how to kill a rattler - part two

My good friend, "Celeste," the rattler killer, called The Department of Game and Fish in Arizona (Fish and Game everywhere else) to find out how to get rid of Mojave rattlesnakes since it seems a good bet they have a den on their property. The response was an emphatic, "You can't!" Killing rattlesnakes is frowned upon and illegal unless they pose an imminent threat to you. It doesn't count if they're a threat to your pets, they are on their own. Apparently, the woman my friend talked to didn't believe rattlesnakes were an imminent threat 13 times. (I'm imagining 13 little squiggles representing each snake on the stock of her shotgun.) The Game and Fish lady asked if my friend was hunting them. She vigorously suggested my friend get a hunting license which will allow her to kill 4 a year. The rest she should spray with cold water. "Celeste" didn't think she should ask if that was after they were dead.

blue peach

This is a photo I shot this week. I normally don't like to "invert" photos to produce a negative image or alter its color rendition - I think they tend to be gimmicky at best - but in this case, I liked the clean white background that resulted from this technique and the idea of a blue peach.

The first photograph to inspire me to explore photography as an art form was just such an image. Entitled "Magenta Horse," Pete Turner, the then pre-eminent photographer, manipulated an image of a magenta horse set in a bright red background. It was very graphic, bold and beautiful. I can't remember the exact technique he utilized to achieve this effect, but he is known for re-copying his slides multiple times to increase color saturation and contrast. I think he may have cross-processed his film (either developing negative film in slide film chemicals or vice-versa), then re-copying this image onto positive film multiple times perhaps even using colored filters to enhance the color. In any event, all of my initial attempts at photography were greatly influenced by his work. I'll post some examples shortly.

I am still excited by a Turner photograph and happily, he still produces images. Over time though, the graphic nature of his work, although clean and crisp, began to feel a little sterile to me. I think his images lacked texture (and still do). In general, a lot of photography lacks texture to me, so this is not just an indictment of Pete Turner's work. I think it is a general criticism of the inherent nature of photography. I continue to work on techniques to imbue texture into my images and think I’ve done a relatively successful job with my latest work. I’ll includes some of these images shortly to allow you to be the judge. All in all though, I am still inspired by Turner’s work and continue to be re-vitalized whenever I see one of his images. It hearkens me back to that initial excitement I felt at the possibilities. It is like hearing an old song on the radio that re-kindles all of those same emotions you felt with your first love.

true love . . .

I shared the fact that I had started my own blog with a friend the other day. Her response (after something like, "You mean, like EVERYBODY else?") went like this:

"I would have a blog if I wasn’t so lazy, but it would be all about potato chips, my only true love."

Which prompted me to solicit an appropriate response (mostly from women). I share some of them below:

Potato chips will never disappoint you in bed (or anywhere else for that matter).
Potato chips will never say, “I’m just not that into you.”
Potato chips are willing participants in WHATEVER video you choose.
Potato chips will never feign interest in you.
Potato chips will never make promises they can't keep.
Potato chips will never leave you for somebody else.
Potato chips will never disappoint you in bed, unless you sleep on them.
Potato chips will never borrow money from you and forget to pay you back.
Potato chips are too good for their own good.

No WONDER you can't eat just one . . .

chocolate souffle recipe

I love to cook. I don't know a lot of people these days who engage in this activity, at least not to the extent that our moms did. Drive by any popular restaurants on any weeknight and you'll see plenty of cars in the parking lot. And the weekends? Well, forget it. Reservations are a must. I know we all lead busy lives and cooking meals has been reduced to yet another annoyance we must endure, but occasionally a nice warm meal prepared by your own hands in the comfort of your own home just can't be beat. I've reached a level of proficiency where I can usually equal (and a lot of times exceed) a meal at a good restaurant. As a result, I have my favorite recipes. The really good ones are those that aren't that difficult, but are very impressive due to their amazingly high "delicious" factor. I'd classify this as possessing a high effort/impress ratio (henceforth, "e/i factor"). Following is one that I'd like to share with you:

Ingredients:

6 Tbs. unsalted butter
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. Cornstarch
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
fresh raspberries (optional - no, make that mandatory)

Serves 4

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan and set aside.
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a mixing bowl and set aside.
In a third bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks together. Add the melted butter-chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture and combine thoroughly with a wire whisk. Stir in the eggs and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate.

Lightly butter 4 small ramekins (about 4 1/2 inches in diameter). Divide batter equally into ramekins.

Bake for approximately 18 minutes in an oven preheated to 400 degrees.

The chef suggests making this in advance and refrigerating overnight so that the batter (which is extremely sticky) is easier to work with. I have ignored this if I am pressed for time and find it is sticky, but not impossible. Also, it's important to NOT overcook. It will look bad and taste worse. I have tried to stick to the 18-minute cooking time and sometimes, the center is not thoroughly cooked (although my family prefers the center to be slightly underdone - sort of like a molten chocolate cake dish). You can use a wooden toothpick to assess the center. Again, I would advise you not wait until it comes out clean, but you will be able to tell if it is still too liquid.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and raspberries on top. Enjoy!

bees and ccd

By now you've heard about the alarming loss of entire colonies of bees. The phenomena is referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), which in itself is disturbing. Can you classify the deaths of so many bees as a "disorder?"

Two articles appeared in the latest issue of Gourmet magazine (of all places) that I wanted to share. The first, was written by Ian Knauer regarding lessons learned from his grandfather who was a beekeeper. The author points out that the pollination of produce by bees amounts to approximately $21 billion annually. I think it is telling that the impact of the loss of bees is felt most when quantified in dollars.

Thus far, entomologists theorize the cause of CCD is a virus, which by itself "is not enough to kill a bee, let alone a whole hive. But when combined with other viruses, predators, pests and bacteria, the virus appears to cause a breakdown of the immune system, and the insects become unable to fight off disease. Autopsies performed on infected bees have found almost every virus, bacteria, and pathogen known to affect bee health. The hives, frames, and wax that remain after the bees have disappeared contain toxic levels of any numbers of diseases." Beekeepers in the past have prided themselves on the longevity of their hives: a hallmark of their caretaking skills. "Over time, the wax (in these hives) becomes dark golden, even chocolate-colored." Thus the legacy of time and many, many generations of bee colonies are now being destroyed in an instant of fire and smoke. "Wax melts over wood and sets a flame that seems too great for its kindling. Pollen sizzles and honey boils."

The companion article by Heather Smith, discusses what can be done if the population of honeybees continue to diminish. A honeybee is one of 20,000 bee species. Apparently there are also 200,000 other species of insects that are responsible for pollinating fruits and vegetables. One strategy suggests allowing small sections of cultivated land to revert to their "wild" state (simply leaving them unmowed for example). Also, placing small "habitats" for these insects in these areas will promote the presence of alternative pollinators. The author states that honeybees are really not the best pollinators since they usually settle upon repetitive flight patterns as they go about their business. Disruption of these flight patterns by other bees and insects actually promotes a wider range of pollination. While this article suggests that we may not be impacted by the loss of bees as much as we might fear through such strategies, it is still frightening to me that we are suffering a loss to our ecosystem that may not be resolved.

I am reminded of the people who claim there will be benefits to the melting of the polar ice caps; the opening of new trade routes through previously hazardous ocean territories or the opportunity for tourists to easily visit areas previously confined to a few intrepid travelers. Is it just me or do such perspectives only reveal further our own self-absorption and interest to the exclusion of the larger concerns that deserve our attention?

design - frank gehry

Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Need I say more?

book arts

Book arts is an amazing art form that deserves much more attention. Typically, artists skilled in the craft of bookmaking, compile these little masterpieces with labor-intensive attention to every minute detail. Text is often handset and printed with antique letterpress machines. Pages can be handsewn together between covers that have been lovingly carved, drawn, etched, imprinted or embellished with whatever technique the creative mind of the bookmaker envisions. Often the resulting pieces are expensive, but unique to this art form, they are meant to be handled and appreciated. They often contain lyrical poems, original text or reprinted classics. They almost always contain some type of graphic element: woodblock prints, etchings, linotypes, photographs, etc. Artists books are truly beautiful expressions of a unique craft. Sometimes these "books" are not even books. They can take the form of boxes, containers or small sculptures.

Listed below are some websites highlighting book artists:

http://www.timothyely.com/
http://www.flyingfishpress.com/index.html
http://www.vampandtramp.com/html/home.html