Memories of Tumacacori

Above is part of my venture into abstract photography- multiple exposures and often layering the resulting images in Photoshop to create an impression of place, feeling or memory. The Tumacacori Mission in southern Arizona is one of my favorite places we have visited since living here. The old buildings, the history of the O’odham people who still live in the area, the cemetery with its rocks and simple crosses all make a strong impact on visitors. It is my fourth grade history lessons brought to life! Beyond that is the deeper understanding of colonialism and its impact everywhere.

I took many photos while there- despite the incredible HEAT- and have created a small series of abstracts which I will continue posting here.

MelindaLeave a comment

Tumacacori

I don’t know why we had never visited this beautiful old mission (founded 1691) before our Tucson trip a few weeks ago. I’d seen photos, but perhaps I didn’t realize how close it was to Tucson, Tubac etc. Even on that blazing hot day, it was well worth the visit and gives you such a sense of how Arizona is connected to Mexico, with its shared history of indigenous people and Spanish colonization.

MelindaLeave a comment

Doors, flowers, color. . .

and don’t forget HISTORY! Tucson’s Barrio Viejo is a magnet for Southwest photographers and never disappoints, even with construction happening. Many of the historic buildings have been updated and restored but keep the character of the original barrio. This is a multiple exposure of two houses, still with their cracks and imperfections.

Melinda1 Comment

Colors of the Barrio

Last week we took a mini-vacation to Tucson and stayed in a rental right on the edge of the Barrio Viejo. Despite the heat, we took walks and spent time admiring the colorful old houses in the neighborhood. Today’s abstract is a multiple exposure tribute to the colors of the Barrio- I think the only color missing is purple.

Melinda1 Comment

Sea Watch

This photo taken at Newport Beach tickles my funny bone and makes me smile. It’s even in the place of honor on my iPhone lock screen. If you have an appropriate caption for it, let me know!

Melinda1 Comment

Reflected

I think there’s nothing more serene than looking out at water, especially a still Alaska lake with reflections of the shore. This is NOT my daughter’s cabin, but I am now thinking I need to take my camera out in their boat and take a similar photo.

MelindaLeave a comment

Exhale. . .

We have just returned from a week visiting our daughter’s family in Alaska. Most of the time was spent at their family cabin on a small lake. I can’t imagine a more relaxing spot- especially at sunset. This iPhone shot was taken after 11 pm, when the light was just beginning to dim. Ahhhh….

Melinda1 Comment

City Hall

Here’s one more building from downtown Manchester, Kansas, where my husband’s grandparents lived their whole married lives. Lonnie remembers the building as a church with a steeple and stairs in the front, but it appears to be the city hall. I don’t know if it is currently in use, because so many buildings in the downtown have been abandoned. It was a sad trip down memory lane.

MelindaLeave a comment

West Coast Memories

I’ve been going through old photos. Like most photographers, I have so many on my hard drives that have never been edited. This is from a trip to San Diego (Mission Bay?) about ten years ago. Our son was living there and was still single- how things have changed!

MelindaLeave a comment

More on Main Street

This is downtown Manchester, Kansas- Main Street. Although there are some small farms and homes within walking distance of these old buildings, the tiny downtown is becoming a ghost town. My husband remembers the building on the left as a hardware store and the telephone company on the right. Out of the frame is what remains of a building his grandfather owned- all that is left is the crumpled metal awning lying amidst the rubble.

My husband’s grandparents died in 1982, and I had only driven through the town once since then. In searching for photos of what Manchester used to look like, I came across a wonderful website- https://www.lostamericana.com/

The website is run by photojournalist Vincent Johnson who is documenting the abandoning of rural America. There is a photo of Manchester’s Main Street on the home page- taken maybe ten years ago. The buildings in my photo can be seen as well as Lonnie’s grandfather’s building next door. You can explore Vincent’s excellent photographs of America’s abandoned towns state by state on the website. My genealogist heart loves this project, although it makes me sad.

Melinda1 Comment

Kansas Memories

We have just returned from Kansas, where we took some time to visit the remains of the very small farm community where my husband’s grandparents lived and his father was raised. My husband’s family drove to this little town every week for Sunday dinner, and Lonnie spent weeks there during summer vacations. He knew almost every inch of town- and most of its inhabitants.

The grandparents both passed away in the early 1980’s, and since then much of the town has seen a terrible decline. The last time we drove by, we noted that their front porch was sagging and was coming away from the house. This time, we saw that the old farmhouse had burned to the ground, and only the garage remained. The downtown buildings are either gone or falling apart. Yet, in some parts of town you can see that people are still living- like on this road where there seems to be enough traffic to warrant a lopsided stop sign.

Melinda2 Comments

Sunset X 2

Above is a diptych I created for my photo group- two images of sunset over Kachemak Bay, Alaska. The assignment was to choose two favorite images from 2021. Sunset over water at 11:30pm was an unforgettable sight as we celebrated our 50th anniversary last July!

Melinda3 Comments