American Demographics / Hope and Feathers Exhibit (Image #12)
To me this photo represents a lot of what Ithaca was like in the 1980s. This VW Beetle was parked in front of the Ithaca Diner and the goat inside seemed quite content. I can’t remember what article in American Demographics that it was used to illustrate, but it shows how creative Mike Rider and Jim Keller were in choosing images. Pretty cool.
The opening of the exhibit is a week from today. I’ll probably be jet-lagged, but stop by and I’ll mumble a heartfelt hello.
Olive
Today was a nice and grey day and after editing some suitcase photos and watching Fulham beat Wolves, Olive and I headed up into the woods. I have never seen a winter with so much water, and it was really wet with small rivulets running all over the place. Olive was in her element. She carried that birch log that is in front of her for most of the walk.
It is always a bit surprising to see something so colorful in the middle of winter. With all this water, it might just be a good year for mushrooming.
I wanted to do this post for Patty, who follows this site and recently asked for more pictures of the Olive. It’s probably a good time to mention that if you want to see more of her, I post on instagram as jonkcrispin. It is a nice outlet for me to put up photographs that I take with my phone. So check it out, and thanks for following.
Willard Suitcases / UTMB / Otters
Well, this is quite amazing. I had an incredible week in Galveston, which was capped off by a lovely dinner with the resident Osler Scholars, after which this lovely bust of Dr. William Osler was presented to me . I have never in my life as a photographer felt so respected and acknowledged. I spent the week talking about the suitcases in a variety of venues and was able to hear so many interesting comments on the collection. It is difficult for me to say how important this week was to me, but it was such a positive, affirming experience that I am at a bit of a loss for words. Huge thanks to Dr. Dwight Wolf and Rosemary Lindley for everything they have done to support the project.
Before coming home, Cris and I took the time to go out to Moody Gardens. It was so cool to see these giant river otters.
Back home now and trying to decompress from an intense week. A little stressed today as it seems the willardsuitcases.com site is having problems. I have been on the phone most of the day trying to get it sorted. The link above still is still functional but if you just type in the regular url it is broken. Arrrrgh. Hope to get it sorted soon.
Back in England
My friend John Wilson picked me up at Heathrow on Monday morning. After a jammed up drive to Stratford upon Avon on the M40, we made it in time for the dog’s evening walk. Here he is with Violet, and Sid and Lilly. Sid is a pup and Lilly wears a muzzle because twice now she has eaten small plastic balls that had to be removed surgically.
The next morning we all went for a nice long walk on the Welcombe Hills.
The obelisk off in the distance is very cool.
These sheep were very interested in the dogs, but the dogs couldn’t be bothered.
Here are Flora and Violet heading back to the car.
And Sid taking a bit of a break while he kept an eye out for squirrels.
Today was another warmish day so we drove to Broadway in the Cotswolds for another chance to walk the dogs.
I first met John when I was living in Berlin in the 1980s and we have been fast friends ever since. I have actually had this Barbour jacket (which he originally bought in Berlin) for the last 20 or so years. He needed it back for his dog walks so it is now his again. I hope to have it back someday.
Here is Sid patiently waiting for a treat.
I have always had a soft spot for Morgan cars. This one is sitting in front of one of the Broadway hotels, and it took my breath away when I saw it.
After our walk we ended up here for a lovely lunch. We have come to the Snowshill Arms many times, and it always makes me so happy.
While John was sorting out the dogs and Flora was getting Violet organized, I went in to see about a table. John said “Four people and two dogs”. Sid and Lilly were under the table the whole meal. Here is Siddy giving me a nuzzle. What a sweet boy.
Great Dane
I was driving back from a shoot in the Albany area last week and as I was waiting at a light on Route 9 in Hadley I saw this guy. He is a really beautiful dog and I think his name is Felix. His chauffeur rolled her window down and chatted for a minute (it was a long light). Check out the slobber on the B-Pillar.
Dogs / Thanks / Home
I walked Cris to the World Ed office every morning, and back to the hotel at the end of the day. Kathmandu has a lot of street dogs, most of whom don’t seem attached to any particular person, although the ones we regularly saw were in the same areas every day. You would never want to try to pet them, and they mostly ignore you anyway. We got used to seeing this pup twice a day near a shop, and she was one of the few leashed dogs that we encountered. She clearly belonged to someone who cared for her.
Thanks to everyone who passed along good wishes in regards to my eye thing. I really appreciate it. We are home now and I see my retina guy tomorrow morning; I am really eager to see what he has to say. The huge black blob is beginning to resolve a bit, which is encouraging.
More suitcase uploads coming soon. Thanks for following.
Olive
My day got a bit mixed up and I am editing and uploading suitcases tonight. It is a good time to take a break and post this lovely photograph of Olive. She is about to turn 3. What a great dog.
DCA / Zoo
Catching an early flight out of DCA. I like airports in the morning. / I went to the zoo yesterday.
I have mixed feelings about zoos. The one in DC is pretty great though. I look at this zebra and feel bad that he or she is not out running around the Savannah enjoying what would be a normal life.
But then I go over to see the lions and I realize that at least the zebra isn’t constantly worrying about getting chased down and et by one of these guys.
The prairie dogs were not out and about, but it was nice to see this little sculpture near their exhibit.
I’ll upload more suitcases soon.
Big Stick / Water / Crocus
Now that the winter is (maybe…probably) over, it is nice to be able to walk in the woods without snow shoes.
Olive always has a funny look on her face when she is carrying a big stick. Once she has ventured into the woods and made the difficult decision as to her preference, she is all business.
This time of the year is great for her as she gets the opportunity to spend a lot of time romping in the streams that surround our neighborhood. By August, this waterfall is usually just a trickle.
These little guys are starting to pop up through the pine needles. Nice.
Olive in the Woods
We had a very dry Summer and Autumn this past year and there has been hardly any water in the woods above the house. Olive has really missed splashing around. After the heavy snow of two weeks ago, the warm temperatures, and the recent rains, she is now back in luck.
She is amazing when it comes to chasing sticks.
It’s colder today so she is spending time next to the wood stove.
Wishing you all a great week.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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