It's Getting Hot Around Here

I know Vegas has had a record breaking summer heatwave, so I'm in no hurry to get there. In north Texas, we've been unseasonably mild and very wet. Rain, thunderstorms, flooding have made our Texas summer at least tolerable.

I sold this last week some of the things I don't want to take with me when I move west. It's been helpful to wean myself from the junk I had collected over the past few years. It is amazing that we pay storage for things that have very little value. I have learned that there is nothing that can't be replaced. So why keep a unit of shelves that cost me $49 when I bought them five years ago? Off to the dumpster they go.

I continue to build a network of investors here in Texas and in the Vegas area. My idea is to work both markets. Technology allows us to be "global." For me, global is Nevada and Texas.

My next and final step is to finance my move. Want to make a contribution?

A Tale of Two Wolfe's

I've been reading a collection of short stories by Thomas Wolfe. This is the Wolfe born in Ashville, North Carolina in 1900 and published his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel, in 1929. He died a young man in 1938 leaving a trail of manuscripts and stories that have become literary masterpieces.

He is not to be confused with the current writer Tom Wolfe. This Wolfe was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1931. This Wolfe began his career as a journalist writing for the Washington Post and the New York Herald Tribune. He called his mixture of literary techniques and journalism a "new journalism" that experimented with various ways to tell a fact-based story. He may be best known for his novel Bonfire of the Vanities.

Thomas Wolfe attended Harvard, while Tom attended Yale. Thomas taught for time at New York University and later spent time traveling through Europe. Tom, however, spent ten years as a newspaper journalist, mostly as a general assignment reporter.

I'm now reading The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe (Francis E. Skipp, Ed., 1987). The compilation contains all of his published short story material. The stories are arranged by date, in the order in which they were published.

Having just finished a book on the friendship between U.S. Grant and William T. Sherman, I suppose the idea of reading two authors with the same name was intriguing to me. They certainly weren't friends, nor even knew each other. Tom Wolfe was only eight years old when the elder Thomas Wolfe died at the age of 38. But a pairing is a pairing, even if only by name. I also just purchased a book published in 2003 on the friendship between Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt.

For whatever reason, I'm interested in juxtaposing two historical figures, or in the case of the Wolfes two authors, and discovering what I can about their relationships. I'm not sure I'll learn anything by placing Thomas and Tom side-by-side as I read their works, but I have a sneaking suspicion that something will emerge through their writings that will be simpatico.

My Darkroom Collection: Politics and Misc.

I began sifting through some old prints from my days as a student and freelance photojournalist. The dates and locations are unknown with some of them. I didn't do a very good job of writing on the back of the prints any information. I'm relying on my memory, which is never a good thing.

This photo was taken on Commerce Street in dowtown Dallas during a parade. Date and reason for the parade are lost in my memory. I love the expression on the child's face. I remember having to dodge and burn in the darkroom to highlight her face. In the "old days" prior to digital photography and fancy software, we had to do enhance our work by antiquated techniques like dodging and burning.

I remember taking this shot inside the Old Time String Shop in Nacogdoches, Texas. The old woman was a wonderful subject. But I didn't want her to know I was photographing her, so I remember dropping my camera on my lap and trying to shoot without her knowing it. I found this print in a box, and it was damaged somewhat. I still have the negative, however, somewhere.

This photo of former Governor Ann Richards and presidential candidate Bill Clinton was taken on the eve of the election in 1992. Clinton and his entourage were on a multi-state tour on the day before he was elected president, and he stopped by Meachem Airport in Fort Worth for a brief visit.


ABC Nightline broadcaster Ted Koppell was with Clinton on the trip. As you can see by this photo, Ted was having a good time (or he was drunk). I met him and Clinton along with the other local press who were covering the event.

Since we're talking politics, I thought I would include this photo of Governor Mark White. I was assigned to cover a prayer breakfast he was attending, so I thought it would appropriate to get a picture of the Governor praying. The date of this photo must have been the Spring of 1983. Governor White served one four-year term beginning in January of 1983. He lost to Bill Clements in 1986. I guess he should have prayed more.

July 2007 Slide Show

I've compiled many of the photos posted here as a slide show at Photobucket. Click below to view the show.

July 2007 Photographium Album .