Tree of Life

(or Art imitates Disney)

Storm King Mountain
Stillman Estate
summer 2004

The photographer really ought to be more careful about disclosing his password. He's in a temporary photography lull while awaiting retirement. Actual retirement promises to be a whole different animal; he's already talking photography trips to back country Florida, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada, and his beloved fall foliage in Vermont.

In the meantime out of the archives we present to you the Tree of Life. Though technically not on our property it is within walking distance to admire the view of the Hudson and distant Newburgh-Beacon Bridge by day and spectacular sunsets by eve. We've also enjoyed box seats to the fourth of July fireworks courtesy of the Village of Cornwall and the City of Newburgh from the privacy of our lawn chairs with a glass of wine in hand.

We call this the Tree of Life because it reminds us of the Disney creation of the same name.

Animal Kingdom, Disney World- Orlando Florida

As talented as the Disney folks may be nothing compares to the hand of God in creating the beautiful sunset seen here. Digital or film it doesn't matter.

Storm King Mountain
Stillman Estate
summer 2009

Occasionally digital- mostly film - always God- with help from Mother Nature

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

The Dairy Barn, Stillman Estate
Cornwall on Hudson, NY- circa 1970

Our home has an interesting history (which goes a long way in explaining the 'interesting' people that surround us)... we live on what used to be a working farm owned by the locally famous Stillman family. Back in the 1950s our house, a former dairy barn, was converted into the cape cod style house pictured above. Our house is flanked by a former pony barn (now an art studio) as well as a pig barn, carriage, caretaker and nanny's home all updated to house their twentyfirst century occupants. Most of the time the beautiful ambiance and serene setting makes up for the harsh mountain winters and the eccentric neighbors...

After this old snapshot made its way to us we filed it away for a year or two until my wife decided to have our (Pig Barn) neighbor who moonlights as a painter capture the scene in oils...

painting- January 2009

which prompted me to search for a photo I shot of the house in 2004. I was fortunate enough to meet up with one Dennis Harrington who took a bunch of prints of our home and its surroundings and compiled a book for us called Whispering Winds (God's Little Acre).

Whispering Winds- summer 2004

Never digital- always film, although I must say Dennis did us fine taking those prints and making them into notecards and address labels and meanwhile I do have my eye on a Kodak C 750 which has a digital preview but uses print film.

WAITING FOR THE ARK

Vero Beach, FL- May 2009

Noah and his family and the animals entered the Ark, and "on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights".

I don't know about you, but between ten days of rain I had in Vero Beach and all the precip we've had in the northeast this June, an ark might just be the way to get around these days (not to mention the fuel efficiency).

There is a clause about renting the condo but apparently Mother Mourning Dove has elected to disregard the Board as she and her crew have taken up residence in our hanging spider plant. Her babies were born just prior to my arrival and from the looks of it they were just as forlorn about the constant rain as I was.

Never digital- always film and thank God for Fuji since Kodak has discontinued processing APS film.

THE LOOK OF LOVE

Morganton, North Carolina- summer 2000

Oh no, it appears that someone (any guess as to who) has hacked into the photographer's blog and is posting unbeknownst to him. Any purist could find a number of flaws in this shot. The older gentleman's right arm is cut off and there is zero contrast making it difficult to distinguish the facial features or even the clothes on the part of our little swordfighter. Even digital correcting can't save this one. Yet it is a family favorite and our son who was only three when his Grandpa died 'remembers' the events surrounding this picture- a game of pirates in which whoever 'fell off the ship' (in this case the area rug) was the loser.

The winner here is the look on Grandpa's face. Every now and then the photographer can be persuaded to take pictures of people; usually posed shots for Christmas cards (he starts in October) but give me, the Blog Hacker, a flawed candid anytime.

畫意能達萬言 Chinese proverb- a picture's meaning can express ten thousand words and oh yes...

Never digital- always film