Category: People

The Milwaukee River… summer… simple, wet and muddy pleasures…

the roar of water falling
providing altered states.
with senses filling
and flowing thoughtlessly
within the river — with Sophia
— George Lottermoser

Two Ways of Seeing a River

by Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too. I had lost something which could never be restored to me while I lived. All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river!

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Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph, 50 mm Summilux Asph

Brother performing @ River Rhythms

The Aussie/Celtic/Rock band Brother performed at River Rhythms Wednesday evening. The band has down sized from when I first got to know them in the mid 90’s. Seem to have lost a bit of energy too. Though still a very lovely way to spend an evening in Pierre Marquette Park. A good time was had by all; from what I could tell. The full set of photographs can be viewed here.

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Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph or 28 mm Summicron Asph

Games…

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Let the game (no rules) begin…

Last week Sophia and I went shopping for her 8th birthday gifts.
We stopped for lunch and played a few rounds of the newly acquired Pass the Pigs game.
Here we see Sophia checking the rules as to how to score her recent roll of the pigs.

Turns out that the roll scored as a “lose your points and lose your turn.”

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

Father’s Day

Yes, I know it’s a “Hallmark Card” merchant’s advertising day. Yet I enjoy its effect on my psyche. Days before I think about my dad, and his dad, in unusual ways — considering whether to put a picture of dad up on the blog, or FaceBook — then the pictures of dad and grandpa run through my memory. I think about “son-in-laws” and grandchildren; and family trees and broken branches. I wonder what Tanya may have in mind. I imagine Sophia making cards for me and her dad. I wonder what this “father’s day” will be like. I really enjoyed lunch with Tanya at Cafe Corazone and thought I’d like to share that dining experience with Ann – so Tanya and I decided – brunch there – at whatever time Ann would like to make it. But Ann had already planned on spending the day with her son Josh on his farm in Eagle. So I met Tanya, Jerome and Sophia at the Cafe a bit before it opened at 10am. A dozen people, in all manner of dress, had also begun to gather there on this warm, sunny, Sunday summer morning.

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Casual dining on the patio – to be sure…

always a delight to share time and space with Sophia…

and Jerome…

and Tanya…

I continue to marvel at the decor (and architecture).

After our leisurely, two hour brunch we walked a few blocks South in this newly gentrifying “old” neighborhood. A gallery owned by the artist was hosting a baby shower for a relative — and so the balloons.

The neighborhood is filled with unique touches…

A few blocks South… a small grass lot hosts a little farmer’s market… a dozen canopies with fresh vegetables, handmade soaps (I bought a bar for Ann), free books (I gifted myself with Ambivalent Zen, organically grown meats, handmade wooden kitchen tools, fresh bakery and some lovely guitar music…

Kimberly A Theisen, makes soap… get some at katmade.com

Sophia wanted to move on to the Zoo… and didn’t like the news… that it was unlikely…

I continued strolling “the old neighborhood” on my own — after leaving the “farmer’s market.”

The Riverwest Neighborhoods host 2 or 3 different micro breweries.

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

For love of tools… and passing on the “mojo…”

Some weeks back I engaged in a conversation, over on the LUG (Leica User Group email list), about cameras with or as mojos. Some people in the conversation understood; others did not. Can a camera be a magic charm, talisman, or cast a spell • have magic power. I suppose not. Yet when a tool begins to feel like an extension of your own living body… well… something’s going on. B.B. King named his Gibson guitars Lucille. Willie Nelson’s Martin N 20 Guitar certainly appears, and sounds, like it has mojo qualities. For a serious woodworker this tool chest surely has magical qualities.

Certain cameras I’ve used have felt very special if not magical. It’s a short list: Nikon Fs, Leica Ms, Linhof Technikas, Deardorfs, Hasselblads, and Twin Lens Rolleiflexes. The way these cameras felt in my hands; the way they sounded; where the controls were located; essentially everything about them – felt right – dependable; served me extremely well; did everything I asked of them; and occasionally delivered magical images.

Letting go of these, let’s just call them exceptional, “tools” feels like saying goodbye to old friends — while knowing you’ll never see them again. I’m sure this sounds absurd to many people. But these “tools” are full of memories. Or at least they trigger memories when we look at them or handle them; because they’ve been places and accomplished things for us — put food on the table so to speak.

Today I said goodbye to my old Linhof Technika IV, with its 135 mm Scheider Xenotar (the Alaskan Leica). I passed it along to Forrest Herr; a young man who’s eyes showed a full appreciation for this tool; and its potential for magic. He clearly has high hopes for it; feels excited about what it can do for him. And that’s wonderful. For me it’s a tool triggering wonderful memories. For him it’s a tool triggering hope and wonderful possibilities. I’ll miss the feel of it. Like the coin purse my daughter made for me… which also carries magical memories.

Over the decades this camera has been lent or rented to a number of younger souls. The last — Alisa — see what I mean about memories? I not only remember the photographs I made with this camera. I remember the Polaroids that she created with it. And now, passing it on, I can’t wait to see the photographs that Forrest creates with it.

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Angie served us well and witnessed our camera dealings at Culver’s in Johnson Creek,
half way between Forrest’s home in Madison, WI and my home in Mequon, WI.

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph

Goodwill Samurai

The three youngsters radiated excitement when I pulled into the parking lot of the Goodwill store in Grafton, Wisconsin. As I walked towards them each was expressing their palpable pleasure and disbelief to one another – over the acquisition of a samurai sword. I asked them the price. “$40.” The owner, the fellow with both hands on his new sword replied. All three wanted their hands on it. Boys and their swords.

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Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph