March 2011

Patriot’s Dream #14
Shields River Valley, Montana
2011

We took a drive below the snow line in the lowlands (low for this part of Montana anyway) this morning where we came across this strange critter.

Transition
Bozeman, Montana
2011

I’ve got some more snow photos to post, and there is still a couple feet of snow on the ground outside my studio, but it’s such a beautiful warm sunny blue-sky day outside I decided to go with something more springlike. A number of years ago, when talking about what color flowers to plant outside our house, I didn’t have any particularly strong preferences except I knew I didn’t want white. With snow on the ground so many months out of the year, I thought it was a good idea to put some variety in our lives and give some other colors a chance during growing season. Still, since we’re in that transition time between winter and spring, I suppose it’s appropriate that the first flowers to appear on our dining room table should be white tulips, and they are quite striking against the dark wood surface.

Cold Fired
Bozeman, Montana
2011

I took this while I was out skiing yesterday. It’s amazing what adding some elevation will do to the signs of spring (or the lack thereof).

Turning the Corner
Bozeman, Montana
2011

A couple of weeks ago, this was about all the open water I could find on the creek outside our townhouse. Today I’m happy to report that there is no ice on the creek at all–there has even been a pair of ducks hanging out, feeding off the bottom, and generally appearing in an amorous mood. There’s still snow on the ground and we could get more snow and ice, but it just feels and smells like the seasons are about to change. I’m ready! (Having said that, I’m going skiing today.)

Patriot’s Dream #13
Bozeman, Montana
2010

I took this photo mostly because it fits in two of my recurring themes, flags and crows.

Patriot’s Dream #12
Chestnut Hill, North Carolina
2010

I lived in Alabama for a couple of years and have spent time off and on in the South since then, but I never have been able to understand how folks with a strong attachment to their southern heritage reconcile what seems to me like pretty contradictory allegiances to both the failed Confederacy and the United States. I probably have my own contradictory beliefs; perhaps the only difference is I don’t fly flags pointing out my particular dissonant thoughts.

Patriot’s Dream #11
Bozeman, Montana
2010

This bridge work on Interstate 90 is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. the Stimulus Act), so if there ever was a reason needed to fly the American flag at a construction site, that ought to do it. One could imagine that while there is a lot of public opposition to the Act,  at least all the workers on this project think it was a good idea. But wait, is that flag flying at half-mast as a form of protest? Maybe they don’t agree with the Act but are holding their noses and taking the money anyway.

Last night Connie and I attended the annual art auction at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, as they had accepted a couple of my photographs for the exhibit and auction. They throw a big party in association with the auction, the better to draw in the big money I guess, so it’s fun to attend if only for the spread of food they provide. Here are a few photos from the event:

I had Connie try and get a good shot of my photos hanging on the wall but this clown kept standing in the way; so this was the best she could do.

Once the food showed up, the feeding frenzy cleared the galleries of people for a while.

We decided it was a successful evening for both of us; both my photos sold for more than the retail value and Connie got eight unsolicited compliments on her Burberry plaid boots.

Elvis and Company
Wichita, Kansas
2010

Junk/antique shops are arranged a lot like dreams (and in my case often like my waking thoughts as well); all the people and objects that appear are relevant–at least in some historic context–but are jumbled together in the most curious combinations.

Waiting for Dinner
Bozeman, Montana
2011

I don’t really know how much of their waking time crows spend eating, but it sure seems like a lot of it is spent either eating or waiting for something to eat. Come to think of it, I have days like that too.