Day: February 18, 2014

The Divine Old Dog often seemed in battle,

for so much of her life,

defending every side of the house,

the farm, she always seemed so alone,

in her duty, none of the animals or people

seemed to care as much as she did

who came, and who went.

She does not hear the call to battle now,

not so often, sometimes she takes a rest,

fighting to keep her ears up, her eyes open.

Please lie down, my dear old friend,

Divine Old Dog, loyal thing,

Where is your soft bed,

your warm stove,

your blanket, your brush?

This morning,  for a few minutes,

you picked up your old life again,

a truck had dared drive by your home,

you rushed out to drive it off,

and limped back, through the snow,

we heard your scratch at the door.

Take a rest, old friend,

let whatever is out there

go charging by,

we are safe with you,

you can rest with us,

your sigh has the most eloquent tone,

it is a song of life,

we all want to hear it,

When you feel helpless,

give out your battle roar again,

listen to the luminous rain outside of your window,

take a rest.

we are safe, we are safe.

I went back into my photo files to find a summer shot, a reminder that we were warm once, we will be warm again, color is about to break out everywhere. Soon there will be vintage hankies flapping in the sun, chickens wandering the porch, barn cats asleep in the rocker, Red hanging around waiting for work, flowers about to bloom in the back garden.

Snowing again today, don’t know much, I don’t really want to know. I’m heading to NYC next Monday and Tuesday with my Kickstarter money in the bank, to get a new camera and a couple of new lenses if the money stretches that far. I’ll trade in a few also. I’m also going to have lunch with my agent,  ride in a Horse Carriage with Christina Hansen the Carriage Horse Defender and driver, and see just how dangerous, horrible, polluting, unsafe and cruel the whole thing is.

I’m hoping to persuade Maria to come, I always thought of a carriage ride as too touristy for me, but thinking about it, there is a romance to it that I hope to experience, especially with Maria. I remember that beautiful e-mail I get that talked about the skyscrapers rising out of the mist. I will keep a checklist of all the terrible things that can happen on a ride and see what happens, maybe I’ll get shouted at, that would be a good photo also.

That skyscraper-mist thing would get to me for sure. If we all get mowed down by rampaging trucks in the unsafe-for-animals city it will be a good story, not too shabby if we don’t, too. Christina doesn’t seem to make it as a greedy animal abuser from my time with her, but maybe I’ll get a photo of her clubbing some hapless horse, torturing one or stealing their grain. That would get some shares.

This all would make a wonderful first shot for the new camera, I’m thinking of coming back and hooking Simon up to a cart, like Platero in “Platero And I” and taking people for a ride through my town, I guarantee not a single soul up here would consider work for a working horse to be cruel or unusual punishment, if anybody did, they would be laughed right out of town. Simon would love it as long as there were some carrots involved. Maybe $10 a ride?  Make some good money too, hmmm….

George came to my study today and we went through the second states of the not-simple Kickstarter application and qualifying process. I helped George with his bio and project report, the rewards and the profiles. While writing his bio, I saw these tributes to George from some of the most famous photographers in the world, I thought I’d share them:

“George Forss gives us images of extraordinary vitality. He sees with an incisive eye and haunting spirit. I have seen no photographs of recent years as strong and as perceptive.” – Ansel Adams.

“I feel in these striking photographs the pulse of a sensitive eye that is not overcast by ‘concepts.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson.

“Unbelievable! Great photographs of New York – This man can see!” – Alfred Eisenstaedt.

“New York – Again – New…Bravo!” – Ernst Haas.

“Forss’s photographs are portraits that unveil the hidden face of the city, to reveal the magical innocence behind the grime – the surrealistic poetry behind the harsh reality.” – Yousef Karsh.

“Majestic.” – Gjon Mili

“The photographs of George Forss confirm the notion that true genius will emerge despite the greatest odds.” – Gordon Parks.

“George Forss is an extraordinary talent discovered in an extraordinary place. His work and his story remind us constantly to look for the genius in our fellow man.” – Time Magazine.

“One cannot help but be awed and humbled by the accomplishments of George Forss. Largely untutored but highly disciplined, he has created a photographic tour de force of New York City that is not likely to be bettered in our lifetime – if ever.”  – Reader’s Digest.

Jay Bridge is a former geologist now working as a carpenter and handyman in Cambridge, he is quiet, intelligent with a dry sense of humor and a willingness to do just about anything, including climb up on our roof with a long rake and dislodge several tons of snow and ice before the next snow comes (tonight) and rain comes tomorrow. We got to see some of the roof.