#234 PD Notes, a Story, and Photos

 

San Francisco de Asis Church in Ranchoes de Taos in color and BW

About the photos in this post: I found some photos from a trip to Santa Fe and Taos, NM, we took a few years ago. I combined some I haven’t shown before with a photo program called Sketcher, used to enhance the image or create a more painterly (if that’s a word) look. The photos aren’t meant to go with the PD info or the story, only to brighten up the blog. Hope you enjoy parts or all of this post and I always appreciate your comments.

Barns and ruins in southern Colorado.

Continuing to Live with Parkinson’s Disease

You should easily guess which one of us didn't care for the snake pot displayed in a Taos museum.

There are four main symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease: Resting Tremor (as opposed to active tremors that hit when lifting weight), Slowness of Movement, Impairment of Balance, and Rigidity or Stiffness (the only symptom of the four that I haven’t really experienced yet). Then there are more than forty other and often hidden symptoms, many of which are not pleasant to talk about in detail such as constipation, drooling, and rhinorea (look it up).

What I do want to talk about is the way PD makes the simple things of life so difficult. Autonomic activities, those bits of living we do without thinking about them (such as walking, talking, or eating) are suddenly not so automatic because my brain no longer produces enough dopamine to keep doing those things like putting on a seatbelt in a car. I used to get in the car, grab the seatbelt across my body, plug it in and I was ready to go.Now I slowly get in the car seat, reach around slowly feeling for the belt (remember Slowness of Movement is a major symptom), try to get the metal flange in hand, make several attempts to pull the belt across my body, and hope it only takes me two minutes to plug the buckle in. No wonder I keep my driving to only local and easy jaunts! I find I’m still okay brushing my teeth, but I have some real challenges with dressing. I used to throw on a jacket to go out in the cool winter air, but now I’m pleased to get one arm in correctly before I begin battle with the second arm hole. Buttons are a new challenge when they used to be something I didn’t even think about. There are a few (very few) positives—perfecting the perfect 007 martini, shaken not stirred seems more doable now.

PD does change living patterns. I now leave a full half hour to get dressed—make it an hour if I’m going to add beard trim and shower. And tell me when I lost the ability to dry my back after a shower. Come on, dopamines, let me have a dry back back. 

Line of cottonwoods in southern Colorado.

Sangre de Cristo Mtns from Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and from Taos.

Pure Nostalgic Story about Nona, Silver Bells, and Coney Dogs

Museum art, Taos.

Every Christmas season brings with it special memories of my Nona (Italian grandmother, although Nona was probably a mix of Mexican and Apache adopted by an Italian family in Colorado), the song Silver Bells, and Coney Island hot dogs. During my childhood years I would spend a lot of time with Nona, my maternal grandmother. At Christmas time in Sacramento Nona and I would get on a city bus and travel downtown to what was for me a wonderland of decorated streets and shops. On every corner in the downtown area would be large decorated silver bells and stores would have the song playing in the background. Nona was half blind from Diabetes and I learned to help guide her around town—I was maybe seven or eight years old. My reward was always the same, a lunch at The Coney Island, a hot dog store with a few tables and a long counter with bar stools. A staple in the K Street area in the fifties and sixties, The Coney Island (new owners changed its name to Lindy’s in 1957) closed in the early seventies. I remember hot dogs were 15 cents and coneys were 25 cents and the coney sauce was to die for. As I recall there was never much money for shopping, but Nona and I had great times looking and singing Silver Bells.   

Next: More found photos I hope. PS. Thanks, Rumpelstiltskin, for the kind comments.

#229 Two Photo Subjects

#229  Two Photo Subjects

A Friend’s Garden

Cosmos and Bee, 157mm Macro @ f6.3, 1/640, ISO 1000

Purple Cosmos, 157mm Macro @ f4.5, 1/320, ISO 1000

Susi invited us over because she knew I was looking for photo opportunities. I took my Nikon Z50ii DX camera with two full-frame lenses, a Nikon 105mm f2.8 Macro lens (equivalent to a 157mm) and a Nikon 28-400mm f4.0-8 Zoom (equivalent to a 42-600mm). The combination gave me a good variety of features and a chance to see what works best with my continuing Parkinson’s tremors.

Sunflower with Bee, 157mm Macro @ f7.1, 1/800, ISO 1000 

Pink Cosmos, 157mm Macro @ f5, 1/400, ISO 1000

Yellow Cosmos with Bee,  300mm Zoom @ f8, 1/320, ISO 1100 

Orange Cosmos with Bee, 300mm Zoom @ f8, 1/320, ISO 1700

I had a couple of techniques I wanted to play with—shooting short bursts of photos to get images between tremor shakes and using higher ISO to allow faster shutter speeds. I’ll include technical detail on each photo for anyone who may be interested. I will also include my conclusions before I move on to the second photo subject. Now join me as I continue my visit to the garden.

Pink Dahlia, 157mm Macro @ f5, 1/400. ISO 1000

Orange Dahlia, 157mm Macro @ f5, 1/400, ISO 1000

Got a Name for This? 42mm Zoom @ f8, 1/250, ISO 1000

Hydrangea, 277mm Zoom @ f7.6, 1/3200, ISO 1900

Conclusions. First, thank you Susi for the invite to photograph your lovely garden and yard. As to what I learned about using a short burst of shots to counter my Parkinson’s shakes, results showed many examples of where my first shot of a burst of two or three less clear than the second or third photo in the burst. I attribute that to being  less steady as I push down the shutter release. I think I already knew this would be true, but my test showed me proof. Next, my use of higher ISO setting allowed me to use faster shutter speeds (less possibility of camera shake) and still have acceptably clear photos. Even at high ISO my images were sharp enough to make 8x10 or even 11x13 enlargements. 

Green Tomatoes, 105mm Zoom @ f8, 1/200, ISO 1000

Red Vein Sorrel, 105mm Zoom @ f8, 1/500, ISO 1000

Birch Trunk, 118mm Zoom @ f8, 1/200, ISO 1100 

Hummingbird 1, 600mm Zoom @f8, 1/640, ISO 2800

Hummingbird 2, 600mm Zoom @ f8, 1/200, ISO 28000

In the end I proved to myself that I can still take acceptable (computer use or printed copies) handheld images, at least in a garden setting, despite my progressing Parkinson’s condition. 

My Favorite Photo Subject (not counting Anne)

The Ranchos de Taos Church from the parking area at back of the church.

It is likely the most photographed church in America. It has been a favorite subject of great artists like Georgia O’Keeffe and photographers such as Ansel Adams, Paul Stroud, and Ned Scott. 

"Ansel Adams, Photographs of the Southwest," New York Photographic Society, Boston. Titled "Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico." c. 1950

"Ranchos Church No. 1" Georgia O'Keeffe 1929

"Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams, Natural Affinities," Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Little Brown and Company, New York 2008

I saw this winter image of the church in a Taos art galley. I didn't get any information about it, but I believe it was in the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House.

The San Fransisco de Asis Mission Church in Ranchos de Taos, NM, is a lovely late 18th century adobe church four miles south of the main town of Taos. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 and later a World Heritage site, the church was built between 1772 and 1816 and has been restored several times since. The adobe building with large supporting buttresses is annually re-plastered by the local community and parishioners. 

Buttress shows some sprouting of grass used in re-plastering.

The three colors (sky wall, and shadow) are the heart of the photo.

The church is centered in a formerly fortified plaza to protect against Comanche attacks. Although the defenses are no longer needed, the church is still active with a full schedule of masses and events. 

The church is great for abstract images or textural studies.

Do the light clouds add or detract from the image?

The church is also filled with tourists most of the day, but early morning and late afternoons are least crowded. The church is lovely any time and all condition—look particularly for bright blue skies, dramatic storm clouds, shadows on the walls, and reflections off puddles. 

Can you find at least six crosses?

This was just a portion of the cycles here this day. It was either a large riding club or a special mass for motorcycles.

A special project is to see how many “crosses” you can get in one image from the front of the building. Any time I spend in Taos also includes several visits the church and I’ve been known to visit three times in one day. There is also much to photograph in the surrounding plaza.  

Not in the plaza but only a few miles away is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Autumn cottonwood colors just outside Taos.

In the Plaza

When I booked a day tour with local professional photographer Geraint Smith he began the tour at Ranchos de Taos church and ended the tour there as well. Beautiful lesson in the way lighting changes a location. I never tire of this subject.

Did I save the best for last?

NEXT: I'll see what I can find.