January 20, 2005 – 11:35 AM
January 20, 2005
Peace River Camp
Arcadia Fl
With Key West and the Everglades behind us we pulled in and out of Naples. So much cement and so many cars. Signs saying “no animals” on the beach, huge mansions and cute old cottages hidden between the ever growing cultural on slot of Naples and Key West and so many small towns everywhere…….
We did stay in a great old Mobil Home Park outside Naples the last two nights The Greystone RV Park on Hwy 41. The park was primarily for stationary travel trailers from the mid 1960’s. Most of them had fences around their wheels and one or two small building attached to them. Very pristine old trailers well kept and in good repair. Was like walking back into the early sixties. Then there were a few spaces for travelers like us to camp for a night or two.
So there was some magic left in Naples. I’d spent the morning photographing some of the old trailers and wanted to do some trippy- dippy images of them connected to some images of the mansions in Naples so off we went on a walking tour. No way we were going to drive the airstream through upper class Naples stopping to make photographs along the way. After what seemed like miles of walking we started back to where we’d parked and from over my shoulder I heard what seems to be a familiar voice shouting some unrecognizable words and who should appear but Richard (the artist who didn’t use one of my many photographs of him, or ask me to shoot a new one, for his first book cover, may he rot in painters hell) Segalman. Surprise he was in Naples for a party and we just happened to occupy the same space as he. Met his friends Paul and Eileen, seems we were walking right by their home and he came out just then. Had a nice visit Paul and Eileen and then Paul drove us back to our parking place and off we went .
Left the big road and got onto HWY 17, hit farm country, or what is left of it after the last hurricane. Good to see small towns, people moving a bit slower and no “No Animals Allowed” signs. Ran through fields and swamps all afternoon and arrived after dark at The Peace River Camp in Arcadia Fl. www.Peace River Campground.com Looking forward to seeing the Peace River in the daylight.
Miccosukee indian and alligator show in the Everglades
More of the show
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Paul,Eilene,Richard and Heather Naples
Henry with an additude…
January 16, 2005 – 10:59 AM
time for more coffee…..
Boats at Key West
Heather and DMK at Key West Camp
Henry and DMK at Key West
Dmk at Key West did a great 4×5 of tourists photograhing themselves with car see gallery oneday…
Did another good image here
Good time at the Keys
Chicken all over note the darts in this chicken
end of the road
Henry in the wind
Key West Home
Key West Home 2
Key West Homes and Shops
Traditional Key West Signage
Traditional Key West Sky
Henry’s thoughts’
on the road again
January 16, 2005 – 10:53 AM
yep time for coffee…
Heather and DMK outside Pepes a very cool place
DMK and an Angel at Mallory Square
Angel and Punk at Mallory Square
Mike,DMK and Silverman at Mallory Square
Silverman’s email
http://www.silvermansite.com/default.php
Silverman’s web site
if it all gets boring you can always go to……
or ride the conch train
or just hang out on Duval Street
and have a fine art photo made
and then shop some more
or go to woolworth’s
you’ll see why……
January 16, 2005 – 10:33 AM
January 16, 3005
Key West Florida
Well I think Papa Hemingway must moan in pain as people walk into Sloppy Joes Bar and step on his face embossed in the dirty rug by the entrance. Perhaps he shifts slightly in his grave as people line up at his home for the tour? How big a cut does he get from all the t shirts sold to the multitude of tourists coming off the 2-3 cruise ships that dock for a few hours each day at the foot of Duval Street?
Driving down the Keys we were excited about spending a month or two here, even though the rv park was 3 times more expensive than any we had encountered before, (and we were to learn that anything else other than the space came with a price tag) making photographs during the day and working in the darkroom at night, having some leisure time on the beach, walking in the hot sun and exploring the old streets of key west in the evenings. Maybe even finding a local bar to spend the evening hours. And we did… Pepe’s on Caroline Street! Great food, great drinks and great people. Truly a local’s hangout and they loved having Henry dine with us. Our waitress even had doggie treats in her apron. Ate many good meals here.
Mike and Lorene arrived on Thursday and we’ve spent the last few days exploring together. Have had a good time being with them and will be sad to see them leave today but…….
What we found was that Key West and Santa Fe have much in common. A great history, lots of history and natural beauty but city fathers with greed in their eyes and hearts. Duval Street is more a circus than a cool historic street. Lots of T-shirts and trash that appeal to the tourists from the low end cruise ships. A multitude of open air bars offer up appalling loud live music that blasts out into the street and melt together becoming Hemingway’s scream as it pounds against your brain. Mixed among the bars and T-shirt shops are restaurants with high prices and not so great food as well as poster art galleries and stands hawking the tours you can go on.
In all fairness as you leave Duvall Street and roam the small backstreets that make up Historic Key West there are many wonderful old homes and small shops that make up the real key but your looking at $350.000 low end for a small 1-2 bedroom home with no land and it’s a fixer upper. Heading in the local paper “City to study dorms for local Workers”, seems that the support people can’t afford to live here anymore. Hello Santa Fe! But the small street are quite beautiful and years ago it must have been a great place to live.
Each night there is the Sunset Party on Mallory Square by the Marina. We did get to see the sunset- one night when the cruise ships weren’t blocking it. Quite a good gathering of street artists, performers and venders selling-for the most part local crafts.
Silverman, a self made mime was quite good and fun to talk to as well as the “Angel”.
Made good images of both. But then along came “The Ambassador to the Conch Republic” -self appointed I would assume. Dressed in a cheap suit and uncle sam hat. I asked, as I always do, but this time with a ten-dollar bill in hand, (as it was obvious he was pan handling) if I could make his portrait and got told quite rudely that I could not “he’d been ripped off too many times”. Now he didn’t seem to mind the multitude of people who approached and snapped his photograph without asking and then gave him a buck. The very first person that has refused to allow me to make their portrait the entire trip, a year and 40,000 miles ago. Perhaps it’s time for a new ambassador? But all in all the sunset party was a good time and the sunset we did see was spectacular.
Leaving downtown you’ll find home depot, kmart, boarders, and all the rest on Hwy 1. As with Santa Fe, the true local flavor has been diluted to almost nothing. Everywhere you go there is a generic melting of culture a sameness creeping across america . A greed and consumption that seems to swallow up the old and spit out generic high end shit. Onward toward Texas?
The Ambassador to the Conch Republic photo by Michael Kravit
stepped on Papa
Sloppy Joe’s now the origional was in Havana Cuba
Drinks at Sloppy’s and they are good!
After a few drinks at Sloppy’s
After a few mork drinks….
now it’s time to buy tee shirts
January 10, 2005 – 8:55 PM
January 10, 2005
Key West Florida
Arrived this afternoon to 78-degree weather, blue skies and feathery white clouds. For a while there we were not sure we’d make it. While in the east our water pipes froze and when they thawed out, one burst, then the refrigerator shut down, and the electrical system shorted out so the time in Boca was spent either in Mike’s darkroom or the numerous small spaces one has to squeeze into to do repairs on an Airstream. But after hours of work and more than a few moments of pure craziness we got on our way again.
Two miles out of Boca the alternator gauge went crazy as did I, but it settled back in and all was well. Have to remember we’ve gone over 40 thousand miles with no repairs until now so it’s quite amazing that more systems haven’t failed… but it would be less stressful if they all hadn’t failed at once.
Had an enjoyable time in Boca. Got to see old friends Kim and Victor Milt. Also found time to process and contact the gallery shoot. It’s interesting to go off road and work in a real darkroom again. But I really enjoy working in the “road darkroom” and the excitement of “processing” the Polaroid’s and seeing the image in 20 seconds still is a rush.
Once again thanks Mike and Lorene for all your love and support!
Camp outside Boca Raton Fl.
Strange things between orange croppers
Mike and my film in his darkroom
Road to Key West HWY 1
looking back as we head toward Key West
Old Key West Bridge
January 3, 2005 – 8:45 PM
January 3, 2005
The Wal-Mart I-81
Hagers Town, Maryland
Heather arrived on the 31st of December and we’ve spent the last few days regrouping and getting road ready. Headed out of Connecticut this afternoon, back on the road toward Key West with a side stop in Boca Raton to run the film from the portrait shoot of the Bludhorn’s at The Gallery at the Katonah General Store. Will be using my friend Mike Kravit’s darkroom.
Was a good rest back east, spending Christmas with family. Working at the Gallery doing the annual portraits of the Bludhorn’s and having sometime alone but it sure feels good to be back on the road.
Henry at Rest area in Pennsylvania
December 21, 2004 – 9:45 PM
December 21, 2004
Roanoke Virginia
Good to see VR but was very sorry not to see Jean or all our other friends in the area like The Newman’s or Sister Reddie.
Have forgotten how small the roads are in the east. Running up I-81 through Virginia is absurd. Massive truck 18 and 34 wheelers, more like trains that have lost their tracks! Left La Grange Georgia (just south of Atlanta) this morning but by 8pm realized that the road was winning the battle, and if I didn’t stop, the war. Trucks whirling by at 75 but the speed limit is 65 and that’s still too fast. Curves, hills, 6% grades and the smell of rain in the air….
Henry, the ultimate road dog curled up in the back seat, as the hours go by. From time to time he comes up front to say hello and see about a pee stop. We leave the night to the crazies- find a camp take a shower, make dinner, pee and sleep. Tomorrow is soon enough for the next leg, hopefully all the way to Connecticut.
VR,his prints and Henry
Henry asleep
Truck stop Camp makes the airstream look rather small
December 19, 2004 – 10:02 PM
December 19, 2004
Turtle Bayou Texas
Back again. Been running interstate since dropping Heather off, yesterday, in Portales New Mexico at her Grand Parents home for Christmas. Made it just west of Fort Worth last night so today I got to run through Fort Worth, Dallas and Huston! At one point I jumped off and drove the frontage road between Dallas and Huston, for a while just to go 40 mph and gain some much lost sanity. Why we need to go so fast and see so little.
Picked up the 16×20 prints for V.R. in Huston from my friend, dealer, framer, Joan. As usual great work! I am looking forward to seeing VR for coffee tomorrow morning and giving them to him. He still has yet to see the two 40 x 50 inch prints that are going to the Long Horn Museum east of Huston Texas. Jerry, her significant other made the 40 x 50 prints and they are superb! Really enjoy the images that big and hope to do a few from the “Wrong Turn” series that large. Lots if itty-bitty 4×5 images and lots of big 40×50 inch images.
This feels very “anti-trip” having to rush through southwest Texas and Louisiana not getting to see the Newman’s or Sister Reddie, but the family and Christmas calls from Connecticut and I’ve only a few days to get there. If you all are reading this I apology for not getting to stop by and say hi. Sometimes the destination becomes more important than the trip or so it seems……
Joan Jerry and me with big print for the museum
DMK and the othe large print
Jerry in front of airstream and his Huston space
DMK in place of Jerry
DMK in Huston
December 16, 2004 – 9:39 PM
December 16,2004
Santa Fe Skies Camp
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Not sure how I keep ending up back in Santa Fe. We left Flagstaff this morning to a land covered in ice and snow. Ran through Winslow Arizona and spent some time at the La Posada Hotel circa 1930. What a magical space. Allan Affeldt, his wife Tina Mion and their partner, Daniel Lutzick have done such a magnificent job restoring it. It was a Railroad Hotels designed by Mary Elizabeth Colter. You really need to go to Winslow if only to spend a night in this magnificent hotel. I’m sad to say the building on the corner in Winslow Arizona burnt down a few weeks ago but the town is working on a way to save the wall. So a great weekend trip- head out to Winslow stay in the
La Posada Hotel
303 E. 2nd Street
Winslow Arizona 86047
928-289-4366
www.laposada.org
and figure out a way to help the folks restore the wall!
Time to regroup, then drop Heather with her family for the Christmas Holidays and I head east to spend the holidays with my folks. Jesse is also driving across the country with his friend Amelia and we will all meet in Connecticut. Heather is flying back sometime around the New Year and we are off towards Key West Florida, perhaps we will make it this time.
Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona and the building burnt down and the wall may fall down..
Henry and Heather and dinosaur at the Petrfied Forest I-40 east of Flagstaff Arizona
DMK Shooting at Petridied Forest
DMK shooting Two Arrows Arizona
DMK checking type 55 neg
stop sign (duh) early morning east of Flagstaff
Ice on sagebrush Arizona
December 14, 2004 – 8:19 PM
December 14, 2004
Usery Mountain Recreational Area
Mesa, Arizona
Left Bisbee behind yesterday morning. Mike and Lorene headed East, back to Florida and Heather and I headed North to my gallery in Scottsdale and we found this wonderful campground with many varieties of cactus just minutes away from the craziness of Phoenix.
Miss you guys it was good fun camping with you see you in Florida!
Occotillo Catcus at Usery Mountain
Henry at Usery Mountain
Teddy Bear Cholla Usery Mountain
Teddy Bear Cholla 2 Usery Mountain
Usery Mountain 1
Usery Mountain 1
Saguaro Moon Usery Mountain
Henery with Green Ball Arizona
