Monday, July 31, 2017

How many reels exhaust the image history of the person

The photographs were taken on July 1st while visiting the Sallatunturi fells in Salla, Lapland.

Early this morning I had a look at horse riding at Rotten Row, getting 1 1/2 hours of walking. Then we went to London Zoo, checking out especially the reptiles. Some of them reminded me of Trump and his minions. No, not really, it is unfair to compare reptiles with the awfullness of the Orange One.

(Posting title is from the poem “I Came Out of Habitations Where Warmth Filled My Feet and Loins” by Calvin Bedient.)

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Would expose the holes in the soles of his shoes

The photographs were taken on July 1st while visiting the Sallatunturi fells in Salla, Lapland.

Today I got quite a lot on walking in London, early in the morning at Hyde park, and later on visiting Sea Life aquarium, and King's Cross (Harry Potter stuff, of course). Two batteries of the LX100 were exhausted in the process.

(Posting title is from the poem What is this about losing respect? by Mark Rudman.)

Saturday, July 29, 2017

When we embrace, we are not an island

The photographs were taken on July 1st while visiting the Sallatunturi fells in Salla, Lapland.

I'm currently in London, traveling with the children. We did some shopping and sightseeing. I plan to take some photographs later today.

(Posting title is from the poem Confluence by Yusef Komunyakaa.)

Friday, July 28, 2017

Images of what might be

The photographs were taken on July 1st while visiting the Sallatunturi fells in Salla, Lapland.

I'll be traveling the next few days, to London, so there may be a break in the postings here. But I'll take a lot of photographs, so there will be plenty of material to go through later on.

(Posting title is from the poem Carnal by Jocelyn Saidenberg.)

Thursday, July 27, 2017

I can only describe to you

The photographs were taken on June 30th at Ruka in Kuusamo, climbing to the top of Rukatunturi hill.

This morning I managed to go through all the photographs taken so far this summer. With the iPhone SE I have taken 2,000 photographs, and I'm getting somewhat familiar with the results. Often they are quite good. The LX100 is a much better photographic tool, but I don't carry it with me when I go riding the bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem A Poem for Record Players by John Wieners.)

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

I looked long at the rearview mirror: there, the one man

The photographs were taken on the Pyhävaara hill in Kuusamo on June 30th.

Yesterday the car passed the annual vehicle inspection, at 17 years of age. The car needed quite a lot of repairs. For example the exhaust pipe, the oxygen sensor and the distributor had to be fixed. In addition, I bought new summer tires. The car should be ok, but further repairs need to be done at some point.

I have been following what is happening in the United States, and things are becoming more and more strange. Half a year ago the country seemed to be quite ok, and now things are all messed up. Of course that was to be expected when electing a dangerous and stupid narcissist as the president.

(Posting title is from the poem City Without a Name by Czeslaw Milosz.)

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

All day he draws and imagines

The photographs were taken on the Rukatunturi hill in Kuusamo on June 29th.

This morning I rode the bicycle to Oittaa in Espoo, and found a route I hadn't realized was available for exploring.

(Posting title is from the poem Apparition of the Exile by Bruce Weigl.)

Monday, July 24, 2017

How easily the years slip by, light as grain, bright

The photographs were taken at the Predator Center in Kuusamo on June 29th.

This morning I rode the bicycle around the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, a distance of 42 km, which took two hours with a couple of stops for taking photographs. The weather is warming up, as there is warm wind coming from Lapland.

(Posting title is from the poem 2000 lbs. by Brian Turner.)

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Truth breaks upon us with resistless day

The photograph was taken on June 27th in Helsinki, with an iPhone SE.

This morning I rode the bicycle for two hours, exploring the small roads and paths between Leppävaara and Glims in Espoo. Once again I got a bit lost, which felt good.

I have written comments on some photography blogs during the summer vacation, as there has been time to do a bit of blog exploring. A posting by Carl Weese got me thinking about the differences between countries and their approach to things like taxation and health care.

In the book The Nordic Theory of Everything the Finnish journalist Anu Partanen discusses the fundamental differences between how things are done in the United States, compared to the Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland.

I must admit that I don't understand at all the stupidity of the US system, at least the way it appears when Trump is in charge. Well, they say that one shouldn't discuss Brexit with the British people, and it may be the same concerning Trump and the Americans.

Anyway, one aspect of strange US things is the so-called prosperity theology. It seems that many Americans believe that financial blessing and physical well-being are the will of God for them, and thus one's material wealth shows who is blessed and who is not. Thus: the poor are bad, and the rich are good. This is opposite to the way I remember things being written in the Bible. What a strange country the US is.

(Posting title is from the poem An Essay on Criticism: Part 2 by Alexander Pope.)

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

The photographs were taken in Espoo on June 24, while exploring the Glims river.

Today I circled by bicycle Helsinki and Espoo seaside landscape, early in the morning when it was quite cool. Some places were populated, for example market squares and monuments where tourists go sightseeing.

(Posting title is from the poem The Second Coming by Yeats.)

Friday, July 21, 2017

Together one breathing, burning machine

The photographs of Finnish midsummer bonfire were taken on June 23rd at Laaksolahti in Espoo, the place that was depicted in my photobook Impressions of Midsummer's Eve (also available at Blurb).

Today I rode the bicycle to Seutula, returning via the road that goes by the airport. I tried out the new Specialized Elite TR shoes, and they proved to be an excellent fit.

(Posting title is from the poem MyKillAdoreHer by Paul Martínez Pompa.)

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Look like smiles

The photograph was taken on June 22nd in Helsinki. We had rather variable weather then.

Today I visited Sea Life aquarium in Helsinki. Shark feeding time appears to be popular.

(Posting title is from the poem Another Planet by Dunya Mikhail.)

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Eating the exhaust of cars

The photographs were taken at Petikko on June 17th.

This morning I took the car for repairs, having the exhaust pipe fixed. There are some repairs still to be done, but there is hope that the car will pass the annual vehicle inspection. 17 years is quite a nice age for a car.

After car repairs, I rode the bicycle for two hours, exploring Espoo and Kauniainen. I also visited the shop where I bought Specialized Sport TR bicycle shoes in 2011. It turned out that the Specialized Elite TR shoe is almost the same as the older model, and size 48 fits my feet. I tried out also another type of shoe, but it didn't feel good at all. And of the other shoes there were no sizes big enough at the shop. So, I bought the Elite TR shoe. I need to install SPD cleats to the shoes, and then I can try them out.

(Posting title is from the poem everyone’s dying by kari edwards.)

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Like the inscriptions on tombs

The photographs were taken at Korkeasaari Zoo on July 12th.

My Specialized Sport TR bicycle shoes are starting to need replacement, being worn out. I have got over 25,000 km of riding with them. However, the shoe model I bought six years ago is no longer available, and I need to look for a replacement. Before the Specialized shoes I had Adidas bicycle shoes, but they didn't fit my feet, and in fact my feet got so bad that ordinary walking and standing was hurting. With the Specialized shoes I haven't had any pain or inconvenience. I guess I need to go to a bicycle shop and try out shoes, but usually there are few choices available with shoe size 48 (13 in US).

(Posting title is from the poem We wonder at our shifting capacities by Anna Moschovakis.)

Monday, July 17, 2017

Gave him a supercilious stare

The photograph was taken at Korkeasaari Zoo on July 12th.

This morning I explored river Vantaa and places on both sides of the Ring I road in Helsinki, riding the bicycle. I even got a bit lost, and found some new routes and vistas.

(Posting title is from the poem King John’s Christmas by A.A. Milne.)

Sunday, July 16, 2017

To mix good and evil, to blur the line

Today is World Snake Day. The photographs were taken at Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki on July 12th and 16th.

(Posting title is from the poem You Who Wronged by Czeslaw Milosz, translated by Richard Lourie.)

Saturday, July 15, 2017

So what if people stare

The photographs were taken on June 16th while visiting Rhododendron park at Haaga in Helsinki.

I rode the bicycle two hours this morning, visiting Klaukkala, up and down hills. Once again it was cool in the morning, 12 °C, but it gets warmer during the day.

(Posting title is from the poem The Toothless Wonder by Phil Bolsta.)

Friday, July 14, 2017

And to tell the truth, if it shattered, what would I do?

The photographs were taken on June 16th while visiting Rhododendron park at Haaga in Helsinki.

It was rather cold this morning, 12 °C, when I started to ride the bicycle. I explored north parts of Espoo, finding some places I hadn't visited before. After the ride I cleaned and lubricated the bicycle chain. It has been some time since I did it. During the winter I had to do it often twice a week due to the muddy weather.

(Posting title is from the poem “What potion should I give the night so she’ll always wonder?” by Abraham Sutzkever, translated by Zackary Sholem Berger.)

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Thinking one day I’ll touch the world with bare hands

The photographs were taken on June 16th while visiting Rhododendron park at Haaga in Helsinki.

This morning I rode the bicycle for over 1 1/2 hours, riding through Seutula along a route I found last summer. The bicycle was quiet, quite a change from the noise it made before the repairs.

I have been following what happens with the Trump kakistocracy. What makes me wonder are the people in the United States who call themselves "patriots" but are ready to do great harm to the country and to the people. Destroying education and health care are just a few examples of this.

(Posting title is from the poem Don't You Wonder, Sometimes? by Tracy K. Smith.)