08:25:00.001-08:00

one pomegranate

2008-12-24T16:58:00.000-08:00

pomegranates

2008-12-07T16:42:00.000-08:00

wild artichokes

2008-11-28T10:25:00.001-08:00

and we are near to the end of our trip and the truck won't start

2008-10-24T21:34:00.002-07:00

but we had a great time...

we're headed home after three hours of trying to start it and being very far away from anything remotely resembling a gas station. When it started we felt like we had actually won in Las Vegas.

This trip has a happy ending!

Pretty Little Plant

2008-10-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

Lovely Little River

2008-10-24T21:32:00.001-07:00

We Are Headed to the Mountains

2008-10-24T21:31:00.001-07:00

I kept looking for the perfect Joshua Tree but this ended up being the photo I liked best.

This Was the Weirdest Sign for a Grocery Store

2008-10-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

In the saddest most depressed town we have ever seen.

It appears their only employer was a salt/mineral plant. That's it.

The Sheriff and His Deputy - Ballarat,Ca.

2008-10-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

His Eyes Were Soooo Blue I Almost Couldn't Look at Him

2008-10-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

This guy has the bluest eyes I have ever seen - and the biggest hands and the twirliest legs.

Ballarat Picnic

2008-10-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

So inviting...and the only place to sit, here in Ballarat.

A gold rush ghost town that now mostly hosts off road vehicles and lost travelers looking for a place to eat lunch.

The Manson Family's Escape Vehicle

2008-10-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well this is the story - which seems plausible and makes for an interesting photo.

They say that the family was on the run from the law and got stuck in the salt flats and then took off on foot, leaving the truck. Later the residents pulled it out and used it until it broke down. That is pretty much the state of things here. Used until it broke down.

Death Valley

2008-10-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Death Valley is Next and We Are in For Some Fun

2008-10-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Poor Ej drives for hours to Death Valley. We get there and we are exhausted and the campsites leave a bit to be desired but we find one. And we get all settled in - there are a few campers around us using tents and two guys on motorcycles in sleeping bags and then a few campers. There is a nice gentle warm breeze blowing and as time goes by the wind is blowing harder, and harder. After watching the guy next to us place little rocks around his tent, apparently to keep it from blowing over, we decide to go to bed. And as it gets later the wind starts to really crank. It's blowing so hard now that it is rocking the camper. We can't sleep at all - it goes from something like a 40knot wind to relatively calm and then off in the distance you hear it coming again and it all starts over. So finally we wake up at around 3 or so to everyone in tents packing up and leaving which was hysterical to watch. And in the morning we saw the two motorcycle guys walking all over camp gathering their things. They were young so probably hadn't even noticed the wind and thought some ass hole had messed with their stuff.

That night was like a lifetime and we REALLY wanted to leave. Plus I was getting a cold...

Oh yah, and my Bro will like this: I turn around and EJ has a piece of PVC and a hack saw and he has decided to reconfigure the camper's plumbing - in the middle of Death Valley. He has actually brought along pipe cement. Well I figure this can only be a bad thing. But wouldn't you know it, this is the only time he has worked on pipe and had all the pieces he needed. This will never happen again.

Some Random Images From Valley of Fire

2008-10-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Secrist's Have Left the Building!

2008-10-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, and it's a good thing. One can only take so much cigarette smoke, traffic, and people who have just gotten out of a Jimmy Buffett concert. On the way we decided it would be fun to play a game where you had to be the first to spot a hooker, crack dealer, or possible filming of Cops. Not Cops 2.0 though.

Instead we had a great dinner and went to see Ka. Very cool. There were the two dudes who ran on a wheel that reminded us of the two trouble makers in the Dr. Suess series. If you see it you'll know what we mean.

Off to Valley of Fire for some campin'. Also.

I Saw This and Was Immediately Bummed

2008-10-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

We just put a new roof on our house and had no idea that this option even existed.

Definitely would have picked this over the metal roof that EJ and Johnny Farr put on.

And yup we were still in Las Vegas.

Well I Forgot Our Breakfast in Las Vegas

2008-10-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

So who do you think picked Lucky Charms and who picked Raisin Bran?

It's sad cause I can't even get a little risky in Las Vegas.

We Will Be Off-line For a Few Days Now - On To Death Valley

2008-10-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

There Ain't Nothin' a Crazy Man With an M-1 Can't Fix

2008-10-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Hoover Dam

2008-10-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Just a completely overwhelming structure. Really hard to imagine what it took to build this in the 30's. How people could think on such a huge scale. My mind thinks in little ways. My husband thinks in big ways. I am the safety monitor and he is the mad scientist.

The Best They Could Do

2008-10-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

All that money put into Homeland Security and they rip off Mad Mag. On the other hand it's pretty freakin' cool. I did find myself wondering if the guy doing dastardly things on the bridge would really look like this. I mean he'd be way easier to spot.

Hoover Dam From the SIde

2008-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

I sort of like this because of the shadows from the transmission line towers.

Hoover Dam Turbines

2008-10-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Back Side of the Dam

2008-10-19T21:01:00.003-07:00

Rebel Without a Cause

2008-10-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

They print this warning just for people like my husband. He really wants to be standing on the edge freaking me out. You can see - he has that look on his face.

This Was the Closest We Came to the Famed Long Horn Sheep

2008-10-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Bridge Across the Hoover Dam in the Making

2008-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the bridge across the Hoover Dam. This is going to be the largest concrete bridge in the US. So these two arms will eventually meet in the middle - if everyone did their math right.

Gas Prices Make Up For Your Losses at the Casino (sort of)

2008-10-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you saw a 2 at the beginning of the price for a gallon of gas?

Only in Vegas baby!

This is Just Wrong on So Many Levels

2008-10-19T10:02:00.001-07:00

Figure the Odds!

2008-10-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

So we were rushing around all day trying to get everything done and all kinds of things kept happening - clamp broke - forgot this or that - Subaru broke down on last trip to Friedmans - massive amounts of Friday traffic out of this hell hole we call Sonoma (just kidding) and we drive, drive, drive, make numerous stops the next day, make a couple of wrong turns - end up taking the wrong turn-off which diverts us through Death Valley (the long way to Las Vegas) and this is just day one of our trip. And as we come down the hill into Stove Pipe Wells we see a bunch of people around a bus and we are thinking "could that be Glenn and Bev's group - nooooo that would be crazy" and then on the other side of the bus is a very familiar crazy lady jumping up and down and waving and we were like "hey that looks like Bev" and what do you know it was Bev - and Glenn too!!

Crow in Death Valley

2008-10-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

I just love these birds and one day I will take a very cool photo of one.

This was what I got on the fly - so to speak.

3 Horses

2008-10-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

This was taken in a spot that I had been thinking about for 6 years. However, the image that I wanted didn't turn out but this one did. I'll take what I can get.

Mono Lake with Log

2008-10-19T09:23:00.001-07:00

Just a pretty picture.

Mono Lake and My Personal Very Handsome and Loyal Sherpa

2008-10-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the beautiful Mono Lake. We didn't realize what time it was or we would not have stopped - cause we were running late. But so glad we did. Light was perfect and Eric, as always, was willing to schlep my camera crap around.

Hot Springs On The Way

2008-10-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

We were driving and saw some steam coming off the ground and with a little trespassing we found that there was a hot spring there. Eric said it was really hot, smelled bad, but tasted okay.

I took his word on that.

On To Mono Lake

2008-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

So I have no idea what this means because I am 50 now! But I thought it was funny that someone went to the trouble of making it. And then sticking it on the railing by the overlook to Mono Lake.

Our First Stop

2008-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is our first camp site. The funny thing is that the highway is 15 feet behind the truck.

It was pretty but had that roadside killer feel.

petaluma adobe

2007-12-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

the adobe in petaluma and one of my favorite subjects - cactus.
i love the shapes and that it is sort of a retro plant. reminds me of early california. this was taken with a holga camera and then scanned and tinted and 'painted' in photoshop. i usually print these in the darkroom but i had the neg and wanted to see the image so i opted for the scan. i am pretty satisfied with the image. as a matter of fact i love it. the holga is such a cool little thing. i am so attracted to the way it takes a picture. sometimes i take the plastic piece out of the camera - the piece that defines your borders - then you get an irregular border with very blurry edges and a more noticeable focus in the center. i also love having the ability to tint and image in photoshop. since agfa is no longer a force on the earth i cannot get 118-a and that is a damn shame. the most beautiful paper for just about anything.
so i was checking out a blog the other day from a woman who is not even a photographer and she takes a picture and posts it every day.wtf. so i was thinking it is pretty lame that i am not taking at least a photo a day - sometimes i go a week without taking one. i am going to make it my goal to take at least as many as someone who doesn't do it for a living.

brooklyn bridge

2007-07-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

so here is an image that i really love. i entered this in the ipa photo competition and won an honorable mention. maybe next year i will actually make the top 3. the brooklyn bridge is an incredibly beautiful structure. they don't make them like that anymore that's for sure. i suppose that's why so many photographers turn their lens in that direction. the flag looks dwarfed and sort of insignificant- or maybe sad and tired. i think it is actually how the flag is feeling right now. at least to me it seems that way. it's really how i am feeling about our country - very sad and very tired.

blue dude

2007-07-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

well i am back and just picked an image i really like to add to the blog. i won't say anything about the image. it's one of those you can just think about.
made some cool images at the rodeo last week so i will post one soon.
it's summer and time for carnivals and rodeos and fairs.

old trucks

2007-04-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

the end of a really long day... took some beautiful images of a friend who is pregnant. i edited them today and just love them. my husband is on the road - michigan - to be exact. so i picked a photo of an old truck that i saw at a car show here in petaluma. who doesn't like old cars? they have an irresistible quality to them. i happen to have one myself and she actually has a name. i never thought i would name a vehicle.
i am committed to making the time to do more photography for myself. it's not something that i have a choice about - it's who i am - it's what i love.

little cowboy

2007-04-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

this little guy was at the rodeo in covelo. an indian town in northern california.
he had such an attitude. i have a front shot of him that is even better. i love
photographing the rodeo and all the things going on there. usually there is a carnival
or fair of some sort that is great for photos too.
i am in bed waiting for my husband to get out of the shower so we can watch a movie.
do men spend more time in the bathroom than women???
so with all this time i decided to post an image.
i have had such a desire to just take off in the car and go some place i haven't
been and take photos. i love the photo road trip. hmmmm gas is $3.34 here.
we will see how far i get.

2007-04-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

this is one of my favorite images. pre-katrina new orleans, french quarter.
kodak 3200 with my trusty pentax me super and a 50mm lens.
printed on agfa paper no longer available.
i will post a few more from n.o.
i don't think i could have taken the same photos with my digital camera.
it just has a different feel. it's hard to describe. i thought that it had
something to do with not having a full frame image finder. but i got one and
that has not changed the feeling. i think it's better but still not the same
i do think that the best thing i can do is not look at the images after i shoot.
i think there is an artistic disconnect that happens when a person stops
to look at the images on the back of the camera. besides it looks goofy.