Bernie!
I had heard earlier today that Bernie Sanders would be in Amherst this evening and thought it would be interesting to go and check it out. I used to shoot a lot of political stuff when I was younger and have always liked the vibe of campaign gatherings.
There was a huge queue outside of the Mullins Center for the 6.00 PM event.
Here are Bill, Billy, and Elias who came over from Hudson, NY. Bill is a huge politics buff and was a fan of both Hillary and Bernie. Elias is going to Africa in a few months.
The event was supposed to start at 6.00, but there were still thousands of people outside at that time as security was pretty tight. TSA were checking bags and pockets, and the Secret Service was in full force.
I think this guy was serious!
There was quite a lot of positive energy in the building. And not just young folks. It was actually quite diverse in terms of age.
The only merchandise I saw for sale were these earrings, and I don’t think the woman selling them was an “official” part of the campaign. $10.00 a pair.
Just like old times for me; this guy was shooting 16mm film!
I love photographing events like this, as people are really open and happy for the attention.
Here is my Norwegian friend Björn, who seemed to find it all exotic and interesting. He said that given what Bernie had to say, he would probably be thought of as a center-right candidate in Norway.
I will say this; Bernie has a tremendous amount of energy and drive, and there is a very genuine quality about him. The crowd was completely with him the whole time.
It was a very interesting evening, and so much fun to be in the middle of this sort of event again.
Don’t forget to vote!
Gordon Krieghoff
I have mentioned my Krieghoff connection before. Like Cornelius, Gordon was also a painter, and he lived and worked in Detroit, which is where my mom grew up. If I remember correctly, they were contemporaries, although Gordon was somewhat older. In addition to works like the one above, he was also a commericial artist.
While my family doesn’t have any Cornelius paintings, we do have quite a few of Gordon’s. There is not much of a market for his work, and there isn’t much information online about his life. It is possible that my brother or sister know more than I, and they might add something in the comments. I don’t ever remember meeting him as a child.
When my parents died, we siblings each got several of the paintings. The frames were in pretty good shape but the mats were yellowed and probably not acid-free. This is the second one that I have had reframed, and like the first, there was something sketched out on the reverse side of the painting.
This is clearly the beginning of what was probably an advertisement of some sort. I know he did illustrative work for some of the larger Detroit companies, including General Motors. Like many of us, I wish I had more concrete facts about my extended family history.
Olive’s New Bowl
When Judy Berde and I were making arrangements for my talk on Roosevelt Island, I got an email from her asking if I had a dog. The question came out of nowhere, but I told her about Olive. When I finished my talk she presented me with a box with this amazing gift inside. Olive now has a new bowl, and she loves it! (Well, it has food in it and she is a Labrador; what’s not to like?) I think these bowls are for sale through the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, as well as mugs with the same text. Any of you who live in the metro New York area should think about joining the organization; Judy does a great job and the island has a really interesting history.
Olive is also now rocking a new Red Sox collar, which is a gift from my sister Karen. Thanks Sis.
Herman
Working my way home today, but I got to see my good friend Herman this morning on Elizabeth Street. I think he just got this new hat.
Big thanks to Judy Berde at the Roosevelt Island Historical Society for inviting me to speak about the suitcases. We had a great crowd with lots of interesting questions. And a note to any of you who are involved in organizations that might like to sponsor a talk. I am starting to travel quite a bit and really look forward to presenting the project. Next Wednesday the 17th, I be talking about some of my other work to the Schenectady Photographic Society. If you live in the Albany area, stop by.
Willard Suitcases / Virginia W
Virginia’s case is pretty great. I can’t quite make out the date of her admittance, but it is sometime in the early 1950’s. It is interesting that these were the only two books she brought with her to Willard.
Good news about the willardsuitcases.com site. Steve Fox was able to troubleshoot the problem, and it is back up and looking good. I just added Virginia’s case, so you might want to check it out.
I am looking forward to seeing some of you in New York next week.
Bradley Airport Terminal B
Peter and I used to drop off Cristine at this terminal when she would be leaving on some of her long trips to South Asia for work. After she went to her gate he and I would sit on a bench at curbside and record the names and numbers on the shuttle vans as they came past. I still have some of the notebooks that we used all those years ago.
On Friday I drove her to the airport for a brief trip to DC and on the approach road, this is what we saw. I guess I knew that they would be tearing it down at some point, but it was still a bit of a shock. / She flies in later tonight, but I came down early to try to get a shot. The sun went below the horizon within 30 seconds of taking this photo and the light changed completely. It is always amazing to me that a building once so full of activity could be reduced to this. It will be completely gone very soon.
Willard Suitcases/Margaret D./NYC Talk
Margaret D. came to Willard with almost all of her household, including her car. I posted here and here about her before. / The cutlery in the La Lure box is very cool.
On Tuesday the 9th of February I will be giving a presentation about the suitcases sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society. It will take place at the New York Public Library branch, 524 Main Street on the island. The start time is 6.30 pm and I would encourage anyone coming to get there a bit early, as the branch closes at 7.45 and we will need to start on time.
There is very little on-street parking, I would encourage everyone to come by public transport. (Hey, it’s New York City!) Here is a link for travel directions. If you are coming by tram, the station is at Second Avenue and 60th Street. You will need to pay with a Metrocard ($2.75). When you arrive on the island, take red bus (free) to the second stop and walk forward about 50 yards to the library. If coming by subway, take the F train from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island. Then the red bus to the first stop and walk 50 yards to the library. If you follow the project online or have been in touch directly, please come up and introduce yourself. I will be in the building by 5.00, I hope, and will have time to chat once everything is set up. Hope to see you there.
I noticed today that the willardsuitcases.com site is acting up a bit. All of the information below the photograph on the splash page seems to have disappeared. Fortunately everything else seems to be working, including access to the cases page. I have a call in to Steve Fox who did a beautiful job designing the site, and I hope we can get it cleared up soon.
Leaves / Ice
I had a nice little walk in the woods today with the dog. We don’t have any snow, but there is ice.
Weird Little Thing
I can’t really explain why odd little occurrences amuse me so much. And I won’t even begin to attempt to go into too much detail here. I was shaving in the shower as I usually do and took the top off a new can of gel. I placed it on the grab bar but it fell through the gap, slid down the wall and stopped. It stayed there during the rest of my shower but when I checked an hour later it had dropped off. The scientific explanation that comes to mind is “surface tension”, but I really have no idea.
Willard Suitcases / Nora M
Even though I am in South Carolina taking a short break, I’m still trying to get quite a bit of editing done on the suitcases project. Nora M’s cases are pretty amazing.
The above shot is a great example of how the museum conserved and catalogued each item in the collection. In the photo below you can see how Peg and I unwrapped and set up Nora’s cutlery.
In the past few days I have been able to upload several more cases to willardsuitcases.com, so please go check them out. On the main page, click on “The Cases” at the top of the page. There are quite a few shots on Nora’s page, so be sure to click “view: all” underneath the “Add To Cart” button.
Have a great week everyone and thanks for following.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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