Vets Journey Home truly supports our veterans

We have the honor of launching, this very evening, a freshly redesigned web site for Vets Journey Home, a remarkable group of caring souls who offer a much needed, healing weekend to our vets, at no cost, because they know that our vets have already paid.

“a unique weekend program for veterans, designed to help heal the emotional wounds of military service. The program was created in 1989 as The Bamboo Bridge, co-founded by VietNam veteran Christan Kramer, and a Sargeant Major’s daughter, Patricia Clason. They were committed to giving VietNam veterans the Welcome Home they deserved and helping them heal their hearts and bring peace to their souls.

Since then, our country has been involved in many conflicts and wars. They also discovered that the emotional wounds many veterans carry can also come from service in peacetime – it is not only combat that wounds the heart.

In 2005, VietNam veteran Gene McMahon took over the lead for this work and re-named the program Vets Journey Home, to be inclusive of all veterans. Today, Gene and Patricia are joined by other instructors and a large community of volunteers, both veteran and civilian, who desire to serve those who served our country, by offering this compassionate and welcoming retreat, where any story is heard without judgment.”

New forms by Dan Nauman

Dan Nauman of Bighorn Forge continues to bring new forms to his hand wrought home furnishings.

“There is no substitute for feeling the stone, the metal, the plaster, or the wood in the hand; to feel its weight; to feel its texture; to struggle with it in the world rather than in the mind alone.” — William M. Dupree

“The artist is a man [or woman] who finds that the form or shape of things externally corresponds, in some strange way, to the movements of his mental and emotional life.” —Graham Collier

(click image for larger view)
(Slide show of additional views of this table)

A warm welcome to Mark and Sylvia Mondloch

Last week I had the privilege of meeting Mark and Sylvia Mondloch of Silver Creek Pottery & Forge. After exchanging a few emails, and a phone call, with Mark, we met at my studio to photograph some of Mark’s fine metal work.

Fireplace Tool Set (detail) by Mark Mondloch
(click images for larger view)
(Slide show of additional views of this Tool Set)

Garden Accents by Mark Mondloch
While the neutral formica sweep worked well for the Tool Set. I felt it appeared a bit sterile for the the flowers. Mark and Sylvia made a trip to Stein’s Garden Center and found some mulch and moss; which I believe was just enough to give the Garden accents a little context.
(click image for larger view)
(Slide show of additional views of these Garden Accents)

Wednesday weed with web

“I didn’t want to tell the tree or weed what it was. I wanted it to tell me something and through me express its meaning in nature.” — Wynn Bullock

(click image for larger view)

Leica R8/DMR, 100 mm apo macro elmarit with apo2x

“The medium of photography can record not only what the eyes see, but that which the mind’s eye sees as well. The camera is not only an extension of the eye, but of the brain. It can see sharper, farther, nearer, slower, faster than the eye. It can see by invisible light. It can see in the past, present, and future. Instead of using the camera only to reproduce objects, I wanted to use it to make what is invisible to the eye, visible.

My pictures are never pre-visialized or planned. I feel strongly that pictures must come from contact with things at the time and place of taking. At such times, I rely on intuitive, perceptual responses to guide me, using reason only after the final print is made to accept or rejetct the results of my work.

I feel the picture-taking process, anyway a greater part of it, is an intuitive thing. You can’t go out and logically plan a picture, but when you come back, reason then takes over and verifies or rejects whatever you’ve done.” — Wynn Bullock

The Dancing Horses (bicycle riding, weight lifting and painting parrots) and other delights

August 2, 2009, Ann decided to take her granddaughters to see the Dancing Horses on Hwy 50, west of Lake Geneva, WI. Quite a unique and entertaining afternoon — most especially for the young girls who already ride and now dream of “being” what they saw there. (click on image for larger view – Slide show of additional images)