Photoessayist the Blog

In the Summer of 1977 I was living in a studio apartment, in Washington D.C., with no air-conditioning. In July the temperatures toped 90 degrees. Humidity was close to 100%. I hadn’t been this uncomfortable since my days in eastern North Carolina in the mid-sixties.

I was desperate for some relief. I couldn’t sleep at night because of the heat and humidity.

So I went shopping for something to cool down the apartment. The first store I entered had a stack of the fans you see in the photo. $25.00. 10 minutes later the store had one less fan.

Since then I have used it every time it gets hot. It has been working non-stop for these last 33 years.

As you can see from the photo I don’t often clean it. Maybe I should.

The Vietnam War was my defining moment. I spent 4 years in the Marines and finally in December 1968 I was in Vietnam. I was only there for 5 months and didn’t see combat. What I did do was spend every possible day out in the county around DaNang, Vietnam. You can see what I accomplished here: Another Vietnam Story.

I was one of the lucky ones. I came back alive and physically unharmed.

Here is a web show of photography from the Vietnam War. It includes civilian and military photographers, including Marine Corp photographers. Also note that were the military photographer is known they are given credit for their work. This is a rarity. In fact I have never seen military photographers ever get name credit for their images.

Boston.com / Vietnam, 35 years later

Landscaping in and around the Getty Center has matured since I was last up there. It looks all grownup now.

Because it rained when I was there we couldn’t tour the Central Garden. That has really matured since my last visit. The show Huell Howser did on the garden was the incentive to visit the Getty this time. The garden was what I really came wanted to see. Didn’t get that chance.

Because so much of the landscaping around the Getty Center had grown to maturity you couldn’t even see the garden from the terraces that overlook the garden.

If you’ve ever been to the Getty Center here in LA you would know that this place and everything in it was chosen by the architect*, Richard Meier. Mr Meier demands everything in it’s place and nothing allowed if not approved by the architect. So to see this black chair was to see something that resists conformity. It follows the path of: Resist Much, Obey Little.

It will probably be punished when found out. Pun intended.

*The exception was the Central Garden. It was designed by the american installation artist, Robert Irwin.