Postcard from the Oregon Coast

Ocean is as one with the world

As I Stare out into the Sea,
I can feel the soft oceans breeze
the warmth from the sun
the grass dances with the whistling wind
the ocean is filled with thoughts
and mysteries,
I feel the cool water
the ocean is alive filled with lost souls
washing emotions up onto the shore
My feet sink in the softness of the sand
The ocean is made up of dreams
and achievements,
My mind lies in the heart of the ocean
The rocks are bones
Out in the open the waves settle and
wait for their attack,
I feel as one with the ocean
as the ocean feels like one
with the world.

 

Izabelle Sheridan

 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Chicago

Welcome back to downtown Chicago. This is one of the gargoyle statues that are perched on Chicago’s Harold Washington Library Center, the central library for Chicago’s extensive library system.  The library was named for the first African-American mayor of Chicago. Gargantuan and almost goofy, this granite-and-brick edifice is a uniquely postmodern homage to Chicago's great architectural past.

There is a gargoyle at each of the four corners of the building, plus a large wide one over the front entrance on State Street. Some say that the huge, gargoyle-like sculptures atop the building are owls, a symbol of wisdom. And if you closely at this one, you can see that might be true. But, without that close examination, all I see is a gargoyle.

Whatever they are, the library is quite a special place, both inside and out. Of course it has an amazing repository of books on its 10 floors, but it also features art by many of Chicago’s most renown artists. Chicago's rich musical heritage comes alive in the eighth floor's Visual and Performing Arts Division, home of the Chicago Blues Archives and Jazz/Blues/Gospel Hall of Fame.

Put this on your list of things-to-do in Chicago.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Mt. Rainier

I took this photo on my one and only trip to Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington. It was a beautiful day and I was trekking through a beautiful forest. It just seemed like a natural place to stop and take a photo.

I love this image as it reminds me of the hundreds of trails I‘ve been on throughout my life. I have a fascination with unexplored trails, ever since I was a little boy. I used to stand on them and wonder where they went…and what was over the next rise or around the bend.

I drove my poor parents crazy as a little boy. I would see a trailhead with a destination sign on it and just take off. Mostly I was up in the high country of Yosemite, near White Wolf Lodge. There was a trail sign there that had 8 destinations on it…and I wanted to go to them all. The trail began in a lovely meadow and disappeared into the forest. I took that trail several times to distant lakes and meadows…and oh yes, forgot to tell my parents I was doing it.

Boy, did I hear about it when I got back. I feel sorry for them having a son with an incurable wanderlust. On that sign, there was one destination I really wanted to see, a place called Ten Lakes. It was a 10 mile hike one-way, and I was told it was very difficult, mostly uphill with some severe switchbacks near the end. As a little boy, I never got to take that hike as no one would go with me.

But a few years later when I was in college, I did that hike and made it all the way up and back. And they were right…the trail was a bitch, especially those switchbacks! But I did it! When I got there I had a terrible blister on the back of my foot. Then it started to rain. It poured on me for 10 miles, all the way back to my car…barefoot. That may be one of the prouder moments of my life…setting a goal as a kid, then later making it come true, no matter what the hardships.

So a simple trail like the one you see here reminds me of all the trails I’ve  been on and the many goals I’ve accomplished. And you know what? I am not done yet.   

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Cascades

 

Beautiful Leaves Of Autumn

Lovely memories of the Autumn
Appears once again in life
With yellow, brown, red and green
Leaves of life that scattered and survived

When bitter sweet nostalgic story of life
With shadow and shine appears
And spreads its beauty and its grace
Under which the long path of life disappears

Disappears under the joyful burden
And loads of the beautiful fallen leaves
That dance all around and sing with smiles
The lovely song of Autumn brief

For God has made this lovely season
A source of love, peace and cheer
In which we get another chance
To shed the burden of pain's layer

And this is the magical and pretty season
In which we can joyously gather sunshine
And enjoy lovely breeze that blows all around
And call it the gift and bliss of divine

For the lovely dry leaves of Autumn bring
Beautiful colors like the blooming Spring
Where red, yellow, brown and green is seen
With God's grace and love and beauty's ring.

Seema Chowdhury

 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Monument Valley

This may be the only photograph I ever show here of Monument Valley. For those who are unfamiliar with with it, Monument Valley lies in southeastern Utah, just over the Arizona border. It was made famous in several John Ford western movies, a few staring John Wayne. It is a fantastic surreal landscape that boggles the mind and the photographer’s imagination. A photographer could spend days exploring its amazing sites.

Sadly, unless you have a large bank account, it isn’t really possible. You see, Monument Valley is owned and operated by the Navajo Nation whose sole interest is getting as much money from you as possible to see the place. First, to get into the park costs $5 per person. That seems OK at first glance. But what you get for your money is free admission to the gift shop and museum…and one decent view of a small part of the park…the one you see here.

Want to see more? Then you pay more. You can take a rough dirt road into the valley only during certain daylight hours. So if you want a great sunrise or sunset shot, forget it (the hours are later in the summer months, but still not during the peak “golden light” hours). Oh, and by the way, you cannot get out of the car to take photos or even look. It is sacred tribal land and only members of the tribe can do that.

Of course there are guided mobile tours you can take for a pretty penny. Sorry I don’t know how much and it is not on their Web Site, for some reason. Now, if you want that glorious sunrise or sunset shot, you can pay a native guide and spend the night in the park…but these fees are in the hundreds of dollars.

It is sad that such a place of amazing beauty costs so very much to see. It is also sad that it could not have been taken over by the National Parks Department so its wondrous sites can be enjoyed by all. I understand and respect the fact that it is the property of the Navajo Nation, but still…. When you come to a privately owned place like this, or other places like Sedona, you really come to appreciate how wonderful and amazing our National Park System really is.

My advise if you want to see part of the park, just stay on the main highway…there is much to see along the road. However you will need a long lens on your camera to capture some of the amazing natural stone sculptures. 

Postcard from Oregon

I photographed this image on the Oregon Coast back in January of 2001. Since it was taken over 10 years ago, you can probably guess I used a film camera, not a digital one. The name of the piece is “Infinite Beach.” Since the beach and the sky seem to go on forever, I think it is an appropriate name. I love how the clouds flow parallel to the white sand beach.

Sadly, I cannot remember where I took it, but my best guess is that it is somewhere along the Central Oregon Coast, but I won’t swear to that. Like many good images, I got lucky with the light and the sky. I was worried when I got here (wherever here is) that the clouds would block the setting sun and it would not get a very good image. But, as luck would have it, I got enough of a sunset peaking through the clouds to make it a very special photo.

I have been having fun lately going through some of my old digital images scanned from slides…and updating them with my latest photographic tools. As the technology gets better, so do some of my images. Still, no matter how good one’s tools are, good images are made in the camera, whether it is film or digital. After that, Photoshop and other similar tools can only enhance and improve what is there. Bad images are still bad images no matter how many computer tools one has.

I miss my occasional trips to the coastlines of Oregon, Washington and California. Being in Tucson, my closet beaches are in Mexico…and you know I am not going there.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from British Columbia

Back in the 1990’s, I used to go up near Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada to a unique cabin just to rest and relax. I would go for a week to 10 days just to unwind, relax, and take photos. This cabin was special in many ways as it was off the beaten track and right on Kootenay Lake. I loved going there…sometimes alone and sometime with my friend Susan.

Most of British Columbia is all mountains, and Kootenay Lake is set between the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges. Just a few miles north was the town of Kaslo, which I have written about here before. Go a few miles south, and you can take the toll-free ferry across the lake to Balfour.

But no matter what I did during the day, I always got a glass of wine and sat out on the front porch in the late afternoon to enjoy the scenery and read a book. One day, I just got up from my chair, grabbed my camera, took this picture, then, I immediately sat down and continued my read.

Of course, being in the 90’s it was shot on film…no digital then. But I always loved this photo as it reminded me of good times, relaxation, and peace and quiet…which is why I went there.  There was no radio or TV or phone or even cell service . In the evenings, I would cook dinner, listen to some classical music on CD’s I brought with me, and read some more. I was isolated in perfect peace and contentment. How often has that happened to you?  

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Port Townsend

I had some post-processing fun with this photo. This is the Jefferson County Courthouse, located in Port Townsend, WA.  It is a historic building, built in the 1890’s. The day I photographed this image, it was not the best light. The day was a bit overcast and even foggy at times. But with the help of Photoshop and a couple of my favorite plug-ins, I was able to create an interesting photo with a lot of magical, mystical qualities. It has the quality of an HDR photo, but was not done using the standard HDR techniques

Port Townsend lies at the Northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. It is a charming small town that offers some nice opportunities for browsing, shopping, and even photographic opportunities for camera nuts like me. It is well worth a visit.

Thanks to the on-line city guide to Port Townsend, here is a little more information on its history:

“Originally named 'Port Townshend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851. Called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast, wealthy and prosperous, somehow though, those early dreams failed to materialize...”

To get to Port Townsend, you either take a ferry boat from Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) across the Puget Sound…OR, drive south from Seattle to Tacoma, where the Olympic Peninsula meets the Washington State mainland, then go north up the Peninsula. Either way is a rewarding trip.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from San Francisco

This is a sketch of the famous Ferry Building in San Francisco. I first created a simple sketch from an original photograph, then overlaid it on a piece of digital wrinkled paper. I really like the simple effect and may do some more of these in the future.

As for the Ferry Building, it sits at the edge of the bay the end of the City’s famous Market Street on the Embarcadero. Since the 1800’s it served as the embarkation point for ferry service across the bay to Oakland. In fact it still does, with an addition ferry to take tourists around to Fisherman’s Wharf and over to Marin County. Having been raised in and around the City, I rode the ferries several times in my early life. My family would take the ferry to Oakland, then board the Southern Pacific train to Oregon.

The current building was built in 1898 to replace a wooden structure that stood there for years. It survived both the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes. Until the completion of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge in the 1930s it was the second busiest transit terminal in the world, second only to London's Charing Cross Station.

Today, it serves not only as a ferry terminal, but also as an upscale gourmet marketplace and office building. I will be in San Francisco again in early 2012 and plan to ride the ferry again, just for old time’s sake. I’v traveled a great deal in my life and been to many famous cities around the world, but San Francisco is still at the top of my list as a favorite destination.   

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Cascades

Like most days, I sit here in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying my retirement in Tucson. Today, it’s a cool 85 outside…I say cool because it has been in the 90’s and low 100’s up until a couple of days ago. It’s easy to forget that much of the nation is experiencing Autumn, especially in my old home area of Eastern Washington.

So, I take this opportunity to show you a photo I took a couple of years ago near Leavenworth in the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. It makes me remember how much I loved the Autumn season when I lived there, going out with my camera for many years in October and just taking in all the color that nature had to offer.

When I did art shows in Leavenworth, I stayed in my small travel trailer just outside of town. All I had to do was walk out the front door and I would be hit in the face with some of the most beautiful color nature has to offer. Some of my best Autumn photos shown here in the past were taken within walking distance of my trailer. I really miss those photo opportunities as well as the joy of a clear crisp Autumn day in the Cascades.

Not that I am unhappy with where I live now…quite the contrary…I love it here. My life is rich beyond measure, living in the Southwest. But since October 1st is the opening of snowbird season, I would love to head in the opposite direction of those folks and spend October in the Cascades once again to take in all that glorious color. If I were a snowbird, I wouldn’t leave the Northwest until the fall color was all gone.

But until then, I have lots of amazing photographs to keep my memories alive.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Oakland

It was just last May. My brother picked me up at the airport and drove me to his home in Oakland. As I stepped out of the car, I noticed these beautiful flowers on a bush near the driveway. As I said to him, I had forgotten how beautiful Northern California flowers are in the Spring. Remember, I live in the Sonoran Desert, a whole different life zone. It was good to see all the beautiful Spring flowers growing all over the Bay Area.

This flower is called a Pelargonium…and in May they were in full bloom. According to my brother, it is a member of the Geranium family and was originally from South Africa.  From my original photo, I created this digital painting using Corel Painter and finishing it off in Photoshop. I think it turned out quite well.

I’ve always loved beautiful flowers and have certainly enjoyed photographing and painting them. Sadly, I don’t have a green thumb so I have to leave the horticultural aspects to those who do…and fortunately I know several people who know what they are doing. Stayed tuned for more flower paintings from my trips around the west.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.