Lee Thomson

Mar 16
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

The same picture of the same puddle in Brattleboro, with a radically different palette.

I had forgotten that one of my favorite things to do, back when I was a geographer and could do such things, was experiment with satellite images. Using different bands (reflections in different wavelengths) it was possible to make psychedelic images of recognizable places, and highlight different kinds of information too. Landsat – the one I used most – had information in 2 infrared bands, a green band, a red band, a blue band and one close to ultraviolet. Plus one more that I’ve forgotten. One trio of bands (infrared, red, green, if I remember correctly) is particularly good at locating vegetation, others highlight man-made objects, or water. There is a set of default false color sets, assigning different bands to blue, red and green for display, that get used a lot and many people familiar with imagery can read them like books. There are other sets, or reassigning the bands to different colors that are just astonishing and gorgeous.

Mar 15
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

The giant snow pile from clearing the parking lot was melting and making amazing patterns. Red Kate noticed it when we were at Nimble on Tuesday. One of our teachers was deeply amused at having to swerve around us as we bent over and stared into the puddles looking for good swirly bits. The color was a little muddier, but the swirls are all real.

Aerin’s band concert was tonight. They sounded remarkable, especially considering the middle-school-ness of the band. The last piece was selections from the Blues Brothers. They all ceremonially donned sungalsses, and ripped into it. It was great.

Mar 14
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

That’s the thing about sugaring weather – the nights freeze the melted snow and moisture laden air into fantastic shapes that vanish with the morning light. I nearly wiped out in the YMCA parking lot on a streak of meltwater that had frozen in an intensely corrugated black ice cascade. I didn’t get a picture of it, I was late to yoga…

This is the same image as a couple days ago, but I started to poke it and couldn’t stop. There are two layers. The underneath is grayer but shows more topography, printed on cotton. The top took three tries to get the color saturated enough, printed on organza. I fused the two layers together onto a layer of batting, to give the stitching depth, and then stitched away. I think I posted it upside down, but I like the sunrise effect in that corner, so it stays.

My shoulders and arms are tired! I climbed the fabric to the ceiling twice, one on each leg, yesterday at circus. Then we practiced hanging upside down in a straddle-up. I am finally starting to feel how my center of gravity changes with small changes in core strength and pelvis positioning. While hanging, if I point my tail at the sky, I hang straighter and more solidly, and feel less like I am about to tip out at any moment. When in a handstand, if I point my tail at the sky, and I can feel the square solidness of my hands under my shoulders. For about 2 seconds.

Someone asked about noggy boots, so I looked up the words over at Mudcat Cafe, and found nobby boots instead. I have a lingering affection for my version, so I’m sticking with noggy.

You should go look at Mudcat if you have ever tried to remember the words to anything. They currently house the Digital Tradition, which is all the words to all the songs that are even remotely folky, plus the mangled versions, the filked versions and some commentary. Did you ever wonder about the meaning of the words to some of the more mysterious ones (three three the rivals? WHAT is that all about?) Some of those are explained as well. One of my favorite places.

Mar 13
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

“and it’s all for me boots,
me noggy noggy boots,
all gone for beer and tobacco”

is how the shanty goes. These were given to me by my mother, and I cannot begin to say how much they improve my barn life. Warm, waterproof, flexible, not too heavy, did I say waterproof? I can go out of my way to stand in puddles, and they remain blissfully waterproof.

Late day, circus day. Red Kate came too and hung upside down and we all had fun. Even Alice. Then a baking spree tonight for the band rehearsal tomorrow. I have to get the stuff to school in the morning.

Mar 11
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I feel I’ve been walking about with the camera stuck to my face for the last couple of days. I love being able to take the pictures, take a lot of them, sort them, mess with them, pick the three best and ditch the rest. I love the immediacy of it, the instant gratification part. This morning there were amazing frost patterns over the cars, these were on Al’s car, the one planned for tomorrow was on the rear window of my van… to be able to grab those images, take them home and play with them feels divine.

Mar 9
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

‘m tiiiired.

finished Feb journal page. Finished another feb journal page. pretty much hate one, dubious about the other. pix of them tomorrow.

Mar 8
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

On a visit to my mother, the hose exploded and made the greatest little lumpy ice storm in the corner of her yard. I took several pictures of it. The original is here:


Because it was a great image before I started messing with it.

It is cold. But, things are starting to melt in the middle of the day. The ground is not frozen solid all day long even in the sun any more. So the world is slowly spinning back towards spring (for us in the northern hemisphere anyhow – this is what comes of thinking globally…). I am anticipating the melt. That is partly why I chose water for this month instead of next, when in theory April showers bring whatever they bring. Lion or lamb, March means melt to me. And maple syrup and pancakes. My Sunday yoga teacher is determined to have pancakes with maple syrup every week until sugar season ends. I am thinking we should go indulge at least once. Probably more.

Mar 7
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

In the dark channels… five different iterations of the same image, on silk, cotton and organza, over and under each other. This feels closer than the last. The whole Hockney thing is extremely difficult to pull off, especially for someone who (ahem) has some issues with edges and placement of the chopped up bits.

I’ll get sick of this game soon, I promise.