I received a few e-mails from people wondering why I haven’t been blogging, and there isn’t really a reason.  I’ve been busy with work, I don’t have much to say and I’m in a creative rut.  I don’t enjoy writing about politics because of how absurd the national discourse is right now; it feels a little degrading to write when ‘terror babies‘ and U.N. conspiracies pass for mainstream issues.  If Jack Stuef and Josh Fruhlinger weren’t around, I don’t know how I would make sense of the right wing (Poe’s Law).  I’m in love with Jack Stuef.

Work is busy, though, and the few hours I’m not putting in at the office I am working on a story that’s been in my head for awhile.

I have, however, been keeping my Flickr Creative Commons photostream alive with randomness.  So, to fill the void in my political rants and meaningless observations, I include a few recent uploads.

COLD SPRING NEW YORK WITH SANDY ORDONEZ

If you are an old timer Wikimedian then you will remember the days when the public relations guru Sandra Ordonez was cutting her teeth at the Wikimedia Foundation in St. Petersburg.  Sandy and I have become good friends, and she and her husband José hosted a weekend retreat for various New York artists and intellectuals at their country compound in Cold Spring in the gorgeous Hudson Valley.

The property they rented for the summer has a main house, a four bedroom guest barnhouse, a boat house, and a private pond that you have to traverse by boat to visit the abandoned 19th Century graveyard that contains perhaps 30 graves.  All on their private property.

Above:  The boat house, with the main house in the background.  We were out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees, nature and silence (except for our loud laughs and conversation).

Above:  Dave and Sandy in the abandoned 19th Century graveyard across the pond on the property.  There were about 30 graves there of people lost and long forgotten (until we were there).

Above:  Sandy and Maria laughing late into the night by candlelight.

Above:  The Little Man enjoying the flowers in the country air.

See more Cold Springs photos at my Flickr

FIRE ISLAND BIRTHDAY 2010

I was kind of surprised at how “racy” my sister said she found my Fire Island birthday photos.  Actually, both of my sisters found them…<ahem>…racy.  I asked the one why, because there are no shots of anything salacious like people fucking or doing anything other than dancing and having a good time.  She paused for a moment to think about it, and then she laughed and said, “Yeah, I know, but I guess it’s what I don’t see.  The mind fills in the blanks.”

Ha!  I was a saint and just enjoyed hanging out with my friends.  Here are a few more shots:

Michael Lucas, Nonie, Rafael Alencar, David Shankbone and Ernesto Altamirano at the Hotel Belvedere.

Michael and Nonie at the Belvedere.

I don’t know what we were thinking:  Judas carrying crucified Christ.

Michael, Nonie and Ernesto trying to catch fish on the Great South Bay.

See more of my Fire Island Creative Commons photos at Flickr.

LITTLE MAN & THE PIGEON

Finally, below are two shots of Little Man’s unrequited dream captured on film.  His lifelong goal, since he was little (he’s five and a half now) is to catch a pigeon.  He tries often, and never comes close to succeeding.  Then one morning we leave the building for his morning walk and right outside in our alcove is a pigeon with a broken wing.  Helpless, hapless, flopping about.  Little Man was so excited he could barely contain himself.  Alas, I did not let him realize his dream because it was not a fair fight.

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On July 9th I turned 36 and I was invited to spend it on Fire Island.  It was an amazing birthday full of new and old friends.  I took Ernesto with me, who is also the model I used to illustrates the body on Wikipedia (for example, his well-formed teeth are used as an illustration of human teeth on over 40 Wikimedia pages).

Here are a few shots of my birthday weekend.  It’s great to be 36!

Nonie reading on the deck with swans.

The amazingly talented Shequida.

Good times: Michael, Nonie, Rafael (w/o head), David and Ernesto at the Belvedere for a party.

Ernie, Shequida and Chris at the Hotel Belvedere.

Ernie and Nonie freaking to “Bad Romance”

Michael, Ernie and Rafael

Click here to check out more Fire Island photos on my Flickr.

This is one of my best shots on Wikipedia.  The timing could not have been any more perfect – this kind of timing is all about luck.  He is almost perfectly aligned with the horizon – it’s even more dramatic if you  click below and blow it up some.

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Director Michael Lucas extended an invitation to me to photograph Fire Island for Wikimedia.  In the 8 years I have lived in New York, I had never been.  Rentals on the island are insane; one of Michael’s friends said they could only find a hotel for $1,400 for two nights.  So the invitation from Lucas for the Wikipedia sites to obtain some good, quality media of the island and the celebrities who go there was a generous one.

We also had a really, really, really good time.  The group that stayed in the house were some of the nicest, down-to-Earth, warm group of guys one could hope to meet.  Below are just a few of the shots and the articles where they are found.

Found on Fire Island Pines.

Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy found on Shortbus and PJ DeBoy.

Found on Great South Bay and to be placed on Diving.

Found on Fire Island Pines.

Journalist Jason Bellini, David Grant, David Saranga, bloggers Andy Towle and Bradford Shellhammer, David Shankbone, Matthew Williamson executive Jean-Manuel Pourquet, director Michael Lucas, and actors Paul Dawson and PJ Deboy.

Found on Michael Lucas (director)

Director Michael Lucas extended an invitation to me to photograph Fire Island for Wikimedia.  In the 8 years I have lived in New York, I had never been.  Rentals on the island are insane; one of Michael’s friends said they could only find a hotel for $1,400 for two nights.  So the invitation from Lucas for the Wikipedia sites to obtain some good, quality media of the island and the celebrities who go there was a generous one.

We had a good time.  The group that stayed in the house were some of the nicest, down-to-Earth group of guys one could hope to meet.  Below are just a few of the shots and the articles where they are found.

Found on Fire Island Pines.

Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy found on Shortbus and PJ DeBoy.

Found on Great South Bay and to be placed on Diving.

Found on Fire Island Pines.



This and related images are found on )from left) Journalist Jason Bellini, David Grant, Chris Billings, bloggers Andy Towle and Bradford Shellhammer, David Shankbone, Matthew Williamson executive Jean-Manuel Pourquet, director Michael Lucas, and actors Paul Dawson and PJ Deboy.

Found on Michael Lucas (director)

Click here to see more of my Fire Island photos on Flickr

Michael Lucas has been a long-time Wikipedia booster.  Upon reading my blog post that the Israelis invited me back to photograph their country, Lucas offered his home in Fire Island over Labor Day weekend so that I can photograph the island for Wikimedia Commons.  It will be an excellent opportunity to generate free media of one of New York State’s most historic islands.  Lucas spends his summers there and is well-known amongst the residents.  Wikimedia projects thank you for your generosity, Michael Lucas.

Lucas spoke at Stanford and Yale in the last year, and was recently profiled in the high-brow culture and politics magazine The New Republic.  Watch this blog for posts about my Fire Island adventures with Michael Lucas and friends.