What are you thinking?

 What are you thinking?

"Excuse me ... I wonder if I can bother you for a portrait of you this morning?"
He asked what for.
I replied why ... "Class assignment!"
He said sure, and with a big smile.
Ice was broken.
He continued his work cleaning and filling the ice machine.
I did my think all the while him
High up on  ladder.
His name was Dennis
Like mine.
As I shot he gave me many smiles and eressions
I had about 6 good "portraits" of him
But in mid convo
He paused
Looked down
For probably four moments
A couple of "deep breaths" worth,
I quickly framed the shot
And click
I got the shot I wanted
Oh I don't mind the pleasant smile shots
Even the full of life expressions.
Something but this shot
Looking down
Stillness
Within himself
If only for  moment
For two deep breaths
Through my whole shoot of him
I wondered "What is he thinking?"
Actually I wonder this of most of the people I shoot
Even my wife
Kids
Grandkids
Thinking ... inside our heads
Makes ones expression and demeanor
Look different
He has that look
I will never know what he is thinking
But I can imagine.
I think it is pleasant thoughts.
What are you thinking?

For the Joy of Chess

 

 For the Joy of Chess

1971
A year spent in Europe with my 5 brothers and cousin
Mom and Dad
All in our VW Bus
A green one.
Camping in farmers fields.
Eating Spam and Eggs on a Coleman stove.

For desert?
Chess

Thanks to my Dad and older brother Dan
Both chess nuts
I caught the bug

For the Joy of Chess

1971 was the year of Spassky and Fischer
Bobby Fischer, soon to be newly crowned world champion
We played chess
Daily
In Belgium and French fields
Greek beaches
In the Alps, our chess board would be all setup

Family tournaments
More losses, for me, than wins
But I always left with knowing I could get better
I never beat Dad
But Dan, yes
When I was in my 30's !
Didn't matter
The trigger set off in my brain
When my pieces developed
When I castled early
When I actually had an end-game

I didn't know all the jargon
Queen's Gambit
Italian Defense
Heck I just played
And hoped the opponent would trip up.

I was never much of a reader
But Dan scoured all the chess books he could get his hands on
First one coming from Blackwell's in Oxford.
Dad got him "Botvinnik's Best Games"
Mikhail Botvinnik was "the guy" much before Spassky or Fischer.

I just learned that
Yesterday in fact.
I want that book now.
Ten years back Dan gave me
A huge stack of his chess books.
Much more that a wealth of knowledge
These books contained.
These books "were Dan"
And his joy for chess.

So I play
And keep playing
Maybe take a hiatus
But chess is always there
My board and pieces are waiting.
If I am white I always start by Pawn to King "4"
I am sure to win with this first move.

My kids now play.
My son Ty being taught
At five years old
By his Uncle Dan.
My grandkids now play too.
Being taught by their Uncle
My son Ty

The books will be waiting
Whenever they want to
Up their game.

For the Joy of Chess

Music of the Surf

Music of the Surf


A place where I unplug

The beach is so alluring
Calling me to come sit
Find a big old driftwood log
Washed up from who knows where
Dried out
Smooth
A perfect place to sit
Sit and watch
Sit and feel
The breeze blow on my face
A perfect place to inhale
Smell the salty sea
Washing up on the shore
Smell the seaweed
Unique and a signature to my beach
My focus though
Mesmerizing my mind
The surf
Waves crashing to the shore
Like an original song

A beat of its own
Small waves
Larges waves
Each with different rhythms
A groove everchanging
Crashing to the shore
Depending on the day
Each day brings a new song
Each minute brings a new wave
Listen to the music
The beach creates
The music of the surf

Music moves my Soul

 Music moves my Soul


I have no clue why
I just know what happens
When I crank up the volume
Of my favorite musician
R. L. Burnside always gets me
The Beatles
Any track on Abbey Road
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
The Four Seasons by Mr. Vivaldi
Steven Curtis Chapman playing Lord of the Dance
Earth, Wind and Fire engulfed me
When I crank up the volume
On a sunny day
Windows down
Or in my garage
With my big "college days" speakers
Blaring
That works too
My soul is moving
That rhythm
That beat
Melody
Solid lyrics that resonate deep in my heart
I connect with
Then Bamm
It is like I am part of the song
Sucked in to trhe current
No turning back now
The song takes me on a journey
Not like the last time I played it
New places in my mind and soul
Explored
The effect of good music
Moves my soul.