Rain Day

And my 38th year begins. Heavy at times, the rain fell steadily the entire day. For all the weather’s dreariness, the land is in desperate need of the precipitation, so I welcome it. Some errands, a bit of relaxing, and dinner with the family. Afterwards the traditional homemade birthday cake with a small piece missing -- the story goes that a mouse is responsible. Then I got to play with my nephews: both full of energy, kindness of spirit, and wondrous imagination.

Golden Gods

Perched atop, the world below.
A sky so blue, with steeds in tow.
Sights set afar, visibility clear.
Best laid plans, and victory near.

Summer in the City

Sun kissed, cherry topped; street side hotspot.
Chilled and bright; a pre-dinner dessert delight.

Nature's Rendering

A culmination of events and creative energy spanning decades, yet only existing for an instant in time. Made possible by the laws of physics. A positive example of man an nature working together seen through the eyes of a photographer.

Democracy's Light

The Face of September

Stoic, driven, and looking to the future.

Rorschach

Is it a void or is it a print? What do you see when you examine the dissimilar black images in the window? Perhaps a butterfly emerging from its cocoon? Maybe a bat or pterodactyl? Or a griffin head down to the ground? Whether this test is the result of vandals with rocks or merely homeowner neglect, the building poses the question. Worn paint on brick face with meandering fine vine makes for a decorative presentation for this evaluation of one‘s interpretation.

Reflection

No time to look back, wax philosophic, or second guess. It is time to see things for what they are and move on. Appreciate what you have, what is in front of you, and make the most of your time. Light, sight, beauty.

............................................................................................Carpe Diem

Life of the Party

On my slow morning trek across the sand bar to Bar Island, I came across this fellow. I was ecstatic! This was the first live starfish I ever encountered. It was the size of my hand and rested in very shallow water as the tide continued to go out. I snapped some photos and just knelt there, admiring its beauty with wonder. I didn’t want to disturb the starfish or do anything to jeopardize its well-being. In retrospect, I should have scooped him up and walked him out ten feet in the water and lay him down there, away from prying eyes and curious fingers. What disappointed me was the mother that picked up the starfish and gave it to her three year old to run around and play with like it was a toy. “But he wants it” was the response I got when I politely tried to ask in a diplomatic manner that she help return the creature to the water. This wasn’t a pebble, it wasn’t a shell -- this was a living creature and the adult found nothing wrong with letting her child treat it like a fifty cent disposable plastic toy. Some people have no respect for nature or the world around them -- and that makes me sad.

The Pixie

Makes me think of a diner on a desolate highway in the Southwest United States. Something about the wide open sky with the sign jutting up. In reality, it was on Route 94. Growing up, my Grandma used to take me there for dinner when I’d visit. I have some fond memories of those meals, mostly because I was spending time with her. And that opens up thoughts of all my time spent on Old Berlin Road and Cross Keys over the years.

House of Mirrors

Enter the Lincoln. Navigating the chrome: its reflections, distortions and points of invisibility. Watch out, or you might just find yourself one of a set of triplets -- there are subtle differences, but the similarities are undeniable.

Checkered Cab

New York City in the Fall. Yellow taxies buzz along the streets. Central Park is full of activity and on my slow trek through an outer portion runners pass me. Fit and toned they truly have found one of the most beautiful places for such an activity. Different portions of the surrounding skyline visible to varying degrees depending on location and time of the year. In winter the trees bare branches give a better glimpse, in Autumn the leaves changing colors brighten up the day, in Spring the vegetation all blooms, and well, in Summer the Park and the City for all their constants shine on and welcome them.

What's the Frequency?

Broken, outdated wiring, and discarded in an “antiques and collectibles” consignment shop. Third floor in the back. Natural light filtered through a few windows that weren’t boarded up, giving me just enough to work with. Steady hands and a few tweaks to the exposure settings allowed me to capture what you see above. Sometimes the best treasures one discovers aren’t the ones taken home in a bag after a stop at the checkout, rather what one gets to see and experience for oneself in a unique moment.

Strength Through Joy

“You know, you should really take the time to learn about these cars. I mean, you’re out here every week, taking hundreds of pictures of them. Your portfolio is jam packed with them.”

I continued to frame shots.

“You find the beauty in the image, I’ll give you that; but you know nothing of these incredible machines. You are missing out on the engineering, the ingenuity, the power, the history….”

I paused to respond.

“Perhaps. Though I think you know more than enough for the both of us.”

Sight Unseen

Cranberry sash and a coat of white paint. Roaming somewhere nearby is a rooster and two chickens that broke out of the henhouse. They make their rounds, but never stray from the farm. Litters of farm cats patrol the acreage: fields, the barn, tractor shed, pretty much everywhere. Yet, all of these animals and all of the rest co-exist in harmony with one another. This tranquil tract of land is on my shortlist of places that come as close to utopia as I’ve ever known.

One Vending Machine, Please.

First day, first shift. 10:15 AM. The rookie security guard had been walking the fairgrounds for the last two hours. Nothing to see for the most part, as it was “space”. The jingle jangle of change in his pocket kept his attention, and it made him think he was hungry, so his mind focused on yet something else other than his appointed duties.

“There has to be a vending machine somewhere around here,” he thought to himself.

That’s another notch on the “not so observant” column of the score card: all food and beverages are dispensed through regulated concession stands. Finally, turning a corner near one of the utility sheds, he spotted the side of a vending machine. His pace hastened. Then disappointment replaced the smile on his face when he saw its front.

“Cigarettes?!“

The rookie shrugged his shoulders and walked on. He never noticed the vandals spray painting graffiti on the aluminum bleachers of the grandstand. That’s when the well-dressed man in a suit who’d been following him stepped up to the machine. He watched the guard disappear around the corner and pressed a series of the selection buttons: Salem, Winston, Kool (twice), Camel, Lucky Strike, [pause], Salem. Pulling the lever below “Ken King”, he looked down over the top of his sunglasses to see a pair of car keys drop into the tray. A smile on his face, he retrieved them, turned and walked towards the exit.

Turquoise Mercury

Washed, waxed, polished and posh. A Saturday afternoon ritual in the driveway. The rest of the week the automobile rests nestled in the single car garage. Neither sun, nor sap, nor neighborhood children playing stickball will deface the exquisitely maintained finish of his prized possession.

T-Dexxx

No, he’s not being tortured; and, no, he’s not starring in a Bruce Campbell B-movie in which he’s being attacked by an under budget creature without special effects or a fear factor. This is us having some fun with the photo shoot -- that’s how we roll. Yes, we can do the dapper lad look with spiffy attire and slick poses…or go all Fashion on you by striking some poses, but if we’re not having fun, then we’re doing something wrong. I don’t remember exactly what was going on here, but it’s real, unrehearsed, and I love it! Kudos to our model for his spontaneity and lively antics -- we need to see more of that.

Bridge of Lights

I often walk the Walnut Street Bridge on my way to and from work in Harrisburg. In the morning it can be quite refreshing, but this summer the evening commute not so much due to the unrelenting heat wave. I learned first hand why it earned the moniker “Old Shakey”. One day, I was maybe half way across the bridge when I began to feel the sensation that I was bouncing with each step, and it was a bit disorienting and I found myself getting dizzy. That’s when the bounding runner in all his fitness finery passed me. For all the foot traffic utilizing the structure at that moment, it was that one fast moving individual who sent the 120 year old bridge into a state of rising and falling flux that emanated from and moved with him.

For Want of a Clue

An August morning. Aimless wandering leads to Black-Eyed Susans thriving in New England soil. The salty air blowing in from Frenchman Bay distracts, and a discarded candy wrapper lies atop the remnant of a footprint in damp grass.

Krav Maga? Nah.

The little yellow coupe sat on the used car lot beside her house. Right next to the huge metal garage built for professionally custom painting vehicles. She was enamored by the car; and it was cute and blonde just like her. Yet, she was a Jeep person. She had two…no, three, actually. It was a simpler time: tomorrow wasn’t a factor, which meant I lived in the moment. That worked well for me…until I started to think too much. That was my downfall. So much time has passed, but there are days I long to see that spirited sportster.

Face from the Past

When it came time for me to learn to drive, my father drove me to Cross-Keys. More specifically, the family farm there. My first lesson would take place on a tractor in the field behind the farmhouse. In those first moments behind the wheel, my senses were hypersensitive. Having no comprehension of how the controls would react to my touch, I made mistakes as I familiarized myself with the machine. Stick shift, clutch, accelerator. Coordinating the interaction of all three seemed very complicated; not to mention, all the while steering and navigating the plowed field’s ruts. Still, through patience and perseverance I succeeded and mastered manual transmission.

Timothy Decker

Friend. Artist. Children’s book author. Photographer, painter, creative whirlwind. Co-founder of our band Oxford Genius. Encouraging, supportive, leads by example. Hurdler. Fastest hundred yard dash man (on his stomach) I know. Co-creator of the board game Cryptids. Has been known to unleash the Feet of Fury, which can nearly knock a man’s head clean off. Fiercest wielder of Will Knives on the planet. Spry, resilient, tea drinker. Minimalist that makes a Jedi’s lifestyle look like a loaded for bear expedition up Mt. Everest. His studio/workplace preference: a room painted white and completely devoid of anything besides the bare essential supplies for his current project. Well-read, bold, unabashedly honest. Some perceive his constructive criticism as callous when ultimately it is extremely informative and more helpful due to the complete lack of sugar coating. A rock, level-headed, inspiring.

Pretty in Pink

The Magnolia tree in my backyard really puts on a show each year. Whether taking in the view from the back porch where I can see the entire canopy lit up in pink and white or walking beneath the branches for a closer look, the experience is always a treat for the eyes. Here, the evening sun is receding over the house, while I stand barefoot in the cool grass.

The Red, White and Blue

The Stars and Bars flutter in the wind against a backdrop of white siding and a cloud washed sky. Cool air diffuses the Sun’s warmth upon my face.

Shades of Gray

Time for a bit of Black and White. It would not be until January of 1995 that I would take my first such photograph, but nearly 20 years earlier I would participate in my first photo shoot as the subject for a project in which my colorless image would be preserved and utilized. Whether that experience or my fondness for The Monkees song this entry shares a title with foreshadowed my exploration into the realm of monochrome, I can only speculate. It is only fitting to use an image so deeply rooted in my own history with regard to the lyrics and spirit of a song that speak to me even more now than they did when I first heard them some twenty-four years ago.

The Crackle Pop of Rocks

Bar Island. The sun bakes while the breeze blow-dries the moisture left behind by the receding waters. There is no sure footing atop stones of all sizes mostly rounded and polished from years of natural tumbling by the tides coming in and going out. With each step they shift beneath my feet; I have no way of knowing just how deep the giant pebbles are piled. The clanking reminds me of a favorite film: Men With Brooms. More specifically, the sport of Curling and the sounds forty-two pound granite stones make when they connect with or ricochet off one another after gliding across a nearly hundred and fifty foot sheet of ice.

Eye in the Sky

Vigilant. Himself overlooked. Standing among the clouds, he sees all that befalls the land around him. A reminder. Meant to honor those who gave their lives. Better than a century on the clock he remains unwavering, but visitors are uninterested in learning…listening…reading…understanding. Still, he carries on -- never straying from the mission. Should just one person take notice…find enlightenment…walk away steeped in contemplation of future consequences, then he might just find peace.

Visual Mismatch

A puzzle…brain teaser…architectural hodgepodge. Take aim straight and center and it appears the buildings are sliding into one another. Unnatural overlaps confuse and mislead.

Backyard Finds: Argiope Aurantia

Timing and a little luck. Often this is what provides me opportunities to be inspired by nature and my surroundings. This black and yellow Argiope spider is no exception. I found this in the Forsythia bush behind my carport. I ran inside and retrieved my camera immediately. One need not always venture beyond one’s own home for rewarding images. Wildlife in the yard, objects lying around the house, friends and family, and let’s not forget pets all have something to offer.