In the air

..Returning from Portugal with 20 minutes of difficult turbulence, Carole between Allie and me, holding her hand and mine, like a prayer circle. I see once it has smoothed out that tears have stained her face and fallen off her chin.
We stayed at the Ritz, Lisbon, last night, paying obscene amounts for our room(s), but soaking up every molecule of it, spoiling ourselves silly. It has been overall a wonderful trip with four night in Lisbon, one in Evora and four in the Algrave, then that last night in Lisbon, before departing. I am left most with the image of the place, the lovely old Europe, Lisbon in particular. I just wish I'd had another night in Evora, but in all it was inconsequential losing that night to the beach. I shoot 300 photos, all with the Mamiya 6x7, leaving digital home--it was not missed.

The Algarve, Portugal

Portugal coast.
Up at 7am this morning and frove the 20km to Lagos, returning via coast road and trying to find photo in my head--which i found in fishing village upon returning. Playing tourist in the afternoon with mix of photography in the venue. Wind drives us off the beach, finding shelter against a wall on hotel deck, but not before implanting a grain into the coating of my 43mm lens! Ouch.

New York, May, 2005

Came to NYC to see the Diane Arbus exhibit at the Met and Ashes and Snow, Gregory Colbert, at the nomadic museum on Pier 54. The Arbus was considerably more profound, expansive and significant even than I anticipated. I didn't find it depressing as some have expressed, but rather came away ebullient and enthused, swept away by, frankly, her photography as a compliment to her writing which carries a ring of desperate truth about it. I left dumbstruck as one wishes having encountered the profoundly significant. Ashes and Snow, made for an interesting comparison, juxtaposed to the Arbus, as it was. I found it contrived and simply just trying too hard. I thought the quality of the photos, if that is what they were, to be lacking and overall was let down, feeling like I'd just left the circus after seeing the clowns too close up.