updates from henry's coffee shop

A frame from the sunflower house.. just lounging. And then a frame from a bike ride tonight on the way down to the coffee shop. Haven't shot too much lately because I've been through a Web site training. Still trying to get unpacked. But right now I'm just drinking coffee.

new digs

this is the view of my backyard from one of the winding stairwells leading up to the roof of my new housing cooperative, the sunflower house. not 100 percent moved in yet but close... more dispatches from this post to follow..

I love horses.

From a barrel racing event this evening... the opening of the Douglas County Fair.

Short short

Messing around with a series of stills I shot the other night on my deck.

text poetry

Packing for a yard sale,

no internet, pbr, sad
music left by a
couchsurfer dampens my
mood and this year's
yearly shuffle is bearing
down hard

ooh ahh

Playing with cameras Monday evening.

Couchsurfer Rachel

Last night as Rachel and I were walking back to my apartment to share music and look at photographs she mentioned that she felt blessed. And I get that. And I think being a part of the couchsurfing.com community plays a roll in how she feels and how I feel. Granted, she wasn't talking about this specific couchsurfing experience. Rather, something greater.. maybe an understanding, or a feeling of direction, that feeling that things are "right."

As she talked about being feeling blessed, I began to like the idea of it all, this feeling blessed. To have the self-awareness to create situations in your life, focusing on the moment, the now.. and realizing that things are good. And all this with the understanding that there will be bumps in the road... regardless though.. to follow your dreams anyway. And if maybe things aren't going as planned, I like the idea that you should feel blessed. To live this moment, soak it up, let the saturation in the colors absorb you, the coffee's rich aroma seep into your nostrils and feel the slight breeze from an open July door.

Seconds

This is the first time in my photographic life that I've been in one spot for longer than a year. I don't really know how I feel about it other than it's strange to be photographing the same things, in the same place, for a second time. Your county fairs, your cancer walks, your graduations, holidays... these all happen everywhere, but now I'm seeing them another time, in the same place. Guess all I can do is take what I know about places and use it to my advantage and try to see things differently.

I shot this swim meet last year. This time around I broke out the plastic fish tank.. and enjoyed some window light.. which I remember being ecstatic about last summer.

Mood

Dark talks of dark deeds on a dark night.

crowning coach

For as long as these boys have been alive they've watched the Royals. Their whole lives, 18 years of flops, follies and almosts. But before the bare knuckle bunch that consists of the Lawrence Raiders were born, back in 1985, Buddy Biancalana helped lead the Royals to pennant. Today the baseball guru stopped by the sandlot in south Lawrence, stood in front of the summer league team and told his philosophical approach to sports. That an athlete's accomplishments are best described in the abstract... the greats perform with a clear mind... connecting body with mind.

Define "productive"

My definition of accomplishment has become somewhat blurred lately and I think today bears witness to that. While I have done a good share of reading, for pleasure and research, and made calls about stories.. I haven't really hit my major couple of goals for the weekend. But, the day is still quite young and I bought some hazelnut coffee at the store today so I'm keeping focused.

I did accomplish this goal. I broke my recent web of frugality and binged on two CDs... One, Max has been harping at me for some time to buy, Blonde on Blonde by Dylan. And I've got to say, hell yes I'm happy with the results. And the other is a newer band called MGMT, which I picked up on from a video on a cool little mindful living publication out of Boulder, elephant journal.

Time to brew that coffee.

Summer

Americana?

Sitting out on my deck yesterday morning drinking some coffee and thinking about going to work. I hear this little rumbling engine noise. Catch something out of the corner of my eye and turn to see these two kids putting along in this oldie go cart contraption.

Should I grab my camera? Yeah, sure lets do it.

So this is them cruising through the alley behind my house.

Lawrence Arts Center

Looking at, talking about and making pictures with Brian Stuparyk.