Shrimp Mozambique, littleneck steamers, watermelon salad, seasoned french fries, tuna steak, bife a casa, classic rock on the speakers, and maybe just a little too much beer…
In good company, the American camper life might not be so bad after all.
C5F5+HQ North Stonington, Connecticut
PS – Don’t tell my brother about this!
Oh, youth. “Back in my day,” I used to frequent the punk rock and metal shows. In secret basements, in grungy apartments; blood, sweat, screaming. And the mosh pit! Oida.
I’ve since become an old lady, listening to jazz, sipping tea, with some calming music in the background. I’m now a stranger to the punk scene. It’s a fun place to visit, though, and take some touristy photos (definitely better subject matter than beaches and lighthouses!!), but I never stay for long.
Post 104 marks two years of Photograf*in. Now that is something to smile about.
Wishing you a light and peaceful day. Breathe some fresh air, and look for those little details that might bring some joy to your life. A house painted pink, a happy face in an unexpected location, a photo from a far-off land. Whatever is happening right now, I hope you find a reason to smile.
As a 90’s kid, I played a lot of Playstation. I’m something of a collector these days. I’d say I have well over 120 games from Playstation, Xbox, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Atari, Gameboy, and more. It’s funny. I collect these things, but I no longer play them. In fact, I don’t even own a TV. I’m still accumulating old games, given to me by people who find boxes in their basements or garages. I’ve begun to slowly sell some of my games, keeping only the ones that have the biggest punch of nostalgia for some future day when I might power up an old console.
Would you like to buy a memory?
fog in the air
petals on the ground
cherry blossom scent
What a surprise that a post about cherry blossoms would come not from Stefan in Tokyo, but from Sarah in humble little Rhode Island. Yes, we have sakura here too, though they don’t draw crowds and I’ve never seen people admiring them. Probably it’s because there usually aren’t very many of them together in one place, and they are often in unassuming locations, like these that are found in a local “lifestyle shopping center,” whatever that means. I’m fortunate enough that I drive through this little intersection every day, and seeing these blossoms at their peak is breathtaking, despite the ordinariness of the surrounding environment.
Wishing Stefan a very happy 100th post! What an accomplishment that we haven’t missed a single week. We’re coming up on 2 years of Photograf*in. Prost to that!
乾杯
I don’t know what else to say except to mention that I wish my recent posts here were a bit more exciting.
I went on vacation last week and kept myself a little too busy. I didn’t take any time to relax until Day 7 of my time off. That’s a struggle I’m working through: always taking on too much work, not giving myself enough time for play.
By the Saturday of my vacation, I was exhausted. I went for a little hike in the woods, but didn’t think to take a photo for the blog. Later in the evening, I arrived at home and got to working on a new project of mine. I realized I needed to capture something for my post, and so I decided to show the behind-the-scenes of my process of working on this project.
As you can see, I’m still a bit old-school in my way of working. I have 4 old 80s&90s thesauruses, a nice little handmade notebook, a simple ballpoint pen, and film negatives. Who needs digital?
The project is taking photos on a particular camera (my Holga or sometimes a Polaroid SX70), writing haiku, and matching the poems and photographs together as a harmonious story. It’s quite an enjoyable process, but not too exciting.
Just another day in the busy life of Sarah.
GHP7+V2 North Kingstown, Rhode Island
(the location of my undocumented hike)
There is a list of things I wish I could do every day:
drawing, photography, meditation, weightlifting, writing–to list my favorites.
But there’s always an excuse, some reason why I can’t do these things all the time. Really, there isn’t enough time in a day for me to be able to do all the things I love every day, while still working a full time job. That’s okay.
Despite all the excuses, all the work I have to do, the responsibilities I have, the plans and commitments, there actually is one thing that I am disciplined enough to do each and every day.
As simple as it is, I walk. Every day. One mile or more.
In rain, in snow, in heat, in the dark. There is no excuse, other than illness or injury, that keeps me from getting out there for a walk.
Today is day 56 of consecutive walking days. I have had much longer streaks than that.
I walk around my neighborhood. I walk around my side job’s client’s neighborhoods. I walk at the beach. In the woods. In towns. In cities. If given the choice between driving and walking, I walk.
Walking is my zen time. It is my exercise, my meditation, my creative practice. I often write haiku or take photos on my walks. Sometimes I stop to draw. I think of things I can write about, I think of nothing at all. I don’t think about work. I listen to the birds, the waves, the passing traffic. Rarely, I will listen to music with one earbud. Occasionally I might talk on the phone, but only with really special people.
Today it downpoured. It’s windy. The path was flooded, the streams were raging. My socks got wet. My pants and jacket were soaked. But I walked more than 2 miles, and would have kept going had I not been breaking in a new pair of rainboots.
Some days are harder than others to get out there. But I never feel bad after a walk. Would you like to join me?
New Years is the time when most people think about new beginnings, starting fresh, setting goals, and creating new habits. But truthfully, every day is a fresh start. Not just every day, but each moment we have a chance to start anew.
Remember this the next time you feel that twinge of sadness, the feeling that things aren’t going well. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and when you emerge, a new moment will be there, waiting for you to move with it.
It’s almost spring. Yet another blank page is presenting itself. Make something beautiful!
Returning, one cold winter morning, to a place that we went together.
The fountain that the afternoon sun once caught, glimmering, today ran dry.
The groups of people walking in the park were absent and all was quiet, except for churchbells ringing across the street (for whom?), ringing for minutes, dozens of minutes, a half hour, maybe more.
The colorful leaves signalling the New England autumn are long gone, and the sun tries its hardest to shine through the clouds, through the tree branches, to where I stand–where we once stood.
Those moments will never happen again. Things are beautiful today in a different way. And that is why I say to you,
ichigo ichie.
