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Homage For Robert Johnson
Continue Reading“I got ramblin’ I got ramblin’ on my mind I got ramblin’ I got ramblin’ all on my mind Hate to leave you baby But you treats me so unkind” Lyric by Robert Johnson Ask a painter, musician, writer — anyone practicing a difficult art to confide their heroes; they usually will not hesitate. Their […]
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An American Refugee
Continue ReadingIn the 19th Century some historical roles were reversed. For instance: the United States — and not a Middle Eastern country — had an industrial Civil War in progress, killing soldiers and uprooting civilians. A million-and-a-half military casualties occurred in less than five years in the USA, including men dead in battle and those suffering […]
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Homage to Edward Hopper
Continue ReadingI had driven a thousand miles west stopping just once to sleep. On the high plains of Kansas I ran into sleet and bitter winds. For reasons unknown, I am without luck in these situations; again and again forced into remote towns under heavy weather, where travelers confront poor choices among accommodations. That night — […]
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Encountering Complex Symbolism
Continue ReadingDiscovering an exciting new English phrase in the wild. An advertising professional produced this wordplay: IN BRUNCH WE TRUST I found this intransitive declaration on placards appearing on every residential floor of a Las Vegas hotel, opposite elevator doors. Each of seven landings had an urban backdrop showing through floor-to-ceiling picture windows: views of rooftops, […]
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Considering An Unusual Aesthetic
Continue ReadingOccasionally a homeowner sets a new standard in front-yard decoration. You have before you such a case. This home in the American desert maintains the status quo with only one element of design: gravel raked over plastic underlayment to cover the ground — a ubiquitous practice, as common as dirt in this vicinity. With the […]
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Seen On The Streets of Cairo (1)
Continue ReadingIn Middle-Eastern nations heterosexual men are free to touch others of the same sex on the street within traditional guidelines, as we see in this affectionate gesture recorded near downtown Cairo, Egypt. This might be father and son, or two brothers waiting together for traffic to clear. The visitor to this part of the world […]
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One From the Alexandrian Streets
Continue ReadingThis was my neighborhood during one summer’s sabbatical by the Mediterranean Sea. In our image you may see streetlamps, heaps of sand, and a wagon whose tailgate seems decorated by children making crayon sketches of melons, bananas, and vegetables too crude and faded to interpret. Above and to our right, abstract art twenty feet tall […]
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