Kino

 

I know that I mentioned the vegetable truck, but did I mention the plant truck?  Just another piece I am thankful for.  We are on our way to San Miguel de Allende tomorrow.  It should take us about three days.   Happy Holidays and blessings to everyone. 

nikon...

 

Praise for the point an shoot aside, I am loving my new Nikon and the bundle of film for my 2 1/4!

May you all find the time and space to do what you love.

Welcome Home

We are back in Kino! After a brief yet exhausting trip to Tucson, we have collapsed back into our lives in Kino. So instead of driving in circles around the Arizona metropolis we drove circles around the sea of cortez in search of whales.  Our first round brought us to pods of Bottle Nose Dolphins.

 

The kids took turns climbing to the bow.  We continued our search around the other side of the islands for whales. 

We found two pods of Pilot Whales.  There were huge ones, babies and a couple of them even splashed us in the boat. 

 

 

It was a great welcome home. 

 

praise for the point and shoot

 

I made this image a long time ago.  I sat for some time in my living room watching the light on this chair and Claire dipping her fingers in and out of it. "If Ionly had film in my 4x5, my 2 1/4..." Thankfully I didn't let my photographic snobbery get the best of me.  Not that this is a great image...though it is my wallpaper, but for the first time, I used the little canon point and shoot digital camera to make an image based on the quality of light and not just the next shot of Claire. It is a reminder to me to not use perceived limitiations as an excuse for not doing.   For the first time I was able to notice what was right infront of me and let what I thought were the constraints of my tools teach me something.  Weston printed from a lightbulb in his closet, Imogen Cunningham slung her Rollei around her neck and made images that were totally unique and interesting because of where he camera hung on her very short not more than five foot frame, Sally Mann photographed her children in the most intimate of ways,some of my favorite images were made without a lightmeter just waiting for the quality of light i knew well.  The true masters of trades work intensely with what they have infront of them, perfecting what others might see as limitations, only to turn something ordinary into art. Now, I know that I am not riding the cusp of stardome with images of our new lives in Kino. But the intimacy of subject and newfound inspiration of tools (previously thought of as limiting) has set me free to be patient and wait for light again.  Thank you canon powershot for teaching me that it is all more obtainable than we may think, that the fixed lense requires me to get closer.   And thank you friends and family for not committing me as totally off my rocker for this post.  It just feels good to be inspired again.

Bittersweet

 

This morning the kids and I packed up and walked across the street to the beach.  When we arrived we noticed the construction workers from the house behind us anxiously approaching the shore. (they usually don't come down to the beach) They were staring into the water and I asked the what they were looking at.  And at that moment we saw fifteen ( I thought twenty five at the time) squid swimming up to the point in packs of five or so.  One rather large one was beaching itself.  Last month we saw a few smaller ones beached and as they died, there epidermis was electrified with changing colors.  these guys had a plan to harvest these squid and sell them to a local restaurant.

 

Now, these squid weren't exactly beaching themselves.  This quite possible over-enthusiastic man in his underwear (which Hailey journaled about with drawings...) who is also somewhat afraid of the squid, was using a shovel to "encourage" them to shore.  Cosme' told us that one could pretty much just pick one up. He definately wasn't trying to hurt them but wasn't very confident in his abilities and was quite nervous himself which led to a little bit of a frenzy. 

   

 

Once they were all on shore ,( only about half of the original number) they were loaded up and delivered to Jorges down the street.  As it turns out the price for squid is pretty low..only about thirty pesos per kilo.  Lorrayne later told us that these squid would be close to the end of their life cycle.  Usually in their adult life, they stay out in the deepest of deep to feed and spawn.  They only come into the shore towards the end.  They are fascinating, beautiful and archaic creatures.