11/1/11
10/31/11
Hell Canyon
Arizona Flagstone crushing and rail station in Drake...
The community of Drake, Arizona is on the dirt Yavapai County Road 71 and is in the midst of beautiful ranching country in Hell Canyon. The most noticeable thing is Drake Concrete where Arizona Flagstone, composed of grains of quartz and cemented by silica, is produced.
Located there is a rail station of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway where the flagstone is loaded and transported. It is also the junction of the western terminus of the Verde Canyon Railway. The Hell Canyon Bridge once used by US Highway 89 is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The current Arizona Route 89 is the direct route to Ash Fork from Prescott. The dirt road through Drake connects to paved Coconino Route 73 and is the shortcut route to Williams. It goes through the high desert valley and up through the higher elevated alpine country of Arizona. Hell Canyon and Drake is a a peaceful place in a moderate climate well worth traveling through.
The community of Drake, Arizona is on the dirt Yavapai County Road 71 and is in the midst of beautiful ranching country in Hell Canyon. The most noticeable thing is Drake Concrete where Arizona Flagstone, composed of grains of quartz and cemented by silica, is produced.
10/29/11
Is It A Blur or Visionary?
Struggling with my creative self...
Pushing the envelope.
Some of my best writing and photography is not by design but by mistake, a fuzzy outline, a blur. They just happen. I will have an idea of what I want to write but end up writing something vaguely similar to what I started out with in the original thought. My struggle is with what I think is mediocre that I can easily produce and still elicit a good response. What I mean by mediocre is work that although it might be very good it is not unique or stands out from similar writing or photographs. How many photographs of a desert sunset can there be before they all become the same? I do my backyard landscape well now but how to do it originally or differently is what I struggle with.
I don't think I'm unique in that struggle but I do think it can be a struggle to be unique in this ubiquitous age of the internet. Some people have hobbies or play sports and that is their outlet to stand out or be a part of the crowd. For those of us who are creative that is our outlet regardless of our talent or how we express ourselves. We may never be a Rembrandt or Mozart but the challenge is to produce the best work we can and keep raising the bar.
Lately I've been experimenting with my Droid X taking pictures as they happen or something strikes me. Since I like to do as much as possible "in the camera" with relatively minimal editing as an enhancement I try to do different things while taking the shot. Recently it's been in motion or playing with settings. I still take the best possible landscape and street photography I can but I regard a lot of it right now as stock photography. The idea is that in the future I'll look at them again with a renewed eye and realize they still have value. Right now I'm a malcontent, a dissident against my own average, not willing to settle for mainstream, forcing myself to edit a photo blunder to turn the picture into a different wonder. If I were a painter I'd say that it is a fight against painting-by-numbers and struggling with an explosion of colors while taming them at the same time. Also by contrast toying with lack of color in black and white.
It seems I turned a corner with writing this year although I'm not where I would like to be, I don't feel as if I'm cranking out the same political and economics commentary I once did. Previously it was a struggle to get out of the same old habits writing history. Really that is the contest with all my creative enterprises, writing, photography, video and editing all of them. Building upon what I've already done while still bursting out at another level with something rejuvenating and vibrant. Currently it is photography. When I become bored with my own work then I know it is time to experiment and make mistakes or redirecting what I started to a different channel. In trial and error suddenly there comes a surprise, something different, a breakout moment that begs to be continued.
Pushing the envelope.
Some of my best writing and photography is not by design but by mistake, a fuzzy outline, a blur. They just happen. I will have an idea of what I want to write but end up writing something vaguely similar to what I started out with in the original thought. My struggle is with what I think is mediocre that I can easily produce and still elicit a good response. What I mean by mediocre is work that although it might be very good it is not unique or stands out from similar writing or photographs. How many photographs of a desert sunset can there be before they all become the same? I do my backyard landscape well now but how to do it originally or differently is what I struggle with.
I don't think I'm unique in that struggle but I do think it can be a struggle to be unique in this ubiquitous age of the internet. Some people have hobbies or play sports and that is their outlet to stand out or be a part of the crowd. For those of us who are creative that is our outlet regardless of our talent or how we express ourselves. We may never be a Rembrandt or Mozart but the challenge is to produce the best work we can and keep raising the bar.
It seems I turned a corner with writing this year although I'm not where I would like to be, I don't feel as if I'm cranking out the same political and economics commentary I once did. Previously it was a struggle to get out of the same old habits writing history. Really that is the contest with all my creative enterprises, writing, photography, video and editing all of them. Building upon what I've already done while still bursting out at another level with something rejuvenating and vibrant. Currently it is photography. When I become bored with my own work then I know it is time to experiment and make mistakes or redirecting what I started to a different channel. In trial and error suddenly there comes a surprise, something different, a breakout moment that begs to be continued.
10/28/11
Buzzing Lines
High power, low overhead...
These high power lines are so low to the ground that you can hear them buzzing, singing and crackling in the wind.
These high power lines are so low to the ground that you can hear them buzzing, singing and crackling in the wind.
10/27/11
10/23/11
Get Your Kicks
On Route 66...
Road Trip!
Leaving for the week on a road trip to Northern Arizona to shoot photography and video as well as do some historical and geographical research. Taking state highways to Paulden, the back road from Drake to Flagstaff. Then west to Williams on I-40 through to Ash Fork and at Seligman picking up Route 66 to Kingman. Return trip on the infamous "Highway of Death" US 93 back to Phoenix. See you later!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYApJtsyd0
Road Trip!
Leaving for the week on a road trip to Northern Arizona to shoot photography and video as well as do some historical and geographical research. Taking state highways to Paulden, the back road from Drake to Flagstaff. Then west to Williams on I-40 through to Ash Fork and at Seligman picking up Route 66 to Kingman. Return trip on the infamous "Highway of Death" US 93 back to Phoenix. See you later!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYApJtsyd0
10/22/11
10/21/11
There Is No Place
Like Our Place...
Since 2008 I have been taking road trips through Arizona, New Mexico and the Inland Empire of California sometimes alone and other times with my partner. During my trips I talk with local people, observe local color as well as visit friends and make new ones. I've also watched the area change during this economic period and how it has affected people and the landscape. It is clear there has not been an economic recovery or that we are merely in a double dip but in some sort of disruptive economic contraction that is of greater magnitude and will take time to resolve. The question now is how do we cope and make the best use of what we have and keep ourselves alive and prosperous in mind and spirit?
There are pockets on the map that are doing fairly well, some in a temporary mini-boom. The majority of places of any size are at a minimum in a holding pattern of stagnation at best while there are areas that are clearly in a doomsday bust. You see it in small things such as service at a decent hotel is slightly degraded to entire blocks of buildings empty, broken down and facilities lacking. The most telling thing is people and what is in their eyes.
Many people are clearly not doing or handling the downturn well. There are others who keep going through their daily routine seemingly happy enough but you can sense by looking in their eyes many of them have troubles. Others eyes are clear and bright, full of the knowledge that times are getting tougher but there is still life to live and make the most of. Those are the people I'm drawn to and hold fascinating conversations with about the condition of our region and how to make the best of it.
The mainstream media, politicians and special interest groups would have us believe all kinds of things about each other. One thing that has been consistent in travelling this region as time has tattered and worn down structures and people is the resilience of a significant percentage of the population. That has not changed. They come in all sizes and shapes, colors and age but all of them carry a spirit that is healthy to be around. These are the people I'm surrounding myself with to maintain a high level of energy and optimism so I may return the favor. In the long term our place is in our minds and souls and how we choose to preserve and uplift ourselves and others.
Since 2008 I have been taking road trips through Arizona, New Mexico and the Inland Empire of California sometimes alone and other times with my partner. During my trips I talk with local people, observe local color as well as visit friends and make new ones. I've also watched the area change during this economic period and how it has affected people and the landscape. It is clear there has not been an economic recovery or that we are merely in a double dip but in some sort of disruptive economic contraction that is of greater magnitude and will take time to resolve. The question now is how do we cope and make the best use of what we have and keep ourselves alive and prosperous in mind and spirit?
There are pockets on the map that are doing fairly well, some in a temporary mini-boom. The majority of places of any size are at a minimum in a holding pattern of stagnation at best while there are areas that are clearly in a doomsday bust. You see it in small things such as service at a decent hotel is slightly degraded to entire blocks of buildings empty, broken down and facilities lacking. The most telling thing is people and what is in their eyes.
The mainstream media, politicians and special interest groups would have us believe all kinds of things about each other. One thing that has been consistent in travelling this region as time has tattered and worn down structures and people is the resilience of a significant percentage of the population. That has not changed. They come in all sizes and shapes, colors and age but all of them carry a spirit that is healthy to be around. These are the people I'm surrounding myself with to maintain a high level of energy and optimism so I may return the favor. In the long term our place is in our minds and souls and how we choose to preserve and uplift ourselves and others.
10/20/11
Silver Dollar Moon
Hanging over ashen landscape...
Road trips are a great departure from everyday life, especially since I am able to travel the US desert southwest frequently for short three to five day trips. There is a lot that is unique and unusual that people all over the world visualize and want to visit that I am fortunate to see. At the end of a driving day, with prior stops to interesting places, the road to the stopover for the night can occasionally seem long. In between destinations the road and wide open spaces may be monotonous and run by as a blur.
If you are looking though a gem will appear, such as this full moon at dusk, a treasure find at day's end. It takes imagination to find gifts in the desert and many natural occurrences are traces of the elemental table of an oasis. Very often it is simple and at first glance the seemingly mundane things on the spur of the moment stand out. Every day life can be like that and the challenge is to find that overlooked wellspring worthy of attention to turn an ordinary day into one with a pleasant diversion.
Road trips are a great departure from everyday life, especially since I am able to travel the US desert southwest frequently for short three to five day trips. There is a lot that is unique and unusual that people all over the world visualize and want to visit that I am fortunate to see. At the end of a driving day, with prior stops to interesting places, the road to the stopover for the night can occasionally seem long. In between destinations the road and wide open spaces may be monotonous and run by as a blur.
If you are looking though a gem will appear, such as this full moon at dusk, a treasure find at day's end. It takes imagination to find gifts in the desert and many natural occurrences are traces of the elemental table of an oasis. Very often it is simple and at first glance the seemingly mundane things on the spur of the moment stand out. Every day life can be like that and the challenge is to find that overlooked wellspring worthy of attention to turn an ordinary day into one with a pleasant diversion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)