*

**

***

****

*****

Chernobyl

******

Henry David Thoreau- On Walden Pond

"I never knew, and shall never know, a worse man than myself."

Henry David Thoreau

Walden

"When we are unhurried and wise, we shall perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but shadows of the reality."

Henry David Thoreau

Walden

"In accumulating property for ourselves or our posterity, in founding a family or a state, or acquiring fame even we are mortal; but in dealing with truth we are immortal, and we need fear no change or accident."

Henry David Thoreau

Walden

Evan and Chloe

St. Louis- The Lost Roll of Film

Omaha

France

"There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers"

Henry David Thoreau

Walden 

I-88

180 Degrees

325 South Main St. 

Wheaton, IL 60187

The Kids

Chloe

Evan

Sarah

Bob

Reading List

I am reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau.  I have read it once before. 

I finished The Man Who Knew Too Much by G.K. Chesterton

****

The Famous Quote

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.  

What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

Rock

We're putting the band back together

Choose

1

2

Which one?

Yodok

At the Zoo

*****

At the Zoo

Fun

Abraham Lincoln's Home

Springfield, Illinois 

I enjoy making these composite images; they are simple and fun.  The pieces don't quite match up and the results are kinda cool.  I think I take photography too seriously sometimes and I forget how to have fun with it.  

I have nothing else to say right now.

From the Top of the Gateway to the West

Illinois

Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

2011

The Compound

Abbottabad

Place is a concept that can be abstract as well as literal.  These images are of places that exist.  They are of places where something took place.  Places where human history and knowledge is altered for good or for bad; sometimes for both.  It is both the place and what took place in the place that is of importance.  This place represents an end as well as a new beginning.  

Frederick was the son of the Emperor Henry VI....... Innocent III had been made his guardian.... the court was half oriental and full of highly educated Arabs; and some of these were associated in the education of the young king.  He got a Moslem view of Christianity as well as a Christian view of Islam, and the unhappy result of this double system of instruction was a view, exceptional in that age of faith, that all religions were impostures"

A Short History of the World

H.G. Wells

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Koi Fish Pond at Union Station

Sea Lion Show Auditorium at The St. Louis Zoo

Abraham Lincoln's Home in Springfield, Illinois

We went to St. Louis Missouri for Memorial Day weekend this year.  I took a few pictures and I will share them as I get them edited.  These images represent sort of the beginning, middle and end of the trip.

I have not made any photographs for a while and I feel like I owe and explanation.  Whether or not I actually do owe on you will get one none the less.

First, and I think most importantly, I have not felt inspired by anything to make an image with my camera.  The worst thing I can do is create a contrived image.  It was nice to make some pictures on this trip but bear in mind that they are purely recreational and by no means an artistic endeavor.

Second; I have been creating images as you have seen by my last few posts I have been making small paintings and drawings.  These will continue as long as I have something to say with them.  If you are not privy to the concept- Places in the evolution of mankind both past and present that have had an impact on the direction of the race.  Still working out the concept but it is coming together and more will be posted soon.

Third; I have been extremely frustrated with not being able to find a teaching position.  After seven years of college and three degrees, great recommendations and a stellar record I should have had no problem.  This is not the case.  Things have stagnated and it has come time for a change.  I have applied for my Masters of Science in Art Education at Northern Illinois University and will be attending this fall.  I am SO looking forward to getting into an academic setting again and start making some serious art work as well as honing the craft of teaching art.  

Reading list

Finished Reading

Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson

Reading Now

The Man Who Knew Too Much- G.K. Chesterton

"Them that die'll be the lucky ones"

Long John Silver

Treasure Island

Constantinople

Constantinople

"Constantine the Great who reconstructed the Roman empire in the fourth [century] turned to religious organizations for help because in these organizations he saw a new means of using and controlling the wills of men."

H.G. Wells

A Short History of the World

Reading List;

Reading Now-

Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson

Finished-

The Job- an American Novel- Sinclair Lewis

Hot Spots

Nellis

"There are two classes of people in this world, those who sin and those who are sinned against; if a man must belong to either, he had better belong to the first than the second."

Samuel Butler

The Way of All Flesh

Reading List

Reading

The Job, an American Novel- Sinclair Lewis

Finished

A Short History of the World- H.G. Wells

Up next

Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson

From the North

This is Only a Test

"The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."

G.K. Chesterton

The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare.

Reading List

Reading Now-

A Short History of the World- H.G. Wells

Coming up next-

The Job, an American Novel- Sinclair Lewis

Energy- A New Project

It has been a while since I have posted anything.  Rough times, not inspired at all.  Did some sewing and read a few books (see Reading List). Finally broke through, I will have more later. 

Fermi Lab

...

The Process

Reading List;

Finished-

The Way of All Flesh- Samuel Butler

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll

Secret Adversary- Agatha Christie

Pygmalion- Bernard Shaw

Free Air- Sinclair Lewis

The Trail of the Hawk- Sinclair Lewis

The Innocents- Sinclair Lewis

Allan Quartermain- H. Rider Haggard

Reading Now-

A Short History of the World- H.G. Wells

Sorry...it has been a while.

I haven't posted for a couple of reasons.
- Unfortunately I haven't been making work (BLAH!!)
- My computer got fried during the big blizzard of 2011 (I am getting a new one)
- And, in all I have been working far too much.
Things will change and I will be back up and running before you know it.

Reading;
I bought a Kindle and have been loving it so far.  I have a TON of books on it and can't wait to read each and every one.

Finished-
Elmer Gantry- Sinclair Lewis
Arrowsmith- Sinclair Lewis
Babbitt- Sinclair Lewis
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare- G.K. Chesterton
The Lost Continent- Edgar Rice Burroughs

Reading-
The Way of All Flesh- Samuel Butler

Amesbury and the End

The last day of our trip.  The last two places we went before we started for home.  The Church in the top image is where my great grandparents went when they were growing up.  That is my fathers, mothers parents; the Butters.  Below that image is one of the places where some of my ancestors from that side of the family worked; The Lowell Boatshop.  Lowell's is the oldest continually running hand built wooden boat shop in the country.  I am not sure when my family was involved with the boat shop but, I can remember the place being talked about many times throughout my childhood.  It was a must visit.

Reading List;

Reading-

Arrowsmith- Sinclair Lewis

Finished-

Elmer Gantry- Sinclair Lewis

Reread-

It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

A Little Burned Out Right Now

I have some more images to share from our trip to Boston.  I still have a roll to scan from the last day in New England and some images from Maine left over to edit and post.  Right now I am just not feelin it so it might take some time to get them out there.  In the meantime I am re-reading some books and putzin' around a bit.  As I come across things I will share them with you.

"More and more as I think about history, I am convinced that everything that is worth while in the world has been accomplished by the free, inquiring, critical spirit, and that the preservation of this spirit is more important than any social system whatsoever. But the men of ritual and the men of barbarism are capable of shutting up the men of science and of silencing them forever"

Doremus Jessup

 It Can't Happen Here

by- Sinclair Lewis

New Hampshire and Maine

New Hampshire

Maine

We spent the last full day of our trip driving through New Hampshire and Maine and then came back through Massachusetts on our way home.  Unfortunately I did not get to spend enough time making images on that last day.  we drove up the coast and had a blast just stopping off here and there.  One day I will go back and spend more time.

More Boston Nights