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Here is a pond near my house that I often walk to during every season. Here is the same New England Pond in Winter and here are the Ducks in Summer. These pictures were taken in early November 2008. The ducks were still there but the geese had gone for the season.
Here are more photos to remind us of Summer in the bleak of winter. Last Summer, I was in the Eastern Townships of Quebec in July. These pictures were taken near Knowlton.
Recently. I received a review copy National Geographic of Mothers and Children. It is a small but wonderful book full of pictures of mothers with their children from all over the world. The contributors include Annie Griffiths Belt, Sam Abell, Jodi Cobb, Joel Sartore, and more (see my earlier interview Sam Abell Talks about Photography and Life and my review - The Life of a Photographer – Sam Abell). The book contains 120 pages with 100 beautiful photographs.
The book is divided in four sections: the north, the south, the east, and the west. These refer to parts of the globe rather than a country. I like the Jewish proverb quoted, “God could not be everywhere so he created mothers.” The diversity of people and dress is striking but the common qualities of the mother-child relationship come through. There are mothers and daughters of all ages.
Not surprisingly, I especially liked the total context and qualities in Sam Abel’s picture of a mother and three children in Northwest Australia. A. W. Cullers’ beach shot in Wales is a picture I could look at for a long time and continue to see new things. Gordon Gahan’s shot of mother and newborn finger play in Rostock Germany captures some of the joy and wonder of that moment in life.
There is an introduction from mother and writer Lynne Perri and three lyrical essays, co-written by Craig Wilson, about work, play, and life at home are sandwiched between the four sections. They have their own illustrations. This is the perfect Mother’s Day gift but one that does not lose its relevancy year round. I hope they now do a Fathers and Children book.
Last summer I stayed at the Madison Springs Hut operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club. It is part of the AMC high hut series. You have to climb 3800 feet to get there but they serve wonderful food to reward your efforts. Here are some pictures of the hut at the base of Mount Madison. You can see the cookies and fresh bread being prepared for the evening meal. This hut is on the site of the first hut built by the AMC. The original was constructed in the 1888. It has been rebuilt several times. I heard a rumor that it might be rebuilt again so here is a record of the current version. It is on the shoulder of Mount Madison which you can see in one of the pictures. The sunset photo was taken for near the hut on my second night. You can see the multi-phased sunset on the first night in my post, White Mountain NH Sunset in Five Parts. If you click on the pictures, they enlarge.
The sun set through multiple cloud lines so there were many sunsets. Photos were taken at Madison Hut in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
More from my February trip to Las Vegas. Here are the other countries and universes
I was in Las Vegas for a conference a few weeks ago. I last went to Las Vegas in 1967 when I played black jack all night and walked away with enough winnings to buy breakfast. This time I stayed away form the tables and machines to keep my winning record intact. If I thought LA was an alternative universe (see last weekend), this is beyond that. The architecture is a down market Epcot but it only gets stranger inside. Here are some random shots and there will be more tomorrow. This is the Italian version with scenes from the Venetian, Cesar's Place and the Bellagio.
Square One provided our first breakfast in LA (see - Los Angeles Dining Update – February 2009) last month. This place also offered some of the best photo ops which I am sharing a few below. I especially like th eembracinf bacon. I had a variation on eggs benedict with salmon on a potato pancake and grits on the side. How could I resist this? Fortunately my cholesterol runs low. It is located at 4854 Fountain Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90029 (323) 661.1109.
