My obsession while in Jacmel.

Coralee.

Just when I thought I was heading out, I’m still here. Am I crazy? Maybe. I had two options today:

1. Hire a driver and head to PaP tomorrow and change my flight or hang out at a hotel until Monday. or
2. Hang with the Montreal Hospital team until Monday super early when we will make our way to Pap Airport via the Canadian Red Cross.

I’m going with #2 for multiple reasons: why hang in PaP when I can stay here and enjoy the sun for a few more days?, they are some of the nicest folks I’ve met around and I hear there is more snow heading to New York. I mean, if I have to be stuck somewhere, I think I’m in a pretty good place.

I had an idea late last night to photograph all of the Lotto Booths that line the roads throughout Haiti. So today I walked from Cyvadier to Jacmel, approximately 5 miles. To someone that walks a lot that didn’t seem like much, although the sun is pretty intense here. After multiple confirmations it was fine for me to do it with my camera, away I went. I met a little resistance but I pursued with a smile. I’ve found that even when folks say no photo, if I persist and show them, then they are okay and are dragging everyone into the photo. That is a project that will take some time but it was a lot of fun.

So these photos are the outtakes of today including my Haitian Muse Coralee. I met this family the first week here with my friend Santiago as we wandered searching for images before Kanaval. They were sitting in front of their home and before I knew it we were in their backyard drinking a Prestige with their mother Gueraline, who was offering me her children. Today when she told me her daughters name, my heart skipped. My mother’s name is Cora… so here is this woman who’s name is so close to mine with a daughter named like my mother… maybe I should take her home. If it was only that easy. I don’t have much to say other than I’m so happy I’m here, thankful that I’ve taken the time to understand the ins and outs and that I have this time to photograph as I please. Maybe I should thank Martelly. If he wasn’t refusing to leave office I’d be in Port au Prince wrapping up my trip. Here’s to tomorrow. Cheers! - g

"I'll take money over culture any day..." - anonymous at the Moore Street Market in Williamsburg.
My heart collapsed for New York City...









Countries have lost their culture because what they wanted was money. Money became the running theme in every country and culture was sacrificed.
- Yoko Ono

We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that
is worth a tinker's dam is the history we make today.
- Henry Ford

Vinnie's Italian Art





Wandering through the neighborhood with camera on my shoulder, not a portrait to be had... until I spotted this photo wall inside Vinnie's Iron Works on Bergen. I had a brief talk with Vinnie about refinishing my terrace doors, and then spotted this wall. Amazing! They thought it was ruined from flying rusty water, I thought it was art. Ah, the eye of the beholder.

dominos.

She thinks she is all that rite



Found outside of PS46 and made me smile. Remembering the days of passed notes and quick enemies.

The sun felt like summer.

Ratner created blight.








Wandering around yesterday I headed into the mess of what will become a bigger mess. Ratner has convinced the state that the area was blighted, eminent domain begins. Looking at it now, yes, but before he started this, no. It makes me so angry. As if the traffic wasn't horrible already. argh!. So here is what is left of Dean Street. A building waiting demo. A homeless shelter where all 88 families have been removed. Freddy's Bar hosted an event yesterday to stop the demo of the shelter but I'm not sure there is anything left to be done but mourn. Can't say we didn't put up a good fight. sigh.

The beginning...




and the end. Everything inbetween is over on Flickr.

Nothing like a couple thousand drunken Santas to get you in the holiday spirit... confusing a lot of kids along the way. I'm exhausted from just being with them. Most started 'preparing' for the day of debauchery about 9am and by noon were well on their way to breaking records. Not one mean Santa crossed my path but give a Santa a dodgeball and he sure can get aggressive. And who knew Santa could fly without his reindeer!

Washington Avenue

Jerzy W. Sulek









"Mind if I take photograph?"
"...for a buck."

Photo taken. I showed him the pic on the back of the screen and the conversation began. Circling around books, starting with the creation of film to my perspective on shooting, "you should get a zoom lens". Frank Capote. Mister Smith. MGM. From how they began to make films, architecture, Calder, always coming back to the importance of reading books. He wanted to loan me a few but he said no one ever returns them. I'd read them for his notes alone. Not sure what is going on inside of his head that he cannot control, but what he can... is knowledge and reading. More photos taken. Two bucks given. He's using the money to buy more ink for his pen.

Here is a link to an article from 2007.

After leaving work I took the afternoon to walk around taking photographs - wandering through Williamsburg looking for religious processions to capture - but my timing was off, everyone was IN church. So I walked the old hood. NYC has changed a lot in 10 years, but the good ole south side still seems the same. I'll post the images from my religion collision after Easter, for now, enjoy this doozy!

Didn't feel the need to head into work today so I made my way through the city instead, camera in tow... oh do my feet ache!





CBGB's


William Chrome - sitting outside Trader Joe's with his typewriter, creating poems on the fly while you shop! Mine is about a dollar. How appropriate!


2 down...


and ending the day in another hectic poker game. No win for the G...damn.