SICILIA
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
4M ago
I’d just finished the first draft of a new/old novel and was thinking about a change of pace when Hago and Danny called with news of an upcoming trip to Sicily. Just the break I needed. I’d never been there. All I knew of Sicily came from Andrea Camilleri and Francis Coppola. That was enough to get me on a plane. The province of CataniaCastiglione di Sicilia The village of Castiglione spills over a rocky slope not far from Mt. Etna. The first thing you notice is how old everything is–homes, churches, streets, the land itself. There’s not much left of the namesake castle top of the hill. Castig ..read more
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Monet and Mitchell in Paris
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
1y ago
-Bonjour Joan, bienvenu à Paris. -Merci beaucoup, Claude, I’m so happy we could meet here at the museum. Thank you for inviting me. -You’re very welcome but before we look at pictures, I need to make a little confession. When I received your letter, I thought you were the girl who wrote songs, and I wondered what we would have to say to each other. Don’t get me wrong, they are lovely songs but not really my thing and I’m relieved to find you are not only a painter, but one whom I admire. -Merci Claude and may I say, coming from you it is a great compliment. -Shall we sit for a cup of tea? We ..read more
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A Sunset Cruise
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
1y ago
–on the Seine I’ve been living in Paris six years now, and I’d never seen it from the river. Always thought it must be just a tourist thing. I was wrong. It’s a different perspective on the familiar, a reminder of just how beautiful this city is, and a great way to spend an hour at sunset. Next time I’m going to upgrade to a boat with cocktails. Ile St. Louis All photos were made on the iPhone 13 Pro. I wasn’t paid to say that, but I’d be happy to boost the share price. Towers of the Conciergerie Pont des ArtsNotre Dame ReconstructionEiffel Tower and the Pont Alexandre III And you can never ha ..read more
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SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
1y ago
The World’s Most Important Photographer Salgado Exhibit at Paris: La Défense A bamboo hut designed by Colombian architect Simòn Vélez sits in the middle of the most commercial quarter of Paris. Inside is a collection of photographs by Salgado joined by the theme of water, the most precious fluid on earth. They are art of the highest order, shockingly beautiful. They are an appeal to the world’s conscience and they are a wake-up call. At the age of seventy-eight, Salgado continues to travel the world, bringing light to earth’s most remote locations, calling attention to the fragility of our eco ..read more
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Thomas J Munn
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
1y ago
News comes that a friend far away is dying now I look up and see small flowers appearing in spring grass outside the window and can’t remember their name W.S. Merwin Tom was an artist, a creator of awesome stage pictures that provoked and delighted audiences around the world, but his most important gift was the love he bestowed on family and friends. He was a great friend: caring, loyal and generous, honest, kind and constant. I will miss him very much. It’s raining in Paris today and the rooftop chorus of mourning doves voices the soundtrack of a somber day. Tom in the Roussillon Vineyards ..read more
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Fresh Air
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
2y ago
Those clouds you see are the visible manifestation of the world’s collective sigh of relief. France has refused to stumble down the path of intolerant populism. The election is over, the good guys (comparatively speaking) won, the relief is palpable. We can now kick back, have another glass of wine and contemplate the rising cost of baguettes. France has, for the moment, come to the rescue of democracy. Before the First Round Macron’s margin of victory (17 points) would be considered a landslide in the US, here it was thought to be close because five years ago, he won by almost twice that. Th ..read more
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Orwell’s Roses
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by Ron
2y ago
I’ve been reading Rebecca Solnit’s Orwell’s Roses, a book about the importance of beauty in our lives. In 1936—before leaving England to join the battle against fascism in Spain—George Orwell planted roses in his garden. It seems at first to be an unremarkable occurrence; after all roses were and continue to be extremely popular plantings in ornamental gardens and the English have always been fond of gardens. But Orwell was a man who dedicated his life to the struggle for human rights and was willing to put his beliefs on the line as a soldier for the POUM, one of many factions who took up ar ..read more
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Larry Walker
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
2y ago
1936-2022 Directions for Dying Read Carefully: It is important That you get it right the first time. There are no second takes. You understand that, surely? First, be sure all the bills are paid Or there is money in the bank To pay them. Your terminal credit report Means nothing to you But could be important to your heirs, if any. Second, you must (and this is essential) Resist the impulse to write long and maudlin letters To friends and relatives about your life And death and what it all means. No one, repeat after me, no one gives a shit. In the same spirit, do not Under any circumstance Lea ..read more
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Winter Light II
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by ron
2y ago
California Dreaming January at Stinson Beach in Marin County a few miles north of San Francisco. This is winter in Northern California: mild temperatures, mostly clear skies, dry. After heavy December rains prompted a little hope that the drought might end, January came up warm and sunny. Hardly a hardship for a visitor from Paris, but here the drought continues. Molten silver waves I’m here to visit friends, people I’ve known and loved for many years, the people who caused me to think hard about leaving San Francisco. I live in Paris now, but I could never leave my friends. And so, this visi ..read more
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Winter Light
Ron Scherl | From Documentary Photography to Writing Fiction
by Ron
2y ago
Yesterday the sun came out, and Parisians were quick to follow. Saturday, the 18th of December, the last weekend before Christmas, but when the sun appears in December, shopping can wait. The last few weeks have been gray. Not cloudy, not much rain, just a dull gray roof sitting there like an absence of inspiration. I finished (until the next revision) my novel. I actually typed “The End” for the first time. The next day, the sun appeared. Now that’s what I call a good omen. I picked up my phone, left the apartment, and became a photographer again. And what better place to go than Le Jardin d ..read more
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