White Wild Roses

Rosa multiflora, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019

Before the seemingly ceaseless rains began, the wild roses came into bloom.  They grow too densely around a wild mulberry tree.  I say 'wild' because I didn't plant the mulberry.  A bird or deer deposited seed-laden poop and voila!  Mulberry.  I don't know how the wild roses got there, possibly the same way as the mulberry, or a previous owner could've planted them, but then other vegetation suppressed their growth, and now conditions are more suited to their re-emergence. 
After blooming I will cut them back, but next year they'll be too dense again.

Two Gulls In Glasgow

Two Gulls, Glasgow, Scotland, 2018

This shot was taken out of the hotel window, 5th floor,  maybe the 7th floor, I can't recall exactly.  It was our last night in Scotland, the following morning we'd be at the airport by 6am for the flight back to the States.  What I was photographing in this shot was a common scene in both Glasgow and Edinburgh; plants, or trees, taking root in rain gutters or on the windowsills of buildings.  Given the steep price of property, I was surprised that this was allowed, that the owner(s) wouldn't make sure that the vegetation was cleared out because it could undermine the integrity of the structure.  Maybe people can't keep up with the sheer volume of encroaching botanicals.  Who knows.  I do know that I miss Scotland, unlike and more than any other country I've ever been in.

And Then There Were 2

The Oldest Reads To The Youngest, Banned Books, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


On the occasion of my mother's 80th birthday, the family gathered to celebrate.  After awhile, away from the revelry, two of my nieces settled in on the steps with a book.

Cliff Side Botanicals

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, Scotland, 2018
While some view ground ivy as a fast spreading nuisance weed (indeed, it sends out runners and keeping up with it is impossible), but it does have valuable medicinal qualities.  Wikipedipea has this to say:
"Glechoma hederacea has been used in the traditional medicine of Europe going back thousands of years: Galen recommends the plant to treat inflammation of the eyes. John Gerard, an English herbalist, recommended the plant to treat tinnitus, as well as a "diuretic, astringent, tonic and gentle stimulant. Useful in kidney diseases and for indigestion." It has also been used as a "lung herb".^[11] Other traditional uses include as an expectorant, astringent, and to treat bronchitis.^[12] The essential oil of the plant has been used for centuries as a general tonic for colds and coughs, and to relieve congestion of the mucous membranes.^{[citation needed]} In the traditional Austrian medicine the herb has been prescribed for internal application as salad or tea for the treatment of a variety of different conditions including disorders associated with the liver and bile, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, kidneys and urinary tract, fever, and flu."
My own anecdotal observation to the herb's effectiveness were evidenced 20+ years ago when my oldest son was quite young, around 4 or 5 years old, and complained that his throat hurt.  I looked down his throat and sure enough, it was inflamed and swollen.  It was a Sunday evening, almost bedtime, and a trip to the ER seemed extreme, so I went into the yard and collected a heaping handful of ground ivy and placed it in a pan, overed it with water, and brought it to a boil on the stove.  I allowed it to steep for a good twenty minutes, and cool.  Finally, I told my son to gargle with it.  Over and over he gargled and spit until I finally I told him to drink just a bit of it.  I then looked down his throat and the irritated red was gone, as was the swelling.  He said that his throat felt fine and I thought, hopefully we'll be good until morning...And when morning came his throat was still fine.  A very good treatment for a sore throat has been my experience with this herb.

Red Fern 2

In The Land Of The Red Fern, 2019

Taken at the same time, and similar to the original Red Fern print, but just different enough, darker, busier.  This iteration of the red fern will be hanging in the Northland Public Library, McCandless Twp, PA for the summer.

Surrealism in Black and White

2xInvert, Glasgow, Scotland, 2018

Posted without comment.

Always Mother's Day

Mom and 1st Baby, 1958

My mother was married at 18, and a mother, starting with my oldest brother, at 19.  I don't know how she did it at that young age, with virtually no help from my father, but all four of her children survived.  So Happy Mother's Day, Mom! 
Also, as a footnote, I wonder if we have taken survival for granted (or, as the kids now say, 'granite').  If we are about to discover how fraught, perilous, and tenuous living really is.

Girl On A Hill

Girl On A Hill, Fombell, PA, 1924

Probably because I'm a photographer, I've inherited ALL of my family's photographic archive.  This girl on a hill was my paternal grandmother.  She was born in 1914, and died in 2004.  She lived nearly her entire life in the same farm house situated on a hill above a hollow.  Though she was a farmer's daughter, she was no farmer.  No, she became a merchant, owning a successful string of dress shops in neighboring mill towns.  My first job was straightening and sizing racks in the main store when I was 10.
For the last ten years or so I've been working seriously on my family tree, and now that I believe that I've done as much as I can with it, I'm writing up a companion piece to go a long with the tree itself, and the corresponding photographs.  I'll probably delve deeper into this in another post, but on my maternal grandfather's side, I discovered a line that goes back to the Winthrop Fleet, then to minor British nobility, then to major English Lords, then to William the Conqueror, Vikings, Charlemagne, Beowulf, Odin, finally fading into history with the Frost Giants.  One ancestor, in the 15th century, reportedly slew a wyvern terrorizing his village, but not before offering to slay his newborn son before God.  Luckily his wife snatched the babe away before the lad could be sacrificed on the chapel altar.  Proof that no matter the age and era, people are crazy and mythical creatures are real.

Worlds Collide In Stark Contrast

St. Paul's Cathedral Reflected In Carnegie Mellon University's Science Building, Pittsburgh 2019
                                                              "Worlds Collide"

The "Worlds Collide" series is one I've been working on for about five years or so.  I was walking down Fifth Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh one day and happened to notice the church reflected in the building across the street.  Once I discovered that the building was a CMU science building, the wavering  tension between religion and science became obvious.
Over the years I've revisited the reflection at different times of the year, different times of the day, because of how light plays with the imaging.  It's one of the more popular series that the gallery sells of my work.  I'm preparing new work to take to the gallery next week, and this is one of the prints included.

Invasive Pink

Lonicera tatarica, Pink Honeysuckle, Ross Twp, Pittsburgh, 2019

On a strip of land meant to deal with storm water runoff, an imported ornamental escapee flourishes.  Introduced in 1845 from China, L. tatarica is a woody bush rather than a ground covering vine such as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), although L. tatarico will twine around surrounding vegetation and trees, choking them out in the same manner that L. japonica will if left unchecked.  That's why, despite what beauty and medicinal properties are to be gotten from these plants, they're considered invasive and noxious.  I have collected honeysuckle for medicinal purposes, and it's important to note that the flowerhead is what holds the most potent active properties, and should constitute the bulk of your collection.  To a much lesser degree are the leaves useful.

Red Fern

Red Fern, Hocking Hills, Ohio
I have two photographs that earned an honorable mention on display at the 12th Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards in Barcelona, Spain, opening this weekend.  Sadly we could not attend because of conflicts in every single aspect of our schedules.  No, we don't live the sort of lives where we ditch work and jet off to Europe.  Still a thrill, but toned down, and not nearly as drunk as it would be otherwise.