Photos for Fun. Marfa. [Mango Salsa]

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

“The Art [of Pilgrimage/Travel] is to learn to master today’s unavoidable situation with as much equanimity as we can muster, in preparation for facing it’s sequel tomorrow. In the course of this training we come to see quite plainly how essential it is to have a purchase on our surroundings by being centered in ourselves, not somewhere in the outer world” ~ Huston Smith ~ [from his “Foreword” in “The Art of Pilgrimage” written by “Phil Cousineau”]

Marfa  
Marfa  

It is a Saturday, early morning if we can call 9am early. I have sunk so quickly into a timeless present it almost makes me a bit nervous and yet so calm at the same time. It is a gentle flow. I have received a couple e mails from Friends wanting to visit and planning almost to the moment such visits. I am not connecting. Schedule? Aspect of a ride, shooting photos and dinner all at the same time? Impossible. It does not happen here. It is either a ride with shooting or dinner. All takes time here. Much time as the mind and soul never gets ahead of the body. A good funny. While sipping my coffee sitting outside on this perfect 50 degree or so morning temperature and listening to the silence as, even Spirit is standing still, I am imagining only a few miles away, the millions of others on the fast paced belt of Life. It is all from within. The environment helps, conductive as a shield insulating, but the calm of it all is acquired over the moments of time. Or not.

Marfa Marfa
Marfa  
Marfa  

The Photos. You can now by the way click on the “thumbnails” for viewing them in a larger format. Hello World… it is about time. I am so actively writing ahead on this Book of mine, less time has become available. It actually is not Saturday morning, or is it? I thought it was yesterday, I am already confused. We took a ride to Alpine for a Dog Benefit Show put on by the local SPCA and no one was there. I only thought it was cancelled. Instead we went on to Marfa where the Food Shark spoiled me with a Lamb Taco and a Falafel Taco since I could not make up my mind. It was then much time for the both of us to walk it all off and that is when those photos came in.

Marfa Marfa
Marfa  
Marfa  

Why? There is a constant debate amongst Photographers regarding the use of Photoshop, the enhancing process of a Photo to a point even using a process called layering to move “things” around, like the Moon, objects, whatever. The debate will go on forever with many conclusions. It is Art, it has no answers. My own opinion is just not for it. Instead of spending hours in front of a computer with at times  $1000’s worth of software, I prefer to spend hours within Mother Nature and use my patience and her palette for what I call “good photos” and once in a while, if lucky once a year, a “wow” Photo. All this to me can of course could be settled if such Photographers would call their Galleries “digital manipulation”. Which is what this is today.

Marfa  
Marfa  
Marfa Marfa
Marfa  

However I wanted to take this a step further. Those photos have been taken on one side of a street in Marfa, a span of maybe 500 feet. I used my Adobe Lightroom 3 software, a basic one, inexpensive, and I just wanted to play with them, taking no more than 30 seconds or one minute per photo versus the hours spend with the Photoshop Software many do. These are far from being originals in the sense that very quickly the colors have been enhanced, the shadows, and the fun part for me was the cropping. I wanted to take some common, very common Photos and bring them to Life with colors of my taste, quickly, pleasing to my eyes. I have seen and know that I will see such alike ones in Galleries, either on the Internet or in person, a door, couple chairs of various colors, “things”. They make me smile a bit, this concept to me is not “Photography”, but I like them for what they are. I like angles and their colors pleases me. The bottom line as a Friend said “do whatever cheers you up…”. How right he is.

Eggs and Mango Salsa  

Ah! The “Mango Salsa”. One of my favorite topping, for Breakfast with eggs, quick Tacos for dinner or lunch using yellow corn tortillas (less sodium) and anything grilled or just sliced Avocados. It keeps well, a few days, always better the next days. The recipe again as many is only a template as one can adapt it to their taste. Add, remove, substitute, it is your palate as also mood often is a factor toward a certain taste.
1     Mango diced. I sometimes also add diced Pineapple. Buy the Mango a few days ahead, I always keep a couple handy just as with Avocados also.
1     Ripe Tomato diced, with juices is alright.
2-5 Cloves of garlic, pressed or very finely chopped.
1/2  Head of Cilantro chopped.
2-5 Green Onions sliced.
1    Green chili diced
4-6 Key Limes, juiced. I have a Mexican very handy little press for them. Sometimes I will also use regular Limes but the Key Limes add a characteristic flavor.
4    Tablespoon of Olive Oil
2    Tablespoon Honey
Sometimes a bit of Chile Powder, maybe a dash of Cumin. I think that is about all that goes in. Adjust to taste. I generally add a bit more Lime juice the next day as it looses it’s potency.

Marfa Marfa

My Photos from the SPCA Dog show, well, they did not turn out too well. Much sunlight and it was taking place under a Pavilion. Too much contrast. I will try to post some next time. Spirit was so well behaved and all the Dogs, some in costumes did some silly acts. I just could not get myself into entering Spirit into any of the “games” (???). We sat on the sidelines and had a good time watching. He probably would have won first prize with his helmet and goggles, but, that is for us an every day thing. I enjoyed letting others get the highlights instead.

Marfa  

Be Safe and well
Peace, Love, Courage

Ara & Spirit

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3 Responses to “Photos for Fun. Marfa. [Mango Salsa]”

  1. donna Rees Says:

    What a great set of shots, Ara!! Or am I supposed to thank Spirit for his contribution. I’d like to join you for those eggs as well. Yummy!

  2. Carlos H. Says:

    Hello Ara! I’m a native of Odessa and was looking up some info on a relative of mine from Presidio and Shafter, John William Spencer, and it led me to this site and it made me wish I could just take off with my dog, Paolo, like u and Spirit! Too Cool! I’ve got it saved and can’t wait to spend time reading about your journey! Take care and my best to you and Spirit from me and Paolo! Carlos

  3. Lyle Says:

    One of my favorite photographers, Deborah DeWit-Marchant, won’t even crop her shots from full-frame 35mm. Many of my friends crop as required, as I do, for the reasons you mention, and I think almost every digital photographer I know adjusts things like brightness, contrast, and saturation to make the photograph look more like the scene it captured and compensate for the limitations of the camera’s metering and the challenges the world of light presents. But sometimes, it is fun to tweak the photograph and make it Something Else. An interpretation. An amplification. An abstraction. What fun! Digital photography and computers make it easy and quick, but I remember in my high school photography class, creating Something Else by using light and composition, and maybe a bit of art in the darkroom. It is fun to discuss What is Photography and Is It Art?

    In any case, I really enjoyed this set of pix!

    And I have got to make some of that salsa!!

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