PH 259 – Downtown Disney
Posted by: marseeperkins on: May 25, 2012
“Hei Photographers!” – There it is, the e-mail message announcing our next, and sadly final, field trip location. Our destination? Downtown Disney. The assignment? “Obvious to me.” Riku’s guiding question to us was quite simple, “What will you see?”
As a native of Central Florida who loves Disney animation, I am very familiar and comfortable with this location. Photos ops for someone with my interests abound – buildings with unique architectural features, a brilliant palette of bold colors, and interesting patterns and textures throughout the area. However, as this was our last trip, I decided to honor my original commitment to growth by trying something different. As a result, I focused on people since portrait photography is definitely an area of weakness for me.
My first thought was to capture the activities of families having fun on vacation – the pixie dust experience. However, I changed direction slightly after walking around because I began noticing an interesting contrast in the compositions provided by the children and those offered by the adults. All of the children that I saw were having a great time as they splashed in the water fountains, had their picture taken with their favorite characters, made faces in the funhouse mirror, or played with the plethora of toys and stuffed animals. On the other hand, though some parents obviously enjoyed themselves, the experience was definitely less magical for the majority of adults. Unfortunately, many of them seemed overwhelmed by some of the negative aspects of a Disney vacation such as high prices, large crowds, and long waits. As a result, I selected the photograph above as the key image for the site because it showcases the contrasts – the joy of a child playing with a toy while her parent contemplates the cost and the juxtaposition of the sentiment of the quote on the door with the ostentatious merchandising within the store. Once I settled on this theme, I found it easy to find supporting images.
As I already mentioned, I really love animation, especially the art from Disney’s films. I took every animation art course offered at the short-lived Disney Institute, and though I’m not very good at it, I sometimes spend time drawing cartoon figures. Additionally, I once spent an entire week at an animation workshop at the Contemporary Hotel in which we learned numerous techniques from actual people who had worked on various Disney films and produced our own short animated work. (Yes, the event took place during the second week of that particular school year, but I couldn’t resist. After all, they featured the villains – my absolute favorite characters!) So as I wandered, a secondary theme emerged. I started seeing different Disney characters in the people who were visiting. For example, the young girl in blue above reminded me of Bashful whereas the kids frolicking in the water brought the character of Happy to mind. I saw other representatives of the seven dwarves such as Grumpy (the man sitting on the stroller) and Sleepy above and the picture of the elderly man sitting on the wall that I call “Doc”. I really wanted to portray all of the dwarves, but Sneezy and Dopey eluded me.
Overall I am pleased with these images. None of them are outstanding, but I think that they are a step forward for me since I struggle with taking pictures of strangers. Besides, any time you are able to capture the Evil Queen in a picture is a good time!
PH 259 – Deland, FL – Florida Victorian Architectural Antiques
Posted by: marseeperkins on: May 24, 2012
It beckons – a narrow path between stacks of dusty, old wooden doors gently bathed by sunlight peeking through the rafters of the outdoor storage area. Trails intrigue me. They beg for exploration, experience, discovery… I know I should be patient and wait for the group to assemble, but the call is too strong; I can’t wait any longer. I tread slowly, mindful of sawdust, protruding hinges and cobwebs, all of which adding mystery or romance to the scene, depending upon your point of view. And there, nestled amidst the collection, I find my first and key image for this location – a door the color of a rich espresso with a rusty keyhole inviting me to look beyond.
Using a door as my key image works literally since our site, Florida Victorian Architectural Antiques, specializes “in the salvage of building materials and old house parts”. However, this photograph, like the location it represents, hints at something more. The rusty plate implies the passage of time, as do the myriad of objects clustered throughout the store. Old Coca-Cola bottles crowding an antique cupboard, yellowed out-of-print books with dog-eared pages heaped in the office, a trio of porcelain matadors standing proudly on the counter at the entry…this is as much a visual museum for different eras and cultures as it is a hardware store. All that is missing are the text panels explaining why artifacts like this hand sit beside a box of ceramic sink handles, though I doubt that any curator’s explanation would be as interesting as the back stories that I imagined for this dragon.
Just as the keyhole tempts you to stop and look, so too do the crowded aisles that meander here and there, never in an easily navigable straight path as if designed purposefully to slow your pace and force you to spend time with the numerous treasures.
Our first two objectives: working with shallow depth-of-field and focusing on abstract patterns, textures and unnoticed details. Finding images to fit these objectives was easy; photographing them successfully was not always a simple task. The location presented many technical obstacles. Some of the windows provided a soft, rich light that enhanced the objects. On the other hand, other areas were too brightly lit while some were hidden in the shadows. Since artificial lighting seemed out of place, the challenge became finding a way to set up my tripod without breaking any of the glass or china objects teetering on the counter tops. The clutter also worked against me at times. Unique items abound, making it difficult to decide upon a focal point. However, patience yielded positive results.
As a former history teacher who loves both architectural and abstract photography, this location was my fantasyland. I stayed for 3 ½ hours, leaving only reluctantly. However, every rose has a thorn. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Riku always finds a way to nudge us out of our comfort zones and get us thinking differently about the way in which we make pictures. Consider the assignments for this field trip. Those of us in the class who favor architecture, still lives, and abstraction embraced the first two goals. Objective one – work with shallow depth of field. Check. Objective two – focus on abstract patterns, textures and unnoticed details. Check, check, and check.
And then there were the last two goals. Objective three – allow a fellow artist to create a portrait of you. Objective four – bring a personal item, “any little (or big), goofy or serious item that says ‘you’ and use the item to create a self-portrait”. Sigh.
Whereas the portrait photographers of our group gravitated toward these goals, I cringed. I don’t dislike portrait photography; I just find it difficult. Photographing a person is intensely personal, and although I am outgoing and friendly, I am at the same time fairly private. Pointing a camera at someone feels intrusive which makes me uncomfortable unless the subject has requested a picture. In addition, various experiences have left me painfully shy when it comes to having my own picture taken so I was not at all thrilled at the self-portrait idea. Oh well. What is the expression? It was “time to put my big girl pants on” or in other words – deal with the discomfort. After all, I did make a commitment toward extending myself photographically. Riku said that we should find a way to use the setting and our prop to tell something about ourselves. He further explained that our self-portraits did not have to be traditional. I began thinking of creative ways in which to meet Riku’s challenge with as little stress as possible. My classmate, Natalie, took the shot below. I really didn’t want to do a regular pose, but the hand sculpture kept attracting my attention so I decided to demonstrate my quirky side by letting her photograph my hand along with the fake one.
Finally, the self-portrait. Composing this picture took a little more thought. I decided to use my glasses rather than my face for my presence in the composition. But what should I use for my prop? Not knowing what to expect from the place, I brought three items: an ornate brightly colored Mardi Gras mask, a colorful chameleon pin, and a book. Once I walked through the store, the choice of which to use became obvious. All of the items reveal something about me; however, my book, Little Women, best fit our field trip location. Since this copy of the book was published in 1926, it seemed right at home sitting alongside the various items for sale within the store. Some of the revelations from this photograph are obvious while others need explanation. The selection of a book as a prop reflects my passion for reading as evidenced by the worn condition of the book, which I have read countless times (including a recent re-read during the Christmas vacation). The novel’s Civil War setting communicates my enthusiasm for history, particularly early American history. Neither of those facts will surprise anyone who knows me. What the photograph can’t fully explain is the personal significance of the novel to me. According to the inscription written by my mother, this book was given to her in 1943 by her Uncle Ed (my beloved great-uncle), his wife Lola and their son, Frosty. She further wrote, “to be read to my children – George Donald, Martha Jane, Marsee Gay Munson – then given to Marsee.” The book is important as a part of my personal history, but even more it is a fitting “prop” because it embodies something special in my life – the wonderful relationship that I had with my mother. As a child, mom had me read aloud books to her whenever we went somewhere in the car. Along with this book, I read the entire Oz and Little House on the Prairie series during the morning / afternoon commutes to and from elementary and junior high school. This experience helped me grow into a life long reader, but more importantly, it gave me a special connection to a mother who was taken from my life much too soon.
The saying is that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. In this case, it is worth a treasure trove of precious memories.
PH 259 – Lake Ivanhoe Antique Row
Posted by: marseeperkins on: May 13, 2012
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- Trash or Treasure?
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- Coffee
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- Framed 1
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- Framed 2
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- Light 1
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- Light 2
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- Round
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- Statement
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- Vintage 1
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- Vintage 2
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- Word
My blog for last week’s field trip to Deland is still in “edit” mode; however, I’m trying to write regularly so I’m posting this week’s entry even though it is out of order. Our class met Saturday morning at the White Wolf Cafe on North Orange Avenue. Not only does the cafe have great food, but it is also a visual feast filled with antiques, original artwork, and a variety of architectural structures (columns, gables, finials, etc.) as well as an amazing array of glass and bottles surrounding the bar. The cafe is part of a collection of eateries, antique stores, small businesses, medical offices, and theaters known as “Ivanhoe Village”, also referred to as “Ivanhoe Row” or by the more official title of “Lake Ivanhoe Antique / Warehouse District”. Riku presented us with a different assignment this week. Instead of giving a specific technique or type of photography on which to focus, he gave us a list of seven words, challenging us to make images representing each of the words. The words: framed, light, statement, vintage, word, round, and coffee. Riku further explained that we could interpret the words literally or figuratively and that we still needed to come up with a unifying theme.
While I liked our chosen location, I was initially a little dismayed by the task. How could I possibly find pictures that really represented each of these words well? And then I realized that I was getting in my own way – again. Confession: When I take classes, I often create a stressful situation for myself by “over-thinking” the assignments in an effort to “get everything right.” It’s an unfortunate by-product of the need for academic perfection that I had while in high school and college. I recognize the problem, and I’m working on it, but it sometimes creeps up on me. For example, even though last week’s location was a perfect match to my interests, I had a mild anxiety paralysis attack at the beginning of class because I found myself focusing more on “the task” than on making good photographs. (Happily some encouraging words from our instructor and a swift mental kick allowed me to recover quickly and move on to enjoying the shoot as my next blog entry will make clear.) Having learned from this experience, I decided to take a different approach this week. Rather than trying to come up with a preconceived notion for each word, searching for the desired objects, and then forcing the pictures to work, I choose instead to stroll through a select number of shops in the row – looking up, down, in front of, and behind me to find my inspiration. The resulting images appear in the gallery. I titled the first photograph “Trash or Treasure?” which I selected as the unifying theme for what I saw in these shops. I think that many people would dismiss this gate as trash given its dilapidated condition. However, closer inspection of the detailed work at the bottom of the gate and the ornate ironwork at the top reveal a potential treasure. Furthermore, whereas the items behind the gate seem like junk at a glance, the multiple locks hint at value. As for the remaining pictures, I will let the titles speak for themselves and allow you to decide whether or not I got it right. : )
PH 259 – Flea World / Fun World
Posted by: marseeperkins on: April 26, 2012
Friday –
Flea World / Fun World!?! Surely I read the e-mail wrong. No,… that’s what Riku wrote. We will be spending Saturday morning at the Flea World / Fun World in Sanford. Credit Homer Simpson with my initial reaction – “D’oh!” Stereotypes about women aside, I hate shopping unless I’m in a book, camera, or museum gift store so the “flea” part of this location doesn’t immediately appeal to me. And previous experiences have taught me that any place or event that has to put “fun” in the title is usually anything but. Whereas I was very comfortable with our last setting, this week is definitely going to test my skills.
Per Riku’s suggestion to the class, I visited the website in hopes of coming up with a suitable theme or focus. The “flea” side advertises itself as “America’s largest fleamarket” with over 1700 booths selling everything from animals to zodiac readings. Taking pictures of DVDs and watches doesn’t thrill me, but I’m sure that I can find some interesting abstract shots that emphasize patterns, textures, and colors. On the other hand, seeing the “fun” side slideshow depicting happy children on various rides like the carousel, giant slide, and tilt-a-whirl make me think that my best plan might be to work on action shots, another type of photography with which I have little experience. Having a strategy in mind, I’m feeling a bit better; however, I’m still a little skeptical.
Saturday –
It’s 9 a.m. and I’m walking around with a sinking feeling in the pit in my stomach that is growing bigger with each passing minute. Overall the flea market is not a visually appealing place as you can tell from my key image for this site, the first photograph in the gallery. (More on that picture later.) Instead of finding interesting patterns and shapes, I am surrounded by empty booths, cluttered aisles and displays, low lighting throughout (probably a good thing), and questionable sanitary conditions in a few places. And while some of the vendors are friendly, others are decidedly uncomfortable with my camera – a fact I learn from overheard conversations. Let’s just say that it is sometimes very useful to speak a second language, especially when others don’t know that you’ve acquired that skill.
Just as I’m beginning to question the sanity of our instructor, the signage and merchandise of an unmanned booth catch my eye, leading to my first supporting image. Immediately next to a sign proclaiming that the vendor buys “gold, silver, and platinum” is a large rug for sale depicting Christ and His disciples. The scene brings a lot of Biblical lessons to mind such as the pieces of silver given to Judas, Christ throwing the moneychangers out of the temple, etc. What a unique juxtaposition! In the same location, I find my next shot, the sign encouraging the honor system surrounded by various crucifixes. Can you find a better example of the concept of faith? I discard my original plan of focusing on patterns and shapes and begin searching for more unusual combinations in the stalls such as seen in the photographs of Barney and the rosaries and the animal hats. Unfortunately, while I see a lot of strange and unique items for sale, I’m not able to take many pictures since several vendors deny my requests. No problem. After all, I still have plan “B” – action photography in the “fun” side of our site.
Upon meeting up with the rest of the class at Fun World, I quickly realize that I need to change my emphasis yet again. Action photography only works when things are in motion, and I only see two rides moving during the next hour. To be honest, I’m starting to get a little discouraged. However, as I walk around the amusement area, I finally figure out the connecting theme that will make images in this section blend well with what I have already taken in the flea market. The theme? The strange, quirky and bizarre. Fun World is filled with sights that fit this theme starting with its signature clown that I find a bit creepy. Nonetheless, he is marginally more attractive than the apparently drunken donkey rider decorating the miniature golf course. The dimly lit arcade provides more slightly offbeat images – the toothless clowns, the out-of-order “lotto fun” game, and a large Indian-chief mannequin sitting atop of the entrance to the restrooms, which I am not able to capture well. Even the more typical child friendly rides have an odd air as exemplified by the weatherworn, distorted fish on the toddler’s merry-go-round and the tortured expressions of the horses on the larger carousel.
Lessons learned -
Overall, I felt that visiting Flea World / Fun World is the equivalent of Alice stepping through the looking glass – things were somewhat familiar, but not quite right. I think that most of my photographs captured this feeling well. Although I was uncomfortable at times, I’m glad that Riku chose this location. First of all, this experience reinforced the idea that good pictures can be found anywhere if you take the time to really look around. Secondly, the outing forced me to be a little bolder than usual since management requested that we ask vendors for permission to photograph their booths. The fact that I actually did approach some of them rather than simply skipping the photographs was definite progress for me. Finally, as you can tell from my first shot, this excursion reaffirmed the fact that I need further guidance in making key images. Somehow I keep losing the forest for the trees. Thank goodness we still have several classes left.
PH 259 – Winter Park
Posted by: marseeperkins on: April 24, 2012
PH259 Field Trip Class Instructor: Riku Hulkkonen / Spring Saturday 10:00–12:00 noon Studio 3 Each week the instructor will take students to various locations around Central Florida. Each field trip will have a theme that will exercise the student’s picture taking abilities. On week 3 and 6 there will be a critique of work done on field trips.
As you can tell from the date of my last blog entry, other than one amazing weekend in Washington D.C., 2011 was not a productive year for me photographically. No how matter how much I wanted to go out and take pictures, something else always seemed to get in the way. Early this year I resolved to reestablish photography as a priority in my life, hence my decision to sign up for PH259. Weekly excursions under the direction of an instructor with regular assistance and feedback – what could be better? At the time of registration, I did find the “…will have a theme that will exercise the student’s picture taking abilities” part a little worrisome. After all, our instructor is an outgoing person who is attracted to portraits and movement and who is not at all afraid to venture into new settings and take risks for his work. In other words, he is my complete opposite in photography. While I have no trouble starting conversations with complete strangers, taking their picture is another matter entirely. Additionally, although I understand the basics of portraiture, I am much more comfortable with architectural photography – the fewer people in the scene, the better. And my philosophy about taking unnecessary risks can best be explained by my feelings about skydiving. Simply put, why would anyone ever jump out of a perfectly good plane? Still, I enthusiastically registered for the class, determined to challenge myself by trying something new despite my trepidation at not knowing the destinations in advance.
Fast forward to week two when we received an e-mail with our first meeting place – the train station at Park Avenue in Winter Park. Whew! After all, I’m a 46-year native of Winter Park. The Farmer’s Market, alleys behind the main shops on Park Avenue, train station, and park are all familiar and comfortable spaces. Riku provided us with the goal of shooting a “micro-environment” with a key image establishing place / theme and several supporting images creating a visual representation of the location. Since he encouraged us to arrive with a plan in place, my first thought was to focus my efforts on unique and interesting architectural features. However, I ended up changing this plan for two reasons. First of all, the vivid colors of the flowers in bloom immediately caught my eye. Secondly, a nagging voice inside my head kept reminding me that I had chosen to take this class to challenge myself and, unfortunately, taking more pictures of buildings that I’ve photographed in previous classes could not truthfully be defined as a stretch. On the other hand, the natural landscape is definitely an area of weakness for me. Although I have been able to get functional pictures of flowers, trees, and other natural elements in the past – with “functional” being defined as a) the viewer being able to recognize the subject matter and b) the picture having no glaring technical issues, I’ve rarely captured any natural images that would make anyone take a second look. Therefore, I decided to change my focus to the natural landscape of Park Avenue.
While making my pictures, I had two primary goals in mind:
1) Finding interesting or unique views in which to highlight particular flowers or features that caught my attention as represented by the first four images in the gallery.
2) Capturing the bold colors and interesting textures and shapes of the blossoms and foliage in a somewhat abstract manner while at the same keeping the subject of the picture recognizable as seen in photographs five through nine.
My biggest struggle, and one I don’t feel that I successfully overcame, was the establishment of a key image for the location. I originally considered the tenth and eleventh images since I spent a great deal of time in the rose garden. I decided against using either of them since I feel that they limit the location to one specific feature – the roses. In addition, while these two shots meet my first goal, they do not represent the second goal well. Therefore, I finally settled upon the last image in the gallery as my key image since it gives enough information to provide a sense of place while at the same time highlighting some of the colors and textures available. However, while I think that this is a nice image, I know that I need more work in this area.
Cats and Christmas Trees
Posted by: marseeperkins on: January 15, 2011
“Where’s Isis?” During the holidays, the answer is “She’s under the Christmas tree.” I don’t know why, but all of our cats have been fascinated with our Christmas trees. Since we purchase a live tree, maybe it’s the scent of the outdoors calling their buried wild instincts. Or perhaps it’s the coziness of the Christmas tree skirt’s soft folds.
Whatever the reason, our cats spend hours each year interacting with the tree and teaching us numerous lessons in the process.
Lesson #1: Ornament placement is critical.
Basic Cat 101 teaches cat owners that tinsel is verboten unless you want to wait patiently while a vet untangles ingested miles of it from your cat’s intestines – for a very large fee, of course. Considering ourselves fairly intelligent, Mike and I smugly banned all tinsel from our first Christmas tree, satisfying ourselves instead with lots of sparkly, dangly ornaments and being confident in having set up a cat-proof tree. Wrong. Upon arriving home one evening, we discovered that our first cat, Caesar, had amused himself by systematically pulling ornaments off of the tree’s lower branches and then playing floor hockey with them. He found the round balls especially delightful. From this we learned the value of establishing an “ornament-free” zone at the bottom of the tree lest a dangling bell or candy cane catch the kitty’s eye and become a target for batting practice.
Lesson #2: Secure your tree.
After several incident-free years, we believed that we had finally gotten the Christmas tree and cat thing down. Wrong again. We learned this lesson the hard way when our ten-month old kittens, Isis and Athena, showed us that unlike museum visitors, cats do not take a paws-off approach to Christmas displays. Instead, they see the tree as a giant jungle gym just begging to be climbed. One evening we heard rustling followed by a loud thud. Trust me, these are not comforting sounds when you have kittens in the house. Upon investigation, we found the tree on its side, surrounded by several shattered ornaments and two kittens happily knocking about the now available decorations. Thankfully our most precious ornaments survived unscathed although Mike debates that point since one of the few casualties was his 1997 University of Michigan championship ball. I have to confess that I wasn’t heartbroken over the loss of that particular decoration; however, despite Mike’s lingering suspicions, I did not in any way encourage the kitties’ romp. After all, my MSU ornaments were in equal peril! Anyway, we learned in subsequent years to secure our trees or place them in areas in which an all-out felling is not feasible.
Lesson #3: Good territory is worth the fight.
Every year a battle ensues as the cats vie for the most favorable position beneath the Christmas tree. For those of you who don’t understand a cat’s way of thinking, this position is the one in front of the tree facing toward our family room. While sufficient space is available beneath the tree toward the back, it is not considered optimal since it does not allow for simultaneous lounging and monitoring of all human activity in the master bed, living, and family rooms. During her lifetime, Athena was the undisputed owner of this prime real estate. Every year she hissed at and cuffed Isis until she established her supremacy. Taking her place triumphantly, she would sleep for hours, casting the occasional wary glance in Isis’ direction as she searched for any signs of a coup in the making. Years later, the players have changed, but the war rages on. However, now it is Isis who stands, or rather sits regally, as the proud victor. This is more impressive than you might think. After all, Isis normally backs away from her own shadow, but the Christmas tree has turned her into a fierce warrior – at least during the month of December. Every once and a while she will allow Calliope the privilege of sitting under the tree, but only when Queen Isis has chosen to make the couch her throne for the day instead.
After forty-five years of cat ownership, I am tempted to think that I know everything possible about cats and Christmas trees. But felines are clever little beasts and I am quite certain that I still have a great deal to learn.
With Sincere Apologies to Mr. Adams
Posted by: marseeperkins on: January 18, 2010
Every time I view one of Ansel Adams’ pictures, I find myself ready to buy a plane ticket and head west. His landscape photographs of Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone are stunning – at once capturing both the majestic scope and tiny details that make up these magnificent scenes. Many people think that it is easy to get pictures like these today. After all, the U.S. National Park system has made many of these previously remote locales accessible to the masses. Add to that the fact that cameras are so affordable – and portable – and “click” – the perfect shot every time.
I only wish it were that easy. While I love walking through a forest or garden, I struggle with trying to take an artistic nature photograph. At best I get a decent picture of a tree, flower, or rock (decent defined as the viewer being able to identify the subject and having the subject in focus and properly lit). The bigger picture – the one that shows the forest, the canyon, etc. – escapes me.
Technically I know what I need to do…
*Become more proficient with equipment such as my wide-angle lens and polarizing filters.
*Find a smaller object in the bigger scene on which to focus to give a sense of scale and use leading lines or patterns to draw the eye to that focal point.
*Frame the scene carefully avoiding placement of the horizon in the dead center of the picture and paying close attention to both the background and the foreground.
But knowing and executing aren’t the same thing. My photographic shoot this morning in Leu Gardens only serves to emphasize this point. While I like a few of the detailed shots that I took, I never found that perfect broad landscape picture. As I wandered the many pathways of the gardens, I kept seeing individual trees, but never a good photographic view of the forest. It’s discouraging, hence my apology. However, I’m not ready to give up so if you are looking for me the next few months, you might want to head for the nearest nature park or garden. And if I get really ambitious, be prepared to head west.
Memorial Day
Posted by: marseeperkins on: May 25, 2009
American Revolution
*Casimir (Kazimierz) Pulaski died at the age of thirty-two in October of 1779 after the Battle of Savannah as the result of being struck by grapeshot. He began his fight for freedom while a teenager in Poland as he led insurrections against both Russian and Prussian domination of the Polish people. Being forced to leave his homeland, he made his way to America where he joined the American Revolution, saving the life of George Washington and establishing the American cavalry.
Civil War
*Amos Humiston died on July 1, 1863, on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg when Confederate soldiers overwhelmed his company, New York’s 154th, at Kuhn’s Brickyard. One of 3,000 Northern soldiers to fall at Gettysburg, he might have become one of the many unknown soldiers if not for an ambrotype (photograph) of his three children (Frank, Alice, and Freddie) found in the thirty-three year old’s hand that historians believe he was looking at as he died. Originally buried in an unknown’s grave, Humiston’s identify was eventually discovered thanks to the efforts of physician Dr. John Francis Bourns who got the touching story published in Northern newspapers.
Spanish-American War
*Ensign Worth Bagley died at the age of twenty-four on May 11, 1898. Ensign Bagley was second-in-command on the torpedo ship Winslow, which joined the Hudson and Wilmington ships in attacking the Spanish in Cuba’s Cardenas Harbor. During the battle, the Winslow was severely damaged, losing steam and steering capability. However, Ensign Bagley managed to successfully maneuver the boat for some time, making it a moving rather than a sitting target until shrapnel from an exploded shell took his life.
World War I
*Second Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr. died on September 29, 1918, resisting capture by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The twenty-one year old soldier served as a pilot in the 27th Aero Squadron, gaining notability for destroying fourteen observation balloons and four airplanes in less than three weeks. On the day of his death, he managed to shoot down three additional observation balloons before being wounded by antiaircraft fire. Luke was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism.
World War II
*First Lieutenant Jimmie Waters Monteith, Jr., of the 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) in the U.S. Army died on June 6, 1945, while leading his men in the assault on Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day Invasion. Facing freezing water, machine gun fire from the cliffs above, and obstacles such as barbed wire and landmines, he physically led two U.S. tanks through the minefield and into firing positions allowing them to destroy several enemy positions. Afterwards, he continued leading his men in their assault on the German positions until felled by a bullet. Only twenty-seven at the time of his death, Monteith was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor and Purple Heart for his heroism.
Korean Conflict
*Lieutenant Colonel John Upshur Dennis Page of the 52nd Transportation Truck Battalion, X Corps Artillery, died on December 10, 1950, after a surprise attack by the Chinese Red Army. The forty-seven year old was in the Chosin Reservoir in order to establish traffic control of the main supply route for the U.S. forces in the area. During his time there, he formed a volunteer force of Army and Marine Corps personnel at a remote signal station who brought numerous wounded U.S. soldiers in the area to safety via a makeshift airstrip. Declining an offer to move to a safer location, he returned to the front, inflicting severe damage on the attacking forces until his death. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery and was posthumously awarded both the Navy Cross and Medal of Honor.
War in Vietnam
*Major Ralph L. Carlock of the U.S. Air Force died at the age of thirty-five on March 4, 1967, during a reconnaissance mission over Laos. The flight leader saw Carlock’s plane hit by enemy fire in the lower center of the fuselage and advised him to bail. The aircraft crashed near Nogn Het in the Xieng Khouange Province in Laos. Unfortunately, there was no evidence that Major Carlock had bailed, so he was declared missing in action. Rumors arose that he had been captured; however, since no returning American P.O.W.s had any knowledge of Major Carlock, the U.S. military assumed that the rumors were false and declared Carlock dead. In the 1980s, the Joint Casualty Resolution Center (an organization created to resolve the fate of U.S. servicemen missing and unaccounted for in Indochina) began receiving reports of a crash in the same area saying that the pilot had bailed out and died upon impact. According to the reports, local villagers buried the pilot’s body accompanied by Vietnamese advisory personnel. Upon further confirmation, Major Carlock’s remains were finally returned to his family on October 26, 2002.
Afghanistan
*First Lieutenant Roslyn L. Schulte died on May 20, 2009, when a roadside IED (improvised explosive device) detonated and hit her vehicle near Kabul, Afghanistan. A member of the 613th Air and Space Operations Center, she was traveling to an intelligence sharing conference. The twenty-five year old served as an intelligence professional in the U.S. fight against al Qaeda.
Iraq
*Specialist Jessica Cavwey died on October 6, 2004. The twenty-one year old single mother served in the 1544th Transportation Company of the Illinois Army National Guard. Her duties included providing supplies and other valuable items such as mail from loved ones to U.S. soldiers on the front lines. She lost her life near Fallujah during an attack on the convoy in which she was traveling. Cavwey was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant and awarded both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
For many Americans, Memorial Day is simply about cookouts, furniture and car sales and an extra day off from work. However, Memorial Day is much more significant than a grilled hamburger or no interest / no down payments on a leather couch. First proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and celebrated on May 30 of the same year with the placement of flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, the tradition grew slowly, being fully embraced by all northern states by 1890 and finally by the southern states at the end of World War II. The day, originally known as Decoration Day, was designed to commemorate those who had died during the Civil War. Congress fixed the date for Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, in 1971 with the passage of the National Holiday Act. The day now stands to honor all Americans who die while serving their country. The U.S. Memorial Day website (http://www.usmemorialday.org/) recommends taking time on this day to honor America’s fallen soldiers by:
* visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes,
*visiting memorials,
* flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon,
* flying the ‘POW/MIA Flag’ as well,
* participating in a “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and / or
*renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.
At Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. this weekend, more than 250,000 flags have been placed on the rows upon rows of graves of those who died in military service to our country. In Riverside National Cemetery in California, beginning on May 16, volunteers have been doing an unbroken roll call, the first of its kind, reading the names of the 148,000 military veterans and soldiers interred in the cemetery. On Sunday morning at my church, First United Methodist of Orlando, our associate pastor read the names of the twenty-one young congregants who lost their lives while in service to our country during World War II and the war in Vietnam. As he read the names, twenty-one people in our congregation stood in memory of these soldiers.
Inspired by these events, I chose to write this blog and post the accompanying pictures as my tribute to the fallen. Prior to writing this entry, I was only familiar with one of the nine individuals mentioned above. Researching the biographies of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms and rights that I enjoy today has been a touching experience. Hopefully reading this will encourage you to take a few minutes to honor the approximately 1.8 million men and women who have given their lives for our country since 1775 as well.
Is Your Cause Showing?
Posted by: marseeperkins on: May 22, 2009
My car doesn’t have any bumper stickers or decals. For that matter, I haven’t even permanently attached my E-Pass transponder to my windshield or dashboard! The only way that I have of distinguishing my light blue Hyundai Sonata from the 3,000+ others that seem to be on the roadways is through a small Mickey Mouse antenna topper in the back window that I change regularly for holidays and different seasons. So you can understand why this car caught my eye as I walked through the parking lot in Great Falls National Park on the outskirts of Washington D.C. in Virginia.
Although I never saw the car’s occupant(s), I can make some educated guesses about the driver based on the plethora of signs attached to the vehicle.
Obviously the owner…
… has a dog, hence the “My dog digs Portland” and multiple paw print stickers,
…is a supporter of peace – even to the point of expressing the sentiment in various languages, and
…supports green earth policies as evidenced by the “Tree hugger,” “Let go – Attachment is smothering” and “The more you know, the less you need” stickers.
And given the car’s Maine license plate and “I love Portland, Maine” sticker, I think it is safe to say that the visitor is from Portland, Maine. (After all, there is even a sticker proclaiming, “My dog digs Portland!”)
While the messages of some of the stickers are apparent or self-explanatory in nature, others hint at their meaning, but allow room for various interpretations. For example, given the variety of “I love ______” stickers, you might assume that this person is advertising his or her vacations, both near (Vermont, New York, Virginia) and far (Texas, Hawaii, Jamaica). However, an alternate explanation is that the car’s driver is using the stickers to chronicle the numerous areas to which he or she has relocated – maybe for his or her job or perhaps as an army brat. Another example comes from the stickers supporting both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for President. Do the opposing stickers reflect the owner’s initial support for Hillary, which he or she then gave to Barack Obama upon his nomination as the Democratic candidate? Or perhaps one sticker represents the owner’s candidate while the other sticker reflects the choice of a regular passenger in the car. Or maybe the two stickers represent an inability on the part of the driver to make up his or her mind! Similarly, does the “What Would Buddha Do” sticker really identify the occupant as Buddhist or is it more symbolic of his or her emphasis on world peace? Without more information, I can only speculate.
Seeing this car brought to mind numerous questions such as…
*If I don’t have any stickers, does it indicate a lack of true passion for any cause, distaste for clutter, or my ability to support causes in a manner other than signage on a car?
*Is it okay or wise, given America’s penchant for road rage, to sport bumper stickers with controversial statements that might offend the drivers around me?
*Similarly, should I be able to put vulgar sayings on a bumper sticker given that I will then be exposing young children to the message? (To me, this includes things like hanging something from your bumper that resembles men’s genitalia. If you haven’t seen that sight, consider yourself lucky.)
*Is there such a thing as “too many” when it comes to signs on a car?
*If my homeowner’s association is allowed to ban vehicles with workplace signage from driveways and streets, then should they also be able to extend the ban to cars with personal messages as well? (After all, they already control the color of paint on my house, the number and types of plants in my front yard, whether or not I can have a tree house on my property, etc.)
*What makes some people, like the owner of this car, willing to openly share information about themselves (their thoughts, opinions, and convictions), while others, like me, reveal as little as possible via our vehicles?
My answers to these questions might differ from yours – and that’s okay. After all, we are in America where freedom of speech is a guarantee and freedom of expression, within reasonable limits, is implied. So rather than answering these questions, I’ll simply close with two others…
What is your cause? And, most importantly, is it showing?
Revisiting the Lincoln Memorial
Posted by: marseeperkins on: May 19, 2009
“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”
I remember the first time I saw these words. It was a cloudy, cold day in November of 1977; and my father, mother, sister, and I were visiting Washington D.C. for the first time.
I have so many wonderful, and unusual, memories from that trip:
*Trying to read the worn copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in the National Archives,
*Struggling to keep warm in my favorite navy blue fuzzy coat while walking around the Washington and Jefferson Memorials,
*Watching my older, and supposedly more mature sister, trying to catch a pigeon or look under the loincloths of pygmy statues to see if they were anatomically correct, and
*Walking through the seeming miles (I was 12, after all) of the Air and Space, Natural History, and American History (at the time known as the Museum of History and Technology) Smithsonian Museums.
However, as interesting and colorful as these memories are, they can’t compare to the one that I have of walking up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that very first time. I’ve always been an avid reader; and as a child I devoured every book about Abraham Lincoln that could be found in the Orlando Public Library – starting in the children’s section with simple biographies and quickly moving into the “big people’s” collection with works such as “With Malice Toward None” by Oates and Sandberg’s three-part “Abraham Lincoln” series. So you can imagine my excitement as I climbed the ninety-eight stairs leading up to the memorial.
Architect Henry Bacon designed the monument to resemble a Greek temple, thus emphasizing Lincoln’s fight to preserve our democratic nation. The memorial is a combination of Colorado Yule, Georgia and Alabama white and Tennessee pink marbles, Massachusetts granite, and Indiana limestone. The statue itself, designed by Daniel Chester French, manages to convey both Lincoln’s strength and warmth by the simple positioning of his hands – one clenched, the other relaxed. Not only is the monument physically impressive, but it is symbolically notable as well. Its placement across the Potomac River (the dividing line between the North and the South during the Civil War) at one end of Memorial Bridge directly across from Arlington Cemetery and Robert E. Lee’s home represents the idea of national reconciliation, a concept treasured by Lincoln. Most importantly, with its background rooted in the resolution of the Civil War and the end of slavery and its having served as the backdrop for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream Speech” in 1963, the Lincoln Memorial stands as a tribute to cherished ideals such as freedom, hope, and equality for all. I remember standing in front of Lincoln’s figure for several minutes simply staring at the gleaming white statue, in complete awe of both its size and beauty.
The memorial is still as beautiful and awe-inspiring as I remember; however, as I looked around the monument on this return trip, I became aware of something that I had overlooked on my first visit. Like the memorial itself, its visitors are an amalgamation of humanity: age, race, ethnicity, gender, and more. In the temple, I heard German, Spanish, Hindi, and other foreign languages interspersed among the English being spoken; and I watched U.S. citizens mingling with foreigners. I saw the very young and the very old along with the able and the disabled. Also represented in the crowd were a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups along with numerous social configurations –individuals, couples, families, and so on. The visitors’ approaches to the memorial were as diverse as their composition – some dignified and awestruck, others playful, and still others quietly contemplative. I observed and took pictures of these visitors for over an hour. While not my best photographs technically (crowds, low-lighting conditions, etc. proved challenging), visually I think that this series captures something very fundamental about the United States. We are a land of diversity; and yet, we manage to come together for a variety of reasons on a daily basis.
As a child, I focused on the man being memorialized. As an adult, I realize that the true beauty and grandeur of the monument are in the masses that climb its steps every day.
Flickr Photos
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