New York Thruway (Eastbound)
As I was driving home from Brockport yesterday afternoon the light was similar to that in my previous post, though at a different time of the day. As my film-maker friends might say, “magic hour”. / I seem to have come down with a very nasty chest cold. I know it is all about the virus, but I can’t help wondering if lack of sleep and being in hotel rooms didn’t make it worse. So I’m drinking lots of fluids and sleeping as much as I can. If anyone else is in the same boat, let me know and I’ll post my hot toddy recipe.
Air Force Two
I had to take my iMac over to Dan to have the hard drive replaced (Apple warranty). Fortunately it hadn’t died yet so not much more than an inconvenience. I have been keeping my laptop open in order to skype with Cris in the West Bank and the screen saver went to a folder of postcards that I used to make and send out to friends. I really like some of these images and realized I could share them here on my wordpress site. It’s fun to think just how much of an impact the digital world has had on photography. I used to print 10 or 15 of these and mail them to friends and clients. Now I can post this and who knows how many people will see it./ This picture was taken at the airport in Elmira, NY. I spent a lot of time covering the 1984 presidential race, and I think this was the Bush VP plane. It reminded me of the election on Tuesday and thought it would be a good time to encourage everyone here in the States to get out and vote.
Brockport, NY
I’m in Brockport shooting a job for MJ Herson and the college. Peter Carroll is here too and he and I had a nice meal at a local pub. It is an interesting little town on the Erie Canal and the people here are very nice.
We didn’t go into Barber’s but they had great neon.
Something New
This post is a way to jump-start my brain. I have been so preoccupied with Peter that it has been difficult to concentrate on anything else. It feels great to be focusing on photographs again. None of these pictures seem so interesting on their own, but together reflect what’s been going on for the past month.
Above is Tom Schack’s birthday cake from the now infamous “Schackstock” at Snowzies in Sunderland. Bands started playing at 1 pm and things shut down at closing time. His Mom, Dad, and Sister were there as well as lots of his friends.
He is just about the nicest guy in the world, and was really enjoying himself.
This flower starts showing up partway down the drive in early August.
When I was shooting the Tilghman project in August I made sure to visit Miss Pigsley. She lives down the street from Jennifer, has an air conditioner in her shed and will never be bacon. I took this for Peter because we are both huge P.G. Wodehouse fans and any stories with Lord Emsworth feature his obsession with “The Empress”. This pig is magnificent and is very happy to have visitors. She used to drink massive amounts of Kool-Aid until the vet put her on a diet.
On the Sunday morning before Peter Carroll and I left the island, we went to the church to document a service. This gentleman was in the pew in front of me.
I have always liked cattails.
When Cris, Pete, and I went to see the Sox in August, the Olympics were going on and this guy was checking out the US Women’s Soccer action. Technology!
I had a hard time getting the white balance right in this shot. I walk past this box on my way to shoot the suitcases. It always reminds me of this Little Feat song.
Going back to Meadville means more than hot dogs and ice cream but two stops are essential; Eddie’s and Hank’s Frozen Custard.
I have been going to Hank’s since it opened in 1952.
Peter loves it too.
There is only one reason to post this photo. It might be the only time you can see Red Sox pitcher Clayton Mortensen at bat in an American League Park. At this point the Sox were up something like 12-1 and I still can’t figure out why Bobby Valentine had him at the plate. Kind of cool though.
When we were at Pymatuning watching the ducks walk on the fishes backs we met the woman I posted about earlier. She was wearing this shirt which got us talking. I’d like to visit sometime.
It is very rare to be in on an historical moment, but I can say I was there when one of my neighborhood friends coined the term “Rat Lake” for the body of water that appeared after the flood control dam was built.
I usually help Thom Kendall out with the photos on media day for the UMASS football team. The new coach is a really great guy. This picture pretty much tells you most of what you need to know about Charley Molnar.
The Pearl out on the deck.
Cris and I went to Amherst Coffee today. I often take a shot of my cappuccino for some reason.
Never one to hide my emotions, I have been mentioning to just about anyone I talk to about my feelings of having Peter off in DC. So many of you have told me that he will be fine, and I want to thank you all for your support. One of the best bits of encouragement came from Leamuse in France as a comment on my earlier post. “Bon courage et bon chance.” Thank you so much; it really helps.
Pirates v Dodgers
Peter and I had a nice visit to PNC Park last night. We usually sit in the same general area; sections 116 or 117 as the seats are really affordable. I have made a version of this photo on many occasions but it is always a captivating view. A great city and in our opinion the nicest park in the majors. Bucs lost 5-4 to the Dodgers but it was a good game and the fans were totally into it.
Sunday in PA and Ohio
Today, Peter and I drove from Meadville to Cleveland, mostly on Route 322. It was a cool gray morning and 322 is a road that I have ridden on and driven many times. The fields were so green and lush; soy beans and field corn grown mostly on small family farms. I had wanted to stop and photograph on our way to the Indians game, but I felt a bit of pressure to get to the stadium and park with plenty of time to spare. It was a great game for the many Sox fans that made the trip with Boston winning 14-1. Afterwards Peter and I had an amazing meal at Mallorca.
As we were driving back to Meadville I was again taken by the rural beauty of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The roads are in quite good shape and the farms are nicely kept. This shot is facing East on Ohio Route 167 not far from the PA line. There was so little traffic that I just stopped the car in the road to take it.
I stopped to photograph the fields on the way home and found myself thinking about the farmers in the midwest who are suffering through one of the worst droughts in recent history. Not four hundred miles west of here in Indiana the corn is dying for lack of rain. And yet the farmers in this part of the world seem to be in the midst of a bumper crop. I actually thought that if the Indiana farmers saw these fields they might cry.
And finally, our route back to Meadville took us through Linesville, PA. I got the chance to show Peter the famous spillway on Pymatuning Lake where the “ducks walk on the fishes backs”. I know it is really bizarre, but it is something I grew up with and it doesn’t seem that weird. We met a nice woman who is driving across the country visiting places like this. Here’s a link to her blog.
Pennsylvania Welcome Center
Peter and I drove to Meadville today. We’ll go to Cleveland for a ballgame tomorrow and then to Pittsburgh to see the Bucs on Monday evening. / I have always liked this view out the back of the PA welcome center just beyond the New York State border. Grapevines in the foreground and you can just barely see the lake off in the distance.
Block Island
Cris and I took the ferry to Block Island on Tuesday. I was photographing the foam kicked up from the props (or jets?) when this woman’s head popped out.
I hadn’t been there for at least 30 years, and I had forgotten what a nice place it is. We were visiting our friends Scott and Lisa and their kids at their rental on the south side of the island, and the light at the end of the day was really nice.
We left early the next morning, but it was just about a perfect 24 hours.
Hay Bales
I shot suitcases in Rotterdam yesterday and then drove to Ithaca. On 206 between Green and Whitney Point I began to notice the big bales of hay that dot the landscape at this time of year. My friend Bill Marsh used to tell his daughter that they were giant shredded wheats.
Later in the evening Peter Carroll and I went to the Glenwood Pines for a bite to eat. I hadn’t been there in a long time.
Farnham’s Again
Peter and I made the first trip of the summer to Farnham’s yesterday. The fried clams are really the best we have found anywhere. I also had a bowl of the chowder which was very good.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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