Philippine Images

I did not do much processing yesterday. Instead I started Deke McClelland's Essential One-on-One Tutorial for Photoshop CS3. He has a brisk style of presentation that keeps me awake. I only finished the introductory chapter where Deke showed what the software can do with an image. It was impressive!

I won't do much processing either today. A carpenter is coming—if Mike finally makes it—at two this afternoon to lower my bedroom doors and make up for the floor sinking an inch or more. The weight of my books is probably the cause but the first contractor I called in said it was the construction of the building itself.
These are two images from my 2007 trip to the Philippines. Francisco wanted to see the foundry at Victorias Milling. My brother-in-law, Arthur, used to work there so offered to take us there. We crossed the water between the islands of Panay and Negros that morning, met some first cousins for lunch in Bacolod and while my sisters stayed behind in the city, Arthur, Francisco and I took a jeepney to Victorias, passing Silay City, famous for its Spanish-style houses, on the way.

I have never considered myself patriotic. My older sister probably even thinks I don't care for family. But as I've gotten older, images of the Philippines find a mysterious resonance in my psyche. There are links there between our identity and the soul of the place where we grew up, imbedded deep where words don't reach but images still convey the powerful connection.