tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88555107510169574222024-03-14T03:10:59.848+01:00Magic Lantern Showor ... Mr. Toad's Travel DiaryOwenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.comBlogger1180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-6669287581232002152016-12-17T02:53:00.001+01:002016-12-17T02:53:19.873+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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....<br />Sunset, Cholula, Mexico, a few weeks ago.... on another planet, it seems to me now....<br /><br />Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-83584697300884230412014-09-14T11:44:00.001+02:002014-09-14T11:45:56.386+02:00Tombs of the Fallen : Les Tombeaux des Tombés<div>
Hello to everyone who might see this here... Would like to let anyone who may interested know that I will be giving a photo show from 3 November to 29 November (2014) at the Cultural Center of Chantilly, France. The show will be composed of photos I've made over the past 20 years related to the history of World War One, and the tombs of soldiers who fought in that war. This is the poster which will be distributed shortly to help promote interest in the exhibition...<br />
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Bonjour à tous, au cas où vous voyez ceci... J'aimerais vous informer que je vais exposer au Centre Culturel de Chantilly, entre le 3 et 29 novembre, une collection d'une cinquantaine de photos que j'ai faites depuis 20 ans des tombeaux des soldats de la Grande Guerre. Voici l'affiche qui sera distribuée bientôt pour promouvoir cette exposition...<br />
Also for info, for the past two years now have been actively showing my work on Facebook, you can find it here : <a href="http://www.facebook.com/OwenPhillipsPhotographyFrance"><b>www.facebook.com/OwenPhillipsPhotographyFrance</b></a></div>
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And a new page has been started in support of this photo show, and whatever may come after, you can see it here : <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tombsofthefallen"><b>https://www.facebook.com/tombsofthefallen</b></a></div>
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If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know there is no religious orientation presented here whatsoever, nor is there any leaning toward paranormal or otherworldly experiences. This page has never been about anything other than presenting photographs I've made over the years, in my own simple way, with plain words.<br />
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A month ago, at the end of January, I had the pleasure of spending a cold, windy afternoon in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris in the good company of Mary G., Virginia J., Peter O., and la Grenouille, with no other purpose than to stroll and take some cemetery photographs, as we all enjoy doing. It was Mary who suggested I take a look at the tomb of the well known French glass artist Rene Lalique, as there was an interesting sculpted glass crucifixion scene to see on it. Here is a front view:<br />
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This second image is actually the first photo I shot that day of the glass crucifixion scene shown above. I was trying to catch a reflection on the surface of the glass, as reflection photos are another of my interests. When I got home that night I thought this image was rather unusual. What do you think ? What do you see in this photo ? Is what you see here the result of a random of play of light in the glass ? If not, than what do you think of this and what might explain it ? I would really like to hear your opinion.<br />
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Mary G. even took a photo of me taking a photo of Lalique's tomb that afternoon... and very kindly sent it along to me after she got back home to the States... Thanks Again Mary !<br />
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Strolling in Pere Lachaise Cemetery the other day with Virginia, Mary, Peter, and la Grenouille, saw this reflection on polished black stone, and thought, of course, of <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2013/02/dart-weekend-reflections-177.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Weekend Reflections</span></i></b></a>.<br />
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Sorry to be so absent here, but have been spending more time over a the Facebook page, link in sidebar. Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day...<br />
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Que l'on se montre ou se cache<br />
Que l'on soit faible or fort<br />
Le Destin nous arrache<br />
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Whether we show ourselves or we hide<br />
Whether we are weak or strong<br />
Destiny will tear us away<br />
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Seen in a cemetery north of Paris in the Oise. Hard to argue with logic like that.<br />
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If you have been looking at these pages for any length of time, you know I love cemeteries, and you also know I love reflected light. So when I came across this puddle reflection on a tombstone after a rainstorm, I was close to heaven. And funny, the blue sky in the reflection is much closer to the real color than the bits of sky visible through the trees. So much dark surface in this image that the metering caused the real sky to get burned out a bit. This was in the Pantin-Aubervilliers Cemetery, just outside Paris, which at 107 hectares, or 264 acres, is the largest cemetery in France. And for another take on Tombstone Blues... click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-z-WCGDXlk" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">here</span></i></b></a>. And as it is the weekend, and this is a reflection, let's put it up on <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2013/01/looking-to-future-and-reflecting-on.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">Weekend Reflections</span></i></b></a> over at James' place.<br />
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<br />Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-31791553778019718162012-12-30T19:01:00.001+01:002012-12-30T19:01:08.731+01:00Every Dog's Dream . . .<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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Had just gotten into my car this afternoon after exploring the cemetery behind the wall here. Was about to drive off, when I glanced in the mirror. A flash of red drew my attention, like a bull goaded by a matador. I suddenly had a vision of every dog in the neighborhood stopping by here and lifting a back leg ! Every dog's dream.<br />
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Yes, I admit, it's a bit banal as reflections go. But it will have to do (as in : doggy do !) for today. Now, if you have a dog, tell him or her to come take a look, let's get some tails wagging around the world ! Woof !!! For <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/12/a-new-years-kiss-weekend-reflections-170.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">James' Weekend Reflections</span></i></b></a>... And there is actually a double reflection here, can just see a small splash (that flowing water image again !) of red in the side of the car.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hi everyone ! See, haven't disappeared from here entirely, but as mentioned earlier, my new mistress Facebook is rather demanding. She keeps requiring gifts of time, and pearls, diamonds, chateaux, sailboats, etc. So I am struggling to keep her happy. If you want to see what I mean, just open your FB account, I know you all secretly have one, and "Like" my page named oddly enough : "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/OwenPhillipsPhotographyFrance" target="_blank"><span style="color: #20124d;">Owen Phillips Photography France</span></a>". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had to add "France" on the name because there is another photographer who you can find on Google named <a href="http://owenphillips.co.uk/photography/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Owen Phillips</span></a> in the UK, who does some great work. By strange coincidence he even has the same middle name as me. And is an acoustic guitar folk musician, also like me, if I could go so far to claim the title of musician. That is a fairly large assumption. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Was able these past days to get out and wander in a few cemeteries. The two photos here are very recent, the first from Gentilly Cemetery, on the south edge of Paris, the second from Pantin Cemetery, the largest cemetery in all of France, just outside Paris to the northeast. A father and his son killed in World War One. A mother and her daughter who died far too young. Why post such images during the holidays ? Well, for me, they contain strong messages about loving those who are close to you, while you can. For time on Earth is often far shorter for many people than it should be. One never knows when one will have to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Holidays to all ! And I'm very sorry to do so, but I finally turned on the word verification on comments, just far too much spam coming in. Am tired of having to delete it all every time I open blogger. I hate Google's bloody word verification, half the time I can't even read the numbers and some of the letters. But the spam senders can't either, so they lose. Cheers !</span><br />
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For <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/12/thanks-giving-square-reflection-weekend.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">James Reflections Weekend</span></i></b></a>, these first two are from Cologne, Germany, across from the cathedral there. Famous faces. Call me a "reflections papparazzi".<br />
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This next was high up in the tower of the cathedral. People just have to leave a trace of their presence, affirmation of existence. I guess a blog in cyberspace is the same sort of thing ?<br />
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Finally, saw this fading photo on ceramic in a cemetery near Chantilly, France, this afternoon. Born in 1919, she died in 1940, her short life spanning the space between two World Wars. RIP Marie Lousie.<br />
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As mentioned earlier, I admit to spending a bit of time these days on Facebook cultivating my new photography page there under <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OwenPhillipsPhotographyFrance" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Owen Phillips Photography France</span></b></a>, and also looking around at the surprising number of excellent pages produced by people who have similar interests in cemeteries and abandoned buildings, or other artwork in various places.<br />
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Some particularly good sites I've come across in my wandering on Facebook so far are (click the links here to go there, and these are not in any particular order) :<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/HistoricCemeteries" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Historic Cemeteries</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cemetery-of-staglieno-and-more/380690288670747?fref=ts" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Staglieno Cemetery and More</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/MauricioGhiggeriPhotografy?fref=ts" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Maurizio Ghiggeri Photography</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeane-Trend-Hill-Headstone-Hunter/80385062476?ref=stream" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">Jeanne Trend-Hill Headstone Hunter</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Headstones-and-History/154391221260508" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: purple;">Headstones and History</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/CharnelRosePhotography?fref=ts" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Charnel Rose Photography</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abandoned-Love-Photography/386055854788056" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Abandoned Love Photography</span></b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/AbandonedAmericana?fref=ts" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #bf9000;">Abandoned Americana</span></b></a><br />
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And no doubt all that is just the tip of the iceberg. But am still checking in here too from time to time...<br />
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Very exceptionally, to participate in <b><i><a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/12/ephemeral-scenery-weekend-reflections.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">James Weekend Reflections</span></a></i></b> this week, am posting a photo which I did not take myself ; the Grenouille (Mr Toad's other half) took it last week on her iPhone in Paris. Just across the street from Le Printemps department store. A quintessentially Parisian reflection. Great job, chère Grenouille !<br />
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I must admit, if I'm posting her photo here, in the spotlight of international celebrity and fame to be forthcoming to her, it is partly to calm her tempestuous temper. For she has found out that I have another mistress. She has known about this blog for some time now, my late nights slaking the thirsts of the blogosphere had finally come to her attention. But now, for some weeks, I've been shacking up with Ms. Facebook (or Fesses de Bouc, as some French say), and la Grenouille somehow got wind of it. I suspect Ms. Blogspot must have sent her an anonymous letter. I even dressed Ms. Facebook up with a new public page which can be peeked at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/OwenPhillipsPhotographyFrance" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a>. (though you will need to log in to Ms. Facebook to see it). Now, I've got to run, before la Grenouille catches up to me with her rolling pin and frying pan to do a drumbeat on my cranium.<br />
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Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-23088283740860749122012-12-03T19:21:00.001+01:002012-12-03T19:21:36.063+01:00Rusty Old Cars . . .<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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What is it about rusty old cars that appeals so strongly to many of us ? Is it a nostalgia thing ? Romantic echos of a bygone age ? Is it the unforgettable memories for those who lost their virginity in the back seats of behemoths like these ? Old cars, like old people, reach a point where they just aren't ever going to go any further. Not a mile more. Too many parts have failed. Rust too far gone to ever be cured by a quick treatment of rust remover and a fresh coat of paint to gloss things over. The end of the road. The end, period. And yet, their abandoned bodies call to us still, from the side yards of dilapidated old garages on backwater roads. Still something profoundly beautiful in their fading carcasses.<br />
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Saw these aging beauties on a trip to Pennsylvania a couple of years ago. On automobile license plates in that state they used to print a slogan on the edges of the plates that said, in poor grammar, "You've got a friend in Pennsylvania". When I found these old darlings not far from the Susquehanna River, I couldn't have agreed with them more.<br />
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To participate in James' always excellent <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/11/philadelphia-reflections-weekend.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><i>Weekend Reflections</i></b></span></a> page, I offer you these subtle reflections of late afternoon sun on an old church in Brittany, in thick leaded glass. This kind of light play off the surface of ancient glass just mesmerizes me. Yet another reason why I love living in France.<br />
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This next is not a reflection, but rather an illumination of stained glass by a ray of light coming through a window on the far side of the church from this window, working a strange spell in each different piece of glass it touched here.<br />
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After perusing that little litany of light this evening, it was time for dinner. On the menu was Dorade fresh from the fish market, with rice and broccoli, all washed down with one of my all-time wine favorites, which we drink rarely, but it was a celebration, so we uncorked a bottle of Chateau Grenouilles, a Chablis Grand Cru, which is about as good as it gets from the fabulous town of Chablis in Burgundy. "Grenouille" as you know, is French for "frog"... so this is frog wine, but a frog with a Chateau, like Mr Toad in the Wind in the Willows, from Toad Hall.<br />
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What were we celebrating you ask ? Why, the acceptance and publication of ten of my photos on the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1153/gallery/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Unesco World Heritage web page</span></i></b></a> for an area in southern France, the Causses and Cevennes, which I love dearly. (oh, and James, if you look closely, there are a reflection or two on the bottle here :-)<br />
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The last time I was back in Pennsylvania, the place where I was born, I came across this firewood dealer by the side of the road up in the north central part of that large state. In a rain storm. Something about that truck and the green paint on it just grabbed me. Wherever you may be, if winter is coming on fast, I hope you have a fireplace and a good store of wood laid in for the cold months ahead. I wish we had a fireplace, or even a wood burning stove, but we don't. Have to rely on natural gas from Russia. As long as they leave the lines open. Some of my best memories from childhood are from being around the fireplace in my grandparents' living room in New Jersey, which had a brick hearth that seemed big to me back then. Their house got sold years ago after they passed on, it's a dilapidated wreck of a place today. In any case, stay warm. And if you need any wood delivered, just call 923-0408.<br />
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And if you'd like to sit down in the Sinnemahoning Tavern for a frosted mug of Peter Straub's Special Dark beer, by their fireplace, and shoot the breeze for a while, in the shadow of the forests where the bull elk roam, well, I'm game...<br />
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Armistice Day on November 11th in France marks the end of the First World War, and for the USA it is Veterans Day, and Remembrance Day for the UK. The other day I was a little over an hour early for a train leaving from la Gare Montparnasse to go out to Brittany, so I took a stroll through parts of Montparnasse Cemetery to see what I could see. Following my feet where they might lead me, by chance I stumbled on some interesting bits of history related to la Grande Guerre, pertinent for posting on Armistice Day.<br />
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This first photo shows the tomb of Marie Joseph Eugene Bridoux, who was the first French General killed in the war in September 1914. His son and a grandson were also officers in the French Army, both of them stayed loyal to the Petain government in Vichy during the Second World War, collaborating with the Germans. The son fled to Spain after the war, and was sentenced to death in absentia by France in 1948. The grandson who served with a unit under the Germans in WWII known as the LVF, or Legion of French Volunteers, died in 1945 in Germany. One can only imagine how General Bridoux, buried in Montparnasse after his heroic death in battle, killed by a German bullet, might have felt about his son and grandson collaborating with the Nazis.<br />
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Not far from General Bridoux is the tomb of Armand Cahen, a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment, who died in 1920 at the age of 22, after being awarded the War Cross (Croix de Guerre) for bravery during a heavy shelling attack in June 1918 where toxic gas shells were used. His memorial was quite elaborate, between the large marble sculpture of him and the stone and stained glass enclosure it stands in. I stayed there for a long moment in reverence, and was pondering his fate when the sun came out from behind some clouds, sending bright rays through the stained glass to bathe the white stone bust in red and green light, transforming him.<br />
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Nearby stands a large structure built over the grave of another artillery officer, Marcel Suss, killed in the very early days of the war.<br />
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I had gotten up fairly close to the glass doors of the monument to see the reflected clouds in the glass, when I realized there was a stained glass portrait of Lieutenant Suss in the back wall of the tomb. In all my years of exploring cemeteries, keeping my eyes open for the unusual, I've never seen anything quite like this colorful work on glass with a fine portrait of the deceased.<br />
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A bit further on was one tomb for two brothers killed in the war, the first at Verdun in 1916, and the younger brother in Belgium in October 1918; just a few weeks before the end of the war.<br />
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This camouflaged, chameleon like crucifixion figure was spotted on a gravestone the day previous to the photos from Montparnasse above, in a village near Amiens. I've never seen a Christ figure like this blending in so perfectly with the background. The spot of lichen on his chest seems to form an inverted heart. A minor miracle there ?<br />
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On another grave in the same cemetery a piece of cast iron which fell from an ornate but deteriorating cross above seemed to form a question mark against the cold wet stone it was lying on. Indeed, so many unanswered questions about war and death, rusting iron and lichen on stone, passing time and passing lives. May your Armistice/Remembrance/Veterans Day be rich in reflections.<br />
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As one of the photos above has a reflection of blue sky, cloud, and tree in a glass door, am linking this to <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/11/shes-sittin-on-top-of-world-weekend.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">James' Weekend Reflections</span></i></b></a>, where I've been too long absent.<br />
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The 94th anniversary of the end of World War One is coming up on November 11th, a national holiday here in France. A fitting time to post a few photos from a couple of sites I had the good fortune to visit recently, thanks to a chance meeting at a stone quarry in the middle of nowhere with two gentlemen also interested the history of what was called "la Grande Guerre"... the Great War. Near the town of Noyon the ruins of a chapel destroyed during the war still remain, with a cast iron Christ within which fell during the shelling. As he suffered some 2000 years ago, so too did his replica suffer nearly 100 years ago in this chapel which stood immediately adjacent to the trenches of the front lines. It is surprising the sculpture was not more heavily damaged, as artillery shells fell like rain in that area.<br />
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More cast iron work in the chapel, with autumn colors, and the iron Crucifixion figure at upper left.<br />
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In the cemetery at Thiescourt, also near the front lines, a memorial to those dreadful years... 1914 to 1918.<br />
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The gate to the German cemetery at Thiescourt.<br />
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During the first world war the German army allowed soldiers of Jewish faith to serve. Things would change not long thereafter.<br />
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"To the memory of Henri Bruge. Born the 1st of February 1882 at Ergues in the Pas de Calais, Adjutant Chef in the 4th Regiment of Cuirassiers, died for France, reported missing in action at Plémont on 9 June1918, awarded the War Cross with silver star and the Military Medal posthumously"<br />
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At the entrance to the old stone quarries near Dreslincourt, occupied by the Germans for three years during the war. They left Gothic inscriptions carved on the outside stone walls, later shattered when they tried to blow up a nearby entrance to the quarry. The words carved here were part of a poem, saying :<br />
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"The world might be torn apart<br />
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I know a word like iron<br />
It's called soldiers loyalty"<br />
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In German "soldiers loyalty" was one word : <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 18px;">Soldatentreu</span><br />
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Another German sign carved above an entrance to the stone quarries, a labyrinthine series of tunnels that go on for kilometers underground... it would be very easy to get lost in there. I was lucky to have a good guide who knew the place well.<br />
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Graffiti from the war years... they didn't have spray paint cans back then, so they carved instead.<br />
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In the woods outside unexploded artillery shells can still be found lying about. Chilling reminders of the not so distant past here.<br />
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An imperial eagle carved on an exterior quarry wall.<br />
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More German, to the effect that the German soldiers feared only God.<br />
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Inside the miles of tunnels there were signposts, here indicating the way to the Command Post Calypso.<br />
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Boots from the war still remain undisturbed deep in the tunnels.<br />
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A wonderful French rooster carved on a wall to honor the 324th Infantry Regiment.<br />
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Near one of the entrances to the quarry tunnels.<br />
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German barbed wire from the war, rusting but still ready to unroll and use apparently. Maybe a bit fragile now, but still looking nasty.<br />
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More artillery shells found in farm fields nearby, waiting to be collected by the munitions disposal service which still remains busy nearly 100 years later.<br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-15681869487068830912012-10-23T02:15:00.001+02:002012-10-23T02:25:24.955+02:00The Love Lock Bridge of Paris : Pont des Arts<span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit;">Writing about the huge collection of padlocks, bicycle locks, small locks, big locks, wide locks, thin locks, love locks, dread locks, goldi-locks which festoon (grace?) the sides of the Pont des Arts in Paris, adjacent to the Louvre, is sort of like writing about the Eiffel Tower. Nearly every one who has been to Paris any time recently will say, "Been there, done that". </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-family: inherit;">Well, I hadn't been there yet, though I'd heard several times about the locks of love on the Pont des Arts, and also on the <span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 22px;">Pont de l’Archevêché just behind Notre Dame Cathedral. So while in Paris to go see the Manuel Alvarez Bravo photo exposition at the Jeu de Paume, with la Grenouille, we strolled over to the Pont des Arts to see what all the fuss was about. Rarely have I seen so many cameras out and snapping away, close up and from a distance, at all the locks fastened to the fencing on the sides of the bridge, symbolizing, supposedly, the everlasting love of the people who placed them there. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 22px;">Not everyone is too thrilled about all the locks and the message they represent. The NYT ran an article in August of this year about the locks titled "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/opinion/sunday/the-locks-on-pariss-bridges-represent-a-misunderstanding.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i>An Affront to Love, French-Style</i></b></span></a>". Another <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lovelocks-return-to-the-bridges-of-paris-2293506.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: red;">article</span></i></b></a> in the Independent relates how the Paris City Hall organised the removal of all the locks, only to see the locks return in even greater numbers after the removal. Personally, I would apply the old dictum, "If it feels good, do it" to the phenomenon. I find this far less offensive than the majority of brainless graffiti that gets painted most anywhere these days. And the variety of colors, styles, and messages makes for some entertaining lock viewing moments, we spent nearly an hour inspecting both sides of the bridge. And honestly, even if imho a padlock is not the right symbol for love, for those who think it is, or are simply having fun, are they hurting anything ? I think not. Some folks are for Rock and Roll, others for Lock and LOL.</span></span><br />
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This was the largest of the locks we saw, a sheet metal, bolts, and cable affair, though perhaps not functional. Could double as a chastity device, albeit an uncomfortable one ?<br />
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Visible here the small park at the tip of the Ile de la Cité where American war protesters were camped out in 1970 when I first came to Paris. (ok, that dates me a bit...)<br />
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And readers soaking up all those good vibrations...<br />
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And young lovers... which is what Paris is all about, whether one likes the locks, or not...<br />
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Here are a few more photos from the same site that the photo currently entered in a contest was taken at (see below post, and please vote), out in a stretch of woods in northern France that not many people ever visit, where there are dozens of large sculptures carved in the stone of an old quarry, which date from the First World War. You can also see more pictures of this site <a href="http://magiclanternshowen.blogspot.fr/2011/02/winter-walk-in-woods-of-past.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">here</span></i></b></a>. Sadly, this little known site is out in a remote forest, exposed to the weather, and the magnificent artwork here is slowly but surely disappearing. I'm going back there tomorrow to make another series of photos to help document what's left. Wish you could come...<br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-50050235216037597052012-10-07T22:31:00.000+02:002012-12-01T20:07:55.578+01:00Votes Needed Please . . . Still Need 50 Votes...<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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Would like to ask for your help here in voting for a photo I entered in a photo contest in France, the results of which will be decided by your votes. So if you all take a few moments to vote, I just might have a small chance of winning a prize, and whatever small amount of recognition that may come with it. To vote is easy, just go <a href="http://photos.oise.fr/concours/categorie/plus-de-18-ans/photo/cavalier/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a> and click on "Votez pour cette photo".<br />
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This photo is from a stone quarry in France that was used as a troop shelter near the front lines during the First World War. Troops sometimes spent weeks there before or after duty at the front, and some of them were gifted artists with stone carving skills. Out of many sculpted graffiti works there, I particularly like this one as not only are the horse and parade-uniformed rider striking, but over them is the silhouette of a large bear. The bear's head is just above the horse's head. Many thanks for your votes!<br />
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From a long past war to a war going on today, I was saddened to learn this past week that the famous and ancient souk in the center of Aleppo, Syria, was destroyed a few days ago. I posted these two photos from the Aleppo Souk in a <a href="http://magiclanternshowen.blogspot.fr/search/label/Syria" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">previous post</span></i></b></a>, one of several from our trip to Syria in 2007, but am re-posting in memorial to this Unesco World Heritage site which is no more. More about the ravages in Aleppo can be found <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDuWeD-HaI4" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">here</span></i></b></a> or <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/it-is-our-soul-the-destruction-of-aleppo-syrias-oldest-city/263255/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">here</span></i></b></a>. When will this madness end ?<br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-55118684850774718032012-10-01T00:32:00.000+02:002012-10-01T00:32:31.173+02:00Life Is but a Dream ?<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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While wondering what to blog about today, this Sunday evening, (am becoming a Sunday blogger only???) not for very long though, as time seems to be in short supply these days, and never have time to think for very long about much of anything, before something else comes along, sweeping the stage of the previous act, and requiring attention and concentration, until the new subject becomes the old, getting swept away in the rapids of each passing moment, each passing day, and don't the weeks and months and years go faster and faster ? Becoming a blur. Is this what life is finally; a passing dream ? The illusion of things we hope to hold on to, but finally we hold on to nothing for very long, before it all slips away, merrily down the stream.<br />
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But yes, wondering what to blog about today brought me quickly back to the subjects of reflections, and the ongoing growing collection of reflections over at <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/09/fountain-place-weekend-reflections-157.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">James' place for reflections on the weekend</span></i></b></a>... and the nature of reflections, those ephemeral minor miracles in light bouncing around carrying elusive illusions of images to alight in our eyes, travelling the optic nerve, and onto the movie screens in our brains. How utterly fabulous and magical.<br />
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Reflections on water, reflections in glass, reflections on polished metal... who could have possibly dreamed up such visual phenomena ? Was just listening to Joni Mitchell sing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcrEqIpi6sg" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Both Sides Now</span></i></b></a> in a performance from 1970, and could listen to her all night, taking in the message that there are always more than one way to look at things, clouds, love, life, whatever, and don't miss the reflections off the odd reflecting pools we may come across in unexpected places along the way.<br />
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It had never occurred to me until just now to type "<a href="https://www.google.fr/search?q=reflections&hl=fr&biw=1427&bih=735&prmd=imvnsal&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=CrhoUK6TBK2M0wW4jICwBA&ved=0CFoQsAQ" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: magenta;">Reflections</span></i></b></a>" on Google Images to get a sampling of the 172 million results which that search criteria returns, some of them incredibly beautiful.<br />
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So, this first reflection is in the hemispherical cover of a heating dish for posh hors d'oeuvres at the grand opening inauguration of the new luxury hotel in Chantilly, the <a href="http://www.aubergedujeudepaumechantilly.fr/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Auberge du Jeu de Paume</span></i></b></a>, built with funding provided by his Altesse the Aga Khan. It's been a construction site for the past two years, but finally now you can shell out from between 400 to 2000 euros a night to sleep here. Guess I won't be sleeping there any time soon.<br />
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This next scene is one of several like this decorating a corridor in the hotel, modeled after the "Singerie", or monkey room in the Chateau de Chantilly, which is just a short walk from the new hotel. Note the reflections in the painted ice the monkeys are skating on...<br />
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An old, (or new treated to look old ?) mirror in a lounge in the Auberge. Am not sure that the horse's head was actually solid silver, but one never knows in a place like this.<br />
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The champagne was flowing freely...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WDKsn2kvFE8/UGi2kY8bGjI/AAAAAAAAIbY/CnEhG3iiDSA/s1600/ChantChamp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WDKsn2kvFE8/UGi2kY8bGjI/AAAAAAAAIbY/CnEhG3iiDSA/s1600/ChantChamp.JPG" /></a></div>
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And all that just a stone's throw away from the Chateau de Chantilly, caught here in the setting sun, whose light was coming in on a downward slant, bouncing off a window, and reflecting all the more dazzlingly off the water and back to the camera, like a well played billiard shot. Sweet dreams...<br />
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Another cry in the wilderness . . . journeying out into endless space . . .<br />
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As <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/2012/09/a-clothesline-in-venice-weekend.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #073763;">reflections go this weekend</span></i></b></a>, it's not much of a reflection in this crystal ball, a bit of sky with horizon, a double reflection actually, from the front outer surface, and from the back inner surface, the photographer doubled in the middle, the same elbow pointing up and down.<br />
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A crystal ball on a gravestone, an overturned candle holder.<br />
Who can say what the future holds ?<br />
What wavering flame will light the ever after ?<br />
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Where do the fake flowers come from that people put on graves ?<br />
How on earth are they made ?<br />
No machine could do this painstaking work so perfectly<br />
I can't help but wonder if there are kids in sweat shops<br />
Somewhere sewing these bits of synthetic fabric together,<br />
Forming the brittle blooms, glued on plastic stalks,<br />
And finally placed on tombstones ?<br />
Looking surprisingly like real flowers<br />
Not wilting quite so fast as the natural<br />
Yet fading nevertheless<br />
Over the passing years<br />
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What kind of a world do we live in<br />
Where massive amounts of industrial and human energy<br />
Are expended churning out fake plastic flowers ?<br />
I find myself asking the question more and more often these days :<br />
What if we were wrong ?<br />
What if we were wrong about nearly everything ?<br />
What if there was another way to live ?<br />
A way to live with no plastics strangling our oceans,<br />
No petroleum causing wars, no guns, no money,<br />
No cars, no television, no movies,<br />
No computers to send thoughts like this around the world,<br />
No nuclear anything, no jets screaming across the skies,<br />
No greed, no hate, no tribes bashing each others brains out,<br />
No religions causing only divisions,<br />
While the human race knows only endless multiplication<br />
Subtracting intelligence from the idiocy of infinite addition<br />
A way to live with none of this madness we wallow in today<br />
What if there were another way ?<br />
What if we were wrong ?<br />
What if we were just going through the motions<br />
Because someone told us when we were little<br />
That this was how it had to be ?<br />
What if we were wrong ?
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(Perhaps a subconscious tribute, it occurred to me later, to "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTywHAFZxcU" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><i>Imagine</i></b></span></a>" from Mr Lennon ? Nothing new under the sun . . .)<br />
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Blogging.<br />
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Blogging is . . .<br />
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Blogging is about meetings of minds. Blogging is about meetings. Chance meetings, encounters of the blogging kind.<br />
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Today I met a blogger, after about three years of a virtual and long distance conversation. She hails from California, but was travelling in France. Her name is. . . well, let's just say her name is English Rider. And her blog is <a href="http://wheresmyeffingpony.blogspot.fr/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a>. (as well as in my sidebar at "<b>Where's My Effing Pony</b>?") And it was a pleasure to meet her. Not only was it a rare pleasure to meet her, but she became the first person today to actually buy one of my books. Imagine that, she came all the way to Paris to buy a book of photos from the Causse Méjean ! Ok, she will be doing some other things in France while on this side of the ocean. But still, I'm thrilled. So thank you E.R. ! ! !<br />
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Not only did she buy one of my books, but she gave me a book of poems by Claude Farhi which was illustrated by her husband, who is a very fine painter indeed. If you are curious, you can find some of his work <a href="http://www.la-galerie-internationale.com/fr/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><i>here</i></b></span></a>. He has had numerous shows in both France and the USA. He is also a sculptor, a carver of stones. He and E.R. run a business doing creations in stones for clients in various places. Stone roofs, stone kitchens, stone bathrooms, and stone fireplaces. When she showed me some pictures of fireplaces they had conceived and installed, I couldn't help but think of a large stone fireplace I had seen this summer in a chateau in Brittany. It was carved by the sculptor Pierre Szekely, and was rather lovely, in my humble opinion, to behold. I mentioned to E.R. that I thought both she and her husband may appreciate it. Without further ado, here is the chateau and the fireplace in question :<br />
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What's not to love about a window like this one ?<br />
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Or a door like this ?<br />
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Or a hand-painted wall ?<br />
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Or a sign like this ?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3jR460x9bQ/UE_qD9GEQwI/AAAAAAAAIXE/iz3naqXX_3I/s1600/4Sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3jR460x9bQ/UE_qD9GEQwI/AAAAAAAAIXE/iz3naqXX_3I/s1600/4Sign.JPG" /></a></div>
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Seems to be a lot of visual poetry out there yet.<br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-1059007485749972592012-09-09T22:39:00.000+02:002012-09-09T22:39:35.016+02:00Reflection illusions . . .<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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Painting hanging in gallery window<br />
Across from cathedral<br />
Oil on canvas suspended in air<br />
Plate glass as translucent mirror<br />
Sky and clouds in paint<br />
Merge with sky in window<br />
Seamlessly seeming to be<br />
But all is illusion<br />
Digital image regurgitates<br />
Giving a glimpse<br />
Around the world<br />
Of colors on a screen<br />
But what does it mean<br />
How far is the distance<br />
Between meaning<br />
And meaningless ?<br />
Cathedral in stone<br />
Speaks of ancient rites<br />
From another age<br />
An age of stone<br />
And superstition<br />
While we deal and reel<br />
In reflections<br />
Illusions<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dJVpytH8fJg/UEz4GkEZJDI/AAAAAAAAIV4/IHhV5CJxXRA/s1600/BrittanyReflectPainting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dJVpytH8fJg/UEz4GkEZJDI/AAAAAAAAIV4/IHhV5CJxXRA/s1600/BrittanyReflectPainting.JPG" /></a></div>
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PS... Do stop by <a href="http://weekendreflection.blogspot.fr/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Weekend Reflections</span></i></b></a> . . .<br />
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Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855510751016957422.post-39307266446743752022012-09-06T00:58:00.001+02:002012-09-06T00:58:02.725+02:00Stone Memories . . .<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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Well, I suppose I really did have my head in the clouds. Someone broke the chain fairly early on, and the hoped for millions of page hits did not materialize. Sigh. :-)<br />
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Back to the drawing board. Or more precisely, back to the light table, and the editing of photographs taken over the years. Here are a few more from Florence, Italy, in the San Miniato al Monte Cemetery. Shared with you with all my heart.<br />
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Memories in stone<br />
Darkened by soot<br />
Locked in rust<br />
An angel's love<br />
An infant's trust<br />
Broken dreams<br />
A fading photograph<br />
An eternal smile<br />
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