Shipwrecked - Story telling at its best

Shipwrecked by Donald Margulis is based on the story of Louis de Rougemont (hint - this is not his real name), who leaves home and his sickbed at the age of sixteen to travel the world. Taking passage as crew of pearl diving ship, he and the faithful ship's dog are washed up after a storm on an uninhabited tropical island.

After many years and rescuing a similarly shipwrecked native woman, her son and her father, he returns with them to their own land where he rides on turtles, fends of marauding pillagers with the aid of stilts and acrobatics, marries the woman, fathers two children and eventually returns home thirty years later with a fantastic tale to tell. It becomes a serialized sensation and he is hailed as a hero, adventurer and raconteur. And then comes the Oprah moment when...no go see it or if you really can't, just Google it.

This Lyric Stage Company of Boston production is the best of their season, so far. The three actors are a tour de force and two of them playing multiple roles with comic voices and timing to match are simply outstanding. The show runs until 20th December - see it and experience the true art of the story.

Let it snow

Cool walk in Minuteman National Historic Park after a night of wet and heavy snow. The building is the Hartwell Tavern and dates from the time of the American Revolution. In the summer it is open to the public and features demonstrations of musket firing, weaving and the games people played.
Today there was simply solitude.

Left Behind to Rust in Peace

Had a trip outside of Boston for Thanksgiving and found a great place to photograph the final resting place of many transportation artifacts. From Buggies to barrows, buses to Buicks this place has it all. I know as a conservation minded person I should be appalled by the dumping, but I really like the way nature reclaims - muting colors, eroding strength, and masking presence. In 50 years time, if the land does not become a housing lot, then this particular transformation might well be complete.

Leaving home

Early morning is not my favorite time of day, especially when it means a trip to Logan for the first flight out of the day.
A week ago was different.
From home - 13 miles northwest of Boston - to departure lounge in a little over 90 minutes thanks to a lift to Alewife 'T' Station and then a $1.75 ride to Terminal B. True, a limo takes half the time, but at a cost of $85. Automatic check-in, quick baggage handling, even quicker security check - does it get any better?
Well yes, because after grabbing a Starbucks coffee and rounding the corner to the departure gate, this is the sight that met my gaze. OK, the sun was a little higher than first viewing by the time I grabbed my camera, found a spot to minimize through-glass reflections. You could call it a glowing send off.

Tapes and Gatesgate -not.

Recently released tapes of a 911 call to Cambridge police identifying a possible crime in progress are surprisingly innocuous. No racial profiles or slurs, deleted expletives, or over dramatization. Simply a female caller, expressing her concern and uncertainty. So why does the story continue to have legs?

We could point the finger at Professor Gates and Officer Crowley or President Obama and Governor Deval Patrick and everyone else who hitched their wagon to this particular sideshow caravan. We all know the lingering discomfort of being in the wrong and failing to admit it, whether at home, at work in a car or on the street. We also know the feeling of panic from being in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right pace with the wrong people around us, whatever our race or background.

First as a visitor, then work visa holder, legal resident alien and now US citizen I am deferential to the police when they ask to see my identification. I can not be certain, but I think this would be as true in my home as it has been when outside. As the scorpion who stung the frog carrying it across the pond said when asked 'why?' "it's in my nature". It's who I am, just as those involved at all levels are who they are.

It will take more than a beer and a White House photo opportunity to resolve the underlying issues of acceptance, tolerance and respect that exist in all countries and for all nationalities, races and religions, but the ones that triggered this media firestorm - they're no Gatesgate.

Tall ships come and go - memories linger

Without doubt attendance at the Sail Boston tall ships events exceeded downplayed and downsized expectations. The events' pre-911 visit to Boston in 2000 attracted more than 100 ships and 7.5 million visitors.

With organizers marooned by the City's lack of security funding, Sail Boston cast adrift the pride of show Parade of Sail event. This year's visit, limited to only 40 ships, had been expected to attract only 500,000 visitors but due to good weather and perhaps the fact it was 'free', the organizer estimated 3.5 million people took time to view the ships dotted around the harbor wharfs.

With fewer ships open only 5 hours per day, there would be a real crush if everyone attempted to snag a tour. In fact it would mean that 87,500 people would have to get on board each ship over the 5 day event period. That's 3500 per hour, or 1 person per second.

Many, like myself, chose to view at a distance and still enjoyed a rarely seen and spectacular sight.

When do we become our children - what does your photo say?

I noticed a strange phenomenon on Facebook when following a link to the Mother Connection meet-up group. (Full disclosure I am not a mother, but I have one).
If you've used Facebook or any social networking site you know that you can create a profile image to help friends identify you or perhaps with you.

Here's what I noticed.
Of mothers attending an up-coming meeting, the majority (66%) had a picture of their child or children as their profile image, 27% had a picture of one parent and child(ren), 9% had an image of 2 parents and child(ren), 9% had no image.
Not one person attending the meeting had an image only of themselves.
This may not be too revealing until compared to those declining, maybe attending, or not responding. Of these 9% had a picture of their child only, 30% a child and 1 parent, 21% a child and 2 parents, 20% a parent alone, 7% a couple alone, 9% no image.

So a parent who profiles themselves with an image of their child or children is more likely to attend a meeting like this one. More than that, so is a parent who identifies themselves in an image with their child.

In conclusion, a scant 8 out of 54 mothers identified themselves with an image that included only themselves, while another 3 identified as a couple without children and 5 had no image. That means 10 see themselves in the image their children, 17 as themselves, plus their children, 11 as a couple and their children.

So when did mothers stop being individuals and identify as their children or a family unit? I dare say the same may apply to other groupings, fathers, grandparents, tattoo artists, musicians, hikers and bikers.
What does your image say about you... and tell others?

Volvo Ocean Racing In-harbor pro-am race day

Great day of sitting around watching others do all the work. No points towards the overall race, but a chance to see these amazing sailing craft in near full sail in a windy Boston Harbor.
All photos taken from shore using a 200mm telephoto lens on Nikon D300.

Who buried the Volvo Ocean Race Village?

Had to look twice at this photo from the Volvo Ocean Race Boston page.

At first I marveled a the beautiful reflections of buildings on the glass-like waters of the harbor. Have they ever been so still?

Then I marveled at the beautiful buildings and greenery on Fan Pier so sharp and crisp compared to the high rises in the background.

Why only yesterday when I visited the Volvo Racing Village, which shares the exact same real estate on Fan Pier, not only were the building not finished, only one of them had actually been started.

But worse was to come. Two huge building now loom over the newly constructed Institute of Contemporary Art, dwarfing it and eliminating all parking. Or maybe that isn't a snippet of the ICA roof poking up in the bottom left hand corner and it's gone with the push of an artist's digital erasure.

Sure would be nice to make some other buildings, such as the monstrous Government Center in downtown Boston, vanish instead.