scouting trip/slow down tiger...

location, location, location.  


today i finally made it over to monument valley on a scouting trip.  i've a friend at work whose family has a stand along the main, paved road into monument valley.  but as i was driving there, there we 3 kiosks all within a half mile of each other on the road that intersects with the monument valley road.  and they had "the" backdrop in mind that'd i'd pictured for an image there.  my friend's kiosk is under construction still, made of particle board (which i really, really don't like), and sunken down off the road such that the dramatic "wow!, that's monument valley" factor doesn't resonate as strongly.  anyway, i have an idea now of what's out there (and what's not).


my afternoon started in shonto at the home of singer, fred laughter.  i saw him and his wife, rose, as patients today.  they were accompanied by their grandson, bryan.  mr. and mrs. laughter recognized me and volunteered to bryan that i'd been to their hogan to get a ceremony performed by mr. laughter.  (and these are old, old, navajo speaking only people, mr. + mrs. laughter.)


i knew i wanted to photograph them.  i asked bryan if he'd seen any of my work around.  he had not knowing it was mine.  he said his favorite piece is the recurring theme of the lamb + kid.  cool.  


bryan said mrs. laughter said that she was finishing a tsumac basket and wondered if i'd be interested in buying it.  seeing this as an opportunity to go hang with them this afternoon and take photos (which they'd already told bryan it'd be cool to do), for potential use in the wheat pasting project, i said "...yeah, i'd be interested in buying it (sight unseen).  


so, my afternoon started in a very, very hot prefab (warmed with a woodstove burning wood and coal kicking it nonstop).  the che was stretched out on a mattress on the floor.  mrs. laughter was sitting nearby working the final pieces of the straw into the basket.


i started shooting film.

rose laughter's basket

snowman in shonto

josey's wedding in snow

sizing up a kiosk wall (auto protrait).

wow!  monument valley.

the "slow down tiger" reference is in the cycle i see myself in getting way too excited about the possibility of a relationship with someone who will only break my heart if i'm given the chance to be in that relationship.  otherwise, i get stopped at the door before anything can jump off.

slow down tiger.  you don't have to go down this road again.