CITY DAILY PHOTO SEPTEMBER THEME - TRAVEL

 

Travel does good things to you. It makes you understand that your life and place are unique but not special. I think this is my very best picture, Mt. Everest, taken from base camp on the Tibetan side. Most climbers start in Nepal, but there is a rough road here from the north making access easier. I had bad altitude sickness. The overlook is at about 5,200 meters, 17,000 feet. Two people from our group had to pull me up the last little hill, but I wasn't going to miss the shot. Our guide said it was almost never this clear.                        

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

A long time ago - everything is a long time ago now -  I was in my middle year of law school. It was St. Patrick's Day and I had only change in my pocket. My roommate and I decided we could not sit at home despite our lack of funds. There was a bar near the university that had cheap beer and pinball machines. It was crushingly crowded and I was literally pushed into the other person in this picture. I grew up in an apartment in New York. She grew up on a farm in Kansas. We were married 50 years ago today. It worked. It really did.

And the adventures we have had. Some people want to sit on a beach in Cancun or buy trophies in luxury shops. Not us. We went to Tibet, here at Everest base camp at 5,200 meters / 17,000 feet. And Tierra del Fuego and Fairbanks and Bangkok and Alice Springs and Cairo. And Paris, over and over again. Wow, did I luck out. She's the best.                

BONUS POST - CITY DAILY PHOTO THEME DAY IN FLUX

 

Some of you know that I've been involved with the City Daily Photo group and website for more than 13 years. People all around the world had their own local daily photo blogs. Once connected to the parent blog, a thumbnail of your quotidian image would appear there with a link to the post on your own blog. You made comments on other people's posts. They made comments on yours. We made friends around the world. We have such good memories of going out to dinner with our (sadly, former) colleague in Shanghai and having a two hour lunch on a terrace overlooking the vineyards of Provence with another.  

There were also theme days on the first of the month for anyone who cared to participate. The number of members has dwindled over the years. The person who started all of this, a Parisian, moved on. Two other members from Connecticut and Queensland carried it forward. But the web hosting company and the people who helped there aren't interested any more and the central portal is gone. There was a chance that September 1 would be the last theme day. We were invited to post a favorite photo with no other conditions. This might be mine. It was certainly the most difficult to get. We were traveling through Tibet with a small group and spent a night at Mt. Everest base camp on that side. The elevation was about 17,000 feet / 5,200 meters. I had bad altitude sickness. A couple of companions dragged me up the last little gravel hill to the overlook and I got this. One of the greatest days of my life.

There are still two CDP Blogger pages, http://dailyphotoportalnews.blogspot.com/ and http://cdpbthemeday.blogspot.com/ . Our friend in Australia would like some relief, too, and I have agreed to become co-administrator and choose the monthly themes. Check the links above for news very soon.

B&W Challenge Day 7 - Big Piece Of Rock

The biggest one around. Glad I got to see it. This is the end of the seven day run but I've taken some more pictures recently that I'd like to edit in B&W. They get done that way when the image is right.

City Daily Photo June Theme Day: Nature

I'm mostly an urban street photographer. A trip into the archives was required to come up with something for this theme day.

This may be the single photo I'm most proud of. It was certainly the most difficult - Mt. Everest on a rare clear day. Long way to go for starters. We were travelling in Tibet with a small group, accompanied by English and Tibetan guides. There was a night at base camp, accessible by a very rough road. The shot was taken at 17,200 feet / 5,242 meters. I had pretty bad altitude sickness. Two men in the group had to grab me under the arms and pull me up the last little hill to the overlook. It was worth every effort.

Maybe there is something to the fact that Ansel Adams and I share a birthday. (Well, Kurt Cobain, too.) Okay, that's an exaggeration. Other than this shot not much has rubbed off.

STL DPB On The Road: Mt. Everest

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McKinley - a big pile of rubble. Fujiyama - elegant but actually rather small. Mont Blanc - it has some elan but fails to reach the sky. This is Number One, Mt. Everest, shot from base camp on the Chinese side, about 5,200 meters or 17,200 feet above sea level.

So, live from Kathmandu, it's Saturday night. Just back in town with uncensored Internet after eleven enchanting, exhausting, bittersweet days in Tibet. It's bedtime here and we're worn out. More as time permits.