View allAll Photos Tagged squeegee
This is a recreation of a much smaller cover I made for a notebook. I loved the cover so much that I wanted to recreate it for my actual art journal. To see complete details, close-up photos, and the original piece, please see my post here:
triplethescraps.blogspot.com/2011/07/art-journaling-recre...
Thanks for looking!
Stamps: Prima foam heart, SU heart, Unity Hearts of Old
Stamp Ink: Archival Ink jet black
Pens: Faber-Castel PITT big brush pens, Pentel EnerGel
Stencils: The Crafter's Workshop circles, punchinella
Paints: Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Inks; Liquitex Inks; Adirondack Paint Dabber stream, cranberry, citrus and aqua; Neocolor crayons
Other: Liquitex Light Modeling Paste and gesso, Tsukineko Squeegee
Ephemera: scriptures from vintage Bible encyclopedia and Select Notes on Bible Lessons, hymns from old hymnal, title from The Old Schoolhouse magazine
Three colour screen print
35×50 cm
Limited edition of 98
Printed by Squeegeeville and Monostereo.
Available in my store.
Barrymore (left) and Squeegee look like fraternal twins during nap time on my sofa!
Those of you who pray, please do so for my baby, Squeeks. He hasn't had a BM in days, and is hurting. Tomorrow, the vet is putting him under anesthesia to examine him and try to find out what is wrong. Anesthesia is always risky for a cat, and Squeeks is 11 years old with health problems, so I'm more than a little concerned.
For those who've not followed the story, Squeegee has been on pain meds since he was 2 years old. He has had chronic pain of unknown origin. Over recent years, it became more and more obvious that something was wrong with his back and/ or intestinal tract. He did okay as long as he got his expensive pain meds, but eventually, the vet even had me put Metamusil in his food so he wouldn't strain when he went since his backside hurt!
The vet sold his practice, and now Squeegee has a new lady vet that he is scared of. (He was scared of the other vet, too, but that one would examine him regardless of his growling and hissing! This one won't.) So, that's the reason for the anesthesia. She'll be doing xrays and trying to determine if this is fixable. At Squeegee's age, with his past medical history, and my being out of work with limited resources right now, I am terrified that I'll lose him.
Many people just think of animals as animals. I don't have kids, and my pets are the closest I'll ever get to that. Squeegee is my favorite, and I love him dearly. If I lose him now, so close after the death of my mother, it will be devastating. I love my other two, but not the same. He's my baby. He comes when I call him, cuddles and gets under the covers with me, and waits his turn to "talk", answering me after I speak to him! He's an amazing and beautiful animal.
Please pray that God provides the finances for the vet bills, and if he doesn't make it, God forbid, for a cremation. This one, I always want with me. It's something like $350. I just don't have it. I'm praying I find work soon, or my sewing business takes off again so I can handle expenses. Things are pretty desperate, even without the added stress of this.
To see more pics of my beautiful orange kitty, see my set, "Squeegee".
I'M SORRY, MY FRIENDS, BUT I WON'T BE ABLE TO COMMENT ON YOUR PICS TODAY. I JUST HAVE NO TIME WITH ALL THAT'S GOING ON. I WANT TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH SQUEEKS AS POSSIBLE, JUST IN CASE...THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU AS SOON AS THINGS ARE BETTER. MEANWHILE, PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM!
HUGS,
CHRIS
View On Black (Large)
As opposed to The Lady In The Van !
My first attempt at achieving a solarisation effect (it looks like a "first attempt" too!"). In a nutshell:-
Portrait taken by me in the studio on Ilford FP4 Plus on a Nikon EM.
Printed on Ilford Multigrade Paper
Paper dunked in the developer until the image just appears.
Thrown in the wash and squeegeed semi dry.
The whole image is then exposed to a flash of light (by trial and error) and then developed for the remainder of the 90 seconds.
I was aiming to get a distinct "Mackie Line" which is the white line around the hat and on the shoulder to the right of the photo - which is one of the key elements of solarisation.
Some weird unplanned stuff then goes on when some of the remaining developer after the first dunk gets exposed to light again and developed - hence the background.
Scanned on and given a sepia look.
What is going on in the top right hand corner?
I've really no idea.
Yesterday I went to pick up Tigger from the funeral home that cremated him. Yeah, I know...not a very uplifting story. Well, actually, it was.
The flip side of life is death. Every living thing on Planet Earth has come to an end or WILL at one time or another. Unfortunately, some endings go virtually unrecorded, leaving little impact on anyone who remains. To me, that is about as sad as it gets. This day was not like that.
Tigger was "just" a cat. I hate that phrase, because it says that because he wasn't a human, he wasn't very important. Let me tell you how unimportant he was. First, there was a lady who must have been very good to Tigger, because when she passed away and had her ashes scattered in Sugar Mill Gardens, Tigger began going there every day, escaping from her grand daughter, to be with her! After a time, the family had to move, and because it seemed that Tigger didn't want to be with THEM, they asked the garden staff to care for him. A few people who had really taken to Tigger agreed, and they began to feed him and he began to enjoy being the gatekeeper of the gardens!
Tigger made a mark on many people. He greeted most everyone who came in, and loved being around people. They loved him back. One of those people was Susan, who despite her terrible cat allergy, cared so much about him that she started a group here on Flickr in his honor, "Tigger The Gatekeeper's Garden Clubhouse". She would visit him often, bringing him treats, and either photographing or video taping him. Through her, hundreds of people began to care about this personable, orange cat, and as time went by, he became a part of the lives of people all over the world. I was one of those people.
I'd seen Tigger's picture, but had only been to Sugar Mill Gardens once before since I was a child. That time was for a wedding, and it was probably in about 1998. (I had to strain my brain for that one!) As I vaguely recall, an orange cat was hanging around near where I walked up to the bride as she was getting out of the limo! It was probably Tigger. I don't recall if he watched the wedding, since I was pretty engrossed in the goings on, but all these years later, I remembered that there was a kitty there!
On Jan. 1, 2008, knowing Susan was going to be out of town for the holiday, and finding out that the temps were supposed to drop to about 28 degrees, I decided to visit Tig for the first time, and bring him a blanket. When I got there, Tigger was on top of the ruins, shivering in the 40 degree coolness, and so I tossed a pink blanket up on the ruins for him to get on. He gave me a wary look, and then I walked away to take some photos. When I looked back, Tigger was cuddled on the blanket! From then on, we were bonded to each other, and I went back to see him no less than twice a week. Eventually, it was every day, as I couldn't bear to be away from him, and became very protective of his safety and welfare.
Realizing that Tigger needed more than I could give him, I asked for folks on Flickr to help him. This was before the economy tanked, and Flickr cat lovers from all over the world began to donate funds for his care, food, vet bills, and one dear lady, Marg, had a little house sent for him all the way from Australia! Tigger began to go to the vet, get shots, and flea and tick meds, which had been a huge problem for him. Over the months, though, I saw that even that wasn't going to be enough. Tigger was getting older, and it was time for him to "retire" from gatekeeping, and live inside a nice, comfortable house, where he would be safe, warm, or cool, and loved.
In August of 2008, a tropical storm was headed our way. I knew that Tigger had weathered 4 hurricanes, and many storms in his younger days, but I didn't want him to be outside again through another. Just before the gates closed, I raced over with a carrier, and brought him home to ride out the storm with me. I hadn't planned on adopting Tigger, but that night, as he slept between my knees the entire night, I knew he needed a home, and I began to post pics of him on Flickr, asking anyone who lived nearby who might have the heart to love this kitty, if they would consider adopting him.
After about a week, the gardens were still muddy and the mosquitoes were even worse than usual thanks to all the water. I wasn't going to bring him back there until it dried out. One of the garden staffers came to my home while I was at work, demanding that Tigger be returned to them! Through a sequence of events that I won't repeat now, the gardens finally gave up their claim to Tigger, and he was allowed to stay with me.
Just a few months later, I lost my job of 16 years. Right after that, my mother died. There were times I had no food for myself to eat, but I made sure whatever I had went to feed Tigger, Squeegee and Barrymore. When Susan realized how bad things were, she began to help me by buying all the cats' food and litter! For over a year, Susan got us through a terrible time! So loved was Tigger that people donated food and toys to her to help him! What they didn't provide, SHE did! Sometimes, she even gave ME gift cards so I could eat, too.
In the end, after thousands of dollars in vet bills, we found out Tigger was dying of cancer. I'd hoped that he'd make it until New Year's Day, just so we could have had 5 full years together, but it wasn't to be. Tigger started out as my New Year kitty, and ended up as a Chirstmas kitty, when I went with his "other mom", Susan, to have him put to sleep because he was beginning to suffer. By that time, several more vets and assistants had fallen in love with him. Everywhere Tigger went, he touched lives, right up until, and after, his death.
Yesterday, I went to Daytona Memorial Gardens, which is owned by the Lohmans now. One side is for people, and the other, for animals. It was the people side I went to to pick Tigger up, and since I was early, I took some photos of this pretty place, where some of my friends and family are already resting. I went inside and was met by Ellie, a wonderful lady who loves animals, herself, and who was also touched by Tigger. She was the assistant to Carrie, who had met us when we brought Tigger to them. Carrie had shown her some links to Tigger's group and pics. It seemed this little guy had the ability to reach beyond the grave to touch people who would only get to pet him once the life was out of him.
Ellie gave me Tigger's remains. He was in a little, wooden box, and Carrie had clipped fur for me and Susan. I asked for his whiskers, too, and they made paw prints for us. She was so nice and compassionate, and even hugged me as I left. I was glad they had seen how beautiful Tigger was before he arrived there. All that made him beautiful left with him, and it would have been easy for them to look at him as "just" a cat....just ANOTHER cat. They didn't. They recognized that there was something special about this precious feline.
Tigger is back home with me now. Yesterday I went to Sugar Mill Gardens with him. I carried him through the gardens one last time. It wasn't the same at all. Without Tigger, there was no life there. It seemed void. It didn't seem wonderful anymore. I had planned to scatter part of his ashes there, but I'm not sure now. He didn't seem to belong there anymore. So, I'll go back again sometime when I'm not depressed and decide. There are many options. One thing I do know, Tigger will not be forgotten, and he will always be loved.
Sorry for the long stories, folks. It's helping me cope. Hope you don't mind. Tigger left a hole in my heart. I'm filling it with good memories now!
From The Archives 1976. this was Where I worked. we (the company) had just Bought This Place. it was a Combo Department Store and supermarket. We were in the Supermarket Business. they Decided to keep the Department Store though.
This was out in the Lot one day when I came in. just Kind of Caught my eye location, that whenever it Rain. soon after the Store would Start flooding!! was the Craziest thing!! The water would come through the Doors and down the aisles. had to Squeegee the water into the Drains. which didn't really help. the area still Floods when it Rains. especially when we get one of those "derechos" over the Summer the town flooded!
Minolta Semi P folding medium format 645
Film Ilford Delta 100 Pro
Self develop Kodak HC-110 dilute B, 6 mins at 20°C
This is my first test roll.
Step 0: make developer, water for stopbath, and fixer get all 20°C, I use tap water.
Then load film into the film tank
Step 1 :
- Soak the tank into water( not let water goes inside the tank) for 1 mins , get the temperature of the tank close to 20
- pour developer in, agitate the first 15", then 5" every 30"
Total 6 mins.
Step 2:
Water stopbath in, agitate for 15", pour out, repeat one more time, total about 55".
Step 3:
Pour fixer in, the same as developing step , total 6 mins
Step 4:
Washing the film for 6 mins using flowing water.
the last use few drops of Kodak photo flo.
Hang the film, squeegee, let it dry.
That's it. Wait to see the result.
Waiting for the fireworks on New Year's Eve in the warmth of the Adventure Aquarium. Brought my Mamiya m645 with Ilford hp5 pushed to 1600 ISO. I really wish I had a wide angle lens for this camera. The 110mm is very limiting but I'm learning a lot with it. The film squeegee scratched the emulsion and I might remove that later in Gimp.
Did you ever have one of those weeks (months...years....) when it seemed like there was a dark cloud hanging over your house? I feel like that lately.
I could use some prayers, folks. This morning I went to blow dry my hair and the outlet blew...started smoking! I shut off the power and I didn't feel heat or smell anything burning after a minute, and opened the cover to see if I saw any damage. It seemed o.k. After spending hundreds on my kitty, Tigger, to diagnose his cancer put him down, and have him cremated, I have nothing left to fix electrical problems. Of more concern to me is that my two other cats, Squeegee and Barrymore are at home alone if anything was to flare up! Please pray for protection over my home, AND my pets! Too much tough stuff lately. I have no homeowner's insurance, so if something were to happen, I would have no place to go, either. Looks like the nearly 50 year old wiring is needing to be replaced, and I can't do it. It's one of the chilliest days this year and I'm sitting at work with a damp head! I've had about as much as I can take for one week. Please pray....
Right now the power is off to half my house, since I wanted to make sure there was nothing that could spark. My brother, Shawn, will be running by a couple of times during the day just to make sure nothing has started up, since I've heard it's possible for an electrical fire to spread in the wall without you knowing it for a bit. Except for a roof over my head, the house means nothing to me, but I DO care about my pets.
I took this pic the morning I put Tigger down- Christmas Eve Day. It was a beautiful morning, and I didn't see the proverbial "dark cloud" overhead, although there were lots of dense ones. It seems the dark cloud is over MY head for the last few years. I'm about done with it.
Explore #274, Dec. 28, 2012
It was a beautiful afternoon, and I took full advantage of it. I took Jet out and practiced on different exercises in the Dressage ring. It was pretty much an uneventful time riding; Jet was in a good mood, and very responsive to my aids and I myself was also in a chipper mood. We mainly focused on some circle work, and serpentines with a bit of canter work thrown in the end. I am really happy with how his canter is developing through all this. I feel like I can now get a consistent canter out of him going both ways. He is becoming more confident in picking up the correct leads, and I am very proud of that. I feel we have been working on that for quite a bit, and now it feels that we have accomplished that goal together!
After I was done in the ring, I took Jet out on a nice leisurely stroll around the property. The sun was shining brightly down on us, and I could hear the other horses either happily grazing away, or at play with each other in the paddocks. Jet did call out to one of the ponies in the paddock, but the pony seemed more busy with trying to get attention from the bigger horses!
As soon as the hack around Evergarden was concluded, I untacked my boy and gave him a bit of a spa treatment with a bath. It was pretty hot out, and he seemed to enjoy his bath time. He even played with the water, smacking his lips together as I pointed it close to his mouth. I giggled, and continued along with my work with shampooing him, washing him, rinsing him, and then finally finishing him up with a squeegee and a towel. I also put a bit of Coconut oil in his mane and tail. I found that Coconut oil keeps both his mane and tail nice, silky and soft.
Soon, it was time to turn the little nugget back out with his paddock mate. I made my way over to the paddock, and let Jet go greet his friend, Matilija. However; instead of greeting her like he usually does, Jet opted for a roll in the dirt. I sighed and shook my head, murmuring "Oh you.." as he happily covered himself in dirt and shook it off.
Captured at: Evergarden Equestrian maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gooseberry%20Meadows/78/14...
Story: I happened to see a brief posted for a Becks image and one of the reference images was reasonably close to what you see here. I'm not one to participate in spec work but it seemed like it would work well as a portfolio shot and at least the budget and usage was good if you did get the project.
Lighting: Dynalite m1000wi with a 2040 head high and camera left. It's at full power and being triggered by pocketwizards. In addition to the one light there is also bunch of black, white, and grey bounce cards all around the bottle.
The label: I wanted to share the challenge I had with the label because it was a first for me. Every bottle in this 6 pack had a very wrinkled front label. The problem was the glue under the label wasn't smooth. I'd never had such a big issue and combined with how reflective it was along with the little white lines I knew I had to get it right in camera. The way I handled it was by first soaking the bottle in water to get the label to come off in one piece. Once it was off the bottle I dried it overnight under a book. The next day it was dry and somewhat flatter but not quite right so I spray mounted it to a piece of regular paper and used a small squeegee to get it perfectly flat against the paper. After cutting it out I spray mounted it back on the bottle and it looked as good as it was supposed to.
First roll of Color home developed in C41. Only problem was some white spots on back of film which I wiped off. Maybe I should have used squeegee?
Film: Lomography Color 100 hand rolled on 620 spindles
Camera: Argus Super Seventy-five
Developer: Uni-Color C41 Kit roll 1
Scanned Epson V600 1200 dpi
Edited in Adobe Elements 10
Have there always been shower squeegees? When did they suddenly come into existence?
Whoever invented it must be filthy rich - every shower has one. There’s serious money in limescale – maybe it could be floated on the stock market.
I never remember limescale being an issue as a child – We didn’t have a shower and with baths it is a symbiotic relationship – the bath cleans you and then, with your bum sliding up and down and around the surface of the bath you, in turn, clean it’s surface of limescale and scum.
First time I used one it was all very novel.
‘I’m a window cleaner!’ I thought, ‘Maybe I should get one of those holsters to carry my squeegee.’ Oh just look at the water sliding away! This is so completely and utterly satisfying, it could actually be better than sex.’
Second time round the novelty had worn off. It now just ruins the nice shower that I have just had with a horrible chore at the end of it. All warm and soft and sweet smelling I then have to get out the squeegee and stand, getting rapidly cold and irritated, swiping and sliding the thing all over the blasted screen doors. Then, no one else in the household bothers to do it and I start to wonder if it would just be easier to buy new doors at the end of my tenancy. I start to ruminate on a new invention to make the squeegee obsolete – maybe I could manufacture screen protectors like formula one drivers have on their visors - you just peel the thing off and throw it away once it becomes so deeply encrusted with stalagmites and stalactites that you no longer fit inside the shower alongside them.
Lately I have realised that just wiping off the water doesn’t do enough, ‘chalky residue lingers’ (good name for a racehorse that). So I find myself on a regular basis, in the nuddy, spraying some noxious chemical spray all over the screen, rubbing it in with a scratchy scouring pad (and occasionally my buttock if I’m not careful) whilst holding my breath and leaving it to soak in before having to then rinse it and start the whole bloody squeegee process all over again!
I do love the image in my mind though that all over the world, in every household, at some point, each occupant will stand naked in their shower playing at window cleaner. I would like to collate a photographic book.
I shall name it: “The Naked Squeegeer - How do you wipe yours?”
Film: Fomapan 100 iso
35mm
Those splodges are watermarks on the negative. I didn't squeegee properly :/ (sounds so wrong)
Camera: Ilford Sportsman 1957.
First Model with Circular viewfinder window. Although it is an Ilford camera it was made in (West) Germany by Dacora.
Basic Optical Viewfinder (not TTL)
Infinity On Focus Scale
Manual
f3.5 and 1/50
Handheld
Metering via my Head as there is no inbuilt light meter. It was dusk.
No Crop, No Filter, No Post Production.
Development:
Ilford Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12 mins 20c
Ilford Fixer 4.5 Minutes
Adox Wetting Agent 1 Minute
Charley (exasperatedly): “Pull your mind outta the gutter and squeegee it off! I meant he gave me the first real, stable home I'd had since my parent's deaths. Diego is a lot of things—some good, some not—but he took care of me. He never laid a hand on me, unless I agreed to it. He also made sure I went to school. I probably wouldn’t have finished high school, let alone got into college, without him. I owe him, Dane. I owe him.”
Dane: “I’m sure he’d tell you that you don’t owe him anything.”
Charley: *short, caustic laugh* “Then you don’t know Diego.”
Dane: “You once told me you never had anyone to fight for you, shelter you, love you, but it sounds like that’s just what this Diego did for you.”
Charley: *sighs* “I can see where you’d think that…since I essentially just admitted as much, but nothing with Diego is ever free. There’s real love, the kind that’s not selfish or manipulative. Then there’s Diego’s brand of love, which is often times both. He lives by his own set of principles. He cares more how something feels to him—right or wrong—than how it looks to the rest of the world. He’s not all bad. He’s actually decent enough most of the time, but he brings out the feral in me. I don’t always like who I am when I’m around him—which is one reason I haven’t seen him in two years.”
Dane (savagely): “Is he coming here to pick up where you two left off? Is that what he thinks is going to happen?”
Charley: *lifts her chin, defiantly* “I don’t care what he thinks he’s coming here for, that’s not an option. Even if I wasn’t seeing you, that wouldn’t be an option. And I know this is a lot to hit you with, and if I was in your place, I’d probably tell me I’m not worth it and cut my losses. If that’s what you wanna do I’ll…*clears throat, pastes on an impassive expression* understand.”
Dane: *remains quiet for several seconds, needing time to solidify his thoughts into words* “Out of everything you’ve told me tonight, most of which was absolutely horrifying. The shit you’ve had put up with in your life…*shakes his head* Out of everything, what you just said to me pisses me off the most.”
Charley: *in a small voice* “About Diego?”
Dane: *in a rough, vicious tone* “No, not about Diego. That effin’ tosser can go straight to hell and rot for all I care! I’m talking about you and me. You still think my feelings for you are so feeble, so weak, that I can just dismiss them if I don’t like something you say to me about your past: how you lived, who you snogged. Like, I’m just going to quit. *turns to face Charley, eyes hot* I’m not going to quit on you, Charley Sweeney, and I’d greatly appreciate it if you didn’t quit on me, either. I don’t quit. You don’t quit. Love doesn’t quit, and I bloody love you, Chuck. So much, I want to crawl out of my skin some days, just to get some space from it. So stop expecting me to kick you to the bloody curb every time you look at me sideways. I thought we were past this by now. *shoves his fingers into his hair, holding it back from his face, imploringly* What can I do to get us past this?”
Charley: *several beats pass, as Dane’s words sink in and her face begins to crumple* “You…you j-j-jack-h-h-hole! You made m-me c-c-cry…*covers her face with her hands and sobs* I-hu-hu-n-he-hever-cryyyyyyyeeee!”
Dane: *gives into the urge he’s had since Charley started talking and pulls her into his arms, squeezing her tightly against him* “I can see that. Crying, clearly something you don’t do.”
Charley: *buries her face in his shoulder and weeps with the abandon of a child*
Dane: *rubs her back gently, unconcerned by the flashflood soaking through his shirt, brow furrowed in thought*
Fashion Credits
**Any doll enhancements (i.e. freckles, piercings, eye color changes) were done by me unless otherwise stated.**
Charley
Jeans: Bandai – Sakurana
Belt: Sekiguchi – Momoko – Preppy Girl
Shirt: Ababietoy – etsy.com
Sweater: SugarbabyloveDoll –etsy.com (I added the buttons.)
Sneakers: Sekiguchi – Momoko – Dash! After School
Glasses: Momoko Separate
Bracelet: Me
Doll is a Morning Dew Giselle, transplanted to a Poppy body, re-rooted by the totes b!tchin’ valmaxi(!!!)
Dane
Jeans: Kimberless – Hazel Street Dezigns
Tank: Kelsie – Mutant Goldfish Designs (I added the screen print.)
Plaid Shirt: Gwen – Gwendolyn’s Treasures
Sneakers: IT – Homme – Style Strategy Lukas
Belt: MiemaTaeyang – etsy.com
Bracelet: Me
Doll is a Night Vision Count Adrian.
See Squeegee's other pics from today's shoot...not sure which I like better! He was posing so beautifully today. It's rare. he's a fidgeter!
www.flickr.com/photos/celticsong22/1121760599/
www.flickr.com/photos/celticsong22/1122593404/in/set-7215...
View On Black (Large)
ended up with some very expired kodachrome 64 in 120 format. was curious to see if this could be processed as a black+white negative. the biggest challenge upon doing some research was dealing with the remjet antihalation backing on the film.
camera: mamiya 6MF 150mm f/4 + b+w 040 orange filter, +2 stop filter compensation. film: kodak kodachrome PKR 64, expired feb 1989. shot @ 32 to compensate for any loss of speed.
development:
2:00 water prewash @ 20c, water came out a yellow-orange color.
12:00 dev kodak HC-110B @ 20c, standard agitation. dev came out dark grey
1:00 acid stop
15:00 fix, standard agitation
3:00 18% sodium sulfite solution @ 30c - alkaline bath to soften the remjet backing
once out of the sodium sulfite, the remjet wiped off easily, using several gentle passes of my fingers as a squeegee. messy though - do this over a large sink.
finally cleared/washed with plain running water for 30:00
observations: negs looked good, however, the film has an extremely strong yellow/orange base color. made it difficult to scan thru, not sure you could print thru it optically.
scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
I proposed to Rachael Madeline in March by developing film with her, as we did on our first date three years ago. She discovered the message when I asked her to return to the bathroom (*cough* darkroom) and squeegee the developed strip of film for drying. Thanks, Ilford HP5 Plus.
Well, I'm back from my couple of days of rest in a condo in Daytona Beach Shores. My friend, Diana had been nursing an elderly man who lived there until he passed away this month. He had already given her permission to use the condo while he was away, and after his passing, his family still let her use it. So, she invited me along to get some rest.
All I DID was rest! Except for running home to give Squeegee pills every day, and feed all the cats, I stayed inside and relaxed in the AC rather than roast in the 90 degree heat on the beach. Nevertheless, I managed to take hundreds of pics from the balcony, and was amazed by the breathtaking views over the course of the day. I "spied" on people and took candids with my zoom, enjoying the antics of those who still wanted suntans, (I don't) and witnessed without a doubt, the most awesome storm front I've ever seen in my life! Mornings started off sunny and blue, but the afternoons brought violent storms, lightening, (which I wasn't fast enough to catch this go round,) and clouds which you'll be enjoying vicariously for a while!
I will ease in with a morning shot looking north towards Daytona Beach. For those who aren't familiar with the notorious "World's Most Famous Beach", it got its name because they used to hold auto racing there many years ago before they built the speedway! People still drive on it, and it's a magnet for folks who love the fact that they can park their cars right by where they sunbathe. This time, I noticed many more people were just walking, and there were less vehicles than I think I've ever seen. That's probably from the failing economy taking its toll, though.
I hope you enjoy this next series!
View On Black (Large)
Explore #382, June 1, 2009
It's nice to let off steam and do a flash mob of the song "I wanna get better" by Bleachers
Esmee Squeegee
Upton Zero
Cassie Middleton
Bri Rookswood
From thedailylumenbox.blog Lomography Potsdam Kino 100 shot with Mamiya Sekor 50mm f/6.3 on Chroma Six:9. Developed in Cinestill monobath.
ended up with some very expired kodachrome 64 in 120 format. since processing of 120 format ended years ago and just a couple months ago in 135, was curious to see if this could be processed as a black+white negative. the biggest challenge upon doing some research was dealing with the remjet antihalation backing on the film.
camera: mamiya 6MF 150mm f/4 + b+w 040 orange filter, +1 stop filter compensation. why the filter? because very expired film tends to lose contrast.
film: kodak kodachrome PKR 64, expired feb 1989. shot @ 40 to compensate for any loss of speed.
development:
2:00 water prewash @ 20c, water came out a yellow-orange color.
10:00 dev kodak HC-110B @ 20c, standard agitation. dev came out dark grey
1:00 acid stop
15:00 fix, standard agitation
3:00 18% sodium sulfite solution @ 30c - alkaline bath to soften the remjet backing
once out of the sodium sulfite, the remjet wiped off easily, using several gentle passes of my fingers as a squeegee. messy though - do this over a large sink.
finally cleared/washed with plain running water for 30:00
observations: negs looked good, perhaps a little underexposed given my ISO & filter combination, would go probably +1 next time around. HOWEVER, the film has an extremely strong yellow/orange base color. i understand this is a remnant of the tri-layer color pack design of the film. the base was essentially twice as dark/dense as the orange base of normal C-41 color film. made it difficult to scan thru, not sure you could print thru it optically.
hope someone finds this info useful.
scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Noble False Widow Spider (Steatoda nobilis), male, found and photographed in my ensuite shower. Monday 16th July 2018.
I must have been in the shower for a good 10 minutes before I suddenly discovered that I had company, in the form of this large and rather attractive spider. I'm guessing it had been flushed out of hiding from beneath the squeegee I use to wipe down the glass. Seeing that it was in imminent danger of being swept down the outlet, I guided it towards a safe corner with my feet, where it stayed put while I dried myself off and went to fetch my camera.
The Noble False Widow has the reputation for being Britain's most venomous spider, though in reality its bite is usually no more painful than a wasp sting, and they normally only bite if threatened or trapped against the skin. Males are apparently more prone to biting than females, though despite having come close to being squashed beneath my bare feet, this one made no attempt to bite me, so once I was happy I'd got an acceptable photo, I released it into the garden.
For more information, visit the Natural History Museum website at www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2017/december/how-dangerous-a...
The oldest of my cats, Squeegee, is around 12 years old. Squeeks has always been a sickly boy. I found him outside where I used to work when he was a stray, and adopted him. A year later he went into kidney failure and all his vital organs began to shut down. After $2500 worth of tests, no one knew what was wrong with him, and so we began a regimine of Torbutrol, one of the very few pain killers (and the ONLY one for Squeeks,) that cats can handle. He began eating again and eventually was almost normal. If he doesn't get his meds, he goes downhill and is in pain. With them, he manages to survive.
Torbutrol is very expensive. It costs me $48 for 15 pills. He gets half a pill twice a day. Squeegee is my "perfect" pet, though. Of all the animals I've ever had, Squeeks is the most interactive, and sweetest. I love him like a child, and having him there these last few months since my mom died has made life much more tolerable. I find it a small price to pay for the affection he gives me!
As Squeegee gets older, I look in those beautiful, amber eyes, and realize that it's a miracle that he's even alive, and that he's lived nearly 12 years is incredible. I know I won't be able to look in those eyes much longer, and it just kills me. I thank God for digital photography, which has made it possible for me to always be able to remember that loving look. It's the reason I started doing this, and one of the reasons I love it so much!
Happy Easter to all of you, and may God bless you!
View On Black Best viewed here in large!
I guess I chose the title due to the way I made this painting. There's paint put on with a palette knife, paint spread on with a squeegee, paint smeared on with my hands and paint splashed on with several different objects. I even brushed on paint once. I had fun with this one.
Acrylic on canvas, 16X20
{[OPERATION SQUEEGEE]}
JULY 1st through 15th, 2010.
A REAL WORLD TRAVESTY. a virtual world response.
Support the recovery of the gulf coast ecosystem.
My family is a little different. They dress up in gorilla suits, live and breathe anything Marvel, and when it comes to Christmas, the sky's the limit!
This is part of the nutcracker collection my brother has. Every year, he goes with one of his three sons to pick out a new nutcracker. They alternate years. The Batman one was actually decorated by Frazier, changing the original design to produce a humorous one for the family to enjoy! I'm not into nutcrackers, but this one is my favorite, just because it's fun!
Now that my kitties are older, we're going to attempt to put the tree up again, and maybe the nutcrackers. I think we'll hold off on the more breakable nativity until they are more sedate! Both Shawn and I have a nativity, but neither of us wants to see it broken, and Ragnar & Freja are still pretty feisty. The tree is risky, too, but I think I'll just leave off the most cherished ornaments until we see if they will mess with them, try to climb the tree, etc. My biggest concern is tinsel, as they do love putting things in their mouths just like little kids! Squeegee used to try to eat tinsel every year, and Rags certainly will. Freja will grab an ornament and run, possibly pulling the whole tree down! This should be interesting.
Well, one month in on my 4th 365. What the heck was I thinking??!!??
As always, had a few good ones and a few socks equivalents. With all the political protests going on, I think that will start to dominate my feed.
1. Day 1, 2. January 2, 3. Remnants, 4. Veer Left, 5. Snow on Bricks - 3/100 X, 6. Pellegrino - 4/100 X, 7. Squeegee - 5/100 X, 8. Frozen, 9. Lightfoot's - 6/100X, 10. Pepper - 8/100X, 11. Diner, 12. Tools of the Trade, 13. Mars Cafe, 14. Library Reflection, 15. Bean of the Month - 10/100 X, 16. Curly Mae, 17. Ukes, Gelt & Wellies, 18. Fog - 11/100X, 19. Lefty's, 20. Flags, 21. Iowa Women's March, 22. Green Circle - 13/100X, 23. Metro, 24. Iron - 15/100 X, 25. Crane - 14/100X, 26. Shower - 16/100 X, 27. Swag, 28. Hydrangea - 17/100 X, 29. Welcome to Iowa, 30. Parking, 31. Brush - 18/100 X
The Lake Fire appears to be out. I haven't seen any smoke from those peaks in several days, but as August 2015 begins, fires are raging in several other areas of California.
'Fairly heavy fiddle factor to pull the sunspots, hold the smoke, keep the sky colors, squeegee the peaks, vacuum the noise in this full-frame 756mm handheld HDR image trying hard to be Maxfield Parrish with a telescope.
A friend gave me a box with a few Polaroid slide films and a Power Processor.
The processor had some rusty rollers and stuck bearings but after some cleaning and a bit of grease it works well.
The films expired in May 1991.
I shot a roll of Polagraph 400 at 50 ISO (one stop per decade) in my T90 and set developing time to 3 instead of the specified 2 minutes.
The results are better than expected. The film seems to be lower contrast and actually yields some halftones.
As with all expired instant 35mm films the black layer sticks to the positive (slide) instead of the egative and has to removed manually.
It can be trubbed off under running water but that and the squeegeeing produces some scratches in the delicate emulsion.
If anyone knows a better way to remove the black layer please let me know.
Canon T90, FD 17mm F/4
Polaroid Polagraph 35mm Black and White Slide Film. High Contrast. HC135-12 ISO400, EXP MAY 1991
Shot and processed May 6, 2023
Acrylic gel plate monotype.
Best viewed from 6 feet away.
This afternoon I relaxed by playing with some new art materials and tools. I bought two paint shapers which are a cross between a brush and a squeegee. It has the shape of a brush, but instead of bristles it has a flexible rubber wedge. I also bought a set of acrylic paint markers. I first drew some black and white lines on the gel plate using the markers and then I brushed on paint with the rubber paint shapers. These markers finally give me the ability to draw thin lines directly on the plate. The set has 24 colors. I like these rubber paint shapers. Different angles and pressures give you different marks and they are a lot easier to clean.
Fabriano Hot Press Watercolor paper, Betem Acrylic Markers, 1 and 2 inch silicone painting brushes, Golden Open acrylics. Image is about 6x6 inches (15x15 cm).
Andy Warhol
(Pittsburgh, PA, 1928-1987, New York, NY)
Flowers, 1970
Screenprint on paper; edition 204/250
Like several other pop artists, Andy Warhol, the pre-eminent Pop artist of the 1960s, often chose his subjects from newspaper or magazine images, transferred that image to a silkscreen and printed it on canvas or paper. Such is the case with Flowers where he appropriated Patricia Caulfield's photograph of hibiscus from Modern Photography.
Warhol adapted the image through cropping and enlargement. The flowers have been magnified and the blades of grass in the background abstracted. Squeezing the paint through a screen with a squeegee, the flowers become broad flat areas of color, unrelated to the original botanical specimen. Only the pistils and stamens refer specifically back to the original photograph. For each colored flower, a different printing screen was used. Warhol has purposely let the screen slip in certain places so that the colors do not quite line up correctly.
(Andy was not always known for his meticulous craftsmanship and the print editions were a collaborative effort so I question the last line.)
Tigger poses during a visit from Susan, (TigerLair) His "secretary"! Susan started the group, "Tigger the Gatekeeper's Garden Clubhouse" after meeting Tigger a few years ago, and falling in love with him during visits to Sugar Mill Gardens, where he used to live. That's how I found out about Tigger- through the group- and also fell in love with this remarkable cat!
Tigger's life outdoors, while free and territorial, was frought with fighting for turf, insect bites, and running for his life from raccoons that ate his food and drank his water. At eight years of age, Tigger really needed to "retire" from Sugar Mill Gardens, and not have to weather the violent storms and tornadic activity that we see in this area. It was before a tropical storm last year that I scarfed him up, and brought him to my house so he'd be safe. When I realized how much he seemed to like his newfound safety and comfort, I battled the folks at Sugar Mill for him, and they finally came to the same conclusion, that it was in Tigger's best interests to have a comfortable, safe home, and allowed me to keep him, even though several of the people there would miss him terribly.
Last year, I lost my job of 16 years, and right after that, my mother took ill and died on Christmas Day. I had to be with her constantly at the end, as she was on oxygen, and was nearly blind. After Mom died, I began looking for work, but there have been almost no jobs in our area, and our usual, depressed economy became even more depressed, so I found myself on unemployment. In August, I was already on an extension, when I took a job. I was SO excited that I finally had work! 2 1/2 weeks later, after the woman who hired me was gone, the new manager called me to tell me that the owner said sales were so bad that they had to let all the new hires go, which meant several of us were let go...again. This time, it cost me my unemployment! Since that time, I've been scraping by, working odd jobs, and selling stuff on Ebay to survive. There's really nothing left. I don't go to the grocery store anymore, as I can't afford to do that and pay bills, too, so I live on bread from my church, or handouts from others. It's a real blow to pride, I'll tell you. The car payment is 1 1/2 weeks late now with no prospects. Things are really bad, as I know they are for a lot of people. I can't remember ever struggling for survival to this degree.
The one thing I haven't had to worry about this year has been my cats. Susan has been Tigger's benefactor, and has taken it upon herself to provide for him, and not just Tigger, but my other two cats as well! She has brought me food for them, and even paid for Squeegee's pain killers once! She bought me a grocery gift card last month that allowed me to buy some meat and veggies, which is something you rarely get when people give you care packages. People look at me and see an overweight female and assume I'm eating too much. What they don't know is that eating nothing but bread and macaroni and cheese will make a person fat! I'm grateful for what I do have, but even more grateful that my kitties don't have to suffer thanks to this dear woman who through a whole year has never stopped caring for them as if they were her own. The sad part is that Susan is highly allergic to cats, and can hardly visit because she breaks out in hives!!! She doesn't even get the satisfaction of spending lots of time with them!
Tigger, Squeegee, and Barrymore owe a lot to their human friend, Susan. I will be indebted for life. Thank you, Susan, for loving us and for serving God in this incredible, sacrificial way.
View On Black (large)
Shot last night at an altitude of 350 feet, this is a massive 31-image panorama stitched together. Rather than crop out the white space, I decided to leave it as is. It's kind of a window in the air out onto Austin. Almost as if someone took a squeegee and wiped away the white to find this behind it. This overlooking the Rainey Street Historic District with Town Lake and downtown Austin in the distance.
Some dust on the squeegee probably made the neg more interesting...as did some of the previous frame not getting out of the way...
This is Squeegee, my beautiful, orange tabby! See more of him in his set "Squeegee".
View On Black (Large)