DJ's flack jacket

Donna Jean Dreyer doing her new, daily respiration therapy. It's a vest that inflates and then vibrates (at varying rates--it has a digital controller) to loosen fluid in her lungs. The fluid retention is the aftermath of a bad lung infection she had some years ago. This Star Wars contraption is helping quite a bit.

A large membrane

Paul and Emma Feldman with the new lining for Forrest and Patty McCall's backyard goldfish pond.

A prize-winning photo

I'm excited to report that a print of my photograph, titled Prayer Flags, was selected for the Best of Show award in the Art of the Auction show/auction at the North Carolina Museum of Art. There were 425 entries; 160 pieces were selected for the silent auction. After the award was announced, my piece was moved to the live auction. It will be sold at the event on April 14. Meanwhile, it's on display at the museum along with a lot of other excellent work.

I took the picture near Tybee Island, GA. There's a six-mile rail trail that travels through a large wetland but ends in a grove of live oaks. In the middle of the grove is this large tree surrounded by picnic tables and festooned with lots of random detritus and these strings of flags with prayers and other messages on them. I took this to be the work of church youth groups, but I'm not really sure.

And the winner is...

Carl Peverall was the winner of the Cabin Fever University bocce tournament. He is seen here accepting the trophy from tournament co-sponsor Janet Frazier. Photo by Ron Frazier.

A short report from San Fran

Tammy and I were in San Francisco representing Penland at the annual conference of the Society for Photographic Education. The conference went well and we stayed on for a few days so we could knock around the city and take in some important San Francisco landmarks. Such as...

The Golden Gate Bridge.

Alcatraz (don't pass this up if you are ever there with some time).

 Cable cars.

Lombard Street.

 

Haight/Ashbury.

Museums.

Street style!

Chinese food (also Italian, Lebanese, Ethiopian, Mexican, etc.).

Sourdough (this is a loaf from the wonderful Cafe Tartine).

Pizza, Pizza!

Tom Trout and Brenda Phetteplace hosted another excellent Cabin Fever University evening (this has been going on for years) at Tom's heater house featuring community-made pizza baked in the wood-fired soapstone oven.

 Tom made a big batch of killer dough and everyone made pies.

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