Week #41

---

Film 41 is a twist on the tried-and-true tale of the American West. I did shoot this out west and the subject matter is certainly old so why not have a bit of fun with the myth of the old west.

The great thing about a Southern California beach is you never know what you might encounter. On this particular day I was kicking around, playing with a new camera when I came across this couple. I don’t know who they are, hadn’t seen them before or since but let’s hope this walk was the beginning of a lasting marriage.

This spring I’ve been spending a lot of time out in the yard and I’m amazed by the number of chipmunks (or ground squirrels as my dad always called them) there are around. Our property seems to be a chipmunk paradise and as they scurry about, darting in and out of old stumps and holes, I’ll find my self watching and imagining - hence film 43.

This week I took a dive back into the archives for footage I shot over 20 years ago. While living in Princeton, NJ I became friends with Graham Lustig, the then artistic director of the American Repertory Ballet Company. On and off for a year or so I was given access to the company’s studios and performances and shot a lot of dance footage, much of which has never been used. For this piece I used footage of multiple rehearsals of a particular piece and cut them together to create film 44.

This week, while out for an after dinner walk, a firm wind came up pushing all the glorious smells of Spring through the air. I pulled out my iPhone and started shooting. This is film #45.

I was sitting looking at the screen, trying to put together a film for this week. Then I needed a coffee break and of course while I was getting my coffee there was the distraction of a beautiful spring morning and the view out the back of the house and . . . well, here’s film 46.

This good folks at the First Congregational Church in Camden are raising funds to make repairs to their steeple. Last week I was there to make the climb and shoot a bit of footage to aid in that effort. This week’s film is a first cut from that afternoon’s shoot. A special thanks to Todd Anderson for the terrific drone footage.

This week’s film takes us to Acadia National Park and one of my favorite walks - the trail around Jordan Pond. What makes this one of my all time favorites? Is it the varying terrain, the endlessly beautiful views? Maybe it's the Jordan Pond House waiting at the end of the day.

For week 49 I’m dipping back into the archives for video I shot while living in Princeton, New Jersey many years ago. Apparently, the then outgoing president of Princeton University was a big Willie Nelson fan and an unannounced special concert was arranged in one of the quads. I was lucky enough to be there camcorder in hand.

We drove in. Stopped for a walk and then sat down for a cup of coffee. There's nothing fancy about the town in this week's little experiential film. It just felt right.

There’s nothing like a ferry ride to an island. I love the anticipation and purpose of seeing one port disappear behind you and then waiting for your destination’s harbor to appear on the horizon with nothing but a huge wet landscape in-between. This week’s film is of just such an outing. In this case with my wife on our wedding Anniversary. Film 51’s island is Monhegan by way of the ferry from Port Clyde. 

So much of this year-long journey has been rooted in fighting through and living with this global pandemic, so it seems only fitting that the final film should represent a turning point in our struggle with COVID-19. While our fight with the disease is far from over, our lives are starting to regain some sense of normalcy and film 52 is an example of that. To all of you who’ve been along for the ride, thanks for checking in each week, I’ll miss hearing from you.