My Dad

For the last few years my dad and my family have been battling the awful disease, dementia. It’s hard to even pinpoint when it may have started. So often it’s easy to just brush things off as being forgetful, clumsy or simply old age. But one day he fell off a ladder. Then as he was teaching a line dancing class he simply could not remember the steps. He progressively grew worse. Dementia is much like Alzheimer’s. My dad, so far, remembers me every time I walk in though he often forgets what he’s had for breakfast just a few minutes after eating. And slowly he is losing his motor skills.

I am not sure what I hope to accomplish by publishing these photographs and in many ways I feel uncomfortable about it. It’s hard enough for me to look at these pictures of my dad who I love so much. And sometimes it takes me months before I can review my photographs.

But this is part of my and my family’s life….






These pictures were taken a few years ago when my dad could still get around on his own with the aid of a walker.

Contemplating Art

From one obelisk city to another, a brief visit to the nation's capitol.

Dog Jours in Paris

Dogs today. Despite the cold everyone was out walking their pooches. The Frenchman is well known at the Rue Cler market. He shouts to passersby from his produce stand. He has la gueule bien Francaise!

Froid!

Today was filled with close-ups, not sure how or why that happened. It started with the headline that screamed our sentiments. Il fait frigging froid ici! And it’s not just because I’m a southern Californian all the restaurant owners have been apologetic about the weather saying even the Parisians aren’t used to this kind of cold.

I was worried about including so many shots of alcoholic beverages but….hey it is what’s happening. I might add here that my favorite beverage after a California cab is a Ricard.

You’ll have to decipher the rest of the photos on your own.

Plus de Paris

Cafés, le metro, la seine les affiches, les musees, c’est ansi qu’on passe le temps a Paris….et aussi un cognac a l’apres-midi.

La Tour Eiffel

In Paris for a few days with a good friend, John Mabanglo. We've known each other for years and had always wanted to visit the city of light together. He's a photographer for the European Press Photo agency and travels the world shooting assignments. Our plan is to eat plenty of good meals washed down with some good red wine then roll ourselves back on the plane. Oh and maybe take a snap or two. We’re staying near La Tour Eiffel so here’s a couple views.

Atwater Village

The LA River illustrates the struggle of Man vs Nature...but in such a way that it almost seems a joke. Here we have a river by it's nature and it's history has defined and really created Los Angeles, a city that is also created by man. A fence that seems to be built to keep plants away from the water source, a tree that beckons to the birds that prefer the order of power lines, plants that somehow force their way through the concrete channels of the river, the river that attempts to cleanse itself of the tons of garbage that is dumped into it by man...