COMING HOME 03-02-08 « JerryDownsPhoto Weblog

COMING HOME 03-02-08

March 12, 2008

TRIP-2 ENTRIES 2 OF 2 - END

Hi!

Welcome to the second stanza of my trip to Oregon. The main reason I went was to be there for my niece Kiera’s birthday, my nephew Patrick’s performance in the all-city middle school orchestra and to see the oldest son, Ryan, who now lives in Portland. I missed him on the last two trips to Salem. Their father, my brother Shawn, died two years ago. I am now the relative from the Downs side of the family who lives in closest proximity to these wonderful members of our family. It was good to see Lena, my sister-in law, and it’s a joy being Uncle Jerry. I managed to get a picture of Patrick playing his viola during a rehearsal and Kiera, who was acting as an usher for the event.

It would have been too distracting to use my flash during the performance. I did, of course, play with the performers and audience before and after the event. I was amazed at the professional and powerful quality of the actual performance. When I closed my eyes it was easy to feel the emotional intensity that these beings possessed.

I admire teenagers. I appreciate the way they negotiate their desires to be seen and not seen, deal with surprising new emotions, and their ever-changing world. You know, just like the rest of us.

On the way home from the concert, Patrick and Keira played with my camera the same way we had all done on a road trip when we drove into the night on our way to San Francisco last summer. I love the way they treat the camera like some hand-held video game. The resulting images from the 30-second exposures found beauty in the chaos, a visual musical harmony rising from seemingly discordant vibrations. You know, just like life.

Accompanied by viola, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Kiera when we got home. Grandfather David gave his soulful rendition in Chinese.

The next day all the local relatives got together to celebrate Kiera’s birthday and Chinese New Year. We all had a wonderful time welcoming in the Year of the Rat. People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm. They work hard to achieve their goals and are likely to be perfectionists. That’s my girl!

I left the next very overcast, rainy day. The damp, dark day didn’t lend itself to stopping to take pictures. The world needn’t be a picture to be appreciated. Out the side window I still snapped shots of the somber scenery. This one section was reminiscent of Chinese screen paintings.

The sun was shining by the time I reached Mt. Shasta. The remnants of a tall pine tree that had been destroyed by fire years before caught my eye. Its black bark was beginning to peel. A few years from now, I will find the skeleton form bleached white, unless someone cuts it down for firewood first.

Another tree waved at me from the side of Interstate 5. Interstate highways are a big part of my world, and……..I particularly enjoy taking the time to take a side road. After being in the rain for the last four days, I loved getting out of the car every couple of miles to take a picture, feel the sunlight falling on my face, and the warmth removing the dampness of my clothes.

Recent rains left reflecting pools along the roadside. I’d never seen such white railroad cars, the perfect blank canvas for spray-paint Picassos.

Cubist compositions and subtle round tones rose out of the warm, late-afternoon light.

After the sun had gone down, I paused to reflect on the cacophony of colors reflected in and around a parked semi. It was a fitting final refrain for my final photo. As I drove on, watching the lights fade on the grand stage, I applauded the powerful performance.

Thanks, my friends, for joining me on this latest journey. I applaud you for the difference you make in my life. Thank you for the fantastic response to the last e-mail. I appreciate your support of my offering of prints for a hundred dollars, and that hundreds of you visited my new website. Each print I sell helps pay the rent or takes me a couple of hundred miles down the road. If, for any reason, you want to be removed from my mailings just send a reply with “No Thanks” in the subject line. If you received this from a friend and want to be added to the list, send me an e-mail. I will be delighted to include you. I’m sure I’ll see you down the road in a couple of weeks. I’ll leave you with this picture of my nephew Ryan and the look that says nothing but . . .

Be Cool!