Every Picture Tells a Story VII
100 Favorite Photos and Stories, 10 at a Time
France, Belgium, Italy, Jordan, Romania, California, Andorra, Turkey. Ten ALL NEW (?) photo-stories resurrected from our klutzy photo-management system…
Favorite 57: Paris, Jardin des Tuileries - Nymph and Grande Roue
A favorite among favorite photos—and a fortuitous accident. We’d been obsessed with this Nymph and her terrible nail job (sculpted in marble by the minor French artist Edmond Lévêque), when la Grande Roue came to town. It’s difficult to imagine a ferris wheel causing much of a stir, but that long-time feature of the Christmas skyline in Paris was dismantled on la Place de la Concorde by the Paris City Council, then resurrected to much complaining at the entrance to our favorite park, le Jardin des Tuileries. We snapped this photo, but missed the composition until we later opened it in Lightroom. Serendipity!
Favorite 43: Milano, Italy - Piazza del Duomo - New Year’s Eve
One of the great edifices of Roman Catholic history competes for attention with inflatable plastic Poohs. Il Duomo di Milano, the seat of one of the most powerful Cardinals in the church hierarchy and a common interim posting for future Popes, sits on the busiest and least reverent square in Milano. A few hours after this photo was taken, the New Year’s Eve Piazza erupted in a war zone of youths tossing cherry bombs down the subterranean stairwells to magnify the impact. No one slept that night.
Favorite 45: Santa Monica, California
A lifeguard wraps up for the night on the beach north of the Santa Monica Pier. The men and women of this remarkably professional organization, a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, undergo 25 hours and 20 minutes of training to start at a salary of $23.12/hour. In 1989, their efforts spawned 11 seasons of the TV series Baywatch, vehemently panned by critics and one of the most popular American television exports in history. The chief worldwide viewer demographic for this misogynistic beefcake fest? Young women, aged 18-30.
Favorite 58: Doel, Belgium - Power Generation and Powers-That-Be
Ancient and modern methods of power generation—nuclear and wind—on a dike of the Schelde River west of Antwerp in the village of Doel. Today, the village is a virtual ghost town, and not by popular demand. In 1965, the authorities in Antwerp Harbor decided to expand the port and demolish the village. This set off a 57-year war with the locals that featured every underhanded trick and dodge the authorities could muster. Nevertheless, the villagers prevailed.
Favorite 46: Cleveland, Ohio - Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
This section of the Civil War monument, called The Color Guard, shows the common soldiers of the 103rd Ohio Infantry Regiment dying at the Battle of Resaca, Georgia, in 1864. In three years, those volunteers, nearly all farmers, sustained 248 fatalities out of an initial force of 1,078, roughly half by disease. This is the only monument we recall that portrays an actual battle in process. It’s pretty compelling.
Favorite 48: Long Beach, California - July 4th - Flash Mob
A massive flash mob of teens responds to text messages and overwhelms this strip of sand outside our apartment on July 4th. Within an hour, 80 police arrive to walk the beach and gently disperse them. As the teens trickle away, the neighbors play Ray Charles singing “Hit the Road, Jack” to wild cheers from the locals.
Favorite 41: Petra, Jordan - Bedouin
A Bedouin in a traditional Dishdāshah contemplates the abyss. For centuries, the Bedouin, like the Romani of Europe, have wandered all over the Middle East, without reference to borders or conflicts. Well-meaning attempts to settle them in urban housing have diminished—but fortunately not eliminated—their numbers.
Favorite 50: Andorra - Pyrenees
The top of the world, with skiing, dog sleds, skates, and all. This tiny country in the mountains between France and Spain won us over when they refused to sign up to the Schengen Passport Controls. It’s interesting how times have changed, when crossing a European border takes longer than a glance out your window.
Favorite 59: Bran Castle, Romania - Vlad the Impaler
The true Dracula spent exactly three nights here, but after Bram Stoker published his novel, romantics went looking for a residence that fit the narrative, and this was it. All you need is a late-night lightning strike to complete the fantasy. The true Dracula, with his host of enemies, was much too paranoid to spend more than an occasional day or night outside a fortified castle.
Favorite 60: Istanbul - Misir Çarşisi
Glinda caught in the New Year’s Eve crowd at the Spice Market in old Istanbul. We took this photo on our last trip to the city, then a few years later, found both a painting and a published photograph with the exact same look. Makes you wonder. We bought a year’s worth of true Persian saffron that afternoon and could use a refill. Any excuse to return!
All the pictures, but especially love the shot of Glinda! ✨👏👏👏