I took these pictures a couple weeks ago at the Buffalo Zoo. I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to post them.
Okay, this last one isn't just a face, but I liked it enough to put up with the others. I think the elephant is my favorite animal at the zoo (or any zoo), though I really like the giraffes too.
Nephew Ben turned fifteen today, and I hope he had a great day-- and made some memories to last him through many more such anniversaries!
This group shot of cousins (nieces and nephews to me) was taken at Letchworth State Park a couple of weeks ago-- l to r, it's Sara, Natalie, Maria, Helen, Thomas, Raechelle, Joseph, and Nikolaus.
"The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of civil society. What crimes, wars, murders, what miseries and horrors would the human race have been spared, had some one pulled up the stakes or filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow men: "'o not listen to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one!'" 
This week our visit to Toonerville puts us back in touch with the Skipper, whose car meets all trains (though it looks like he may have a little competition in the transit game).
"What is that feeling when you're driving away 
Here are four more pictures found on a memory card (from my Canon point and shoot, by the way, not my DSLR). I should probably also mention that I've been looking at some collections of Walker Evans photographs, which somewhat accounts for experiments in capturing shots of ordinary places as I pass by them, like the gated alley with the Coke machine above. 
Evans also did a lot of architectural shots. Above is a building being renovated on the University of Buffalo campus. In the reflection, you can make out one of the older classic buildings, and the tower in the background is part of the physical plant.
The stairs above were also shot at the New York Central Terminal (see previous post). Unfortunately, the top of these steps is boarded up, so I couldn't go explore the upper levels of the building.
Finally, a more experimental shot from Niagara Falls. I was playing around with moving the camera with a long exposure while trying to retain at least some degree of clarity in the subject. This was about the most successful of those experiments.
I've been taking lots of photos over the past few weeks, but haven't had much of a chance to review them. I started looking at one of my memory cards today, and here are a few that I kind of liked. Above is a shot from the lobby of the Market Arcade in downtown Buffalo.
Here's a shot of the rapids on the American side of Niagara Falls.
This too is from the Falls, but these visitors are looking out over the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls, which was illuminated by spotlights from the shore. 
Last, a lonely box in an otherwise mostly empty room off the lobby of the old New York Central Terminal in Buffalo (taken during EchoFest, which was an art show to raise money for the restoration of the Terminal).
Back in the 1970s I remember reading a book by Jules Feiffer called The Great Comic Book Heroes, which talked about (and reprinted old adventures of) a lot of familiar costumed characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The one character that was new to me, though he too dated from decades earlier, was The Spirit. That single sample was a real eye-opener, with both art and story that were noticeably more sophisticated than that of most of the others included in the anthology. A short time later, I discovered that Spirit stories were being collected and reprinted in a Warren magazine, and I gobbled them up. Eventually Kitchen Sink took over the reprinting and began to include considerable new material by the Spirit's creator Will Eisner. It was remarkable to see that someone who was present at the birth of the comic book genre back in the 1930s was still a creative force in the medium, and eventually became one of the guiding forces behind the emergence of graphic novels which moved comics clearly in a more adult and literary direction. Michael Schumacher's biography of Eisner does a great job of telling this story, linking Eisner's personal evolution to that of the medium itself-- totally appropriate given the influence he wielded both as an artist and businessman who operated his own shop employing many other fine creators over the years including Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, Wally Wood, the aforementioned Feiffer, and a lot more. It's no coincidence that the most prestigious awards in the industry are named after Eisner, who always saw comics as having greater potential than almost anyone else, and then worked hard to help them reach that potential, right up to his death just a few years ago. It's hard to imagine that someone unfamiliar with Eisner's work would find his story as interesting as a long-time fan like me, but by the same token I'm not sure there's another book out there that does such a good job of summarizing the history of comics so effectively from the 1930s to the 2000s, even if it is mostly through the prism of one man's career. That certainly speaks to the key role played by Eisner in shaping that history.
"Human kindness has never weakened 
Well, for the first time in a long while, I've now had two consecutive good bowls of soup at old favorite Fables. The first, you may recall, was their Brazilian Black Bean, and now I've also enjoyed a very satisfying dish of Loaded Potato Soup. The "loaded" part may have been a bit of an exaggeration (does anyone else remember the brief fad of potato bars at restaurants, sometime back in the eighties?), as all I detected was some bacon, cheese , and onion mixed in with the potato. But that was plenty, and in fact, none was overly abundant, allowing the potato flavor to dominate. I was half expecting something overly cheesy and was pleasantly surprised that they were fairly restrained with the cheddar. This would've been an even better selection if this were winter, as it promised to keep my insides warm for quite awhile after lunch. I'll probably be back to Fables sometime in the next couple of days and I hope they can extend their modest winning streak.
"Those who enjoy their own emotionally bad
I love it when Garry Trudeau skewers the fundamentalists; sadly they keep providing him with new ammunition (an effort to overturn that state's law that allows the teaching of creationism as part of the science curriculum failed recently in the state legislature).
"Fortune raises up and fortune brings 
Here's something a little different, a kind of "Find Waldo" quiz. This was taken on Goat Island alongside the American Falls (part of Niagara Falls). The question is, what color shirt is my nephew Joseph wearing? You can either see if you can spot him in the crowd, or just guess. In either case, put your answers in teh comments section. Happy hunting!
Just because I missed posting yesterday is no reason for me to deprive you of our weekly visit to Toonerville. So here are a couple of panels featuring Mickey "Himself" McGuire.
I had some fun the other day playing around with an empty paper towel roll and my camera. This is one of the "iris" shots I took, of little Emma peering through from the other side.
Going through some pictures at my Mom's house, I came across this one: it's her fifth grade portrait (times three). So here's a question for the rest of the family: who do you think she most resemble from amongst her various descendants?
"America is a unique sociological fabric, and it bespeaks poverty of imagination not to be thrilled at the incalculable potentialities of so novel a union of men. To seek no other goal than the weary old nationalism, belligerent, exclusive, inbreeding... is to make patriotism a hollow sham, and to declare that, in spite of our boastings, America must ever be a follower and not a leader of nations."
Without question, the most purely entertaining book I've read in the last six months (at least) was Punk Rock and Trailer Parks by an artist who goes by the name of Derf. It's a graphic novel covering the adventures of one Otto "The Baron" Pizcok, a young man whose sense of self seems pretty well formed (by fantasy novels and films primarily) until he discovers punk rock, which really allows him to flower socially. Working first as a gopher in a club called "The Bank" in Akron (which was actually a real hotbed of cutting edge music back in the 70s), Otto meets some of the heroes of the genre like Stiv Bators, Wendy O. Williams and Joe Strummer, becomes a singer himself, and comes of age in an environment that proves to be surprisingly nourishing (given punk's reputation among non-believers). The book is funny and occasionally touching, and it really does a great job of perpetuating the myth of rock and roll's redemptive powers (and by myth, I don't mean to imply it's not true). I really hope Derf has a sequel in the works, because I'd really like to spend some more time with The Baron (and see how he might react to some of the greats of the following decade).
I've written here before that a 1973 PBS series called Men Who Made the Movies, produced by critic Richard Schickel, really launched my interest in movies as something more than mere entertainment or time fillers. But pretty close behind was the book Movie-Made America by Robert Sklar, which was assigned by Professor Milton Plesur in a class I took my freshman year at the University of Buffalo called "Movies In America." The class was devoted to showing how movies were integrated with certain social and political themes that marked different eras of the twentieth century, and Sklar's book was masterful at demonstrating those connections. I've since used the updated version of the book in an Honors class I teach called "Movies as History," and I'd like to believe that students today still find it a compelling read. Anyway, I was sad to see that Robert Sklar passed away a couple days ago as a result of a bicycling accident. Over the years since I first read his book, I've looked for other of his work (especially in the magazine Cineaste) and always been rewarded with intelligent commentary that places the films covered into a broader context than is evident in most of the reviews found in most mainstream sources. There are too few critics who straddle the academic/popular divide as ably as Sklar did, and as a result, he will be missed by those of us who valued that perspective.
"The best servants of the people, like the best 
Many many years ago I had a Super 8 movie camera and made a bunch of films, most of which were incomprehensibly abstract or badly directed plays made with my friends and siblings as the actors. In my entire oeuvre, I believe there is only one shot that was in any way memorable, a fluke of timing which created a rather nice backlit shot of a chase through an alley. Take away that 20 second sequence and it's safe to say that my adolescent filmmaking career was pretty much a bust, but I still have fond memories of playing with the camera and seeing what I could come up with. Pretty much the only enjoyment I took from the recent movie called Super 8, directed by J. J. Abrams, was the nostalgic kick of watching the youthful protagonists trying to shoot their own opus early on in the story (I know I smiled when one of them pulled out a copy of Super 8 Filmmaker, a magazine I used to read fairly regularly myself). After that, it became a pretty standard alien invasion movie, with massive jumps in narrative logic and thematic continuity. In other words, pretty much what most Super 8 movies made by teens were probably like, though I feel safe in saying none of them had this one's budget. A bad sign: I saw this movie several weeks ago and almost immediately forgot all about it, until someone mentioned it yesterday (which prompted these comments). I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable, but it sure ain't gonna inspire any deep thoughts.
I've been dumping a bit lately on Fables Cafe in the Buffalo and Erie County Library. They apparently changed vendors or chefs or something last fall, and the general quality of their soups just plummeted (a term that reflects just how high they were in my estimation). But they are still capable of turning out something good, as was the case a few days ago with their Brazilian Black Bean. Now, this is hardly the kind of exotic variation on which they built their reputation-- after all, black bean soup can probably be found in places like Denny's. But theirs really was quite tasty, with just the right amount of spiciness and a creamy texture peppered (beaned?) with tiny chunks of black bean. It would have been a nice touch to add a dollop of sour cream (the old crew did that), but the sprinkles of sharp cheddar and green onions were a decent substitute. Maybe the key to finding something good when I visit there these days is to stick to the less adventurous items (they generally have at least three on offer every day), since they've pretty much proven recently that they can't do justice to the fancier options.
"Choice of attention - to pay attention to this
I stumbled across this series at the I Love Comix Archive (where you can see more examples). I get the "closeup" part of the title, though I have to admit the "comedy" eludes me (especially curious, given the era, are the Marriage Scorecards). Still, these seem like interesting relics of the 1930s and the Golden Age of Hollywood.
"Age appears to be best in four things;
Here's your question: what member of the family cast the shadow on the left in the above picture? For bonus points, identify the person casting the shadow on the right as well. Put your guesses in the comments section.
I spent a good chunk of yesterday out at Chestnut Ridge Park with he boys (Thomas, Joseph & Nikolaus) hunting for salamanders. Well, they were hunting for salamanders while I took pictures.
It was really a gorgeous day to be outside, especially in the woods. As we made our way up the creek bed turning over rocks, there was a lot of greenery on display with sunlight streaming through the trees.
Joseph seemed to have the most luck finding the tiny lizards, and even ended up taking one home (though it didn't survive very long out of it's native habitat, sad to say).
Here's hoping we get another day like that one and can get out to commune a bit more with nature.
Whenever I point my camera her way, Helen is more inclined to start gurning (rather than smiling), but this time I think she came off as more cute than grotesque.
I got a new point-and-shoot camera just in time for a visit by my sister Catie and her kids. Based on this portrait of Thomas, I'm thinking it's a pretty decent little device (though I may have to see what I can do about balancing the exposure a little better).
"I would warn you that I do not attribute 
