view

5076A-19617 (view) © kjm

return

Looking west down County Road 100 © kjm

I'm back in California, continuing my work on the Camp Home series. Frankly, I've been disappointed that it's been so long since my last visit, so it feels good to be back. And things seem to pick up just where they left off - by now the roads, landscapes, farms and family names are familiar.

Basically, when I'm here I drive around a lot, down a series of small county roads, in search of buildings to photograph. It's apparent to me this visit that I've covered most of the ground here, but there are still farms I haven't approached yet, or found. Again this year, I've been pleased that the people I've met have been so kind - and in the best case scenario, a little conversation arises about my dad, the camp, and the history of the homesteaders.

More in the days to come.

first person

© Brian Widdis, left, Romain Blanquart, right

I had a long stretch of editorial work on the road recently, and was able to carve out little bits of time (one has to eat, right?) to connect with friends in other cities. In Detroit, I met up with Brian Widdis and Romain Blanquart, whose project Can't Forget The Motor City is really wonderful. In Minneapolis, I had a nice dinner with photographers Kristine Heykants and Raoul Benevides, the man behind the curtain at Flashlight Photorental. Amy Eckert, a recent winner of a McKnight fellowship, met up for a coffee and filled me in on the details of her latest show. And in Dallas, I finally met Allison V. Smith in person (after years of being blog buddies) and had a very fun dinner with two of my favorite art directors, Korena Bolding and Melanie Fowler, who design the lovely Virtuoso Life.

within reach: clean break

broken plate © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

and close

cut peony after three weeks © kjm

father's day

Dad's workbench © kjm

collect.give: kerry mansfield

Untitled No. 59 © Kerry Mansfield

Today Kerry Mansfield offers this lovely print from her Borderline series on collect.give. Kerry, a breast cancer survivor, has pledged to donate 100% of the proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists.

open

white peony from the backyard © kjm

When I was young, the only flowers I remember in our yard were peonies - batches of purple, pink and white varieties which had been there when my parents bought the house. I used to find them incredibly creepy just before they bloomed, when big, black ants would crawl around on the buds. The flowers that followed were lovely, though, and always came just before the end of the school year. When I was little, my mom would cut a bunch and have me bring them to my elementary school teacher.

as seen: balance

toy horse © kjm

collect.give: lacey terrell

© Lacey Terrell

Photographer Lacey Terrell offers a print today on collect.give. The photo is from her series, The Passing Ring, in which she travels with and documents the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus. Lacey pledges to donate 100% of her print profits to School on Wheels, an educational program for homeless kids in Southern California.