We’re halfway through the year. That means it’s time to take a quick look back at the 2nd quarter. We’ll consider photography and blog posts published this quarter, take a journey through the books I managed to read over the last few months, look over the few movies I watched, and spend a little time listening to some great music. I’m hopeful you’ll find something of interest in this mix.
Photography
I feel good about this quarter’s photography. Looking at the thumbnails below it’s obvious I spent a little more time focusing on smaller subjects than on landscapes. Some of that is likely because with spring we started seeing more creatures and plants and flowers to photograph and I did the best I could to take advantage of that. But I’m glad I did also manage to sneak in a little landscape photography even if it was of smaller, more intimate scenes than of sweeping views.
Field Notes Updates
Stages of Growth of Pink Lady’s Slippers
Mostly Photos
Colors of Last Fall and This Spring
Random Thoughts
Beginning of Spring in Shenandoah National Park
Considering Composition for a Wild Geranium
Techniques
Focus Stacking Pink Lady Slippers in 2022
Reading
It felt like another good quarter of reading. Granted, there were two books I put aside and didn’t finish (Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust and The Overstory by Richard Powers) but there were also a large number of books I thoroughly enjoyed and in some cases continue thinking back to long after finishing them. As I usually do, I tried to vary my reading. My favorite genres tend to be fantasy and science fiction, but I also read some non-fiction, poetry, classics, mysteries, thrillers, horror, and translated work. I hope you enjoy taking a look through this list, and maybe you’ll find something that sparks your interest.
The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).
The full list of books: The Burglar in the Closet by Lawrence Block, Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter, Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey, Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp, Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski,The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie, Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl, Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse, Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, The Echo Wife by Sarah Bailey, Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke, Black Fall by Andrew Mayne, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust, and The Overstory by Richard Powers.
Of these my favorites were:
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Black Sun was my introduction to the works of Rebecca Roanhorse, and what a great introduction it was. The book started with a gut punch and from then on there was a clock ticking down, finally hitting zero before the book ends. What a wild ride in this interesting new fantasy world. I loved it.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
Fevered Star was the sequel to Black Sun and continues the story, sifting through the ashes of how the previous book ended. Whereas the first book had a fair bit of action, this one had a bit more in the way of political machinations setting up conflicts to come, perhaps in the 3rd book. I won my copy of Fevered Star though a goodreads giveaway.
Elric of Melnibone: The Elric Saga Volume 1 by Michael Moorcock
I waited far too long before finally trying the stories of Elric. I grew up aware of this character as I had many friends who loved the stories. But for whatever reason I never got around to reading them. Then I won a copy of Elric of Melnibone through a goodreads giveaway and have now finally begun my journey through his story. I can’t wait to read the next volumes, following this ruler of the kingdom of Melnibone, a fading and dying land. In much of this volume he travels in hopes of learning something that might help his people.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
The Storyteller is an autobiography and memoir by Dave Grohl, the musician who eventually founded the Foo Fighters. It takes us from his youth, growing up not all that far from where I live, where he first learned his love of music, and on to the current day where he’s become incredibly successful, no longer struggling to buy decent meals and find a roof over his head. There were some great stories in this book, how he met so many other musicians and how they shaped his life. But most of all I took away his love of family and how much it means to him. A great read.
Movies
The movies I watches this quarter.
As with last quarter, I didn’t watch a lot of movies or series but I did enjoy what I watched. This time around I was apparently in a nostalgic mood, as I rewatched movies I loved when younger.
Perhaps because of the times I decided to rewatch WarGames, from 1983, and see if it held up, and I have to say it really did. Yes, it was a little cheesy. Yes, it’s a movie of its time. But it still resonated with me and still had impact. The film is about a young hacker who tries to get access to a new video game but instead manages to hack into a government computer and almost start World War III. It was one of several movies that helped really get me interested in computers and I continue to love this film. Starring a very young Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman, and Barry Corbin.
Then I watched Ladyhawke, from 1985, another film starring both Matthew Broderick and John Wood, along with Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Alfred Molina. This one was a fantasy film about a couple doomed to travel together but always apart, one cursed to be a wolf by night and the other cursed to be hawk by day. Broderick then plays the little thief who ends up traveling with them after escaping from an inescapable dungeon. Another film I loved when younger and still love now.
Finally, from 1986, I rewatched Labyrinth, that Jim Henson classic starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. It was certainly geared towards a younger crowd, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it all these years later.
Music
Music is such an important part of my life. It has a way of transporting me in ways that are unique to this form of expression. I love many different genres and this quarter I listened to music of many, so below are a mix of songs from lighter acoustic pieces, to rock or pop songs, to medieval metal and music with the feel of a theatrical soundtrack. I hope you find something you’ll enjoy.
MAN WITH A MISSION - More Than Words
The wolf pack is back! The more I listen to this Japanese band the more I enjoy their work. This recent release is another winner, in my opinion. It appears to have a positive message and feel to it, as do many of their songs I most enjoy. One of these days perhaps I’ll learn Japanese so I can better understand all the lyrics.
James LaBrie - Am I Right
I know James LaBrie as the vocalist of one of my favorite bands, Dream Theater, who are known for their influence in the progressive metal genre. But he also has solo projects and this song is one of those, a very soft and melodic acoustic piece, very different from the songs of Dream Theater but very much James LaBrie.
Saltatio Mortis - My Mother Told Me
I first learned about Saltatio Mortis, a German medieval metal group mixing modern and traditional instruments, when their vocalist teamed up with Feuerschwanz and others in the song Warriors of the World United. I’ve slowly begun exploring their music and discovered this one this quarter. I very much enjoy it.
Hiroyuki Sawano / Project [emU] - The Seven Deadly Sins Suite
I introduced the Japanese musician and composer, Hiroyuki Sawano, in 2022’s 1st Quarter look back, where he teamed with a singer and created a beautiful song. But it appears he has also teamed with larger groups of musicians and in this case does so under the name Project [emU] where a group of musicians playing a wide range of instruments, as well as vocalists, perform music for anime series and because of the many instruments they create a rich and layered sound. The Seven Deadly Sins is such an anime and this suite is an epic 17 minute piece of very emotional music. The instruments I noticed in the video include piano, keyboard, acoustic, electric and bass guitar, cello, violin, French horn, accordion, drums, and of course there are the fantastic vocals. This is a real work of art so well suited to anime or movies.
Life
Summer is here and the temperature is moving up, as is the humidity. This might begin to affect how much we get out and where we choose to hike, as neither my father nor I particularly enjoy that hot and heavy weather. Wildlife can also be a bit less active during the hottest parts of summer, though there is almost always something to see. At times it can become unhealthy to spend too much time out in it. But thankfully, this past quarter we found ourselves with many comfortable days so we went hiking quite a bit. We also branched out, traveling slightly longer distances to explore parks we’d not spent much time in. This is always fun. Of course, the first few times we go we don’t know exactly what to expect, but over time we begin to learn the location. I’d like to continue doing this while also making the time to revisit those nearby parks that feel like second homes.
One activity I very much enjoy is visiting the blogs of folks I often come to think of as online friends. I enjoy the interactions that result, and I wanted to recognize a small core group of these folks. Their sites are worth a visit and the topics they write about vary from photography and nature to arts and entertainment. Check them out:
Photography & Nature
Books, Movies & More
There are many other sites I enjoy visiting and interacting with, so I apologize if I didn’t mention yours here. Please know I value what you do.
And with that, I’m ready to wrap-up the 2nd quarter of 2022. Are you? 😀
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