Snow Blindness

Have been sick, and gray, and thoroughly uninspired by my surroundings to the point that my camera has not emerged in a week. I will try to shake this lethargy tomorrow.

January 20th-A New Day

Today Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. May it usher in an era of peace and prosperity, compassion and calm that is long remembered in our nation.

Following is an illustration of the President's Inauguration speech that was prepared by Brandy Agerbeck. (As a Graphic facilitator Brandy Agerbeck creates conceptual maps of conversations. Brandy's images help people navigate the complex world around them and bring clarity to their work.)

01.20.09

January 19th-Clean

Despite everything, the ocean washes all things clean - at least for a little while.

01.19.09

January 18th-It Just Won't Work

These should have been glowing with gorgeous golden light, illuminating a sacred event. No matter what I did, I just couldn't make it work. Since that was the reason I was there, I can't help feeling like a failure.

01.18.09

January 17th-Envying the Option to Fly Away

01.17.09

January 16th-Winging My Way to FLA

Leaving our frozen landscape for a quick junket to Florida for the Christening. A last glitter of winter clings to the window.

01.16.09

January 15th-Navy Pier

Today our extreme cold was irrelevant as I ventured out to Navy Pier to watch my little brother graduate from the Chicago Fire Academy (YEAH T!). A view of the harbor shows the steam rising off the lake.

01.15.09

January 14th-Snow Takes a Backseat to Cold

The extremes of winter continue to take their toll... In the amount of time it took to complete a transaction at the bank drive-through the following temperature drop occurred.

01.14.09

Scrubbed Clean

Snow
by Anne Sexton

Snow,
blessed snow,
comes out of the sky
like bleached flies.
The ground is no longer naked.
The ground has on its clothes.
The trees poke out of sheets
and each branch wears the sock of God.

There is hope.
There is hope everywhere.
I bite it.
Someone once said:
Don't bite till you know
if it's bread or stone.
What I bite is all bread,
rising, yeasty as a cloud.

There is hope.
There is hope everywhere.
Today God gives milk
and I have the pail.

01.13.09

January 11th-More Snow

Poor subject and weak composition, but the first time I've ever managed to capture even the faintest bit of sparkle that makes new snow so beautiful.

01.11.09

January 10th -Snow

The quest to find subjects to photograph was severely hampered by 12 inches of snow. I suppose I could try to create something to photograph using my surroundings, but it kinda feels like cheating. Quite a conundrum.

01.10.09

January 8th -Subjects

One of the most challenging aspects of this project is getting out into the world enough to find subjects to photograph. It is as if my office has become a prison. I found the following image on my drive home. The softness suggests the look of the actual windows through fog, but what is missing is an eerie blue cast to the glass that it attracted me to it in the first place. I need to get out more...

01.08.09

Ice

As Holiday decorations slowly disappear around the neighborhood, the trappings of winter return.

01.07.09

January 6th - Epiphany

As the Christmas season (blissfully in many respects) draws to a close, its last gasp is the celebration of Epiphany. It is not much of a “celebration” in the traditional sense, but this year I’ve been tripping over references to the idea of Epiphany, the Three Kings, Three Wise Men, and even Three Wise Women. It’s as if I have missed some elemental aspect of this particular holiday season and the cosmos doesn’t quite want to let me off the hook just yet. And while I generally relate to and identify more with the idea of God (Spirit, Nature) than Jesus (probably a byproduct of the religious extremism of my community), in recognition of the fact that regardless, I’m obviously still searching for something, here is an excerpt from a one that actually touches on that very thing (plus the reference to Robert Frost doesn't hurt either)

From a reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver, the author of To Begin at the Beginning: An Introduction to the Christian Faith.

“But perhaps the most important reminder in this beloved story is the seemingly throw-away line at the end: after leaving the infant Jesus, "they left for their own country by another road." Matthew says that they did that to avoid the vengeful king Herod. But, in another sense, isn't that what an encounter with Jesus is supposed to do to all of us? We can leave changed. We can find another way. After encountering him we can choose a road less traveled by. And that can make all the difference.

Prayer
Dear God, may I leave my encounter with the Jesus in this season as a changed person, returning to familiar places by another road. Amen.”

01.06.09

A.S.

January 5th - said a final goodbye to A.S. A woman who was probably far more complex than people gave her credit, and probably suffered far mor than she (or anyone) deserved. Still, the gathering seemed to be a healing circle for the estranged - especially G. Hopefully seeds of reconciliation were planted.

01.05.09

Patterns

Photo Fabric. Remember that sometimes seemingly random designs are the most worth noticing

01.04.09

Air

Normally my big, bawdy, boisterous extended family makes me feel grounded and quite content in my place in the world. Yesterday they felt like a plastic bag over my head - suffocating and sad.

What is wrong with me?

01.03.09

Resolutions

After 40 (YIKES!) years (give or take a few when I was blissfully young, innocent and not at all worried about what other people thought of me) I have basically come to accept the fact that the only thing I should resolve for New Year’s is not to make a New Year’s Resolution. In fact it was quoted in the New York Times this week that the average person’s New Year’s Resolution is abandoned by Valentine’s Day – I probably beat that curve by a month.

And I don’t know if I have simply decided that I don’t have the energy to make myself prettier, younger, hipper, funnier, or any other adjective that describes some sort of societal deficiency that I should strive to overcome (which I could), or to lose those last 15 pounds (which I should), but this year I am categorically refusing to undertake any Quixotian quests for shallow media-motivated disenfranchised self-improvement.

That being said, since I do believe that there are many areas of my life in need of a tune-up, I am rather resolving to turn my attentions inward and ramp things up emotionally, intellectually, and creatively. Being that sounds pretty daunting just looking at it (let alone doing it), I have devised a plan to break it down into manageable steps using a“One per …” formula. So with the caveat that the resolver reserves the right to substitute any or all resolutions for ones of equal or greater value, here is the plan for 2009:

- Take at least one picture per day – keep a digital and print record
- Read one book per week – keep a log of titles and authors
- Plan one outing per month – preferably with someone new each time
- Work on one project for the whole year (considering bodhran or Italian, but the jury is still out on both)

To show that this resolution is made in good faith, below are the photos for 01/01 & 01/02…
Felice Anno Nuovo!

01.01.09 & 01.02.09