Two More Eggs

These two eggs, from last night's meal, are about to be scrambled for inclusion into a fish, rice, carrots, green onions and peas dish. Nummy!

I enjoy the aesthetics of food preparation as much as the taste, it seems. These eggs were delicious too scattered amongst the whites and oranges and greens. Click on the image and tell me if you can see a nebula or an eggula, or something like that. Maybe a lunar egg?

Yesterday's Favorite Kodak Moments

Yes, we love every sweet red pepper that crosses our chopping block. Even this one with the green hump backed stem. Tasty morsels after roasting. Leave a comment (below) and I will divulge my roasting recipe.

My second favorite shot from yesterday, made with my trusty inexpensive Kodak digital camera, is a record of the sunset at Kim Ross' 50th birthday party on Longboat Key.

The Z Girls of Kansas

On Monday and Tuesday of this week I was blessed by a visit from my grand nieces, Jaycee, Jaira, and Jenna: The Z Girls of Kansas. It was an aqueous vacation that brought them to me in Florida; they visited Sea World, my swimming pool, and took a dip in the Gulf of Mexico. These few pix are mostly pool shots I particularly like.

Noodle less and noodler. Left to Right: Jaycee, Jenna, Jaira Zeck

Doing the Deep End Leap are (L to R) Jaira, Jaycee, and Jenna Zeck

Jenna and Jaira making Uncle Gerry smile until the top of his ears hurt.

Jaycee and Jenna Zeck

Your lips, your lips, your lips are juicy!

My sweet niece Jen Callahan Zeck agreed to contrast her beautiful, smooth face with my grizzle for the benefit of photographic posterity. Yes, like Katherine Hepburn, I too am vain enough to cover my neck with a camera strap when the camera gets this close.

Thanks Jen and Brian and Jaycee and Jaira and Jenna for making my Day for months to come.

Old Florida Time

Lenny & Maude visited Florida in 1995. It was summer and motel prices were at their lowest of the year. Lenny drove to Sarasota and, to save a buck, found a cheap hotel somewhere on the North Trail.

And that was the problem; Neither Lenny or Maude could remember where they left their suitcases.

From Work on the Beach Portfolio, 1995.

The Egg and I

Here I am Sunday evening and surviving so far as bachelor for a weekend. Got to stay up late, 5:30 AM one night but I can't remember the other. I'm woozy. My temporal compass left Florida to carouse with her old sorority buddies up in cool Michigan.

Got a lot accomplished alone and bleary-eyed, editing the new web site [about a week away]. Finished reading Thomas Moore's excellent archetypal psychology book, Care of the Soul, rewriting several web pages, and making two photo art clocks.

So, at one point I find myself standing at the sink Peeling a hard boiled egg, something I seldom make for myself or others, when I realize the coincidence of the moment. I had just completed editing the pages for The EGGS Portfolio when I find one in my hands, staring at me. (Talk about an intelligent universe!) Who put it there, I ask myself? Did I do it or was it Coincidence? It might have been the trickster, Mercury. Such fun. Better get a snapshot.

By the way, did I tell you that the voting for my new logo (see July 13 post) was heavily in favor of the background image entitled Peelings.

Cheers to you brave readers. Eat a hard boiled egg and have a magical day.

New Logo Day

OK, so there comes a time in every man's life when he needs to renew his logo. Today is my day and I'm asking for your help.

Almost 25 years ago I started using a striped black Z for my photography business logo. Since then the clouds have passed, the man did his work, and something new has flowed into my signature. These signatures, all clear variations of the original Z, have been laid atop a few of my photoshop collages.

Just in time for my new web site that should come online later this month.

Below are three variations of the new logo as well as an appeal for your help. Please vote and/or comment at the bottom of this posting for your favorite choice.

Eyeeyeeye Logo

Peelings Logo

Last Rites Logo

Thanks for your vote ~ Gerry

The Ignorance That Moves Me

Ignorance about the future is seductive; it always pulls us into itself. As much as I know, I know nothing about the outcome of this moment. I did not always carry this frame of mind, nor did I always care.

As a young man I knew what moved me. Sarasota was warmer than Boston. That moved my intended migration route from Minneapolis to Boston to Sarasota. I didn't have much care about the future other than a vague sense of continuing my life in the warmth of the sun, next to the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I just jumped into my future with blissful ignorance.

I can reflect upon that decision to migrate with greater accuracy today because I brought a few cameras along with me to Sarasota. This view of my sweetheart reminds me of who we were and w hat attracted us at the time we came here. But the picture tells me nothing about what will follow this moment.

To clarify, I have plunged into posting this picture with complete ignorance of what the future will bring. Now I begin to wonder.

At least you don't have to wonder what my monitor screen looks like today; This is it.

Photoshop World

Years ago I started working on a photographic theme that centered on the littoral zone of the Gulf of Mexico. The littoral zone is the area along the beach that falls between the high- and low- water marks. The idea appealed to me because this transitional zone certainly sees a lot of action and the zone is so linear and easy to follow, no matter what the tide is doing.

I literally ran across one of those littoral photos today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Click to enlarge.

Here's Waldo!

You won't have to search the crape myrtle blossoms to find Waldo. He's right here and he's hungry for pollen. In fact, I was pleased to see Waldo was not alone yesterday morning as I staked the blossom heavy branches next to the driveway. There were at least three varieties of pollen gatherers buzzing around my head. There was Waldo, dozens of small bees (let's just call them Smallies), and several wasps all working in harmony.

I get enthusiastic when I see bees in the yard. The sightings mean that bees are not extinct yet, that they are working pollenating plants, and all kinds of plants will be growing thanks to the bees. My enthusiasm comes from an addiction to food; I love fresh vegetables and knowing that bees are working makes me believe I may continue to eat fresh vegetables for awhile longer.

OK. So there's another side to Yard Ecstasy: the plant eaters. I don't know the name of this guy either, so I call him Wormy (his brothers form Wormies). The Wormies appeared on the normally resilient Snow on the Mountain plants around the same time the rain saturated grasses spawned a corps of small beige moths. Grrrrr!

I won't go into the non-heroic, gory details of how I saved Snow on the Mountains.

Have a good day!

My Hat's Off Today

It's raining again today, but it's a good day to take my hat off to the good men of my family whose birthdays come swarming around this date. Today would have been my father's 96th birthday; he almost made it to hang around for this celebration. To him and to my recently departed big brother, Rusty, I take my hat off. Both were extraordinarily good men.

The Pink Pimpernel salutes you!

Continuing this celebration of life and longevity, I offer you a self-portrait from the bleached leg of my blue jeans. This portrait is nothing as mind numbing as the discovery of Jesus on a French Toast, but it is curious.

Several months ago I noticed that the leg of my blue jeans had been bleached out by some unknown, careless happening. Or was it fate? The curious thing about the bleach stain is that it looked just like me!!!

I drew Pam's attention to this similarity then drew the lines on the pant leg to emphasize the shape of my vision. Pam was sweet enough to finalize the portrait in thread. Thus, another glimpse of Gerry Zeck, son of Robert E. Zeck, brother to Russell Murphy.