The perfect mind-picture of an optimist is a hermit with a see-saw in his back yard.
Where hope is, one day, to experience life’s ups and downs with another.
And…
Is that not how we should live life? Together in spirit. Up. Then down. Then up again. To rejoice in the ups and refresh in the downs?
If life is only up, up and away in a beautiful balloon (sorry Fifth Dimension) how do we ever come back down, to arrive, at the center and essence of who we are?
My Orvieto…
Orvieto is like Disneyland. Except the magic is real.
Even when I am not there, Orvieto is where I live. Italy is in my blood. Transported there by the wine, no doubt.
And the streets…
Up. And Down. As it should be in a hilltop town. Where the ups make you stronger and the downs give you time to breathe and reflect. And if you can reflect, you will shine.
So… here’s to all of you who desire a partner on a see saw.
You are not alone.
I leave you with a very dark wall and a bright bush. Because even in the darkness, you will be seen.
“The Wall,” from The River series.
TechTalk
Zone VI 4×5 Field Camera, 305mm Schneider, TMAX 100 (why did Kodak put four, FOUR notches on TMAX 100 and ONE notch on TMAX 400… they had one job to do…), at 100, 1/1 at ƒ/64, C-16 (my concoction) for 6.5 minutes in a Spearman Press tank, running water at 68º as stop, Photographers’ Formulary Archival Fix, running water as a rinse, HypoClear to rid the stain on the negative, wash for 10-minutes in a Zone VI 11×14 Archival Print Washer in a Zone VI 4×5 sheet film-rack-thing that sits at the bottom of the archival washer, PhotoFlo, hang dry overnight, scanned on Epson V850 Pro (because I am!!!) at 600 dpi.
