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This is not the Fourth of July, but occasionally one of the most interesting of those celebrations crosses my mind. I was in Chicago the summer of '84, and happened to be there during what they called the "Taste of Chicago", where hundreds of restaurants lined up their booths in the park along Lake Shore Drive. Never been one to hang around crowds, but my Uncle Ed encouraged me to see what it was like, and before I knew it I was in the midst of a half-million people.
By nightfall there was standing room only, even outside; it was a huge party, with people jostling shoulder-to-shoulder. Not my cup of tea. So to get away I decided to see if the observation deck was open in the Sears tower (as it was known then). To my surprise it was, and to my even bigger surprise there were not many people up there. Those of us who were there developed a camaraderie, and before long the fireworks show started; one of the best in the nation I understand, and one of the best I've seen because they were exploding right at our level.
I'm sure not many can say they've seen one of the country's greatest fireworks displays from a front-row seat in what was then the tallest building in the world!
Another piece of the panorama posted on the 25th. Must be interesting (and expensive) to live in one of these apartments with a view of the memorial grounds.
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Once in a (long) while I do some deep cleaning of paperwork here in the home office. In that endeavor I came across a printout of some writing I'd done in 1999...stories of my young(er) adulthood. It's interesting to see where your mind was at, and how it was expressed, in days gone by. I've decided to go ahead and hammer them out here - starting tomorrow Lord willing - but will have to water some of them down because they were not written for public consumption. In fact the candor and blunt fact surprised me in some places.
Some of the stories are short - but even the shorter ones are long by this blog's standard. Some are long, and will have to be broken up into the span of several posts. And I observe that they more/less ran thematically...a story about this, then a run of stories about that, then on to the next subject, etc.
And I go into this fully aware that the whole project may seem a little self-centered; they are all about me and things that happened in my life. While I don't deny being basically self-centered, I can understand what a turn-off that is to lots of folks. In fact, to break myself away from just writing about my own life, during the same period I wrote letters to both of my children almost daily for the purpose of focusing on something other than myself, and leaving something special for them to look back on later in life. (In fact I gave Andrew and Allison their letters when each turned 20, which was a surprise to them because neither knew they'd been written.)
So we'll see how it goes. Looking forward to catching up with some of this stuff of my younger days, and occasionally offering a present-day perspective of the events and their importance, or lack thereof...
This building can be seen as part of the 4-shot panorama posted on the 25th...saw an opportunity here to take a picture of something through something.
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I read a lot, and if someone were to ask me who my favorite author is I would have to say, of all writers, Bill Watterson is definitely in the top five. Been slowly working my way through something requested for my birthday some time ago - a four-book anthology of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes - and the man is a genius. What many don't realize is that the subtleties of his facial expressions and the content included (or not included) in each frame is just as much a part of the writing as what is written in the dialogue or thought bubbles.
In the first book he goes into great detail on his personal journey as a cartoonist and the creative process, recognizing that the obstacles he faced served ultimately to lead him to the famous pair. This to me is fascinating and mirrors some of the conclusions I'd already reached regarding the thought process and making use of your talents at the expense of apparent immediate success. I'd highly recommend getting the series even if just to read what is in the beginning of the first volume.
If someone were to push me to name some of the others in the top five I would have to go back to the mid-nineteenth century. James Silk Buckingham was one, Frederick Douglass another. Seems that folks back then had longer attention spans and greater powers of concentration than the TV-fed generations of today. In more recent times - that is, in the middle of the twentieth century - James Herriot (Jim Wight) is up there, as mentioned several times in previous posts.
Very good place to take a picture of loved ones, as seen in the photos below of my lovely wife (at left in both), her sister and a friend...
Yesterday there was an article in dpreview.com - a website I recommend highly - that listed the best DSLR's over $2,000. I've always been proud that for two years in a row the Bigger Cahoona made the top of the list, but now I'm EXTRA PROUD that for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW we're up there. Not bad for a three-year-old camera with all the new technology coming out about mirrorless, etc. that one day is supposed to take its place.
More incentive to not only use it more, but BETTER...
I'm exactly three months ahead now, having posted what will publish 07/27, and will take a different tack with this blog as an
experiment. I once told my son Andrew that if there will be a following
it will be because of the writing, and not the photography. He agreed
and I still think it's so. Not that I'm after a following, or will be
relaxing with the photography, but now instead of working on pictures I'll concentrate on just the writing aspect when
the vibe is right. This practice I need because, just as in photography, in that
endeavor I'm only average or maybe a tad above average. But even if
only a little talent is involved, we are all called upon to make use of
whatever it may be. So for the first time I will go back into a blog entry for the purpose of writing only. Should - or hope - it'll be interesting...
One can't go to Taipei with an interest in culture and/or history and not visit the Chaing Kai Shek memorial. This is one of the most visited and photographed places in the Asian world, so except for this and the next couple of posts I'll be avoiding postcard-ish type pictures.
Chaing Kai Shek was an incredible individual, and worthy of study. Being raised a Texan, I'd never heard of him until meeting my wife, and even then didn't think much of him until visiting Taiwan for the first time in 1987 (during the mourning period for his son, who'd passed away a day or so before we got there). Then, a few years after we got married, I read a book called Wild Swans by Jung Chang and it all came together. A read that would be worth your time.
Shot below taken from the steps of the memorial:
Was attracted here to the lighted sign, as it has many bright colors against a black background. It was taken from across the street and, being a dark subject, couldn't get the shutter fast enough to make a decent picture...so settled for a wider shot.
Next we'll stop in Taipei again to visit a few more places before closing out the trip.
Cropped in to make a bookmark of this whimsical shot as well, captured on our way from the market back to the bus to go home.
The next couple of posts as well are not in the market itself but in the general area.
At least I think it's a pitcher plant. Cropped in to the center to make a bookmark later on.
Saw this going down a side street while waiting for the others to get their shopping done. Stepped closer for the shot to be posted tomorrow...
Those who know my wife often comment on how tiny she is. And she is tiny - at 5'2" barely a hundred pounds.
But this little thing caught my attention. We were getting off the bus to go shopping one day and she walked past from the back before I rose to get out of my seat. I noticed right away that the top of her head was not even as high as the seatbacks as she made her way down the aisle. From that moment I ached to get a picture but didn't want to gawk, make a spectacle of her, or otherwise offend in some way. I watched sadly as she disappeared in the crowd of shoppers, thinking that here was "another one that got away".
Fortunately the fates gave me another chance. The next day we ran into her on the street and she stopped to visit...turns out she was born and raised in a valley adjacent to the one in which Chenjean lived, they were about the same age and had mutual acquaintances, etc.
So I'm standing there watching this, wondering how to get a picture without making my fascination at her size obvious, when I noticed several things about her...
One was that she had a very pleasant, cheerful, even joyful personality that took the greatest pleasure in her interactions with others. Her smiling face radiated sunshine that sliced through even the dismally hot and gloomy climate that so often pervades the weather of Taiwan. One of the people that makes you feel good just being around her.
Another was that she was proportioned normally, unlike midgets or other small people. And her voice was perfectly normal; if you didn't see her, hearing her speak would not betray that she was any different from a normally-sized individual.
Lastly, while they talked, she became very animated and kept glancing my way. As it turns out, she was just as fascinated by me as I was with her, and was asking Chenjean a multitude of questions about our lives and how she met this American.
So goes with the time I met a truly tiny person. And not unlike the experience described in the last paragraph of this post, I'll remember our acquaintance more because of the fullness of her heart than the difference in her appearance.
Oh, and by the way she was fine with pictures! From the photo above I was able to measure her height (3'9"). Family portrait below:
...and speaking of the older generation, while out snapping photos happened upon this couple walking across the street. They didn't notice me there but I certainly noticed them, as the older gentleman is my father-in-law. An amazing man, he grew up as the youngest among eleven siblings, all of them girls. Had to scrap for survival and to gain an education growing up in Japanese-occupied Formosa but he made it through OK, and apprenticed to become a doctor, studying medical texts in Japanese that he still has on his shelves. Six children followed, including my wife Chenjean, all of whom prospered either there in Taiwan (her two brothers), or here in the US (her three sisters and herself). An amazing man who has gained my undying respect.
But it wasn't always that way. It is the custom for Asian parents to help in a big way when the grandchildren come along...big meaning they come over and stay for months. This is anathema to the American culture and way of life, but it was what it was so when our first child (Andrew) was born Chenjean's parents flew over to fulfill this very important duty. Unfortunately, I - very wrongly - resented and resisted their role in our new little family, considering their constant presence an intrusion. Her mother and I seemed to click, but her father, being extremely close to his daughters, sensed my discomfort and maintained his distance, which only grew wider with time. For years this dysfunction festered.
Until one day something happened, only because for the first time I made the decision that if things were going to get better it was up to me to change my attitude about things. The opportunity for this came on two fronts.
One was with a pocket knife. I carry around one of those small Swiss army knives that has scissors, a fingernail file, a toothpick, some tweezers and, of course, a knife blade. We were in our kitchen and I pulled the knife out to do something. He looked at it, amazed, as if he'd never seen such a thing. He held it in his hand, admiring the variety of functions in spite of its size. Then an idea struck.
The next day I stopped at a Sears hardware store on my way home from work and bought him one. When I arrived at the house I gave it to him, still in its little box. He took the knife out and manipulated its tools with an expression of wonder that he actually owned the object of his fascination from the day before. He was amazed and profoundly thankful that I'd done this on my own, as
Chenjean wasn't home yet from work and didn't even know what I'd planned. It didn't cost much - something like $10 - but I could tell already that it was reaping intangible benefits far outweighing any financial sacrifice.
The other involved tea. Chenjean's father customarily made tea for the family every evening, distributing those tiny little cups when it was hot and ready. I'm sensitive to caffeine (and most other drugs, for that matter) and turned it down when it was passed my way. Unknowingly I'd offended the cultural sensibilities of this important man in my wife's life, and disrupted a long-held family tradition by not taking part. But that was going to change. So the same night I sat down and drank tea like everyone else, holding myself down to three of those little cups. This I did every night until they returned home. It wasn't without consequence, however - I lost lots of sleep and was bone-weary most days - but, just as with the knife, well worth it. After that day our relationship took a 180-degree turn and we were buds for life.
As I think of what happened that day I'm reminded of two Bible concepts: one, that a little love covers a multitude of sins; and two, that what you give in love will reap a hundred-fold return. That sure happened, as Dad (as he become to me, another acquiescence to Chinese culture) began sending us box after box of clothes just for me! Couldn't wear much of it, but was reminded with each package how a little bit of love goes a long, long way...
Of course not everyone is stuck to the old days or tied to older technology because of poverty. Some in the older generation have taken to the new, modern trikes - which, having three wheels, allows one to take brief naps while scooting around...
The market street in this little town being frequented mostly by the older generation, what you see here is a way of life little changed in two generations. In fact at times on the bus Chenjean would mention seeing some of her elementary school classmates climbing aboard every day just as they'd done 50 years ago ago.
This includes their methods of getting around. If I could, I'd get behind a blind somewhere and do nothing but snap street scenes like this, of older people moving about in their tried-and-true - and sometimes homemade - contraptions.
Not something you see a whole lot of in Taiwan, nuns. Saw her earlier, but didn't have the nerve to point the camera in her direction while she was looking, so snuck this one in as she rode slowly away...
Took this one on the sly, and was pleased with Glowing Edges of a part of it below:
Don't know what it is about brooms. When I was in Mexico thought it fascinating that, out there in the middle of nowhere where I lived, a family made a living thrashing together brooms similar to these. And other brooms have been featured before in this blog. During post-capture on this pic, however, I realized that the cat was the star of the show.
Most setups are simple, even when something like a heating surface is needed...
Typical of how they sell fish in a market like this. Being an island, in Taiwan you can find fresh fish wherever you are.
As mentioned a couple of posts ago, I've grown skittish in swinging my big camera around and pointing at things, especially in a market environment. Not sure why this is so, maybe age has something to do with it. Regardless, I now go by a rule to refrain from shooting market displays unless I've bought something from the vendor. However for this one, not wanting to haul around a dead fish all day, I snapped it on the sly.
More typical of what you see rolling down the street. This is actually a pretty good setup, with very fresh vegetables neatly displayed...must have just opened for business.
I've gotten shy about when and in what direction I point my camera in places like these, so captured most while on the move.
...whereas this is much more typically what you'd see.
Must be very easy to set up shop like this...just roll your way to a good location and stand there. Again, with fancy wheels - that have brakes no less - and stainless fixture, this is one of the better ones...
With lighted sign and stainless fixtures, this is one of the fancier stalls on the street.
Close to where Chenjean's father and stepmother live is Zhuqi Township (located at 23.5015193 N,120.5644702 W). Whenever they go shopping - which is almost daily - they hop on the bus for the 15-minute ride to the market street. Completely free of tourists and set apart from the playgrounds of the younger generations, this is where it's easy to capture pics of undiluted Taiwanese culture.
This for a start, a very typical scene where food stalls line the sides of the street. More cropped-in shot below of the lady selling vegetables and her next-door neighbor:
Very similar to this post from Chenjean's village; the pattern in the lower branches here caught my attention.
And thus ends the series on our trip to the Taiping Suspension Bridge. Always something to see, even close to home.
Next stop - the Zhuqi market town, very close to Chenjean's home village, which will feature the smallest living human being I've ever seen...
See which number is askew? Didn't notice myself until post-capture. Loved the colors, and have recently gotten to playing with gradients in Photoshop.
Original below:
Got to playing with the sign in the picture below and ended up with this, featuring my favorite color combination.
Always thought it interesting that in Taiwan they've chosen to retain the more complicated writing system, while in mainland China, where it came from, they've converted to a simplified version. OK with me, as I think the more complex characters are more interesting to look at. And it's impressive to know that children in Taiwan have to learn several thousand even at the junior high level.
My nephew Terry did some roaming of his own and - ever the eagle eye for animal life, even in an urban setting - noticed these feral kittens. This is a very-cropped-in shot and, being hand-held with the D850, I was surprised at the level of detail captured (though it did require a bit of sharpening).
Original photo below:
