Month: June 2026

Lady Friend Visits

The Viburnum by my apt. window is reaching full bloom. I trim it by hand, protected from the weekly “Landscaping Crew” and their “Two-Cycle Symphony”. Its density provides nesting for Chipping Sparrows and shade relief for Rabbits. Bees discovered it week ago. Today, hiding out “a la Paris”, from heat & humidity due to an errant Jet Stream, while enjoying a libation, had a visitor, an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Feeding, “She” (Blue Spots on Tail) , allowed me time to fetch a camera and my favorite portrait lens.

103 in Paris! Mon Dieu!

Shocked by the news today! My memory of Paris in mid September through October is wonderful! Open the windows! And the beginning of the Paris Opera Season! Ballet! This is from our 4th floor apt. (they start at 0 which explained the 52, 300 year old oak steps) on Rue Ferdinand Duval in the Marais.

Seeing the news today, while in the comfort of my apt., in Caroline du Nord, where air conditioning is a given and rare in Paris – how awful with no relief for Le Parisien. Tar Heels know! We’d be nude! Okay, maybe that would work 😉

View from our apartment window

Discovery

Working on a retrospective for a dancer, digging through a decade of programs, the light bulb went on!

These two images are 20 x 16 full bleed prints, Fuji Deep Matte Paper on Standout Mounts in Nielsen Float Frames hanging in my apt. living room gallery.

October 2010 at Cary Ballet Conservatory and December 2010 at Meredith College, Jones Auditorium. Finally realized the two young dancers and friends in the middle of the first image are the same two on the right of the second image. Vitamins for an old, world weary heart. The best of us.

Sunday Ruminations – Part Deux

My previous post was written with the idea of “Ruminant” as “chewing cud” or mulling something over. Had no idea I was, AI wrong: “Rumination is the act of endlessly replaying or dwelling on negative thoughts without reaching a resolution

Nah. It’s thinking – which AI never does. Wonder how it defines “mull”? Or ponder? Or Wish List?

Sunday Ruminations

It is a great luxury to be disassociated from modern manic madness: Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Cable TV, Chat GPT, Door Dash, Facebook, Google Gemini, Instacart, Instagram, LinkedIn, Lyft, Meta, Open AI, SpaceX, Tik Tok, Uber (weekly phishing scams) and WhatsApp – nah.

My “I’ve had it with I/T” post IBM PC-Lenovo merger decision to take early Social Security has now achieved financial parity vs waiting for “full retirement age”. And gave me and my sweet heart most of a decade we wouldn’t have had together. And Paris.

Mac aka Melanchetes “MacGyver” AKC CGC

Got a roof, rack, good chow and peace. No dental or medical or money issues. Full frig, freezer and pantry. Balanced meal plans (old guys can cook). Pile of TBR (To Be Read) books, good music, an I/T Pro’s low cost, robust Internet connection. A book to write and 12 years of photographs to curate without the time pressure of commerce. Mac knew.

Brooke Can Cook!

Lazy, lazy, hot, hot weekend. Tonight, it’s:

  1. Butterflied pork chops (.75lbs), Lowe’s Foods discount case, $1.64 total. Overnight wet salt brine, brush with Duke’s Mayo, Shake & Bake with leftover Mi Nina Tortilla Chip Crumbs, Wondra & Bread Crumbs – NC ABC Paper Sack.
  2. Portion of diced Yellow Squash/Zucchini/Tomato with pepper, salt & olive oil.
  3. Grains (Millet, Lentils, Barley and Brown Rice) in homemade chicken broth.
  4. Chunk of LaFarm Bread.
  5. Water with lemon slice & ice.
  6. White Wine

Raleigh State Farmers Market – 2013

Mentor

Hiding out from record heat, needing no supplies and zero commitments, allows time for the Muse. This is in transit from my favorite Used Bookstore. Discovered his work in 2012. That summer, was an epiphany. This explained it- Kodak Essential Reference Guide for Filmmakers – Pages 135 to 140 – epiphany. And realized why I was home in the theater.

Cary Ballet Company Rehearsal, Cary Arts Center – 12 December 2012

Evening Remembrance – 6 June 2026

My apartment is on a East to West axis. Late afternoon sun back lights clouds on an azure sky. I never planned to make a photograph of cirrus clouds like I see today, but I did. On a country road in Belleau, France. For “Teufel Hunden”.

Cutting Fool – Politely*

*I’ve lived in the American South a total of 37 years. I know collards, shrimp, grits and boiled peanuts (just establishing my Bubba Bona Fides).

Monday, 1st of month: Budget update, pay rent, shop for kitchen Post-It lists. Expected a Lease Renewal Proposal. Envelope in door was a xeroxed broadcast admonition to provide income confirmation with the disclaimer of “even if you had” – which I had. The young lady in the leasing office explained they hadn’t gotten info from ( I’m guessing here) corporate somewhere. Which explains how this place has become “Income Restricted” – which is no problem as I am, “Income Restricted”! Bless their Tax Credit and Depreciation Schedule Hearts!

Sooooo – I took the same documents and statements and ‘splained – again. We’ll see. Moving is a pain but yeah, corporate somewhere, go ahead and increase your non-performing vacancy rate.