A Strange Few Days

The house and yards were clean and ready for the hordes of folks to come to the shin-dig. It was not the sultry, summer night I'd prayed for. It was a need to wear a sweater kind of night. Only about a dozen folks showed up which made it very intimate and a little disconcerting. Don't people like me anymore? The party was really for William but I must admit to being a little sad that I had put so much work into creating a nice party setting, even broke my toe in the process (my first broken bone, yeah!).

Despite the "poor" turnout, it was a really nice night with many great conversations and food and some dancing. By 1 or 2am we were down to 3 people at the fire pit watching the Shauff family chairs go up in flames. It felt good. Sunday's hangover combined with the need to keep my foot elevated and iced was quite relaxing spent on the couch watching movies.

My old lady had to be taken to the emergency room Sunday night for chest pains, I hobbled around her house getting things together before her niece came. She is fine, don't know why the strange pains.

Yesterday, caught a humming bird in my kitchen and set it free. Saw a huge yellow, perfectly round balloon floating above my house. Transferred William's dogs ashes from a box into a nice metal container I'd been wondering what to do with. It has felt surreal, more so than usual.

The boys left for L.A. early this morning, maybe things will start to feel "normal" again?

Flower Friday

End of Summer & Ritual Burning Soiree

The b.f. will be camping and kayaking this coming weekend and I will be having some friends over for a potluck. As I have said before, this hasn't felt much like summer. The lack of heat and backyard parties has had me rather blue. But, it was 105 degrees yesterday and I'm hoping for a sultry night on Saturday.

The remains of Williams beat-up childhood chairs sit by the fire pit awaiting a proper ceremony. They will be reduced to ashes, only a memory. Grace's house will soon be inhabited by others and William's connection to that place will be physically severed. Thankfully, he has friends here who won't let him slip away.

My Baby Sister!

http://www.king5.com/video?id=101331204&sec=549122

Click on the link above to see what she "does for a living".

Pretty cool gal she has become, she always has been but she is one of the few people who are living their dream. She has wanted to study Killer Whales since she was a kid.

Random Scanned Shots

Near the River where we grew up

The Couple Who Wash Together....

Floral Sofa & Jane with Elephant Ear

Andrew and Gabriel sent me a little 35mm scanner as a thank you for the photos I shot of their wedding. I've dug a bunch of old negs outta my basement darkroom and have had a lot of fun seeing old images and have just started scanning a couple.

Procrastination of cleaning the house has had me messing around with a test shot of my studio couch and and an old photo taken in New Orleans. I prefer to handcolor the old fashioned way with fiber based prints and oils but using photoshop is fun too and a lot less messy.

Flower Friday

The F.U.Flower

Last year I planted some seeds from a packet that had been hidden away in a memorabilia box for years. I'd purchased them in Seattle about 18 years ago. The writing was in German and didn't even have the "sunshine" or 'half-sunshine" icons to help me know when and where to plant. So, I just scattered the whole lot into one of my vegetable plots.

Only one came up, flipping the bird to the sky. It made me so happy to see that there had still been one tiny seed filled with the potential for life. It was kind of like a sign to me, as those seeds had been bought with my old love who's passed away. He has sent me all kinds of signs thru the years so it only seemed right. Comforting.

This year there are a hundred of these fellows, all flipping off whatever it is that this particular Celosia is pissed about. I can't find, though I have searched google images, this strange plant. Apparently they are eaten in Africa and Asia. The leaves and the flowers are edible but I am not going to risk a slow and painful death until I know for sure that they are indeed Celosia (Coxcomb are in this family).

Her Name is Bella...

not Sweetie or Spazzy as I had been calling her.

Don't want to bore you with all the crazy details of the night and following day so I will just say that she had a chip. She has a home. I don't need to worry about her anymore.

Here We Go, AGAIN

Little Willie came over this evening. He was shot. Re-living his past thru the books of his childhood, his mothers' keepsakes, art she'd made, a life-time of memories to be distributed between the children and absorbed and dealt with both emotionally and physically.

I'd been weeding the succulent garden in my ratty, old shorts and paint-splattered halter top. We drank a beer in the back, back yard and talked about how disillusioned we are about the general state of affairs of the human race (mostly North Americans, specifically those from The United States), the whole "Entitlement" thing and the fact that we as a nation are so Fucking spoiled, had it good for a long time and have been fed this constant b.s. that "we" DESERVE it ALL, NOW, and CHEAP. Step on the head of your brother. Can't even bother to say Thanks when a door is held open for you. Whatever happened to The Golden Rule? Common courtesy, manners, respect, giving a shit?

Anyway, we decided to head out to the gas station to pick up some more beer, maybe let a little lighter conversation would ensue. He went in as I hadn't changed into something more appropriate for for such a fine establishment. Seconds after William got inside I found a stray dog running from the street into the parking lot, completely disoriented. She had been recently attacked by another dog with a big scab on her ear.

Long story short, a gal at the pumps thought she knew who the dog belonged to. Followed her to someone's house, wasn't the right dog. Another gal at the station wanted her, she called me, they were on their way to pick her up. Waited in the front yard, got a text that her husband didn't want another dog. Now, she is at our house for the night. Only one night.

I'm in trouble, again. See, I have a history.

Finally!

One of the things I dream about in the winter is eating fresh, delicious, home-grown tomatoes. Not the round, deceivingly red, tasteless imposter's found in the super market.

With the late spring and lack of enough hot days the tomatoes are not doing well, pretty sad and puny. I have been munching on cherry tomatoes for a couple of months now but the big boys have been slow to produce and even slower to ripen. So, I thought.

I have been waiting for the "Aunt Ruby's" to turn red. Yesterday I finally touched one to see what was going on as the tops were beginning to "crack". Turns out they are green tomatoes, very ripe and ready.

There will be no gazpacho this year but a tomato, basil, olive oil, vinegar, garlic salad is much over do!

Flower Friday? Better Than Flamenco Friday?

The Boys Are Back In Town

This has been the weirdest summer ever. It hasn't been hot. It doesn't feel right. It feels like limbo or twilight. It has felt like the end of summer since June...like when you are a kid and the sun is setting earlier and the impending doom of school starting again is hanging in the air like a noose.

The days have been in the 80's and the nights cold. I should be languishing, sweating, uncovered at night with the fan on high. The tomatoes should be 6 feet tall and full and form a wall of foliage-each plant indistinguishable from the next. Friends and family should have shared in the bounty. But, sadly, no bounty here. The Elephant Ears used to be Giant. Is this a fluke or is it something more serious?

Beyond the strange weather, this summer has been very un-summerlike. Last year was filled with outdoor parties and friends and some other not so pleasant things but at least it felt real. We had 2 PuNk rOck REunIon ParTieS, a Birthday party for us Tauruses, numerous impromptu get-togethers and lots of fun.

Last summer was a Gay Summer, in both ways. A couple from LA moved into the vacant lot across the street from our house and camped out in their ultra cool Airstream trailer while visiting one's mother. Two friends who had been forced out of their communal art living situation came to live in the loft above the garage. After they had been asked to leave, by me, ultimately due to chicken issues another gay boy moved into the newly vacated space. He could be sweet, he danced flamenco, he was beyond moody, he got booted too, not for aviary issues but more for the habit of pissing and pooping in the yard and a general lack of respect and hygiene.

But, William was my savior. Mint juleps and clay masks and hours of the most gratifying conversations filled my summer with a new and precious friend. This summer has felt sad and vacant and void.

Last night William and John drove in from LA. My little Willy and I went dumpster diving tonight across the street as they are cleaning up the lot. Found lots of great, old rusty bits. Then we sat on the deck with the little white lights burning and talking about our lives and what kind of futures we are imagining at this moment.

Tomorrow night we will have a bonfire built from the remains of the chairs he grew up with, long since functional and a point of contention with his mom (she was always going to repair them). She died last year and now they are going thru her things and getting rid of a life time of memories both beautiful and bitter.

The funny thing is that is warm tonight. Beautifully warm and summer-like, a good 20 degrees warmer than last night. I feel good, I feel hopeful. I look forward to a good ritual burning!