Project 365, 2007: April Retrospective
Monday, April 30, 2007
April Mosaic, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
As this month wore on, I felt I had lost my mojo, my photographic eye, my ability to "speak" through images, my ability to see the world around me in any sort of creative way. Some of the photos from this month are technically fine, and some of them are even interesting, but overall, I do not believe they represent my best work. But as I look at the body of images from the month, I've decided that this is just fine. I gained something else.
As I look at this retrospective, I'm reminded of the very difficult journey of self discovery and evaluation that I'm on. This journey-- to be clear-- wasn't something I set out to take, but the path was before me, and I had little choice but to follow that path. Sound cryptic? It's not really. Part of this journey has been my mother's death, my daughter's growth, my own sense of mortality. I find-- in retrospect-- that I have taken pictures of things that allow me some sort of connection to the world outside myself, and these images help me remember times and places in my own life. I've taken photographs that remind me of family, friends and colleagues. I've taken photographs of strangers caught in moments of their own lives and the beauty and the power of nature.
In this retrospective, I primarily see connections to time, this commodity that is so valuable but that I take for granted. Some of this time depicted in the photos is fleeting (the life of a flower, the kick of a soccer ball). Some of this time is long lasting (a father/daughter hug . . . a father/son playing baseball). Some of this time demonstrates the potential of life (the birth of a baby). Some of this time remembers the end of life (my mother's china). Some of this time in the photos allows for natural destruction and renewal (the aftermath of the tornado or the flash flood waters).
When I saw the tornado and flood damage, I was reminded of the Scripture that states in part, "the rain falls on the just and the unjust." This became a recurring thought. What I've experienced these past months-- the good and the bad-- happens to us all. We all get the rain and we all get the sun. We all have tornadoes in life (literal or metaphorical). We all experience floods of some kind. But the flash flood waters soon subside. The destroyed houses can be rebuilt or we can move. We can spend our time wisely or we can waste it. The point is that we can choose. We can choose to move on.
As hard as it is-- as hard as it's been-- it's all been good. Time changes everything.
Cross posted at Parts-n-Pieces.
120/365: Before the Rain Washes Them Away
Before the Rain Washes Them Away, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
119/365: My Mother's China
Sunday, April 29, 2007
My Mother's China, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Royal Albert: Old Country Roses, free from the tobacco smoke residue and grime. There should be a longer post about this, but I'm just not up to it. I didn't know it would be so hard to see her things. I didn't know it would be so hard to keep any of them.
118/365: Self Portrait in Side Mirror
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Self Portrait in Side Mirror, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
117/365: Automatic Dryer
Friday, April 27, 2007
Automatic Dryer, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
While this isn't my laundry, laundry is what I did on my birthday. I desperately need a life.
116/365: Wildflowers from the Car Window
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wildflowers from the Car Window, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
115/365: It Isn't What It Is
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
It Isn't What It Is, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
114/365: Flash Flooding on a Tuesday Afternoon
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Flash Flooding, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
113/365: It's Been a Slow News Day
Monday, April 23, 2007
Slow News Day, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
(Taken while walking my dog.)
112/365: Intensity, Concentration, and Drive
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Intensity, Concentration, and Drive, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
111/365: Competitors
Competitors, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
110/365: It's almost summer
It's almost summer, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
109/365: Woman in Profile
Woman, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
I've been a bad, bad 365er. I'm late posting a bunch o'pics.
108/365: Remnants of Visits Past
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Remnants of Visits Past, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
I'm playing Jayfish's game. What's in the pic?
107/365: Leaf and Rain
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Leaf and Rain, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
106/365: Broken Windows and Broken Walls
Monday, April 16, 2007
Broken Windows and Broken Walls, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Four tornados hit spots of Fort Worth last Friday. Wheeler Avenue was hard hit. Many of the houses-- including both of the houses I lived in as a child-- were destroyed. Other photos on Flickr.
105/365: Self Portrait with Grass and Shadows
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Self Portrait with Grass and Shadows, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
I seem to have lopsided shoulders and a crown. I'll take that.
104/365: Southwest Airlines (landing)
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Southwest Airlines (landing), originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
I wonder if the passengers are standing up, pulling their oversized luggage pieces from the overhead bins, and making their way to the front of the plane. They were doing this on my flight. An interesting point, though, is that no one seemed to mind that I take photos of landing airplanes from the parking garage. I couldn't take pictures of the sunset from the hospital parking garage because I might be a terrorist, but carry a full tube of toothpaste, a partially full tube of Maybelline foundation, and a tablespoon of astringent? Not on your life, as I might be a terrorist. Take photos of landing airplanes? Not a problem, it seems.
103/365: Catcher
Friday, April 13, 2007
Catcher, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
102/365: Purple Flowers
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Purple Flowers, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
101/365: Dirt on a Fence
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Dirt on a Fence, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
100/365: Young Girl, a Portrait
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
A Young Girl, a Portrait, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
99/365: Birds, and Dinner
Birds, and Dinner (their dinner), originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
The birds and birdfeeder are outside my den window . . . the cat loves the view.
98/365: Parker (Three Weeks Old)
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Parker (Three Weeks Old), originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
97/365: Ginger
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Ginger, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
96/365: Master's Thesis
Friday, April 6, 2007
Thesis, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
When I'm discouraged about the dissertation, I pull out the thesis. It's not that bad actually . . . and I'm still very interested in the subject (Faulkner's code of southern manliness, homosociality, and schizophrenia [or war neurosis] in As I Lay Dying.) It was a bit ambitious for a thesis, but I do love the title of this chapter.
95/365: Catching and Learning
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Catching, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
Several of his games have been rained out lately, so there have been a number of "make up" games the past two days. He's learning so quickly.
94/365: Father and Son: Building Memories
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Father and Son: Building Memories, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
At the Little League Baseball Game tonight, I saw dozens of images of fathers and their children: bonding, playing, laughing, being, supporting, loving. I took a lot of pictures, and I really like this one of the father / son. Much has been written about how men and boys bond with each other over baseball, bond by playing catch. However, for the 365 picture, I couldn't decide between this photo of the father / son or the photo of a father / daughter. Each picture tells a story.
93/365: Just a Typical College Campus
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Just a Typical College Campus, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
I wonder how they ever communicated before the invention of cell phones.
92/365: My Desktop
Monday, April 2, 2007
My Desktop, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
This is a blogging meme (found on the main blog). I'm using this picture as a 365 pic because it's late, I'm tired, and I've got nothing else. Tomorrow is another day.
91/365: Last Night of Rent
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Last Night of Rent, originally uploaded by PartsnPieces.
91/365: My Most Famous Photograph
"The Kiss" is my most famous photograph to date. It's been reproduced and printed in dozens of countries and languages in the 62 years it's been around. Over all those years, there have been many people to claim ownership of this image-- they claim to have taken the picture themselves and some of them have even received money for it-- but how could they have taken the picture when I was the one to take it? Silly people.
Anyway, there I was August 14, 1945, walking down the street minding my own business, when this sailor-- a really hot sailor, but that's not really important now-- came running down the street trying to accost any woman he saw. I guess he'd been on board that ship a very long time. Ok, maybe he wasn't trying to "accost" anyone, but he did look a bit randy. Unfortunately for me, he saw that nurse first.
