Pulling into a parking lot on a 1972 photographic junket to Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur, my eyes were drawn to the inscribed hearse. And a second later, this individual emerged from the passenger side.
Month: October 2015
Historical Dog Awareness
Is Ivi watching? Just to demonstrate that dogs have figured in my photography before the era of Charlie, here are a few items that I came across in the 1972 – 75 negative archive …
rDay Two-Hundred-Nineteen
Some quick errands downtown, then a late afternoon Dog Meander across EOU, documenting the disappearing October and the autumn campus.
Quad-Cities, 1971
After brother Dennis graduated from journalism school at the University of Iowa, he went to work for the Quad Cities’ — Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa; Moline and Rock Island in Illinois; all converging on the Mississippi River — leading newspaper as a reporter. En route to the east coast on business trips, I stopped over for weekend visits to see his family, including baby Gabrielle. On one rainy May day, he drove me around the area in his VW bug. While there is nothing of particular photographic noteworthiness here, we do present evidence that the dismal quality of life in that part of the country was not just a rural phenomenon.
Venice Beach, Circa 1974 – 76
My photographic sidekick Bill and his partner capturing the surf with his ancient 8×10 view camera …
rDay Two-Hundred-Eighteen
Morning walk to 103, dodging rain showers and checking to see if any leaves are still on the trees …
rDay Two-Hundred-Seventeen
Walking home from downtown at dusk, we find that the Canon works reasonably well in the near-darkness. Just about time to return it; the thing has been useful.
The Bicycle Days – Santa Monica Canyon 1975
More from the SM Canyon house era. Dennis and his cycling machines. No helmet!
Shadow play through the windows of that old house was always inspiring some kind of photographic exercise.
New York: Visiting Gabrielle and Self-Portraits
At least that is how this particular batch of negatives was marked. Will probably need help from Dennis again to pin down the exact time period; I’m guessing 1974? I often stopped over in NYC to visit Dennis’ family in the West Village on my frequent business trips to New York and D.C. Mostly we just walked and did the subway, going from bookstore to bookstore. And walked Gabrielle to school. And shopped the deli’s. (Perhaps my favorite city, but Tokyo has to be a close second.) Easy to digress …
Brandelli’s Brig
Stumbled upon this one from circa 1977 Venice. With a little memory-jogging help from brother Dennis and a current Google Street View image, we can compare this old West Washington Blvd (now Abbott-Kinney Blvd.) watering hole with its locally famous self-referencing mural, then …
… and now.
This place was within walking distance of my place on Westminster & Speedway, and just up the street from the old Chelsea Gallery, which I once managed. No, there was no valet parking in those days. And I recall encountering John Doe and Exene, pre-X, there once.