Postcard from Washington DC

I remember this day oh so very well! Some of my tale took place before this photo and a great deal more after. First the photo: I like this picture as the two young ladies gave Mr. Lincoln some scale and some badly needed color in the photo. They were posing for their mother so I took the opportunity to photograph them also.

But about this day…it started in Maryland where I was staying. I hopped on a DC Metro Train and eventually exited near the Lincoln Memorial, but on the other side of the Potomac River  in Virginia. I decided to walk up to the Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. It didn’t look all that far.

Well, trust me, it was. By the time I got to the Kennedy’s, I was already a bit worn out, but happy to see it and remember. And I was touched by the size and scope of the cemetery and all the fine men and women who served our country that are buried there.

But, I had to retrace my steps. Of course, I hoofed it…all the way down to the Potomac and across to the Lincoln Memorial. I noodled around for a while, took photos and generally tried to appreciate where I was. I then sat down on a bench to catch my breath and restore my strength…or so I hoped.

Truthfully, there was more to it than that. I sat for over 30 minutes, trying to get up enough courage to walk through the Vietnam Memorial. A few old friends have their names on that wall. Some years prior, I walked through the California Memorial and it affected me deeply. I really didn’t know if I could do it again. Eventually I did and made it through, but not unscathed. That was a terrible time in our history and a lot of fine young men died for nothing.

And while the long rest did improve my strength, I decided discretion was the better part of valor and hopped on a tour bus for while. I eventually got out at the Capitol Building as I had not yet visited it. After a little time, I walked (if you can believe it) down to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Now that was a real highlight for that day.

While I loved looking around, I found there is a planetarium there that puts on regular astronomy shows on a domed ceiling. It has those wonderful chairs that lean back to afford a view of the dome during the show. God knows, I love those shows.

As I went to purchase my ticket, I was informed by the ticket agent that I was a senior citizen and could get in at a lower rate. I stood there agog…it was the very first time I was recognized as a senior citizen (but certainly not the last). It is a difficult thing to be told, then accept that one is now a senior. But, being a practical person, I took the discounted price and entered the planetarium.

I was really looking forward to seeing this show. Sadly, I never saw any of it. As soon as my butt hit that comfortable, leaned-back chair, I was gone…out like a light. I had done way too much that day and could not stay awake. I guess it was good that I got a discount because I ran out of energy, just like a senior citizen. It was hard to deal with that whole concept. But, it is what it is. Damn…I really wanted to see that show.

From there, I found the nearest Metro station and headed back to the house in Maryland where I was staying. It was, all-in-all, a good day and I accomplished a great deal. But one never forgets the day when you find out you are no longer young.  

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

Postcard from Camp Verde

In 1,000 years, will your house look this good? Welcome to the improperly named Montezuma Castle National Monument! Located near the town of Camp Verde, AZ, between Phoenix and Flagstaff, just off of I-17 (not too far from Sedona), this beautifully preserved cliff dwelling can easily be compared to a 20 room high-rise apartment…although this apartment is nestled inside a limestone cliff.

The castle was built by the Sinagua people, northern cousins to the Hohokam tribe. They lived in this area from about 700 to 1450 AD. Best guess is that construction on this dwelling began around 700 and took five centuries to complete the five level structure.

White people discovered this place in 1860 and gave it the name of Montezuma’s Castle, mistakenly believing that the Aztec emperor was connected to the construction. In fact, the castle was abandoned by the Sinagua about 100 years before Montezuma was even born!

Prior to 1909, when President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a National Monument, the dwelling was often looted for artifacts. Even after 1909, visitors were allowed to climb ladders to explore the building. In 1951, after extensive damage was discovered, access was closed off to visitors and remains so today.

No one knows why the Sinagua left the area, but it was probably due to warfare with the Yavapai Tribe and/or drought.  Another part of the cliff wall bears the marks of an even larger dwelling, which has not survived. Too bad. 

The visitor center includes a museum about the Sinagua and the tools they used to build the dwellings. The Montezuma Castle site houses many artifacts, such as stone tools, metates used for grinding corn, bone needles and ornaments of shell and gemstone which prove that the Sinagua were fine artisans. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

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

Postcard from a Potter’s Shop

The Water Jug Dream
(Ode to a Daydream)

 

In my mind there is a place
Of great beauty and of peace.
A place where I can finally rest,
And let my tensions cease.

There is a cabin in the wood,
Where I can make a Bauer.
Just a hammock in the trees
Filled with woodland flower.

 
A lovely brook flows past my home,
And whispers at it's play,
"Come and drink or swim with me,
or sing the song I play today".

I keep this dream within my heart,
For, heartstrings it does tug.
It blossomed forth from wildflowers,
Placed within my water jug.

by Diana Robillard-Hoy

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

Postcard from Tucson

This is one of my experimental digital sketches…this time the left wing of an old B-36 bomber that was on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum here in Tucson. Since I moved here, you’ve seen a few images of the many aircraft on display here. If you are an old aircraft nut like myself, this is the place to visit.

The B-36 was a very unique aircraft in many ways. First, the prop engines are mounted on the back of the wing…three on each wing. At the very end of the wing are two jet engines…so in all, there are ten engines to propel this rather large aircraft. The jet engines were actually added later in the production period which lasted from 1949 to 1959. The aircraft was eventually replaced by the B-52.

The idea for this unique bomber actually came during World War II. The US wanted a long range bomber that could bomb Japan from bases in Hawaii. The first prototypes came off the Convair production lines in 1945-46. But, of course, it never saw action in WWII.

It could fly higher than any enemy aircraft of its day and its large wings could carry enough fuel to fly 10,000 miles. It’s bomb load capacity was huge and could easily carry several nuclear weapon. However, when the jet engines were added, the range was substantially reduced.

The first models had 6 gun turrets, but those were eventually made obsolete with the advent of air-to-air missiles. Later production models eliminated the gun turrets and 6 crewman, thereby increasing its range again.

With the advent of the B-52, the role of the B-36 was reduced to reconnaissance. In fact, the aircraft never saw any combat duty. Still, its completely unique design gave this aircraft a unique place in aviation history.

Postcard from Venice

“Streets flooded. Please advise.”
― Robert Benchley

Of all the words written about Venice, the above 4 words may be my favorite. Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist in the 1930’s and 40’s…best known for his contributions to The New Yorker magazine and Vanity Fair, to name just two. He also worked as a freelance writer and in Hollywood. There, he not only wrote for motion pictures but appeared in them…my favorite being a humorous short film entitled, “How to Sleep,” for which he won the Academy Award.

The above quote comes from a telegram he sent to his editor at the New Yorker. He had been sent to Venice on assignment and it was his first trip. Of course his telegram was just part of his unique sense of humor. Here are a few other quotes from this legendary humorist:

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.”

“Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment. ”

“As for me, except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young as I ever did.”  

“The only cure for a real hangover is death.”

“There are two kinds of travel: first class and with children.”

PS: The above painting of a backwater canal in Venice was one of my best sellers when I was doing art shows.

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

Postcard from Tucson

If you followed this blog for any length of time (this is blog #704, if you can believe that), you may have figured out I have a passion for sketches. While I have no talent to do them by hand, I love to experiment by creating digital sketches from my own original photographs. It is amazing all the artistic tech tools that have evolved since the early days of digital photography. 

I made my entrance into the commercial art world by creating digital paintings and sketches and did very well. Today there are far more tools available to the digital photographer to create these paintings and sketches than there were several years ago when I was on the art trail.

This weekend, I made a visit to the University of Arizona Art Museum to see a special collection of sketches and engravings from some of the greatest artists the western world has ever known. I saw artworks by Goya, Whistler, Guercino, Durer, Manet, and Rembrandt, to name a few.

What I learned is that for so long, sketches were considered of no importance. Often sketches were used as conceptual drawings for future paintings. So they had no artistic or monetary value. Then came the age of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Albrecht Durer. Suddenly, the world began to realize that many sketches were indeed great art. 

Later, other great artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Jacques Louis David, and other famous painters such as: Honore Daumier, Edgar Degas, Egon Schiele, Max Beckmann, David Hockney, and Lucian Freud, exemplified the art of sketching. The word draughtsman (or draftsman) is the usual term for an artist who practices drawing.

Of course, I don’t consider myself a master of sketching, but I am a good photographer and I love to experiment to make my photos works of art different than most photos. An example is the digital sketch shown above.

It is of the pool area at my apartment complex. Nothing special in terms of subject matter. It is the digital technique of sketching that I used here that makes all the difference. It is a fun sketch for sure, but I like what I created. I am curious if you do also. I will keep sketching my photos and occasionally share them here.

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

Postcard from Morrow Bay

Sunset on the Beach

The sun was setting with all its power and glory
on the horizon behind the sea as I stood there
on the sand which lay along the water's edge.

The clouds in the sky had the effect of evolving translucent light
yet as the sun sank further down into the sea
this light was changing to a sombre silver-grey.

Darkness was descending upon me where I stood
yet in the far horizon before me daylight was
making its impact once again on the earth.

It was getting chilly and darker and a slight breeze
was beginning to arouse the waters of a once calm sea.

The tide was going out and I could feel the moisture
from underneath my feet being taken away.
The sun was drawing away the very waters of the sea before me it seemed and everything was beginning to have a haunted aspect,
for without light all seemed to attain a gloomy and ghostly atmosphere.

The sun was now but a tinge of orange
giving off its last rays of light being swallowed by the sea.
What a splendid sight it was I thought seeing something alive
and wondrous making its last impact with beauty and significance before vanishing temporarily and rising again on the opposite to where it set.

It seemed to suggest that where there is light there is life
and where there is no light life would be unbearable and dark.
Dusk had come and night was here so I thought that I had better depart
in order to live and enjoy the sight just seen at some other date.

George Krokos

 

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

Postcard from Chicago

Chicago

I'm goin' to Chicago
I'm goin' back that way, someday
I'm heading back to Chicago.

I'm goin back to Chicago
And you know I mean to stay
At the Hotel Blackstone when I go.

Though winds may winge and blow
Off th' lake and freeze my face;
Though it may heavily snow

Sideways and hit ten below,
It'll be warm at my baby's place-
That much I do know.

I'm gonna' ride that old Metro
To th' museum down the way-
See Mista's Wood and Georgie Bellows, too.

There I'll sip pernod
All day
And watch the icicles grow
When I go back to Chicago.

Morgan Michaels

 

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

Postcard from Mesa

Sometimes if you look either straight up or straight down with your camera, you can find some interesting subjects for a photo. So it is with this image. I shot this on the campus of Arizona State Polytechnic University in Mesa, Arizona. In this case, I looked straight up while inside a very unique building on campus.

I call this photo “Jumble” as it contains a hodgepodge of interesting architectural elements jumbled together to form a cohesive whole. You’ve got horizontal and vertical elements, not to mention lines running in all directions. But, to me, what makes the image all come together is the circular fan. Everything else is straight lines and rectangles. But by having something completely circular, everything just works. I am sure the architects of the building knew that also.

This building is Peralta Hall, designed by Lake/Flato Architects. The building is very open and makes excellent use of natural light. It is integrated with three existing building and creates a cohesive complex (To see these unique buildings in their entirety, check out this website) I took this photo while standing in an open air hallway. The classrooms are off to my right and left and above me on 3 different levels.

Many of my architectural photos are done in black and white and that was my original plan for this image. But, after a long hard look, I realized in this case, color adds to the visual quality of the photo. The more I look at this photo the more I like it. I hope you do also.

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

Postcard from Tempe

Harmonious Walkways

Spinning across our vision, images gyrate and coalesce in
our mind's imagination and creative eyes.

Revolving naturally forever, along walkways of courtyards
made for us alone to find our ways back to peace and
harmony within ourselves.

RoseAnn V. Shawiak

___________________________

Photograph by J.R. Corkrum

“Lighting the Way”

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

Postcard from the Arches

The Arches National Park in Southeastern Utah is one of my favorite National Parks.  This is Skyline Arch, a beautiful arch located near the end of the road deep into the park. I walked off the road a ways to get this photo under it. On the other side of this arch is the campground where I stayed for a few days. Hardy climbers can get up to the arch from the campground side. 

I remember this day well…it was one of those days where amazing clouds ruled the landscape.  When you have a beautiful day in a beautiful place such as this, one cannot stop shooting. If you have followed this blog for a long time, you have already seen some of the images from this day. This is the first one I have posted in a while.

As Ansel Adams once said about a day like this:

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.”

That was this day for me in the Arches. The clouds and the light were beyond belief! I considered myself one of the luckiest men with a camera on the planet that day.

Definitely make The Arches National Park one of your destinations in the future. PS: The Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park is only a few miles up the road from the Arches. How handy is that?

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

Postcard from Morro Bay

This is a photo of one of those unique architectural features I love to shoot when I find them. This is an old movie theater that was recently restored, but still remains empty. Sadly, it was the most interesting object in Morro Bay to photograph. Even the beaches there are boring, photographically speaking.

I believe the design of this building would labeled “Art Deco.” Whatever its name, it is certainly unique. Wikipedia describes this style as “…an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. The style is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation.”

That sounds about right to me. I don’t know what else to say about it except it certainly stands out among all the other buildings in boring Morrow Bay.

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

Postcard from the Oregon Coast

This is one of my more abstract sketches…I found these trees along a small road near the Oregon Coast. I got carried away with my sketching techniques and out popped this black and white abstract sketch. I didn’t think anyone would like it, but it turned out to be quite popular when I was doing art shows.

Once, for the wedding of a family friend, I offered the bride the choice of any of my art works for a wedding present. She was a big fan of my work and I was quite surprised when she chose this sketch. As an artist, one never knows what people will like. This one sure surprised me.

PS: the title of this one is “Trees.”

With that title, I could not resist bringing out this most famous poem with the same name…written in 1913 by Joyce Kilmer.

 

Trees

By Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

 

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

 

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

 

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

 

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

 

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

 

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

Postcard from Downtown Phoenix

A few weeks ago, my son Eric treated me to a weekend in Phoenix. We stayed at a luxury downtown hotel and after checking in we walked to Chase Field and had dinner before the Dodgers/Diamondback game. There is a TGI Fridays located in the upper deck of the left field corner. The food is reasonably good and well priced considering it is inside a ball park where prices tend to be a bit high.

Anyway, it was a lovely evening, not very warm, so they rolled the stadium roof back just before the game started. We had good seats and rooted hard for the hometown team to win…not because we like the D’Backs, but because we are both SF Giants fans..and our second favorite team is anyone playing the Dodgers. Alas, it was not to be as the Dodger’s rolled over the local boys. They really are not very good this year.

Of course, the real point of this weekend was not baseball or luxury hotels…it was to be with my son and bond once again while we did some of our favorite things together. Eric and I are very close as I raised him by myself from age 9 on. Probably it is more accurate to say that we raised each other.

From the game, we walked back to our hotel. On the way I took this photo of the Phoenix Convention Center all lit up at night. I can easily recommend downtown Phoenix as a beautiful and enjoyable destination, especially at night.

After getting back to our hotel, we got out of the elevator on the wrong floor…and discovered a beautiful outdoor pool and patio area with great views of Phoenix. We then went up to our room and made a batch of Manhattans…our beverage of choice for the evening (two parts high quality Rye Whisky to one part high quality Sweet Vermouth with a dash of bitters and topped off with a maraschino cherry). I brought all the fixin’s from home.

With drinks in hand we went back to the pool/patio area and sat and talked the rest of the evening away. I did have to go back upstairs once to make another batch as we were having a great time…all the while looking at Phoenix all lit up at night. What was really great was we had the entire place to ourselves and the weather was perfect. Magical moments like this don’t come around very often.

Around midnight we headed downstairs to the bar to sample a different beverage or two and some midnight snack food. From there, it was back upstairs to our room to crash.

In the morning we decided against the $18 pancakes the hotel was offering and found a great little bakery across the street that made simple breakfasts for a reasonable price. Sadly, from there, we had to part ways as Eric had to get back to Yuma to prepare his very best dress uniform for an important visitor from Washington DC the next day. I don’t know if I ever mentioned here that Eric is in the Border Patrol Intelligence Division.

I don’t know if I can ever put into words how great this weekend was. Bonding with my son while enjoying some of the best scenery that Phoenix has to offer. It was magical and the memories will stay with me as long as I live. A special time with a special guy.

Postcard from Tucson

Daisy Time

By Marjorie Pickthall

See, the grass is full of stars,

Fallen in their brightness;

Hearts they have of shining gold,

Rays of shining whiteness.

 

Buttercups have honeyed hearts,

Bees they love the clover,

But I love the daisies' dance

All the meadow over.

 

Blow, O blow, you happy winds,

Singing summer's praises,

Up the field and down the field

A-dancing with the daisies.

Postcard from Tempe

This is one of the first buildings I saw when I drove into Tempe and on to the campus of Arizona State University. I mean, how could one miss this multi-story structure with a bunch of X’s all the way around it? Of course, I have an eye for architectural oddities, or perhaps I should say unique architectural elements.

And this is a very unique building and I am only sorry I couldn’t capture all of it. It is three-sided instead of the usual four. Each side has a curve on it as you can see from the image. In fact, I call this photo, “Where the X’s Start to Curve.”

Of course, I see the sides as X’s…but they could easily be seen as rows of V’s or W’s, or even diamond shapes. My eye and brain saw them as X’s. I am not sure what that says about me. Is this some sort of architectural Rorschach Test?

Anyway it makes a wonderful addition to my collection of architectural images. There are a few more images to come from my day on two ASU campuses.

PS: Sorry about no blogs last week. I suffered a sever bout of food poisoning (I am guessing Salmonella from one of our local establishments) a week ago and it has taken a while for me to recover fully. It’s hard to be creative when one is sick.

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

Postcard from Arizona State University

 

A Cyclist’s Concern: Part One

It’s ten until ten.
I’ve slept in again!
My alarm, I swear that it’s broken.
I sleep as it beeps,
Or maybe I creep and silence the wake up call motive.
I manage my snooze.
And often throw shoes, to pause the start of the day.
I wake in a bind.
It’s always I find, I try, but I’m late anyway.
Sloshed morning thoughts.
Can’t find my keys, my pants, my watch.
Of course I’ve forgot the numbers to the lock.
Oh, pretty please!
I twist the bike lock free!
Might make it if I flee!
Check the rear view to watch traffic carefully.
I ride up the hill, I don’t have the skill.
I stall, I slip, I perspire.
I move up the curb just missing a swerve
from the truck with the sudden flat tire.
Straight peddling on, til the looks are all gone
while I calm the fear I’ve acquired.
Police turn round the corner,
I stare in pure horror as one motions for me to dismount it.
Truck nowhere in sight, and I get the slight,
as he writes me a ticket for riding my bike where pedestrians tread,
can all this be right?
Did nobody see that freight give me fright?!
Confound it!
Shamed, shunned, despair.
I’ll walk, I don’t care. The doctor suggested fresh air.
I glance to my wrist- it’s Sunday the fifth!
I don’t have to be anywhere!

Claud Capuano Dec. 2013

Digital Sketch by J.R. Corkrum – “Bikes on Campus”

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

Postcard from Tucson

Yes…it’s that time. Cactus flowers are springing up all over the Sonoran Desert. Spring here is like no other in the world. All the plants you associate with Spring are in full bloom also, just like where you live. But, cactus flowers always come a little bit later. Almost every day I like to take a walk in the desert (on a paved walkway to avoid rattlers and scorpions) and right now flowers from every kind of cactus imaginable line both sides of the trail.

This flower is from the king of all cactus…the Saguaro. This particular cactus, is an old one as it has a couple of large arms. Remember, the Saguaro don’t start growing arms until it is about 100 years old. Behind this flower, you can see bulbs that will soon open to reveal their flowers. You can always count on lots of flowers from older Saguaros.

The only problem for the photographer is almost all Saguaro flowers grow on top of the main branch or the arms. And these cactus can get pretty tall…much taller than me! I got lucky with this particular one as there was a mound in front of it and, with the help of a long lens, I was able to get eye-level with the flower.

Out where I live in the western foothills above Tucson, the Saguaro are as thick as thieves. There are hundreds of them on each hill around my place. The Saguaro Cactus National Park is only a few miles from here. So I have my pick of cactus to shoot. All I need is a little natural elevation to photograph the flowers face-to-face.

Although you may have seen Saguaro Cactus in John Wayne westerns, supposedly based in Texas, they really only grow in this area and further south in Mexico. PS: for your information, many of those John Wayne films were shot just a few miles from here at the Old Tucson Movie Studios. So, if you see any movie with Saguaros, you know they were shot here.  

Come down in April sometime and see these beauties for yourself.

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

Postcard from Rome

 

The Roman Forum

A Poem by Nicholas Michell

 

The Forum, glory of departed time!

Where temples dazzled, arches rose sublime,

And statues burned with life— what see we now?

Stones, fragments, dust — yet pride is loath to bow;

A few pale columns point to what hath been,

The last, lone, sorrowing orphans of the scene,

And mouldered walls, fair marbles, ages' spoil,

Reluctant mingle with the meaner soil:

Still Phocas' pillar struggles with decay,

And thy hold arch, Severus, spans the way;

But gone the car, and lightning-breathing steed,

And where an emperor stood, now waves the weed;

No more along the Forum's stately side

The musing sage sweeps by in toga'd pride,

Or hear we from the platform's glittering beak

The fiery orator in thunder speak;

But there the herdsman leans, and sheep and swine

Pollute the once rich path and radiant shrine:

Caesar, Augustus, Tully! gaze ye here,

Frown from the grave, and drop th' indignant tear.

 

Digital Sketch from an Original Photo by J.R. Corkrum

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

Postcard from Naples

I only spent one day in Naples, but do I have several stories to tell about that short sojourn. But, for now, I will just tell you one of my favorites.

To enjoy this story, you need to know three things: First, we were given a guided tour of Naples by our Italian friends who lived there for many years. So that made it easier to get around and understand what was going on. Second, understand that Naples was the most bombed city in Italy in World War II. Third, there are 27 centuries of history inside this amazing city.

To begin our tour, we took a streetcar from the railway station (we were catching a train to Florence in the evening) down to where the line ends at the waterfront. From there we could see the Isle of Capri, a famous vacation spot for Roman Emperors and today’s wealthier tourists.

From there we started our real walking tour along the oldest street in Naples, built by the Romans over 2,000 year ago. This would eventually take us back to the train station. Of course, the real reason was to take in some of most famous sites in this amazing city.

At one spot, there were two large churches across the street from each other…one was Gothic and the other Baroque. And you could not imaging two churches so opposite from each other. The Gothic church was extremely austere, almost sterile, in it architecture and decorations; while the Baroque church was as rich in decorations as any church or cathedral in Italy. It was stunning, to say the least…all quite normal for Baroque churches.

My story begins in this church. As I wandered with my Italian guide enjoying the marvels this church had to offer, we were approached by this very elderly woman, who clearly was headed right for me.

She started screaming at me in Italian and I had no idea what she was saying. I looked at my guide and friend for help and he just signaled me to stay cool. But this woman kept screaming at me, and attracting a lot of onlookers.

I kept hearing the word “Bomba” over and over. All I could think of was the word meant bomb. As for the rest of her diatribe, I did not have a clue. She finally finished and wandered off.

I turned to my friend and asked what she was saying and did the word bomba mean bomb? He said yes it did. What the woman was doing was chewing me out for bombing Naples in World War II. She obviously knew I was an American. But the kicker was she said that the Italian government had become so corrupt that she wanted me to fly my bomber up to Rome and bomb it!

Needless to say we all had a good laugh over this. How clever of her to spot me as an American but, of course, I was born after the end of the war in Europe. I still laugh when I think about that old woman. If I only could remember where I parked my bomber.

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

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