The Ordinary

Artists are amazing people. They have an uncanny ability to take something ordinary and make it in to something quite extraordinary. Imagine the man sitting in his garage looking around and within no time he, in his mind, he has designed a sculpture out of sprockets, bolts, and old tools. As a photographer I find it a little more difficult to rise to that challenge. Every now and then I will pick a room, photograph what is in it using different angles and composition in an attempt to make ordinary objects appear interesting. I suspect my doctor would be appalled to know that I snooped through the drawers and cabinets of one of the exam rooms during one of my last visits. What can I say. I had a little time on my hands.

This concept of taking the ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary can be applied to our daily lives. I know that some times I feel like I have fallen into a rut taking many things and people for granted. I tell myself I will do this or that tomorrow or next week. I put off sending an email to a friend thinking there is always tomorrow. I also find myself thinking that if I had this or that,  my life wouldn't be or feel so ordinary. What I have failed to do during those moments is to live a life a gratitude and kindness. Take a moment to think about the times that you have bestowed an act of kindness onto a stranger, or you laughed so hard you cried with a friend or the feeling you get when you are with a family member or friend who you love conditionally. It is the excitement to see an old friend, the feeling of comfort when a familiar voice comes out of nowhere, the gentle touch that is needed to soothe a painful time or simple words of encouragement. Those encounters are what can make an ordinary life into a life lived in an extraordinary manner. The next time you feel like your life has become dull or a little ordinary, step outside of yourself, speak words of gratitude and begin to live a life of compassion and kindness and you will experience the extraordinary.

Goldfield Ghost Town Arizona

History was always one of my favorite subjects in school and continues to spark my interest today. I am a firm believer that we need to look at the past to remind us where we are going and specifically to learn from our mistakes. So it goes without saying that I find myself seeking out old stuff to photograph. The rustier the better with maybe a slight bit of color from the past. It doesn't matter if it is an old wagon, car, milk can, horseshoe, sign, tool or trunk. It is all about the textures and lines of the object. One might ask where do I find this old stuff or junk as my dad might say. Ghost towns. 

I am very fond of ghost towns. As I wander around, I find myself thinking about the people who walked the streets and alleyways of the town that was once populated and those who once owned the objects I photograph. I cannot help but think of all the stories that have been lost along with the people. These are the stories that I am interested in. 

It is so easy to be inspired by the success stories of celebrities and the wealthy. I believe the true inspiration comes from the failures and success of the everyday person. Those are the stories that make laugh, cry and want to be a better person. I am inspired by the many unsung heroes that shape our lives and communities everyday. It is the stories of the common man which gives me pause to look deep inside my own soul to find my own faith and inspiration to move beyond what I have already achieved. 

I believe part of my earthly purpose is to capture the images and stories of those around me as their lives unfold in front of me so they are not lost ghosts like those I find in the ghost towns I explore. 

Goldfield Ghost Town is another little gem that can be found 4.5 miles NE of Apache Junction. Goldfield became an official town with the opening of its post office in October 1893. The population grew with the successful mining of gold ore. The ore "dried up" and in November 1898 the post office closed and Goldfield became a ghost town. A second surge occurred when George Young brought new mining techniques to the area in an attempt to mine more ore. In June 1921 a second post office of opened and Youngsberg was born. Once again the mining of  gold ore did not pan out. The post office closed in October 1926. In 1984 Robert Schoose and his wife bought a five acre site which was once the Goldfield Mill. They began to rebuild the ghost town. In 1988 Goldfield Ghost town was again open. Today visitors can find a livery, a train tour, a brothel, several other shops and a lot of old junk to photograph.

Apacheland

Arizona is full of little gems to explore. Apacheland is one of those gems if you are a movie buff and a fan of the western. Apacheland's development began in 1959. The original intent was to open as an amusement park and movie studio. Apacheland experienced some hardships over the years which included a sheriff's auction and two fires that claimed many historical and movie artifacts. The spirit of Apacheland prevailed giving to us the memorable Elvis Presley movie Charro and many t.v. show episodes  that included the Rifleman, Little House on the Prairie, and the Virginian. 

Today the little white chapel from Charro still stands along with other buildings and a visitors center that includes a museum. Apacheland is also the host to several festivals throughout the year. I have found it to be a charming place to visit. The bottom line is I can not resist the life size cut out of Elvis in the little chapel. I chuckle every time I see it.

What's Your Sign

Wilton North Dakota lies along highway 83 which is a direct route to the state's captal, Bismarck. For years there was a white barn that sat along the east side of the highway with the back side of the barn facing highway 83. The back of that barn was used as a communication tool to provide motorists with nuggets of inspiration, or  a quip to make the passerby smile. I always looked forward to the drive to Bismarck to see what the current insprational nugget might be. Recently I made a visit to Wilton only to find what I once looked forward to is now only a Dakota Prairie memory.  

Manhole & Other Ground Covers

My cousin JoAnn threw down the gauntlet with a challenge of exploring manhole covers. I accepted the challenge and with iPad in hand pounded the streets looking for manhole covers. After getting honked at a few times I decided to expand my search to sidewalk grates and other ground covers. This proved to be successful and a bit more safer. I survived the many stares from on lookers and the approach of one city worker who asked me if it was my turn to count the city's covers. I have thought a lot about manhole covers over the past two days. I have to admit they do not bring any zen like thoughts or feelings to my mind. Although I will tell you on the occasions where I have encountered a worker sticking his head from a manhole I always chuckle.

Manhole & Other Ground Covers

My cousin JoAnn threw down the gauntlet with a challenge of exploring manhole covers. I accepted the challenge and with iPad in hand pounded the streets looking for manhole covers. After getting honked at a few times I decided to expand my search to sidewalk grates and other ground covers. This proved to be successful and a bit more safer. I survived the many stares from on lookers and the approach of one city worker who asked me if it was my turn to count the city's covers. I have thought a lot about manhole covers over the past two days. I have to admit they do not bring any zen like thoughts or feelings to my mind. Although I will tell you on the occasions where I have encountered a worker sticking his head from a manhole I always chuckle.

Round

I often doodle during times when I am bored in a meeting or if I am pondering life. I draw the usual rabbit, stick people, an occasional box, but I draw a lot of circles. I find a lot of roundness in nature and my own life.

The old adage that history repeats itself is a symbol of how round our lives can be. History does repeat itself as does many people in their own lives as evidenced by their own actions and choices they make. But like history, I think each one of us hopes that as we complete our life circles we move in a linear fashion forward. Taking our experiences to heighten our physical, emotional, mental and financial being in a positive way.

I look back into my own life and see the roundness of my life's journey. While I find it frustrating to think that my round linear approach takes up more time to reach the person I truly want to be, I hope that my circles get smaller so I can spend more time moving faster in my linear life's path to become a better person.

May your circles be small, may you find inner peace in your own journey, be kind to yourself and help others when you can.

Hot Air Balloons

Early one Phoenix morning, my grandma woke me up, told me to get dressed as my grandpa wanted to take me for ride. There was excitement in the air. My grandpa and I got into the car and away we went. He drove with a sense of urgency. Anybody who had ever been in a vehicle with my grandpa knows that when I write he drove with a sense of urgency means it was a very scary ride. But when we rounded a corner and as my eyes followed his arm and finger pointing out the window my fear turned to awe. For the first time a saw a hot air ballon hovering in the sky above the silent desert.

He drove ahead of the balloon and stopped the car. I quickly stepped out with my camera in hand clicking non-stop as it drifted towards us. The balloon was almost directly above us when the pilot pulled a lever igniting the burner which produced a whooshing sound that I would never forget. It was at that moment I fell in love with the beauty of hot air ballooning. The pilot and the passengers waved to us as they silently drifted away across the desert. It was a magical moment standing in the desert in cool morning air with my grandpa.

Occupy Phoenix

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Our First Amendment right, Freedom of Speech. Personally I love the First Amendment. I support people who use it. I may not always agree with what is being said but it certainly is away to get someone's attention.

As a nation we continue to struggle with tough issues, high unemployment, lack of support for our education system, continued rise of health care costs, corporations continue to move jobs out of the States and a banking system that needs to be held accountable for all the bad loans they issued. We have a congress full of people who are self serving, who refuse to work together and will not make any decision to move this country forward. So if the only way to get the attention of the President and Congress is to protest then so be it.

There have been a lot of judgmental statements made about the people in the occupy movement. Tired of bad news reporting and the lack of tolerance by my fellow American citizens, I spent a few hours following the Occupy Phoenix march.

I met young people who were having difficulty finding jobs in the areas that they majored in, people who had lost their jobs and were having trouble finding jobs that would meet their needs, retired people who are scared of the continued rise of health care costs, people who can not get refinanced and were about to loose their homes, people who are close to retirement fearing their pensions will not survive the economic down turn, and of coarse people who want marijuana legalized; God love them if that is their only concern.

I spoke with real people who are afraid of the uncertainty of our countries future and theirs. If the only way to get the attention of the leaders of this great nation is to hold protests under the First Amendment, then I support them as I too share some of the same fears. Perhaps if more of us took to the streets we could direct our nations leaders to move forward rather than be slaves to those who have financial influence over them. Rather than spending time judging those who are using their voice, we should spend time to educate ourselves for the upcoming elections and fire some people who are suppose to be working for the people.