Saturday night at the parade, I had the most interesting and heartwarming experience. After Diane and I watched the parade, we joined in along with the crowds and marched and danced down the remainder of the route. The street was jammed with people marching.

A young man in tight shorts and a glow stick around his neck was walking near us. He came up to me and began to speak.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for our rights. I can't imagine how difficult it was back then and I try to show appreciation to our elders."

His face was filled with joy and gratitude. At first I was taken aback because I wondered if he thought me an elder because of my grey hair. And then...I took in his compliment and was reminded of some scary times in the mid80's in NH when I came out as gay in my early 20's. I gave him a big smile, thanked him for his kind words and wished him a happy Pride. I've done my share of mentoring but never considered myself an elder, figuring I had at least 20 more years before I could don that cloak.

It was a pretty special night. Thank you Providence.

More Providence Pride photos...

Some blurry photos from Saturday night's Providence Pride...

Sign at the staging area of the parade.





The flag has been flying at city hall since last week.





And the parade begins!

Last night was Providence's pride parade. It's an illuminated parade, taking place when it's dark. I drove home for a family event and drove back in time to meet Diane downtown about 7 pm. It was a really great evening. Providence's parade felt like a cross between a parade and a march. It also straddled the line between city and small town. And...although there were queer groups from different corporations marching, it did not have a corporate sponsored feel. I loved it and didn't once miss Seattle Pride parade. Honestly, I preferred this one.

Photo of a family waiting for the parade to begin.

The one down side of a nighttime event is photographing one. Almost all my photos were blurry.

A walk through the Ptown cemetery.






Found a little bunny guarding a grave.

Glittery lobster in Ptown

More Ptown photos. Whenever I go, I get overwhelmed by all the color. And the flags and banners make me happy.

One of the paintings I'm working on in the mornings before heading into the office. 24"x18". oil on canvas.

Some Ptown stuff-

A kickass little record store with your obligatory disco ball and Donna Summer memorabilia..




Want a license plate?




A bouquet of buoys.

Some of Ptown's funky signs...

Dogs, dogs and more dogs...


This one was truly happy to be running into the ocean to pick up his stick. D and I watched him play for a while.




He likes his stick too.




I was surprised to see The Black Dog in Ptown. The shop is a Martha's Vineyard treat...a wonderful bakery right next to the ferry in Vineyard Haven. I've been planning to pick up a new Black Dog tshirt because mine is very old and...lost. But because I so associate the shop with MV I couldn't walk into the one in Ptown. I know...it's silly.





There was a gallery with a painter of dogs.

I don't feel like doing a slideshow. Instead, I'll post my photos of Provincetown in chunks.

This is a big part of what my heart has longed for these last 14 years. Salt marshes. I find them to be magical. They appear simple and subdued, yet teeming with life and hold rich treasures in each season. Taken at the National Seashore, before entering Provincetown.

When I'm involved in a series and go into the studio tired, I won't touch those paintings. Instead, I begin a play painting. Most times, they tend to be still lifes. Here is one I began a few weeks ago when it was incredibly hot and humid. I was too warm and sweaty to think clearly and so grabbed an old painting to doodle on. I've been touching it periodically deciding to really focus on color because since I've moved and began painting again after the long spell of being between studios, I've been feeling color stupid. This painting is an exercise in color. It's 24"x18", oil on canvas.

The "little me" series are muted even when I attempt to force the color. Maybe that's what they want to be.

My weeks have been quite full. D and I have been planning adventures every Saturday. June is all booked up…and we may be booking into early July. It's a lot of fun but I am missing my quiet alone time. It happens in the studio or for the couple hours before drifting off to sleep. I know things will change come mid-July but am embracing the busyness at this time.

Tomorrow? We are headed to Ptown for the day. Super-stoked because I haven't been since July 1998…my last weekend in New England before moving to Seattle.

Yesterday? Crazy/fun day. Began the day with an interview at Providence College in the morning (to work in their finance dept)...then onto the factory for my regular gig...and ended the day with a delightful dinner with Mardi Moore. Last night's dinner involved lobster club sandwiches with chunks of lobster and applewood bacon. Today? Very tough day with lots to do and nothing was easy. Tonight? Pure laziness...a bunch of tv and a big glass of red.

The photo? A simple pleasure. My roommate from France enjoying her first hamburger ever.

The woman who curated the group show at McMurdo Station took the time to photograph each of the work outside in Antartica. Here is my little painting (8x10", acrylic) photographed by Tessa Hull.

Looking at this photo of my painting in that extreme location fills me with a wondrous feeling. And because the painting is remaining there as part of the collection, it's like planting my flag at the South Pole.

A few months ago, I decided that if I were going to get a dog (which I'm not in a position to do), I'd get a little French bulldog. Last week I commented to a friend that I miss having a dog in my life...like the ones we had in the Seattle office. And I really miss Bodie. Today, the new owner at work brought in his dog. Her name is Juno and she'll be coming in every day for a few hours. And...she's a Frenchie. She hung out at my feet quite a bit and totally stole my heart.

The other thing that made for a great day is that I decided to do my studio time before going into work in the morning. I wake with the sun and so am up at 5:15. Not needing to be at work until 8, I've been futzing around on the computer before heading out the door. This morning I tried my new schedule and loved it. I walked into the office with a buoyancy that set the tone for the day.

What was to be a day of exploring Salem MA, because of monsoon-y weather, turned into a full day of road tripping the coast line all the way up to Ogunquit, Maine. We stopped in Portsmouth, NH and D, from Lyon France, enjoyed her first burger ever at the Rusty Hammer. Then we hugged the coast up to Ogunquit where our determination to walk the beach even in the whipping winds and torrential rain meant spending the remainder of the day in very wet clothes. It was so worth it.

Seeing the place I call home, no longer as a visitor from Seattle but now as a resident of New England made for a very moving day. And I was thrilled to share it with someone who was experiencing the area for the very first time.

My studio wall last week, filled with in progress works.

Here is something different for the evening. I'm showcasing photography by two other people: Sacha Goldberger and Nina Katchadourian.

Each are very different and yet, a similarity. They both created a series in the Flemish style.

Goldberger's work is incredibly beautiful. And yet Katchadourian's...I'm in love with these pieces. They evoke such humanity. Poignant. And humorous. She uses herself as the subject and they are all shot in an airplane lavatory. Damn...there is some genius stuff in her work. Honestly, I couldn't decide which examples to post.

Here are the links, each filled with many more examples of their work.


Sacha Goldberger Flemish Painting Portraits

Nina Katchadourian's "Seat Assignment"



Sacha Goldberger

Nina Katchadourian