On Crete

susanenholm322 Comments

Walk down the rocky hill to the beach,
    to the sea and fishing boats.
Across the way sprawls Dia, a sparse island.
Beyond, the sea and sky are one
Meeting at a secret place where
    no shadows touch the land.

Women with their young
    sit clustered on fine gold sand.
Alone. A man sits on the rocky hill
    watching the beach, the sea, the island.
A goat shakes its bell and wanders
While a blue-shirted man sits hunched
    by the deserted bath house
Almost everyone has gone.

Two dogs bark and chase another.
Silent people pedal bicycles,
Others climb the path to flat-roofed
    white houses with shutters blue or green.
A three-domed church with pleading bell
Tolls a reminder to remember something.

Alone. I watch and wonder about the scene,
    barking dogs and goats with bells.
The sun offers a final touch of color.
Beneath the blue, a sea garden reflects the light
    as four women stand and pull their skirts.
They slowly leave the beach and climb the rocky hill.

A Stormy Night in Tucson

susanenholm328 Comments

Here’s an image I took tonight as wind and rain delivered a monsoon dousing. Desert plants smiled as rainwater soaked their roots. I always wonder about the rabbits, coyotes, bob cats, birds, and javelina. Where do they take shelter from rain, wind, and lightning? Somewhere out there. . . . they will be back tomorrow.

Barnegat Beach

susanenholm322 Comments

Barnegat Beach

Barnegat

A clacking seagull
Raised his scissor beak to the sky.
His shrill cut the silence of the sea.
You and I stood beneath the blue and saw
A sunny bank across the bay.
The sea lapped a wooden pier,
Green foam circled, then vanished.

Hooks were baited, lines were tossed
Flounder ran and fishermen waited.
Hopes were high as flat
Brown-speckled fish swallowed hooks.
Along the sandy pebbled beach,
Colored stones and shells hid beneath
The crush of booted feet.

You and I stood watching the silent scene,
As if intruding, we stepped into another’s dream.
The scene seemed done in black and white,
A woodcut carved by crafty hands.
Yet we knew the hues were plainly there.
A deceiving trick hung over us.
The sassy gull cried again,
Announcing intruders to the group
Of silent, patient men.
Life’s second-hand paused a moment
To let us pass.

We wandered on another path,
Passed wind-bent bony scrub
Crushing clam shells as we stepped
To reach the point of Barnegat Light.
Its splintered wooden doors shuttered
With metal bolts and bars, held secure
To a lock chained from within.
Did he know we stood waiting?
Only a speck on the horizon’s edge
Would stir the keeper’s curiosity.
A bronze bust faced the lighthouse doors.
A man who loved the sea, his face turned
Inward from wind, light, and distant bar.
He was guardian of the bolted doors.

Fresh winds blew the clouds away.
Shadows deepened in the bright,
As light dissolved to orange, blue, and gray.
You and I laughed and tossed in sandy folds
As the wind watched and waited,
Then quickly hid our scattered prints.
We did not sadden to see our traces taken.
Gusts of wind cannot claim
The gifts of joy from a summer sea.

                                 ♥

Two Weeks in France – Fledging Photos

susanenholm321 Comment

A mourning dove fledged this afternoon. Mother flew off in the morning – perhaps to Paris? Enough is enough she said, and that’s how I feel about my trip to France. Time to move on. These last images are a mix of scenes and tell their own stories. Visit France via a great website – http://www.monuments-nationaux.fr

*  *  *

Four Teens Man Reading at Bar Man Reading Dijon Sleeping on the Street

*  *  *

WWII Monument Paris WWII Monument.2 Poem Paths to Freedom

*  *  *

Pere Lachaise.Overview Pere Lachaise.1

*  *  *

BW AZ Wildcat A Love You Poster Poppies.2

I’ll Have What Paris Has, Mostly

susanenholm323 Comments

Here’s what I love about Paris – open-air markets, incredible fruit, vegetables, seafood, prepared food, and cheese. I love food, so the city if perfect for me. Paris has an efficient, expansive metro and rail system, but you must pay a Euro to use the WC. And, get used to having some guy standing next to you at the wash sink. Guide books extol the wonders of the city – a truly great city.

Here’s what I like about France – strict gun control laws, centralized education, paved roads and highways maintained by drivers’ tolls. Bucolic small towns and villages. Stone walls and wildflowers. Normandy, history, museums, and much more.

What don’t I like? Cobblestones. Dog litter. Cigarette butts. A woman next to us at an outdoor cafe smoked four cigarettes while she ate dinner. If second-hand smoke is annoying, take a table inside the restaurant.

ART

FOOD

Two Weeks in France – Does Nudity Sell Clothing?

susanenholm32Leave a comment

The retail shops on Rue Saint-Jean (Bayeux, France) were closed when I stopped for a second look. Jean Paul’s quirky window display of nude mannequins hit a high note in creative merchandising. Up and down the street, signs offering discounts were plastered on store front windows. Mannequins were dressed – some wore shoes. Some wore hats. I hope I have the right retailing idea, start with a naked body and customers will want to see your merchandise. How’s that, Jean Paul?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Two Weeks in France – Photos taken in Montmartre

susanenholm321 Comment

Two weeks between Paris, Dijon, Rouen, Bayeux, and the Normandy coast. I begin with images from my most favorite part of Paris – Montmartre. The “I Love You” wall at Place de Abbesses has 612 enameled tiles written in 250 languages. A smudge next to Rita Hayworth – the image of Ava Gardner has been removed.  http://www.lesjetaime.com/english.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.