Graham Sherwood
We are in the interview stage of the second Tilghman’s Island project. The people down here are so warm and welcoming, and it is cool to hear them talk about their lives living and working on the Bay. Since I was delayed in coming down here by the weather, Peter spent the day on Wednesday setting up the location. As usual, he did an incredible job getting it to look just right. I am so used to shooting people with available light that when I shoot with his set-up, it feels a bit like cheating.
Millar Mitts
I will admit to a certain vanity about clothing. I mostly wear a variation of the same thing everyday, which makes life easier in the mornings. I have a real issue with outerwear though. I love jackets, hats and gloves. It is probably why Summer is my least favorite time of the year. I remember as a kid in Meadville looking forward to Autumn because it meant I could wear coats again. When I lived in Ithaca in the 70s, my friend Robby Aceto had a pair of these gloves. There was a shop in the DeWitt Mall that sold outdoor kit and they carried Millar Mitts. I bought a pair and completely wore them out over a period of 5 years. Replacing my worn out pair was really difficult. Nobody in the States seemed to carry them, and I think the company went out of business. They were made in the UK by Millar Gloves, Bingham, Nottinghamshire. On one of my trips to London in the mid 80s I found a single pair in a shop in the Burlington Arcade. The backs are wool and the palms are cotton string. Wearing them is such a treat. The wool isn’t itchy, but you always know when you have them on. In an odd way they are very sensual. / I took the train to New York on Thursday for some work and since I knew I would be shooting outside, I broke out these guys. It makes me happy just to look at them.
Basketball
I used to shoot a lot of sports. I have always enjoyed it, and feel that shooting something that moves fast helps me to do a better job when shooting stuff that doesn’t move at all. I bought a new work camera just before the end of the year, and haven’t had much of a chance to get comfortable with it. My friend Thom Kendall has the contract to shoot all of UMASS sports, so I asked him if I could tag along for the UMASS v. LaSalle game in Springfield yesterday. I got maybe 5 decent shots out of the whole game. He probably got 30 really good ones and 50 more that were totally usable. His support was really helpful, but it made me realize just how difficult it is to get good action photos when the athletes and officials are moving around right in front of you and the lighting in the arena sucks big time. Anyway it was fun and a good learning experience. And I am pretty sure that the next time I photograph something that isn’t moving, I’ll be just that much better at it.
Lemon Tart
When I started this site, I vowed I would never take photos of food that I had cooked. Since I lived alone in Ithaca in the “80s, I have taken pictures of my dinners from time to time, but lately with the whole food on tv thing, it seems kind of self indulgent. But, as Emerson said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds”. So, I will write about love and friendship while posting a picture of something I cooked. John Wilson sent me a cookbook by Raymond Blanc a while back, and around holiday time, I use it alot. My son Peter loves it when we have big meals planned, and so it is lots of fun to put energy into producing something really good. Last night was French onion soup. Tonight was coq au vin, potatoes Dauphinoise, and for dessert, a lemon tart, all from the Blanc book. This picture of the lemon tart features the crust, of which I am particularly proud. / Yesterday as 2010 was winding down, I spoke to three amazing people on the phone. Alex Ross and I speak 4 or 5 days a week, Peter Carroll and I about the same, and John Wilson in the UK and I skype regularly. After our chats I just felt so blessed to have them as friends. Later in the day Cris and I ran some errands and went to a movie, then she, Pete and I had a quiet New Year’s Eve. / I was at my sister Karen’s just after Thanksgiving and got to see her entire family. At Christmas, we went to Maine to see my brother Bob and his family and had a great time. And this past Wednesday, Brad Edmondson and Tania Werbizky spent the night while on their way to the White Mountains. / As we were eating dinner tonight, after a long day of cooking, I fantasized about a huge long farmhouse table with all the people who give me so much love and support sitting around me. What a meal that would be. / We take Peter back to Union tomorrow, and I always get a bit melancholy when he leaves. In his words, I am “waxing a bit poetic” here, but if you can’t say how much your friends and family mean to you, something isn’t quite right. / So, to all of you dear people in my life, best wishes for the new year.
Fenway
Every year around this time, Peter and I drive into Boston. Our first stop is Fenway. We park on Yawkey Way (there is always a spot) and walk around the perimeter of the park. It is always a bit odd to be there in the off season, especially with lots of snow on the ground from the storm earlier this week. We start by heading East on Yawkey and then around to Lansdowne. This year we spotted the entrance to the Bleacher Bar, which is actually inside the building, just under the center field bleachers. It is a really nice smallish pub that was mostly empty. A nice time for an early Guinness for me and a lime and soda for Peter. It was a great day to be together.
Guest check
My dad was a very interesting guy. He died in August of 2007, and my mom died in March of 2009. Cleaning out their apartment in Meadville was difficult in the obvious ways. It wasn’t until July of ’09 that we finally had everything out and divided up. It was very cool the way my sister, brother and I settled on who got what. No hassles at all. Since I was the last to leave Meadville, I had lots of odds and ends to bring home. The boxes ended up in my family room and have sat there since. My plan was to go through them and divide the remaining items between the three of us. It has been hanging over my head since that July, but I finally started opening boxes on Tuesday. Dad had saved some intersesting little items. / After he retired from Allegheny College, he read to school children at my old elementary school and volunteered to teach English as a second language through the Meadville Public Library. A family named Lee moved to town from China to work at the Chinese restaurant run by Mr Lee’s brother. They came speaking no English, and my dad became their teacher and mentor. He poured all his heart into that family, and they really loved him in return. The boys were Jamie and Danny, and Jan was their mom.
Our son Peter was born 5 weeks early in January of 1989. He weighed just over 3 pounds and had a very rough start, staying in the NICU at Floating Hospital in Boston for what seemed like forever. When I was going through the boxes from Meadville, I came across this envelope.
I realized right away that it was from the Lee’s. This note was inside.
Oh, man.
C.C.
Knowing how to refer to the children of my many nieces and one nephew has always been a problem for me. I think I have finally learned that these kids are my great nieces and nephews. I’ll try to remember from now on. This is C.C. who is the youngest daughter of niece Debbie her husband Burr. (Here’s another question; is Burr my nephew or nephew-in-law?) In this photo, she is with Steven, who is Burr’s brother.
Herman
I first met Herman Boykin in Ithaca when our friend Warren roped us all into working on the Strand Theatre renovation. In the late 70s he moved to New York City. It is always so great to get together and hang out. Had time to meet the new puppies and have a few beers before catching the train home.
Albanese Meats & Poultry
This block of Elizabeth Street runs just south of Houston, and I know it really well because my good friend Herman Boykin started living there in 1979. Before I moved to the City in 1986 and while I was living there I would spend a lot of time in the neighborhood. There were many more shops like Albanese’s back then, but the area is really different now.
Royal Palm
Peter Carroll and I went out for Indian food in Collegtown when I was in Ithaca. The Royal Palm has been there forever without much obvious change. It is a pretty cool building.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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