mind.expressions

Little Blue Houseboat

2012-01-31T08:54:00.001-06:00

Little Blue Houseboat, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Winter Scene, Central Florida

2012-01-26T17:08:00.001-06:00

Winter Scene, Central Florida, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Old Shed, Maytown Road

2012-01-25T12:58:00.001-06:00

Old Shed, Maytown Road, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Beach Scene

2012-01-24T09:54:00.001-06:00

Another Beach Scene, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Iceberg Rose

2012-01-20T17:37:00.001-06:00

Iceberg Rose, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Lake Harney

2012-01-19T13:30:00.001-06:00

Lake Harney, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Water and Dune Near Ponce Inlet

2012-01-16T09:10:00.001-06:00

Water and Dune Near Ponce Inlet, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Red Hibiscus

2012-01-13T14:07:00.001-06:00

Red Hibiscus, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Beach Day

2012-01-07T06:38:00.001-06:00

Beach Day, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Wintry Rose

2011-12-28T11:10:00.001-06:00

Wintry Rose, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Christmas in Florida

2011-12-26T18:38:00.001-06:00

Christmas in Florida, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Delany Dean's photostream

2011-12-24T07:04:00.001-06:00

Delany Dean's photostream on Flickr.

Christmas in Florida.

Shell macro.

2011-11-20T08:05:00.001-06:00

2011-11-17T16:07:00.001-06:00

Old House, Geneva

2011-11-12T06:57:00.001-06:00

Old House, Geneva, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Seaplane Moored (Part 2)

2011-11-09T08:57:00.001-06:00

Seaplane Moored (Part 2), originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Dragonfly

2011-11-05T17:15:00.001-05:00

Dragonfly, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Little Blue Heron

2011-10-24T09:06:00.001-05:00

Little Blue Heron, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Red Berries By the Side of the Road

2011-10-12T18:07:00.001-05:00

Red Berries, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Great Blue Heron

2011-10-06T08:38:00.001-05:00

Great Blue Heron, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Breakfast Grapes

2011-10-03T08:17:00.001-05:00

Breakfast Grapes, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Ruby at 16

2011-10-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

Ruby at 16, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

She's kinda deaf now, but still happy and healthy. A very dear friend.

Florida Brahma Bull

2011-09-29T18:57:00.001-05:00

Florida Brahma Bull, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Cocoa Beach at Sunset

2011-09-21T07:15:00.001-05:00

Cocoa Beach at Sunset, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Swampy Shore

2011-05-26T17:26:00.001-05:00

Swampy Shore, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

The shoreline of Lake Monroe (in Florida).

Solstice Moon Setting

2010-12-21T11:57:00.001-06:00

Solstice Moon Setting, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Over Lake Monroe, Florida.

Cold Comfort Farm

2010-12-12T20:34:00.001-06:00

Cold Comfort Farm, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Railroad Bridge

2010-12-03T18:35:00.001-06:00

Railroad Bridge, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Down at Kansas City's old stockyards.

Hot Dogs!

2010-11-19T19:25:00.001-06:00

Hot Dogs!, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

In central Florida.

Gator at Blue Spring (Central Florida)

2010-11-15T08:40:00.001-06:00

Gator at Blue Spring, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Riverbank Palms

2010-11-12T13:43:00.001-06:00

Riverbank Palms, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Vulture Tree

2010-11-09T08:16:00.001-06:00

Vulture Tree, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Fishing

2010-11-07T10:13:00.001-06:00

Fishing, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

On the St. Johns River, in Florida.

The View From a Cabin Porch

2010-11-04T09:27:00.001-05:00

View From the Cabin, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Ozark County, MO.

Frosty Morning Run

2010-11-02T10:48:00.001-05:00

Frosty Morning Run, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

On a fall weekend in Ozark County, MO.

New Smyrna Beach

2010-10-14T13:45:00.001-05:00

New Smyrna Beach, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Blue Spring Park

2010-10-12T21:34:00.001-05:00

Blue Spring Park, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Fishermen on Lake Monroe

2010-10-11T10:16:00.001-05:00

Fishermen on Lake Monroe, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Sterling

2010-10-04T07:40:00.001-05:00

Sterling, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

iPhone shot, using Hipstamatic.

Psychological Assessment Playlist

2010-10-01T08:49:00.003-05:00

Testing YouTube video playlist for students in psychological assessment courses:

Black Oak, Arkansas

2010-09-08T09:35:00.001-05:00

Black Oak, Arkansas, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

On a Sunday morning, late summer, 2010. Pretty damned sad.

It's been a lot of years since I had driven through Black Oak. This storefront is pretty much emblematic of the whole downtown. There's really nothing much left in this little town; people still live there, but there is nothing left in the way of businesses. Can't blame it on WalMart, either; there is no "outskirts of town" in which a WalMart has been installed.

Spring River

2010-09-07T10:15:00.001-05:00

Spring River, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Just east of Hardy, Arkansas. Late summertime.

Flint Hills 2

2010-08-31T07:59:00.001-05:00

Flint Hills 2, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Last weekend, I took a drive to Council Grove, KS, and southward, into the Kansas Flint Hills. Gorgeous countryside.

Pond, Flowers, Butterfly

2010-08-30T06:03:00.001-05:00

Pond, Flowers, Butterfly, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Summer day at Kill Creek Park, southwest of Kansas City, MO.

With thanks to Citizen for a texture layer.

GS Auto on Wornall

2010-08-27T08:27:00.001-05:00

GS Auto on Wornall, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Twilight.

Museum Visitors

2010-08-24T06:25:00.001-05:00

Nelson Gallery, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

At the Nelson-Atkins Gallery in Kansas City, MO.

Office Window

2010-08-22T12:29:00.001-05:00

Office Window, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

An iPhone shot. My desk is an old walnut table, originally a dining room table, something that's been in my family for quite a long time. I made it into the desk in my home office, a while back. I sit at that desk for several hours, every day. I very much enjoy the sense and recognition that I am touching the same table-top, the same piece of wood, that long-gone members of my family have touched so many times, over the years.

Hunting

2010-08-20T18:17:00.001-05:00

Hunting., originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I think she was stalking a cicada when I took this shot. Carson is very fond of cicadas. Crunchy, tasty.

Water Park

2010-08-19T19:08:00.001-05:00

Water Park, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

At Loose Park, Kansas City, MO. As my friend Mike said: "Where have all the children gone?" It was a bit spooky to see this place completely deserted on a hot summer day,

Thanks to SkeletalMess for a texture layer.

Mission Road Place

2010-08-18T18:47:00.001-05:00

Mission Road Place, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This little place way out south on Mission Road (south of Overland Park, KS; near Kansas City) has always fascinated me. I can't tell if it used to be a house -- or a gas station -- or both.

With thanks to Flypaper for a texture layer.

Apocalyptic Loose Park

2010-08-15T07:02:00.001-05:00

Apocalyptic Loose Park, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Something a little bit -- different.

Ever Vigilant

2010-08-14T09:03:00.001-05:00

Ever Vigilant, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This is Ruby; she's the boss.

Flowers, Pond

2010-08-13T13:05:00.001-05:00

Pondside Purple, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Little flowers on the bank of an algae-covered pond near Kansas City, MO. I'm thinking the heat is making the algae worse than it might otherwise be.

With thanks to Les Brumes for a texture layer.

Shuttlecock

2010-08-12T08:26:00.001-05:00

Shuttlecock HDR by iPhone, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

On the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Gallery in Kansas City, MO. Photo taken by iPhone on a very hot summer afternoon.

Muddy's

2010-08-11T08:23:00.001-05:00

Muddy's, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Best coffee shop in Kansas City, MO. Near UMKC, between the Brookside neighborhood and the Country Club Plaza.

Alert Facility 1

2010-08-10T08:29:00.001-05:00

Alert Facility 1, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This is the entryway to the alert facility where SAC (Strategic Air Command, USAF) flight crews spent about 10 days of every month, in a large bunker, close to their aircraft. The bombers were loaded with nuclear weapons, and ready to go at a moment's notice. My father disappeared into this gate (and others like it) every few weeks, for my entire childhood and adolescence. That was the Cold War era.

Blytheville Air Force Base (later called Eaker AFB) was closed in around 1992, I believe.

Thanks to SkeletalMess for a texture layer.

Someone's Summer Flowers

2010-08-09T11:04:00.001-05:00

Someone's Summer Flowers, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Photo taken by and edited in iPhone.

Self Portrait (by iPhone)

2010-08-08T17:34:00.001-05:00

Self Portrait (by iPhone), originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Ozymandias of Egypt

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on those lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Bunkers 1

2010-08-07T10:53:00.001-05:00

Bunkers 1, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

At an old SAC (Strategic Air Command, USAF) base, near Blytheville, Arkansas. These are the old bunkers where the nuclear weapons were kept. When I was in junior high and high school, during the Cold War, I lived on this base, in housing about a mile or so away from these bunkers. This base closed in 1992.

Thanks to NinianLif for a texture layer.

Country Store

2010-08-03T09:20:00.001-05:00

Country Store, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

A very hot day in rural Arkansas.

Repent.

2010-08-01T18:58:00.001-05:00

Repent., originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

A short trip to Northeast Arkansas for my 40-year high school reunion, plus some riding around the back roads with my camera.

Farewell to my mother, with love.

2010-07-14T13:57:00.001-05:00

Farewell to my mother. I love you., originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Dorothy Lee Delany Dean
June 12, 1920 - July 14, 2010

Dorothy was born in Cairo Illinois, just across the river from her grandparents' cotton farm and home in Stoddard County, Missouri. She grew up in Gadsden, Alabama with her parents, Erie McColgan Delany, and A.G. Delany, and spent summers at her grandparents' place in Dexter, Missouri. She developed a love for horses very early on, and her grandfather (J.W. McColgan) always made sure that she had ponies and horses of her own. She was a splendid horsewoman, and loved to ride; she was also a talented artist, and her paintings of horses are quite wonderful. She very much enjoyed Thoroughbred horse racing, and was extremely knowledgeable about bloodlines.

Dorothy was an excellent (and cutthroat) bridge player, and was known for her charm, her sense of style, her wit, and her devil-may-care attitude. She loved to read, especially books that had anything to do with dogs or horses. She especially loved books that were illustrated by Lionel Edwards.

Dorothy was married to John C. Dean for 46 years. He preceded her in death, in 1996. During most of their married life, John was an active-duty officer and pilot in the United States Air Force. They were stationed at bases in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Arkansas. After his retirement, they moved to Dexter, Missouri.

Dorothy and John had one daughter, Delany Dean (of Kansas City, Missouri).

Dorothy spent the last 8 years of her life in the Kansas City area. When she could no longer live on her own, she moved into Comfort Care Homes, where she received excellent care. While at Comfort Care, she took up painting again; one of her last paintings ("Sunday Silence") was selected for a place in the "Memories In the Making" art show and benefit auction, in June of 2010.

2010-07-11T18:33:00.002-05:00

Please watch this.

Laughing

2010-06-23T08:36:00.001-05:00

Laughing (the edited version), originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This is Carson. She was born at a cotton gin in Lepanto, Arkansas. Her mother is (mostly) from Great Pyrenees stock, and her daddy might have had any number of breeds in his ancestry. She's just over 4 months old, and she's a real sweetheart.

Peony 2

2010-06-14T09:59:00.001-05:00

Peony 2, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Is there anything more decadent than a peony blossom? They live hard, and die early. They are so big, so beautiful, they smell wonderful, and they move so quickly from triumph to defeat, from beauty to decay.

Fallen Down

2010-03-24T08:36:00.001-05:00

Fallen Down, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Recently I've done some driving back and forth between Kansas City and Florida. It's a long, long drive, but driving has one great advantage over flying: the opportunity to do some photography in fantastic settings.

If you'd like to see more of my recent photographic work, see the slideshow and links at the top of this blog page; it will take you to my gallery on Zenfolio, where you can look around, and, if you like, purchase prints.

Spoonbill In Flight

2010-02-26T09:43:00.002-06:00

Spoonbill In Flight, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

On Merritt Island, in Florida.

With thanks to Distressed Jewell for a texture layer.

Confederate Graves and Chapel

2010-01-18T16:46:00.002-06:00

Confederate Graves and Chapel, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This Confederate memorial (including cemetery, chapel, and park land) is in Higginsville, MO. My position in taking this shot was standing just to the left of Captain William Quantrill's grave, about which the Wikipedia article says:

"Quantrill was not the only Confederate guerrilla operating in Missouri, but he rapidly won the greatest renown. He and his men ambushed Union patrols and supply convoys, seized the mail, and occasionally struck towns on either side of the Kansas-Missouri border. Reflecting the internecine nature of the guerrilla conflict in Missouri, Quantrill directed much of his effort against Unionist civilians, attempting to drive them from of the territory where he operated. Under his direction, Confederate partisans also perfected military tactics such as coordinated and synchronized attacks, planned dispersal after an attack using pre-planned routes and relays of horses, and other technical methods, including the use of the long-barreled revolvers that later became the preferred firearm of western lawmen and outlaws alike. The James-Younger Gang, many of whose members had ridden with Quantrill, applied these same techniques after the war to the robbery of trains and banks."

"Quantrill claimed sanction under the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act, which authorized certain guerrilla activities, although he had been refused received a regular Confederate commission as a captain when he visited Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia. Thus, like almost all of the Missouri bushwhackers, Quantrill operated outside of the Confederate chain of command. His most notable operation was the Lawrence Massacre, a revenge raid on Lawrence, Kansas in August 1863."

Thanks to Flypaper for texture layers.

The Side Gate at 2340

2010-01-15T09:28:00.001-06:00

The Side Gate at 2340, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

We've still got a lot of snow on the ground in Kansas City, and in the streets, driveways, and alleyways.

Winter Alley

2010-01-12T17:35:00.003-06:00

Winter Alley, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I like alleys. There's something mysterious and a little dangerous about them. And I think they remind me of the human mind, in that (like the mind) they contain the stuff that goes on in private, as opposed to the socially acceptable ideas and thoughts that we put out in public, out there on the sidewalk. Some of our thoughts, ideas, and impulses are unsavory. Some of them kinda smell bad.

A lot of people think, or fear, that they are the only ones who have minds that think dreadful thoughts, but it's not true. We all have them. It's part of the human condition. As for dealing with the thoughts (or memories, or impulses) that we don't like, the biggest hurdle is to recognize that they really don't have to be a big deal. They can pass to and fro in our minds, like clouds in the sky, if we don't dwell on them or get into fights with them.

Wintry Shed

2010-01-10T10:01:00.003-06:00

Wintry Shed, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Of all my (many!) photographs of barns and sheds, I think this one might be the one I like the best. And if it were not for the midwestern winter, and snow, and cold, it never could have happened.

[With thanks to pareeerica, on Flickr, for one of the texture layers.]

Old House in Mayview

2010-01-09T07:58:00.005-06:00

Old House in Mayview, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

There is something about the old, the abandoned and decrepit, that draws me in. I feel a great affection for houses and barns that are left alone, forgotten, and gently falling apart; among my emotions are sadness and regret, as well as a sense of curiosity (where did the people go? what difficulties or tragedy led them to leave their house all alone, and defenseless?). When I see a place like this one, I always want to get a photograph, perhaps as something of a gift to the old place, and an acknowledgement of the memories that seem to swirl about, in its presence.

I want to say to others: Look at this place! She's still beautiful!

[Texture layers by Flypaper.]

Winter Barn

2010-01-06T15:51:00.002-06:00

Winter Barn, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Still very cold in Kansas City, MO., and more snow coming down, right now. Yesterday I went to the State Habilitation Center in Marshall, MO (pretty nearly in the middle of the state). I took my smaller point-and-shoot camera, and stopped a few times to get some pictures. This barn caught my eye, on the way home.

[Texture layers by pareeerica and les brumes.]

Leaning Back A Bit

2010-01-03T12:25:00.002-06:00

Leaning Back A Bit, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Very cold out, around 5 degrees above zero, and still, still... snowing.

That makes it a good time to work on some photographs I took last summer. Trying new things. For this one, I threw in some distortion. And I used some texture layers created by the amazing artist known (on Flickr) as SkeletalMess.

This shed sits out beside an old house, south of Kansas City, MO. Hard to tell if the place is still occupied, or not. It is in a state of gentle decline.

Beautiful Arrival

2010-01-01T11:10:00.003-06:00

Beautiful Arrival 2, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

A glimpse of summer, to accompany the arrival of 2010! Happy New Year to all readers and visitors.

I caught this photo of a female cardinal in my back yard last summer. I absolutely love the way the camera captured the ruffling of her feathers. Her arrival is simply glorious.

[With thanks to SkeletalMess for texture layers.]

Rose of Sharon, Wintertime

2009-12-29T10:51:00.003-06:00

Rose of Sharon, Wintertime, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

From the backyard, on a very cold and snowy morning.

With thanks to Kate for planting this little bush, and for saving it once (after I thought it was a weed, and chopped it down). In the summertime, it has gorgeous purple flowers.

And thanks to the folks who created Flypaper texture images. I'm having a blast with them.

Junction City, Kansas Church

2009-12-27T09:21:00.005-06:00

Junction City, Kansas Church, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This is my adaptation of a photograph taken by John Vachon, probably around 1940. I found it in the Library of Congress archives, some parts of which are posted in a part of Flickr called "The Commons." The stated purposes of The Commons are: "To firstly show you hidden treasures in the world's public photography archives, and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer."

You can see the original version of this photograph here. Thanks to Flypaper Textures, too.

If any of you knows the name of this church, anything about its history, and/or whether it still exists, please leave a comment here, and also in The Commons.

Fly Away

2009-12-26T08:05:00.001-06:00

Beach Bird In Flight, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Christmas.

The "Holiday Season."

Steep narrow driveway, after a blizzard.

Fly away.

White Cranes

2009-12-23T09:50:00.003-06:00

White Cranes, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

The original of this one (it is signed "Kerry Photo Sydney") is in the Powerhouse Museum, and posted in Flickr's Commons, which is a large collection of old photographs. These old images have no known copyright restrictions, and they are posted in Flickr in part to establish a greater knowledge base about old images that would otherwise likely be forgotten, or poorly understood.

I did a little editing of this photograph, including a texture layer.

Winter House, Abandoned

2009-12-21T13:09:00.002-06:00

I am no fan of the wintertime, but there is a certain bleak beauty in winter landscapes. And there's quite a lot of intrigue in abandoned homesteads; when I find a place like this, I get a great sense of delight out of capturing it with a camera. The understanding that it will soon be gone, and totally forgotten, invests a sense of urgency in the image. The capture, and the display, feel like small acts of salvation.

Gateless Gate

2009-12-19T16:02:00.002-06:00

Blue Fenced Reworked, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

There is no house, any more, for this old blue gate to stand guard over (the house burned down, years ago). And some would say, there is no gate.

Nevertheless: The grass is green; the gate is blue.

Mother's Painting, with border

2009-12-18T18:06:00.001-06:00

Mother's Painting, with border, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

My mother loved to paint (horses, mostly, and sometimes dogs); I scanned this one, uploaded it, and added a frame, in order to make some Christmas (and thank-you) cards for her to give out to the many people who are helping her, these days.

She probably painted this around 1935.

Doors In the Woods

2009-12-16T22:24:00.001-06:00

Doors In the Woods, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

It was warm enough today for a drive out into the country with my camera. Found these old doors abandoned in an overgrown junkyard.

Dorothy Lee w/ Chickens & Goat

2009-12-13T10:39:00.001-06:00

Dorothy Lee w/ Chickens & Goat, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I have sorted, scanned, edited, and uploaded most of the old family pictures, but there are still a few left that need some work. I found this one this morning. This is my mother (with her goat, Nanny) at her grandparents' place in Dexter, MO, hanging out with the chickens.

This picture was probably taken in, or about, 1924.

The Buddha Will See You Now

2009-12-06T07:53:00.001-06:00

The Buddha Will See You Now, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I came across this scene late last summer, on the front porch of a house on (or near?) Summit Street in Kansas City, MO. It's a wonderful neighborhood, lots of quirky houses and wonderful places to eat (the Blue Bird Cafe!).

Abandoned Grain Elevator

2009-12-05T10:38:00.002-06:00

Abandoned Grain Elevator, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

One of a series of shots I took yesterday near the old grain elevator at Farley, MO. If you want, you can see more at my Zenfolio site.

Rusty Mountain Landscape

2009-12-02T07:33:00.008-06:00

I just moved my online photo gallery from RedBubble to Zenfolio. Zenfolio provides a better platform for browsing and viewing photographs, along with a lot more options for purchasing images -- not just excellent prints, but everything else, too. Notecards, t shirts, refrigerator magnets.

You can view my gallery at: http://delany.zenfolio.com/

Even if you aren't interested in buying, please leave comments in the gallery! There's one of those "guest book" things. All artists love feedback... especially if it's friendly!

Fried Pie Company

2009-11-30T07:33:00.002-06:00

Fried Pie Company, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I'm recently home from a short get-away trip to San Antonio. As always, I was on the look-out for interesting local food. My first night stop-over was in Gainesville, Texas, just over the Oklahoma state line, off I-35. Found this Fried Pie place, and though I neglected to eat there on the way down, I did stop back by there on the way home, and got some fried pies. Two cherry, and two peach; Kate Z. (who took care of my house and beasties while I was gone) got two of 'em, and I got two. They were absolutely marvelous! Highly recommended. Wish I had more!

Photograph: Fixing Downtown Kansas City

2009-07-22T10:04:00.002-05:00

Fixing Downtown 2 Version 2, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I have always been reluctant to take photographs of people, because they tend to shy away from the camera, or pose in an artificial way. But I love street photography, and have begun to venture out a bit more to see what I can come up with. There's a photographer I admire tremendously; he goes by the name "designldg" on Flickr, and I would love to do work like his. It requires good technique with the camera, good light, and some editing and layering work.

This photograph (above) is a move in that direction.

Red Window

2009-07-01T07:37:00.001-05:00

Red Window, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

This is the old West Paseo Christian Church, near downtown Kansas City. It clearly was abandoned for a while, and now is home to a Baptist group. I had driven by it many times and wanted to stop and get a closer look. I found a lot of crumbling mortar, windows that are boarded up or covered with plastic, an abandoned children's swing set... and these red windows, with red curtains inside.

Sarah Palin: Barracuda?

2009-06-30T14:27:00.004-05:00

Todd S. Purdum on Sarah Palin: vanityfair.com

This is a very good article, for anyone who is still interested in (or worried about?) Sarah Palin. Here's a short excerpt, which caught my eye because it reminded me of someone I once had the misfortune of working for... it gave me a horrible shiver of remembrance.

[One version of the Sarah Palin narrative] is the story of a political novice with an intuitive feel for the temper of her times, a woman who saw her opportunities and coolly seized them. In every job, she surrounded herself with an insular coterie of trusted friends, took disagreements personally, discarded people who were no longer useful, and swiftly dealt vengeance on enemies, real or perceived. “Remember,” says Lyda Green, a former Republican state senator who once represented Palin’s home district, and who over the years went from being a supporter of Palin’s to a bitter foe, “her nickname in high school was ‘Barracuda.’ I was never called Barracuda. Were you?”

Shared via AddThis

Window with Black Trim

2009-06-26T21:40:00.004-05:00

Another photo excursion into rural MO/KS. It's almost too hot to be doing this... but not quite. Photo above: This old stucco house is abandoned, getting rapidly overgrown. Sad story, but nice subject for a photograph.

And, unavoidably in the news, is Michael Jackson's death. I understand and share the appreciation of his huge talent. Here's what I don't understand: the outpouring of apparently genuine grief, the expressions of apparently strong love and a sort of personal devotion to the man. Does nobody remember, or care, that he was a totally unrepentant pedophile? It's OK, in my book, to excuse the incredible weirdness, the bizarre series of plastic surgeries, the masks and gloves and crotch-grabbing... but pedophilia? Do people really think that's OK?

[Added later:] I don't think I did a good job of expressing what I am thinking or feeling about this Michael Jackson phenomenon. It's not that I think he should be hated, or should have been persecuted, because of his pedophilia. That's really not the point I am trying to make. What is really occurring to me is that I find it hard to understand why people seem to feel a sort of closeness to him, and/or consider him (and many have said this) an "idol." For me, his strangeness, his apparent incapacity to engage in normal relationships (including, but not limited to, his obvious thinking that sex with children is OK), leave me feeling that I would not cross the street to have a cup of coffee with him. I acknowledge his tremendous talent, but do not feel he is a person I could have any meaningful connection with.

City Birds... Are Watching You!

2009-06-25T09:56:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I went downtown to get some pictures of grubby, gritty surfaces. This is so I can build my own library of "texture" images. I've been working on using layers and texture in Photoshop Elements, and so far I have mostly used some of the great materials that others have posted on Flickr (and of course I credit them in the published photographs, when I do that); but I'd rather find, create, and use my own images, start to finish.

My very first effort at creating texture images involved taking pictures of some old weathered barnwood I have lying around. The barn wood is beautiful... but it really hasn't worked out for me, so far. Nor does anything involving old peeling paint on brick walls. The patterns of wood grain and brick are just too obvious. Better to have something a bit more abstract. Fabric is good, and some stone or stucco surfaces are good. Rust can be good. Pond scum. That kind of thing.

So I went out in the heat and came back with some potential prizes... and I could not resist a couple of photographs of downtown buildings, and the inhabitants thereof.

Darwinian Blog

2009-06-24T12:46:00.004-05:00

Old Florida, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

OK, I guess this is turning into a photo blog... at least, for the time being. Above is a photograph I took a few years ago in Florida; I call it "Old Florida," because that's what it says to me. It sure as hell ain't "Disney"! I have applied some post-processing layering work, using Photoshop Elements, involving a technique I recently learned about (called the "Orton Effect").

Anyhow, as to the blog, maybe it's time to say something about the changes my readers may have noticed. I first started writing a blog several years ago, when I was teaching at Avila University. The idea came up one day, during lunch with some colleagues; somebody mentioned that potential students (we called them "shoppers") considered having a blog to be a positive factor. They apparently liked to see that professors had blogs. So, I said: "I can do that!" And I did. First, at MySpace, which I quickly grew to dislike. Then I moved over here, into Blogger. Originally, my idea was to have a blog with lots of links to, and discussion/analysis of, contemporary science news, especially research in psychology, cognitive science, etc. It would be a resource for students.

As it turned out, I found a larger audience outside the university campus, and also realized I was enjoying the discipline of keeping up with, and writing about, science news.

This was never intended to be a personal blog. However, when my mother got very sick (about a year ago), I became even more acutely aware of the difficulty, the frustrations, and the terrible tasks involved in care of elderly parents. I decided to write about it; and I learned a lot from my writing and from my searches for helpful resources, in this world that had suddenly become such a part of of my life. And I found that many people found these "elderly mother" entries in the blog to be helpful, or at least supportive in some way.

My own "elderly mother" situation is somewhat stabilized, now; and I am no longer teaching at Avila University. (I wrote about that, too, here in the blog, but not in gruesome detail. Academic politics can be a savage game.)

These days, I am getting a whole lot of creative satisfaction out of photography, along with the excitement of learning new things. Accordingly, that's what is being reflected in the blog. But that doesn't mean I will not still post post links for, and occasionally write about, science news in psychology and cognitive science.

A final note, for the moment: one of the weirdest things about this whole blog saga has been the "Buffalo Bill's Defunct" phenomenon. I wrote about that ee cummings poem once, and since that time it has become something like the number one Google entry, when people look for the poem. I think that a significant number of people (high school students, probably) click on this blog just because they were searching for something about that poem. And then they follow my link to another resource, and I guess they never come back. Interesting.

Hillside House

2009-06-21T20:21:00.003-05:00

For some reason, I have always been attracted to that which is fallen down, falling apart, and in a state of decay. It's not that I necessarily want these things surrounding me in my daily life; it's the imagery that I find compelling. Driving on a country road, my eye will always turn to an old barn, an abandoned house. Maybe this is somehow related to my fascination with human psychopathology; in my professional life, I have always worked with people who are in disarray, at the extremes of human emotional, cognitive, and behavioral functioning.

Since I have begun getting re-involved more intensely in photography, I sometimes drive out into the rural areas, looking for interesting houses, barns, and sheds. Here (above) is one I found not long ago, near Tracy, Missouri.

Fishing in the Evening

2009-06-16T16:10:00.002-05:00

Fishing in the Evening, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Last night, after dinner, I grabbed the camera and headed down the sea wall towards town, because the sunset was turning spectacular, and I knew the light would be wonderful. There are almost always people fishing off the seawall in Sanford; it's easy, just bring a chair or a bucket, and your fishing stuff. Pull up the car, get out, start fishing. In a sense, I was fishing, too: I caught these two, just as they pulled up their truck and got ready to throw out their lines.

Thousands of years ago, of course, other people were fishing in this lake; many of their old shell mounds were destroyed by invading and colonizing Europeans over the past several hundred years, and turned into roadways. There are a few left, one of them right smack beside Sanford Boat Works, the marina where my grandparents kept their boat, when I was a little girl. Back then, none of us paid any attention to it, nor did we even notice it. Even now, it doesn't have a fence around it. It's just a small hill with big trees growing out of it, and houses nearby. There's a sign explaining what it is, and forbidding anyone to dig.

The spot where these folks were fishing, about 5 blocks from my house, is the place where Fort Mellon once sat. The Fort was the very first European settlement here, where Sanford later became a town. Later on, there were steamboats up and down the St. Johns, a large resort on the other side of Lake Monroe, and Civil War naval skirmishes in the river, up north of Sanford.

There's something very beguiling, for me, about living beside a river/lake on which I can sense such a strong feeling of the human history that has played out here.

Osprey 3

2009-06-14T12:20:00.001-05:00

Osprey 3, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Took a boat ride on the St. Johns with my neighbor Crockett this morning. There are a lot of ospreys out there; in fact, there are a lot of ospreys everywhere, down here. Crowds of them hang around the marina right in the middle of Sanford. Quite obviously, they are no longer rare (for some reason I think that they once were), but they certainly are beautiful, fierce-looking birds. I often see one flying low past the house here in Sanford, either carrying a fish in talons, or on the way to snatching one out of the lake. One day I found half of a large fish out in the back yard, apparently accidently dropped (?).

I still have no air conditioning, of course; I guess I am acclimating to the heat. It no longer seems very oppressive... and I think it truly has cooled off, a bit.

Hanging Out Back in Sanford

2009-06-11T11:27:00.001-05:00

white bird 2.jpg, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

I'm back down in Sanford working on the old house. The primary goals were to get the curtains (and all their hardware) hung, get blinds for the other windows picked out and ordered (and all measuring done), and to finish up the bathrooms.

But... unexpected stuff arises. Such as, no air conditioning in the house. Turns out the condenser is shot, and nothing can be done till next week. Accordingly, it now becomes significant that most of the windows in this house are without screens... so "opening up the house" just means opening 4 windows, plus the two little ones in the bathrooms. None of the windows in the bedrooms have screens...

Fortunately it is not yet as hot as it sometimes gets, down here. If I stay still, and in front of a fan, it's really not too bad.

And, on another cheerier note, tonight there's something downtown called "Blues and Barbecue," and I will definitely be riding my bicycle down there for that... hot, or not.

Up above is one of the Common Egrets; they hang out here in the yard with me.

Church, Left Behind.

2009-06-09T06:55:00.001-05:00

Church Left Behind 2, originally uploaded by Delany Dean.

Yesterday when I was going to the jail in Pattonsburg, MO to do an evaluation, I took a back road, and used the Google Maps application on my phone. It told me to turn off on a little road, and then... it told me I was there. But nobody else was there... it was incredibly spooky... I was in a deserted town. It turns out that Pattonsburg was flooded (twice!) in 1993, and after that they simply moved the town 3 miles up the road. What is left is something of a ghost town.

After I finished up at the jail, I drove back to take some pictures. Above is the old Methodist Church, almost entirely engulfed in trees and brush (and poison ivy! I hope I didn't get any of it on my skin!).

Do you love animals?

2009-06-03T07:35:00.005-05:00

International Journal Round Robin, originally uploaded by zeektroy.

Do you care about what happens to wildlife when there's a fire? Of course you do, even if the fires were far away, and (seemingly) not so very recent, any more. Let's not forget the horrific bushfires that raged in Australia, in February of 2009; over a hundred million animals were killed, and many more were injured. Enormous swaths of animal habitat were destroyed.

Recently I came across a group in the artistic website, RedBubble. This website displays and sells all kinds of art work; I have begun posting some of my better photographs there. I doubt that I will sell a whole lot of my own pictures, but if I do, I will send any profits to WRAP (Wildlife Rescue and Protection).

Here is the Wildlife Appeal group's home page on RedBubble. There are some truly fantastic works of art there! Please consider buying something, for the animals. And for all beings.

Thanks to zeektroy, at Flickr, for this image. Click the picture to see more of this artist's work.