Plant
Cris thought this was a clematis, but upon looking at pictures that are online, I am quite sure it is something else. In any event, it was outside all summer and appeared to be totally dead. I moved it into the shade and watered it regularly and it came back. / It is an appropriate flower, as earlier this morning I went to the doctor and was informed that I had “pink eye”. I almost laughed when he told me, as I don’t think I have heard those words since elementary school. It is still kind of fun to say….pink eye. It is a total drag though; certainly not a good condition for a photographer. He gave me some drops and I hope it starts clearing up soon. / The picture in the background is my mom and was taken in 1956 in Lermoos, Austria. Here’s a link to a previous post about that trip.
Hot Toddy
I am drinking one as I write this. It seems kind of silly as it is the essence of simplicity to make a hot toddy, but here’s what I usually do. (I am making two here since even if you are not sick it will really hit the spot. Cristine loves them.) Three main ingredients. A thick slice of lemon, a big teaspoon of honey, and some amber liquid (I usually use a fairly cheap blended Canadian whiskey, but others use rum or scotch, or well, just about anything. I would welcome suggestions for alternatives for those of you who don’t use alcohol.)
Put the lemon, honey and alcohol into a big mug. I like these glass ones. Boil some water and add. Stir until the honey is dissolved and everything is well mixed.
You can see from the mug on the left that I left the pips in the lemon slices. They add a certain rusticness (is that a word?). / The main reason I am posting this is that I did get several responses from the previous post. But leamuse’s comment sealed the deal. “The Mistral is blowing here in The Mediterranean so let’s have the recipe!” How could I resist?
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.
New York Thruway
It has been a busy few days. I was at Yale on Monday speaking about the suitcases to Jessica Helfand’s class. Peggy Ross came over Tuesday morning and we worked all day on suitcase stuff and that evening I shot a play at UMASS, then immediately hopped in my car and drove west toward Brockport, NY. Stopped just west of Syracuse for what was left of the night and was shooting at the College at Brockport by 9.00 the next morning. / I liked the early morning light on the Thruway early Wednesday. It was very fleeting though; about 5 miles down the road it was totally cloudy.
Small Fir
I think I posted a shot of one of these a few years ago. I can never remember what this small plant is called but I seem to remember seeing them in terrariums back way back when. They are all over the woods above my house. I’m pretty sure my sister will chime in with the correct answer. Anyone else care to enlighten me?
Bluebonnet Diner
I am getting a new battery in the Element and having the snows put on. I should really be doing some work answering email or going through the to-do list in my notebook. The dealership has great WiFi and it is a good excuse to do a quick post and avoid actual work. / The Bluebonnet diner on King Street in Northampton is pretty classic. An original Worcester Diner with an attached restaurant. I like pictures that show prices. Maybe someday someone will look at this and say “Liverwurst sandwich for only $4.29. Amazing”. My mom used to love liverwurst with a slice of sweet onion on rye bread.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
A bit of a melange here.
I have always liked fountain pens (something I share with my dear friend John Wilson). And ink bottles are a big part of why I like them. I think I bought this bottle in Berlin when I lived there.
Cris and I went to the Amherst Farmer’s Market this morning. Lots of root veg. And something I had never seen before except in a bottle.
Turmeric!
We then went up to Blue Dog Leather in Orange where Keith is making a one handed belt for Peter. Got to hang out with his donkeys and his two American Bashkir horses. They grow this coat in the winter and shed most of it in springtime. They are such beautiful animals.
Thanks again Alex. I love the camera.
Jack Gilbert 1925-2012
My friend Karen Miller sent me a note today about Jack Gilbert’s death this past Sunday. The time I spent with him is among my most cherished memories as a photographer. He was an amazing man and poet, and I feel so lucky to have met him. Here’s a link to one of his poems.
Willard Suitcases Update
Since Hunter’s “Collector’s Weekly” interview with me came out earlier this week, a lot of attention has been drawn to the suitcases project. He did such a great job capturing my voice and I am really grateful for his interest. It has suddenly opened up some very interesting new doors, and has driven a ton of traffic to this blog. Occasionally when people come here expecting to see suitcase photos, they see my other posts and get confused. It has been intentional on my part to mix up the suitcase updates with my other stuff because I want visitors to get an idea of who I am as a person and a photographer. But when someone comes here looking for Willard suitcases and sees a picture of my dog in the back of the car, they might be thinking something along the lines of WTF (as the kids say). I have been giving this a good think, and here’s my solution. I still want everyone to see everything, but to make it easier on people I will link to some of the earlier updates. So here we go: Dmytre, Frank, Flora, and some earlier ones: Charles, and the first one I ever shot which explains the genesis of the project, Frieda. For those of you new visitors who are adventurous and have some time on your hands, just click on the archive links to the right and wander around a bit.
I have received so many notes from people saying that they came to this site to look at the suitcases but were excited by what else they saw. And I want to thank you all for being interested in my work and my life.
Here’s a link that my friend Tom Bollier sent to me earlier today when it popped up on his Google reader. I had no idea that this was being done, but she did a nice job. More news to come soon, I hope.
Boy at Beach
Here’s another one of my postcard photos from a long time ago. I’m not really sure why I’m drawn to this image, but it strikes a chord.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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