Close Meditations of a Visual Kind

There are a couple things on my mind this morning for meandering through in a blog titled 'Ramblings of a Mad Shutterbug' and only one set of them photography/art related. Last year this time, I finished up photographing a scale model house. The purposes there included providing quality images to the owner of the model, and providing myself with 'building blocks' for other artwork. Over the intervening year, a bit of that's been posted here. Overall then, could say the exercise is successful. It also provided a bit of stimulus, I suppose, to something which I'd say has been dormant for a while.

The pragmatic side on this is the building blocks. A couple of artist friends of mine, when they saw the photos, quickly saw that possibility and commented about museum dioramas and stage settings, as in live theatre stages. Miniature houses, scale model houses, doll houses, all those names apply and yes, the function of being a stage setting is the biggest attraction for me. I'm not a total stranger to the world of miniature models, and that's the part which lay dormant for many years. Growing up, I made a model railroad setting. Not terribly elaborate as those things go, little three-dimensional scenery. No mountains, a flat setting, but with buildings. I put together a few of those, and a cousin passed along another group from his model railroad when that got broken down and dis-assembled for a major family move.

I've still got those buildings, stored in a chest, along with other portions of the old setting. However, my own was also broken down around the time I graduated from high school and moved along out of my parents house to the first two years of college followed by my stint as a Federally Subsidised Tourist in Uncle Sam's Canoe Club. The railroad setting was in HO scale (approximately 1/72 or so, I'd need to research for specifics) also known as Half O where O scale is another common scale for modelling. Those buildings are a tad small for easy photography of interiors, and in fact most of those buildings don't provide much of interior detailing. They're shells.

Getting interested in the scale house/building arena is partly related to looking for places to post/display my photographs of Tudor House besides here in the blog. That trail led me to several groups on Flickr (that much discussed and at least for me often frustrating site) with the purpose of displaying such items and the details involved.

The first I tagged onto is Scale Dollhouse Miniatures (Scale Dollhouse Miniatures http://www.flickr.com/groups/dollshouses/). However, this one proved to be more about the items which go into scale houses than the houses or buildings themselves. Fascinating, simply not one of my primary interests since as I mentioned, I'm looking at building blocks and am willing to use 'full scale' items to work into the settings. Still, periodically along comes a grouping of photos which relate to the overall structure and those catch my interest quickly.

The second group is about fantasy dollhouses (Fantasy Dollhouses & Miniatures http://www.flickr.com/groups/fantasydollhouseminiatures/) which seemed a bit more in tune with the general concept I first worked up involving Tudor House, to whit the historical re-creation characteristics of the house and the people involved with it. Still, this group also provides more images of things which go into the scale houses than the buildings themselves. Fascinating, and worth the time for research purposes, not the primary interest.

The next group I'm listing is Model Structures http://www.flickr.com/groups/model_structures/, and this one is also more about the exteriors perhaps than interiors. Still, more food for thought.

The one that sparked today's series of meditations is Modern Miniatures http://www.flickr.com/groups/modern_miniatures/pool/. This one is dedicated to 'Modern' style, something I grew up with as a contemporary style of building and whatnot. I very fondly recall the home of my Aunt Roberta and Uncle Earnie, which I'd describe as a Modern Ranch style home. I liked wandering through their house, two levels (basement and first floor only). I liked features like the sliding doors to several rooms, and the stonework around the fireplace. That's a different story, though.

Modern Miniatures is more about the overall setting than the bits and pieces inside, though it does provide a good share of those (i.e. the scale items which are placed into the scale room to re-create a house). This provides more food for thought to me, and even as a stage-setting still provides the background for a lot of conceptual photography, be it contemporary, science fiction, fantasy, or otherwise. Every now and then, as well, it's fascinating to explore the worlds other people dream up (see 'On the Set here'). Or even ones they don't dream up, rather are simply documenting before they begin their own work to achieve what they do dream. Mind you, I'm fascinated by the empty room often more than the 'completed' one, as well as abandoned places/structures. So this one fits both categories there: on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/magfs/5131172533/ ...

A friend of ours gave us a couple books as gifts near a year ago. He'd found them at a garage sale and figured they'd be of interest to us, knowing both of us to be photographers. One on close-up photography Herself snagged right off and I've seen it occasionally since. Not often. The other on special effects photography I snagged. Now, both books are older, and obviously first published before the advent of digital photography became wide-spread. Still, there are great ideas in there. One of the ideas in the special effects book is a single room, which that photographer would mount onto a tripod and use out of studio to help create some surrealistic imagery.

It's a simple room; undecorated, except occasionally with handy objects (scale differences add to that surrealism). I started planning then to build one of my own, and that's on the to-do list for early next year. My questions to myself are how involved do I want to get? Simple shapes, only, or add in some architectural features? This kicked off shopping (as it were) on-line at least for doll house building parts. It's a huge world, out there, for these items. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader though. Wander over to your favourite search engine and enter the terms "dollhouse" "kits" "parts" and look at what you find.

All food for thought, that's all.

Part two of today's musings is unrelated to any of the above, so maybe I'll do that as a separate post. Maybe not. Yesterday (Saturday) was one of my Out of Time days, since I worked the graveyard shift at Hospital again on Friday night. With Herself off to Haile Plantation Farmers Market in the morning, when I got home Houdini, Squrrl and I immediately set out to Feed teh Ranch critters before I collapsed for a nap. Consequently I didn't get into bed until nearly 10:30 and didn't wake up until nearly 15:00. Much later than I'd planned. Ah well. Once up and functional the three of us (Herself was busy getting things ready for the next item to be mentioned) set out to do the evening feed. Less involved here.

Then we wandered down the road to our friends place, there to enjoy dinner with a group of friends. S & K live there of course, and our friends Seamus Not On LJ and his wife mistfox are here visiting. Good visit, good food, excellent time and then back home to catch up on sleep. Then this morning it occurred to me by not making it on line yesterday I missed a couple Hippie Birdbath virtual 'cards, so here you are a day after, Hippie Birdbaths to faxon and ownedbyforest. May your nativity anniversary have provided you with pleasant times.

And now, once again off to feed Teh Ranch.

I am fascinated by the Solstice. Which solstice it is, is of course determined by the hemisphere in which one resides. So for rather a few of the people I read regularly here, it is the Shortest Day of the Year. And, per one of them, COLD. Where I live it is the Longest Day of the Year. And, in a word, HOT.

Not bragging. That's simply to show that on the Solstice, someone will be warm, someone cold.

The Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice for me is a profound date. My father died on the Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice. This still brings me to a thoughtful pause on the Northern Hemisphere Summer Solstice. Apparently my friend, singingnettle shares this trait this year. She postulated the following questions:

What have you lost this year that you are glad to have lost?
What have you lost this year that you are sad to have lost?
What would you like to leave behind in the coming year?
What losses do you fear in the coming year?
What have you gained last year that you are glad to have gained?
What have you gained this year that you are sad to have gained?
Are there some tiny steps you can take towards what you want to gain, want to lose this year?

Just food for thought.

( And, My Answers )

Today is a day of memory. Today is a day of planning. Today, like any other day, is one step on the Path.

We drove down to Mother Mary's early Sunday afternoon; Ruthie planned on staying overnight at least, possibly two nights. Then she's to return to the ranch driving Mother Mary's mini-van. We need it because the old ranch pickup truck is not particularly up to repeated long highway jaunts, long defined as two plus hours at speed. So we'll be taking over payments and ownership on a vehicle Mary isn't using any more.

She was sleeping when we arrived, and we didn't wake her. In repose, it's much easier to see the changes over the past two weeks. Yet at the same time, it's as easy to see the discomfort is not affecting her, her breathing coming easier during her slumber.

We visited with Ruthie's youngest sister for a bit, me watching the clock and not wanting to rush things before I left to return to the ranch. Nor did I want to leave without the opportunity to share some time with Mary. The dichotomy struck me as ironic. Let her rest and conserve her strength, visit with her and give her strength.

Eighteen years ago, when it came time to dance with my bride, we took our turn around the floor before other guests could join us. Then for the second song, Ruthie's Dad and my Mom came out onto the floor to join us. While Mom and I started our tour about the boards, Clyde placed an apron over Ruthie's head, one with a huge pocket in it. I'd seen this in Polish weddings and learned that day it's a European custom overall; comes out of Portugal in Ruthie's family's case. After Clyde danced with his daughter, any other gentlemen who wanted to dance with the bride needed first to put something of value into that pocket. It's all the bride's, everything that goes in there.

Not to be outdone, to be modern, Mary came up to me next and placed a folded bill into the pocket of the vest I wore. We took our turns around, and I could see the ladies starting to line up, all of them following Mary's cue, all of them with folded money ready in their hands. In a move which now astounds my police officer brother-in-law (I'm usually slipping gasoline money into his wallet or hat when he drops me off at the airport and he's always trying to catch me so he can refuse it), I slipped that bill from Mary into another pocket, so I could tell which one came from her.

Benjamin's portrait is larger these days.

Mary woke up around eight. Her mouth dry from sleep dehydration slurred her speech slightly, but not so much to make understanding her impossible. Part of the routine is to get her water to sip, to get those old tongue and cheeks moist again. I helped her sit up, then sat next to her on the edge of the bed.

"Where'd you come from?" she asked. The ranch, of course. I'm just here to drop Ruthie off, then I'm heading home to go to work tomorrow. "Oh, you poor dear."

I took her left hand in mine and put my right arm around her shoulder's lightly, started swaying gently, very slightly to and fro. One two three. One two three.

"What are you doing?" she says, looking at me.

"I just want to make sure you got your money's worth out of that dance, Mary." We've been doing this for 18 years now, at some point during every visit, taking her in my arms and dancing with or without music. She pulls her hand out of mine, and gifts me the Mary Glare... with the usual underlying smile glint as we continue to sway slightly. One two three. One two three.

"Coufiado," she says, Portugese dialect from her childhood. Crazy Man. "I can't believe you haven't spent that yet!"

"Mom, he's told you," says Ruthie, "it's emergency money until you tell him you got your money's worth." Mary shakes her head, gifting us both the Glare. One two three. One two three.

"Coufiado, the both of you!" We're still swaying slightly, to, fro.

When you meet a woman you think you're serious about, my Dad told me, make sure you meet her mother. Study her. She will show you what your lady will be like when she grows old with you.

Mary pushes my arm around her away. "I'm an old woman and I need to pee. All men out."

"Mom, he's a nurse, he's seen this before," says Ruthie. I kiss her hand, and stand up as Gina brings the porta-commode over.

"Yes, I'm a nurse, and Mary has spoken," I reply, bowing as I step backwards through the bedroom door.

Yes, Mary, you are an old woman. Your hair is silvered, and, well, there's less of it. Your eye sockets are sunken and cheekbones more prominent as your face joins the rest of you, slowly being consumed by the cancer. Your shriveled legs no longer support you to make our turns, your arms are too weak to hold and follow well, and your ribs palpable through your nightshirt. We both know we've just danced our last dance together.

And Dad, she's beautiful. Definitely beautiful.