.
The world of blogging has opened up contacts to people and places I would never have dreamed possible. People doing simply beautiful work, in images, in words, in spirit, in life, in love. There are so many of you out there I would like to shine the warm lights of friendship on with special dedications, and in time I will, I hope, should time be granted.
.
But today, I would like to speak of two. Two intensely radiant lights. Two magical photographers, two indelible poets . . . If you have not been there yet, please do take a few moments and go explore :
.
Photo Sans Cible, by Clo in the South of France, that haven of light. . . and please wish her well, she was a little bit under the weather for a while there . . .
.
The Floating Bridge of Dreams, by Roxana in Romania, sorceress in light . . .
.
And if you like what you see there, spread the love, and leave a kind word in their comment box to let them know what you think. In my humblest of humble opinions, both of these blogs deserve to be known the world over. Warm light is flooding from their windows, as is bathing the grey stones here in this obscure village in northern France. . .
.
In the cemetery in the same town, there were three portraits that stood out for me, in varying states of disappearance, disintegration, fading away back to the nothingness from whence we spring, to which we return. And illustrating the importance, the primordial importance of holding on to those we love while we can, showing and sharing our love for family and friends while they are there; before we find ourselves hearing the refrain from that timeless Bob Dylan song, Going, Going, Gone . . .
.
.
.
.
.
Posts
48 comments:
I went trough your profile and WOW, you sure know what value is. Congrats!
Thanks for the intros, Owen! Checked out both, commented, etc, and was blown away by Clo's leaves today.
And the bakery's lights here are very inviting, and beckoning me as well. The fading of memorial portraits had me meditating on the fleeting impressions we make...
David *
I feel as though I want to write whenever I see the photies featured here in your blog. You have the eye that most photographers can only dream of.
Very inspiring, very original and refreshing work.
I feel like I am meeting you at the bakery, warm lights, fragrant aromas. The headstones there are very different from the ones here and the ones there have so much history. You are right about the photos: Going, going, and one just about gone.
oh - dear Owen...
you swept me off my feet!
Once again, congratulations for photos. They look great.
Greetings from Spain.
That is such a golden inviting light at the bakery, I wonder if that type of light bulb is labeled "guaranteed to attract customers" at the hardware store? :)
The portraits are eerie and lovely. You have such a fantastic eye Owen.
And now I'm off to check out the two blogs you mentioned!
Great post (as always) Just like those bakery lights at dusk, I know I won't be disappointed with a visit here. The disappearing grave photos are very nicely done as well.
I echo Jimmy... and I'm off to view the blogs you have pointed out.
Owen, je reconnais bien là ton amabilité à rendre les autres plus beaux et meilleurs !
Clo et Roxana méritent bien leur renommée de blogs plus qu'excellents !...
Par contre amigo, que vient faire cette boulangerie dans ton hommage à ces deux superbes femmes ? ! ? Un petit creux... à l'estomac ?...;-)
Et les cimetières... je ne sais pas comment tu fais ! Mais j'avoue que remettre à lumière ces visages inconnus est une bien belle "épopée" ! ! !
Bon début de semaine cher amigo... où que tu sois, quoique tu fasses, rien ne t'effaces, je pense à ... non mais ça va pas ! ! !...:)))
Ciao pixpotfriend !
Amuse-toi bien !
Dear Erika, I don't believe we've met before. It was kind of you to say that you went through (trough?) my profile, and that you would like to congratulate me for my sense of value... ? But which values are you referring to ? Why does your message give me the uneasy feeling that you are saying that simply because you would like me to click on your link, and thus set off some horrendous chain reaction of coded scripts that would like to worm their way into my hard drive, and disrupt my existence ? Why do I get the impression that your message is spam, pure, horrible spam ??? Am I wrong ? I could be wrong, Erika... it could be that you are a real live human being, with a heart and a soul, and not simply a name dreamed up be some twisted spam hacker fiend... Well, if you are a real human being, who cares a whit about the people whose comment boxes you have visited, then leave me another message please, a message that refers to the content of this post, a message which gives me a better feeling about clicking on your link... You know, I'm not that kind of guy, I don't just click with any odd woman who walks in here. I've got standards and values, as you so kindly observed. I'm a married guy with a wonderful wife. It's not any old Erika who likes my profile values who can distract me. So, again, I could be wrong about this being a spam link, if I am wrong, please don't be hurt or angry, it just there is alot of spam out there these days, carrying nasty viral infections... so, if you are a real thinking, breathing, caring person, give me a sign of real life this time...
======
Note to all, it might be wise not to click the link on the name "Erika" in the first comment here, unless she turns out to be human...
======
Hey David, glad you enjoyed those two, they are both well worth repeat visits, many repeat visits. And yeah, when one thinks about it, we really have very, very little time to make an impression of any sort on the world... best to try to make it a good one... before we too end up a fading photograph somewhere.
Have an excellent week...
======
Jimmy, I know you have lived hard, it shows in your writing, so when you say what you have said here, believe me, it hits me hard right in the heart. And from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
By the way, may I tell you what one of my favorite poems is ?
The Haggis o' Private McPhee...
by Robert Service....
"Hae ye heard whit ma auld mither's postit tae me?
It fair maks me hamesick," says Private McPhee.
"And whit did she send ye?" says Private McPhun,
As he cockit his rifle and bleezed at a Hun.
"A haggis! A Haggis!" says Private McPhee;
"The brawest big haggis I ever did see.
And think! it's the morn when fond memory turns
Tae haggis and whuskey--the Birthday o' Burns.
We maun find a dram; then we'll ca' in the rest
O' the lads, and we'll hae a Burns' Nicht wi' the best." ...
______________________
Your writing reminds me o' this one every time...
TechnoB, I'm sure when the bread comes fresh out of the ovens in the back there, it must smell wonderful, and yes, that last photo, a ghost scarcely visible still... which is why I photograph these faces, to keep a trace when the rest is gone...
======
Ah Roxana, if you have been swept off your feet, then may we fly for a while... I swear, your work should be on exhibit in London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, San Francisco, Rio... yes, a world tour for the Floating Bridge. Well, it's ok to dream sometimes, right ?
:-D
======
Hola Alvaro, many, many thanks, and greetings back to you in Spain. I was just watching a very good movie from Spain, in French the title was "La Langue du Papillon", or "The Tongue of the Butterfly"... about a boy growing up just before the Civil War started... sad story finally... but an excellent film.
======
Amy, I'm sure you are right ! And there are probably many small businesses who could profit from installing such light bulbs. I hope you have a good time visiting with Roxana and Clo, they are both merveilleuses... the light in the bakery gives a warm and cozy feeling not unlike the light in your Yosemite hotel room there, looking out on the snow...
======
Hey Bill, thanks so much, there's something for everyone in that bakery... Hope your hands project is going well...
=======
@eloh(not), an echo of Jimmy's words above here is a very kind echo indeed, so as it bounces back and forth, echoing, off the valley walls here, I will savor every fading refrain. Hope you have an excellent time with Clo and Roxana...
======
Ah Jeff, tu es là ! Oui, effectivement et tout à fait, il faut, il faut, car elles sont, elles sont tous les deux plus belles et meilleures.
Et bien sûr j'ai un petit creux, mais la lumière dorée qui coule par ces fenêtres me rapporte plein de saveurs, plein d'odeurs, la goutée en fin d'après-midi en bonne compagnie, et oui, comme dans un bon salon de tea, et oui, un jour on va s'asseoir à Paris, avec Loulou et Clo et Roxana et Arnaud et Karine et qui sais-je encore, Peter, et Adam, et Nathalie, oui bloggeuses et bloggeurs de partout dans le monde, pour un bon petit rencontre arrosé... ahh, rien n'efface ? Tu pense à quoi là précisement, ooh là, je crains le pire... mais bon, il n'y a pas de mal. Qu'est-ce que cela fait du bien de faire un petit tour dans les blogs le weekend, quand le boulot dans la semaine empeche de le faire...
Alors, merci gentil tenteur de chenilles, sacré buveur de tises, et faiseur de photos grandeur nature... à bientôt...
For years now I ask whether one is able to 'hear light' - and even though I might be without an answer for ever, for sure one is able read and feel it through your post.
A wonderful start into the new week for you.
Hi Robert, given that light is a vibration like most everything else around us, waves at various frequencies, I would think if we had the right equipment we could "hear" light, but for sure we can feel it... and I thank you, as well as hoping that you are thoroughly enjoying life in Greece at present.
Tchuss...
Great pix, I strolled through an old cemetery during my weekend away, took some lovely shots but have noticed we don't seem to have many graves with photos on them over here. Is it a European thing perhaps?
I'll have to get posting cos I have so much to tell you!!
Had the usual pleasure of feeding at your trough, looking at you in profile, eating spam sandwiches.
Ahhh look at this, Saj and Lynne showing up almost simultaneously ! Now doesn't that look suspicious... almost coordinated. Hmmm, I wonder what bar you two crawled out of ?
Lynne, so you like the feeding trough ? The spam was good I hope, haven't had any spam in ages. But I still remember the cans they used to come in... Do you think Erika is a nice young lady ? I was really afraid to look...
And sis Saj, can't wait to see the fruits of your photographic labors as you sweated away in the heat down there... corrrr, he said, gritting his teeth and pulling his sweater closer around him...
;-D
Those are some truly haunting photos, Owen. And I'm not quite sure how to interpret your infatuation with cemeteries, except to compare it with my own infatuation with the same; something inexplicably drawing about cemeteries. And... well... you do a beautiful thing when you recognize others. It's a pleasure to know you, Owen. Always!
Nevine
Owen, ladies do not crawl! (help me up, will you, Saj?)
Owen, i cannot explore France yet, but it seems you do it for me with your eyes. And what eyes they are! What things they see!
Those lichen covered graves with faded photographs are works of art created by nature. You notice it and show it to us.
And the bakery? Hmmm...lucky lucky you...
Yes, i agree with what you say about blogging and those we meet virtually. It has opened up my world and bonded me with people in ways i'd never ever imagined it would. I'm glad we've met :-)
This is a lovely post Owen! I have a profound interest in the history of people and what their lives might have been like as their "face" fades from a cemetary plot but maybe their soul is freed? Just a thought.
The Bakery photo is beautiful. I must say I envy your living in France. What a wonderful life it must be there for you! Most of my life I have dreamed of going there and or "living" there. So far it's not happened. I've always felt "French" and all my life people are always saying I look French. Suppose it's because I am part "Canadian Indian French" on my fathers side. Bu that's not real French is it?
I have a song on my blog that I'd like to share with my blog friends for the Holidays. Hope you'll drop by soon and give it a listen.
I will now check out your blog friends post you mentioned in this post.
Blessings,
Rhi
Oh my God! The links are AMAZING!!! Thank you!
Owen, those three fading faces are so moving... and I loved your story about the glowing bakery. The photo sure matches the description. Wonderful.
And thanks for the 2 links.
I've been following Clo's work for a while now (thanks to you!) but it was my first visit to Roxana's blog and I really loved it.
You are as ever, Owen, an inspiration.
Owen, this has been one of my favourite posts of yours - the lovely light shining from the boulangerie and then those three grave photos. I do think it is a lovely custom putting people's photos on their graves.
Owen, mon cher,
Woke up Sunday morning with you on my mind, where you stayed all day, while I, on the other hand, stayed far from my laptop viewing photos of a Mayan village at the University of Yucatán campus in El Centro de Mérida; listening to Charles Trenet blaring in the streets Boum!; looking at and buying beautiful dresses; and eating a plate lunch for a prix fixe! The night was reserved for the unusually interesting cultural experience of attending a social function at a language school where the people of the city who provide homestay experiences for foreign students gathered to welcome a new director and send off an old––who, inspiringly, happened to turn out to be a guy from Texas who disappeared across the border 35 years ago and is moving on to work in a Mexican government post. Will wonders never cease!
Thank you for your visit to ...Spit and Baling Wire... I'm always warmed to see a comment from you, speaking of the unexpected delights to be found in Blahgville.
Hi Owen! :)
The bakery shot is beautiful!
How lovely of you to make mention of these most fine and original photographers. You have given such marvelous encouragement and support to bloggers, fledgling and seasoned alike. I think your "patronage" is helping drive many creative endeavors along.
The warm light of the bakery echos the warm-hearted sentiments at the heart of this post.
coucou Owen...
une petite halte par chez toi avant d'aller me coucher...je crois que j'ai attrappé le rhume de jeff..:o)
merci pour ta gentillesse owen...
et a demain matin a la boulangerie pour un petit café croissant...
bonne et douce soirée...
bises bises...:o)
Yes I have to agree with Lynne, ladies do not crawl. I'll have you know we were beamed up (and not as in Jim Beam) and teleported by intergalactal Limo to the next imbibing establishment and the driver kindly dropped us off at your blog en route.
Hello, Owen. What sad photos, the three in the cemetery. It seems unthinkable that when we lay our loved ones to rest, some day their lives and our own will be considered only by those who pass our headstones with camera in hand. Poignant as that is, it's a rather harsh reality, isn't it?
But luckily for now, we have those friends who meet us in that warm and inviting photograph you posted at the top.
And new friends we might be introduced to there. Thanks for the link to the other blogs.
Warmly,
Christine
Sorry, I'm late ... had a busy day, but I'm glad I took the time now!
A lot of nice reading here, including in the comments! ... and yes, I visited the blogs you recommended and am glad I did!
Like you, I have really found pleasure in blogging, partly because it has given me the opportunity to take up interest in things I may have neglected, if not, but even more because among the many blogging contacts, I have met a number who I'm really happy to have found, virtually and in some cases also physically! (One more today.) We haven't yet met, but you are one of the ones I find real; your posts always express something which one really can feel! ... and that includes defintely this one!!
Dear Nevine, if the truth be known, I've been visiting cemeteries for ages now, really, for years and years, especially in France, but elsewhere as well. There is something completely peaceful in graveyards, and often the remembrance of people departed takes on a solemn beauty that just doesn't exist anywhere else. They are holy places, even in a non-religious sense of "holy". The history that is often visible, be it ever so simple as just birth dates and death dates, often tells stories that leave me filled with a sort of wonder. We are all going toward our own inevitable date of passing, seeing that others have gone before perhaps helps normalize the knowledge to some extent for me... In any case, I rarely encounter any other sort of place that leaves me with such a feeling of awe and respect for life. And the art... the art in cemeteries is often incredibly beautiful. Final departure brings out the best perhaps in those who remain, inspiring them to create memorials often of touching beauty. And the poetry of fading portraits like these never fails to affect me. I have photographed many such portraits... preserving the images in a small way I hope... Please tell us more of your infatuation...
And thank you...
======
Lynne, I stand, errr, I crawl corrected. Although I'd swear I saw some ladies crawling in the swimming pool the other day...
:-)
======
Hi Priya, I'm glad we've met too, and am very happy if you are enjoying some of the glimpses of France I've been sharing. Hopefully you will get a chance one day to come explore France yourself, if such is your desire. Funny, I would love to explore in India someday. There are a couple of blogs in my sidebar from India (Indiaphragme, Random Shots) and both Loulou and Arnaud have already inspired me considerably to want to come visit. And wow, am so glad you enjoyed Roxana and Clo... they are great ! See you soon...
======
Hey Rhiannon, I do hope their souls are flying free, even if the portraits are disappearing. And I guess alot of Americans of European origins would have some French blood in them, even if it goes back centuries. And keep dreaming, if travelling to France even if just for a visit is something you'd like to do... I hope you'll find a way. Life is short, don't wait too long. The bakeries are fabulous... And just went to hear Laura Nyro... thanks for that...
Bonjour Nathalie, si le blog de Roxana t'a fait plaisir, je suis plus que content, et donc tu savais déjà à quel point Clo est sublime... un plaisir toujours de te voir. J'ai bien aimé ta discussion sur les animaux l'autre jour, ceux qui laissent des traces mystèrieuses. Bien que tard, j'ai déposé ma théorie sur le sujet à cet endroit... Bonne semaine Nath !
======
Hey Steve, I'll take that as a good thing, and I thank you... BTW, you didn't say, or if you did I missed it, how your new computer is doing ? Hopefully it has increased you productivity and enjoyment of computing time a hundred fold ?
======
Hi FF, there is something about the portraits from the past that one sees in many French cemeteries that always grabs me, and I often spend a long moment contemplating them, trying to get a sense for who they were, imagining their lives...
======
Dearest Pliers, what comes through clear and quiet (as opposed to loud and clear) is how much you are obviously enjoying your days down there south of the border... What an incredible experience you are living, that many will only dream of... and I am honored to have been on your mind, if even for a fleeting moment. Always a pleasure to visit Spit & Baling, and I'll continue to do so with pleasure as long I haven't worn out my welcome...
:-)
======
Hi Rain, glad you enjoyed that one, bakeries in the country are often not far from divine, and are usually dens of temptation for a guy like me. Fortunately my metabolism allows me to eat heartily of the wares of such places, without gaining weight. Well, perhaps it's also the miles of walking as well before and after such lapses into such frenzies of self indulgene...
:-)
======
Dear Stickup... I'm not so sure that my "patronage" has anything to do with helping people along, they are for the most part helping themselves completely, birds out of nests that are already wheeling and turning in the sky with pleasure... and I'm just enjoying all the wheeling and turning wholeheartedly, and saying so on occasion. Thanks so much for your warm words here, also lit by the backery light... come on over, we can all get together and share some eclairs ! But if you can't make it here anytime soon, well, I'll just have to eat your share of the eclairs... ok ?
:-D
======
Bonjour Clo, et mille petits et doux mercis pour ton mot, ce serait avec plaisir pour le café croissant... ou peut-être un pain au chocolat ? Je les adore le matin... et j'en mange presque jamais. Va falloir changer ça, n'est pas ? Tes dernières feuilles sont belles, belles, belles....
Bonne journée et bonne semaine...
======
Dear Saj, funny how you manage to work these references in... not Jim Beam, but just beamed up... well, I can only hope you were still seeing straight when you got here. Oh dear, how we do go on. I'm sure you are not like that at all... Guess Lynne and I are just going to have to come to Christchurch and track you down for a family reunion one of these days... But only if you promise to show me where all the good junkyards are ?!?
:-)
======
Hey Christine, you know, it's always interesting how different perspectives have differing reactions to various subjects. I don't see these portraits on gravestones in a sad light, there is a solemn beauty there that touches me deeply, but it is with a deep sense of respect that I visit their resting places, and yes, I often wonder if anyone else does, so many of them seem totally neglected and forgotten. Which I guess is inevitable. In my own small way I'm paying my respects to some of these forgotten lives, when I stop by with a camera in hand.
If you had time to look at Clo and Roxana's work, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I have of late...
Take care Christine,
======
Hi Peter, anytime you can make it is a pleasure for me... and there certainly are some extremely kind comments here, I'm quite floored. It would be a real pleasure to meet you one day soon, perhaps we could organize something before too long ? I do get in to Paris from time to time, am not far away. Things are going to be crazy until Christmas, then we'll be out in Britanny for a while, but early in 2010, perhaps we could find a Sunday afternoon to get together... à suivre...
What a beautiful post, Owen. And I checked out the two posts you mentioned--blown away by them. Gorgeous photos. Thanks for the links.
Distracted by,
Thanks so much ! And am really happy you like the two links here to Roxana and Clo... they are "merveilleuses". And so happy that finally your break from blogging was not forever finally. Have been really enjoying the selections you present with unfailingly excellent taste...
Hi Owen,
So refreshing to start my day with a cuppa tea and your blog!
:)
Sorry, been of SICK!!! this time of year, NOT ayoba! lol!
I am posting the blogger friends photo club pics TODAY!!! so have a look a bit later! :)
desi
I just had to add my comment to this long list of others who appreciate your blog. The cemetery photographs are really special.
bonjour owen adoré !
que de gentillesse dans ce post ! cet hommage que tu rends à ces deux personnes est largement mérité :-)
et cette boulangerie, qui éclaire la rue de ses mille feux ! oui allons manger des pains au chocolat et plus si affinité !!!
et que dire de ces portraits qui s'effacent petit à petit ? tellement émouvant ! quelle passion tu as pour les cimetières !!!!
ah owen je t'adore ! merci d'être là
belle journée owen adoré
This is one of my favorite posts of yours.....and I haven't even visited your two friends' blogs yet!
Owen, your words are so stirring. Once again you enhanced the splendid photos you shared (as impossible as that seems) with a commentary that is quiet and wise.
I'm placing a link to this post in the "Voltaire's Quote Box" in my blog's sidebar. Because I think that your blog, too, should be known the world over.
Un blog très intéressant. Salutations de la créativité et l'imagination, les photos de José Ramon
the only good thing about winter is the warm light promising the cosy fireside and a family snuggled by stone walls and electric blanketed beds..... The photos of the faded photos are so poignant. It highlights just how temporary this little life of ours is...
we were all warm once.....
merci Owen pour ce partage, et pour la poésie de tes écrits.
Maryh K.
PS: tu vois, je viens fidèlement voir tes nouveaux posts même si je ne commente pas à chaque fois.
Magnifique le blog de Clo. Je l'ai ajouté dans mes favoris.
Desi ! There you are, I was starting to wonder how you were doing... so you were sick, in the late Spring of southern climes ? Hope you're all over it now ! There are all sorts of things going around... Will look forward to seeing the Friends Photos, I hope some other folks finally sent you some more... see you soon...
======
Hi Martin, so many thanks for dropping by, I'm really happy to see everyone anytime...
======
Ah Karine, tu es trop sympa ! Vraiment... ta gentillesse rayonne comme le soleil, soleil qui me manque un peu ces jours-ci.
Bon, et par les mille feux des lumières de la boulangerie patisserie, on va voir s'ils n'ont pas quelques milles feuilles appetissantes ? Qu'en penses-tu ? Des milles feuilles par mille feux... et je t'en remercie mille fois pour tes mots qui me chauffent agréablement le coeur quand je les vois tard la nuit comme ça, quand tout le monde dort... Et oui, tu as tout à fait raison, les cimetières, c'est une passion chez moi depuis belle lurette. Je ne peux pas m'empecher de passer par là quand je découvre de nouvelles villages dans la campagne, ou en ville. Il y a tellement d'histoire et d'histoires dedans, je ne me lasse pas de lire les petits mots d'amour laissés, et les oeuvres d'art...
Merci Karine, à bientôt...
======
Lydia, how do I say thank you loud enough so that you can hear me across an ocean and across a wide continent ? Well, I'll try..... thank yoooouuuuuuuuu ... I really appreciate that you caught the mood here that I was trying to portray...
======
José R., maintes fois merci pour ce mot gentille... je fais tout mon possible pour trouver un peu d'imagination chaque fois... ce n'est pas toujours facile tous les jours...
======
Hey Vicky, that does sound cozy, going straight from the fireside to the blanketed bed... I really miss not having a fireplace. We had to move a few years ago and the new place has no fireplace, the old house had five... and yeah, it's a very temporary proposition this life of ours... to be enjoyed while we can... Which is why everytime a new song is on the Watercats, I jump for joy and do a little dance !
======
Bonjour MaryhK., je suis bien content si tu trouves assez de chaleur et des images et idées ici qui te rechauffent ou qui t'intrigue de vouloir revenir... c'est plus que sympa, et c'est un vrai plaisir de rencontrer des personnes ici que je n'aurais jamais rencontré autrement...
Owen!! :D blogger Friends is Up And Running again!!! tomorrow im announcing the December theme.
GO check out my Wedding pics i took on my photography blog! please let me know what you think!
have a great evening!!
:)
inspirational and sensual... humans so desire and I would say crave beauty.. how can we resist... it lures like a magic spell...
and the warm lighting of the bakery... food for the heart, the soul and the belly ...Thank you
Desi, hey there you are... hope you're feeling better ! I will go look soon... have been a tad busy these days...
======
Gwen... simply thank you... I have been aiming at providing a little soul food for anyone who may stumble in here from wherever... like the bakery, I like to put out fresh croissants, pains aux chocolat, a few éclairs...
:-)
Post a Comment