Tag: photos

The beauty of trees

In spring of 2004, when James found out that Tim and I were making a research trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for THREE FORTUNES, among the things he told us to do was visit the Friendship Oak on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Coast in Long Beach. Legend has it that friends who stand together under the oak will remain friends for life.

The live oaks of the coast, including Friendship, became part of the story in our novel, and after Katrina, I knew some of them must have sustained terrible damage and others would be gone. In attempting to get photographic details of the coastal towns, I found Shawn Lea’s blog, Everything and Nothing. (Shawn’s family’s homes in Gulfport and Waveland were among those destroyed.)

This “bliendship,” as bloggers call the friends they make through their blogs, has progressed beyond just getting my Mississippi updates. I enjoy Shawn’s selections of poetry, photos, cultural events, T-shirts, family news, travel accounts, recipes, and oh, the many cool gadgets and products she finds.

Yesterday, she linked to a Sun Herald article on “Before and After,” which includes the paper’s photos of specific sites, buildings, and homes before and after Katrina. The paper has compiled them into a book that can be purchased, but they are also available to see individually online.

Of course, the photos are heartbreaking, but many of the articles that accompany them present the stoic attitude of coastal residents and their determination to rebuild what has been lost.

But you can’t rebuild a tree, and when I saw an “after” photo of Counselor, a famous Biloxi oak, my heart sank. I had very little hope for Friendship, because I knew the college campus was badly damaged.

Then, down the list of photos, I saw Friendship Oak in Long Beach. According to the article, calls asking about Friendship are the first they get after any hurricane.

Here are photos from the trip I took with Tim. I read that although the tree has been damaged, it still stands. I dream of the day when Friendship’s limbs will once again be hidden by a rich profusion of leaves; its acorns sent into the world to replenish the tree population; and beneath its branches, friends will whisper secrets and vow their lifelong loyalty.
see photos

one from my birthday

Tonight I had an errand to run, then I went WAY out to the suburbs to Lynne’s to borrow something. (More on that tomorrow night.) We figured out how to transfer six months worth of photos from her camera to her computer. Among them was one from my birthday party. I liked it because Tim is in it, but I also liked it because it looks like I’m blessing my friends. This is right after we walked in the door of the restaurant and I was trying to comprehend who all was there.

Since I ventured outside the Loop tonight, I filled my gas tank out there with $2.79/gallon gas. Which is good, because here in the hood, it’s ranging from $2.89 to $2.95/gallon. Gougers.

Lynne, I hope everyone who’s ailing out there is well soon. I’ll have pictures of you-know-what sometime tomorrow. =)

Another artistic discovery

When Tim and I were walking through the French Quarter last weekend, we passed by Lyon & Lyon art gallery (their site is under construction, so I have no link yet).

Tim’s eyes were drawn to a painting by artist Paul Tamanian (Tim said it was how he wished he could make his bathroom floor look).

I stepped into Lyon & Lyon on Sunday morning, and found out that Tamanian originally worked in ceramics, but ended up using metal, beating the hell out of it in various ways to create his art. He makes sculptures as well as paintings, and the woman at the gallery let me lift one of the sculptures so I could see how deceptive its heavy appearance was.

Tamanian’s work is also being shown at galerie dalray in New Orleans.

And below is some of his art at Galleria Silecchia in Sarasota, whose site also includes photos of Tamanian at work.
see photos of paintings