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In May of 2010 I made an entry called "Lucky Breaks" on my blog. In it I referenced Byron Morgan and the trip we made to Florida to discuss a film project we were wanting to start concerning the salvage of sunken treasure from ships that went down a couple of centuries ago. Byron had made a connection with the man that brought the first gold to the surface from the Atocha, one of the largest finds to that date of gold. Mel Fisher had given him 11 treasure maps as part of his payment for the years he had spent searching for the Atocha with Mel. We were going try to put together a Series for television of efforts to extract gold or silver from these wrecks.
This gentleman knew his stuff and had all of the necessary experience to head up the divers and one of the maps had given up "milk creates of silver" from its location. There was only one problem....it seems that he had made the mistake of delivering a boatload of pot to Bebe Rebozo and was convicted of dealing by the government. According to our new head diver, a deal had been struck with the government (Nixons), for the diver to plead guilty in return for a slap on the wrist and a week or two in the slammer...all to protect the fact that the pot was to go to Rebozo.
Quite frankly speaking this didn't make much sense to me at the time. Why would the government want or care about Bebe Rebozo, who I had read was a "small time player in questionable deals". Made no sense. But with the revelations last week concerning Nixon and Bebe, it sure adds some more mystery.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The Vortex in Alaska....
As I mentioned in my last post I had seen a gathering of rocks at the base of one of the glaciers I'd seen in Alaska similar to those at the vortex in Sedona. This waterfall was coming from the glacier and was marked by someone. In retrospect I can remember feeling the same when I saw it as I did when I saw the pilings in Sedona. An effort from someone to "mark the spot", they had been there.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
The Vortex....
We went out to Sedona Arizona recently and have been there many times. Sedona is, as far as I'm concerned, the most typical example of "The West" I envisioned as I grew up. Tall mesas, desert, cactus, and Native Americans in abundance. The air was clear and vistas remarkable. One of our "missions" on this trip was to go to the Vortex's, of which there are around five said to be in the area. I didn't know what to expect. Rumors of energy, enlightenment, and peace within each Vortex, and even some with powers that applied to men more so than women and vice-versa. We were able to even find a map listing each location and a brief description of what to expect....we hit the road.
Vortex number one was at the top of a pretty tall mesa, and somewhat of a challenge to get to. Once on top we had a great view, air was fresh but......felt no energy. We climbed down, and consulted the map. Number two.....sort of an instant replay...nice area.......no buzz.
Number three was located in a State Park, we paid our entry and started to walk along a well worn path. Really nice stream, I took a few shots, and we continued to walk. As we were getting near a bend in the path I noticed a stack of rocks, one on another about a foot tall. My mind flashed back to one of the Glaciers I saw in Alaska last September. To the side of this massive sheet of beautiful ice was a structure of rocks bearing a resemblance to this foot high piece. The one by the Glacier was about 5 feet tall. Kinda strange...but remarkable.
We rounded the bend and walked into an open area with a pink sandstone base rock and an incredible view of Cathredral Rock and the stream that ran beside it. There were about 60 people moving slowly going through the motions of Ti Chi. I stopped in my tracks, The last time I had seen this was early in the morning as I was leaving for Baghdad in Tokyo, Japan. Groups of people were in a flowing unison of motion communing in the spirit of exercise. As I surveyed the area I noticed that some were sitting with their arms folded and heads bowed, others were sitting with their legs crossed and arms out-streached, silent and looking toward the rock that loomed in front of the stream in the distance. A man was playing the flute and the sound seemed to fill the entire area. Depressions in the red sandstone were filled with water which reflected the blue sky.........and there were more stacks of rock.
We progressed across the sandstone and wandered down a path that ran next to the stream. The further we went, the more stacks appeared. We had found the Vortex. I can't possibly tell you of the feeling of being surrounded by the statements made by the piles of rocks. There were thousands of them and each one was made by someone, powerful proof of their existence. The quiet was, on reflection, almost total. The sound of footsteps, quite flute, the water bubbling, and the wind was about all I can remember. Nature has taken its course with some of the stacks, blowing them down, or rain causing them to slip, or an animal brushing against them causing the structure to become just another pile of rocks. I really don't believe there was any human intervention in the collapse of the monuments. They seemed too precious. I became a believer in the Vortex from this trip, and I feel certain that they are all over the world. They aren't an avenue to another place per se, but instead I think, a communication between individuals speaking the common language of humanity. "I Am"
Vortex number one was at the top of a pretty tall mesa, and somewhat of a challenge to get to. Once on top we had a great view, air was fresh but......felt no energy. We climbed down, and consulted the map. Number two.....sort of an instant replay...nice area.......no buzz.
Number three was located in a State Park, we paid our entry and started to walk along a well worn path. Really nice stream, I took a few shots, and we continued to walk. As we were getting near a bend in the path I noticed a stack of rocks, one on another about a foot tall. My mind flashed back to one of the Glaciers I saw in Alaska last September. To the side of this massive sheet of beautiful ice was a structure of rocks bearing a resemblance to this foot high piece. The one by the Glacier was about 5 feet tall. Kinda strange...but remarkable.
We rounded the bend and walked into an open area with a pink sandstone base rock and an incredible view of Cathredral Rock and the stream that ran beside it. There were about 60 people moving slowly going through the motions of Ti Chi. I stopped in my tracks, The last time I had seen this was early in the morning as I was leaving for Baghdad in Tokyo, Japan. Groups of people were in a flowing unison of motion communing in the spirit of exercise. As I surveyed the area I noticed that some were sitting with their arms folded and heads bowed, others were sitting with their legs crossed and arms out-streached, silent and looking toward the rock that loomed in front of the stream in the distance. A man was playing the flute and the sound seemed to fill the entire area. Depressions in the red sandstone were filled with water which reflected the blue sky.........and there were more stacks of rock.
We progressed across the sandstone and wandered down a path that ran next to the stream. The further we went, the more stacks appeared. We had found the Vortex. I can't possibly tell you of the feeling of being surrounded by the statements made by the piles of rocks. There were thousands of them and each one was made by someone, powerful proof of their existence. The quiet was, on reflection, almost total. The sound of footsteps, quite flute, the water bubbling, and the wind was about all I can remember. Nature has taken its course with some of the stacks, blowing them down, or rain causing them to slip, or an animal brushing against them causing the structure to become just another pile of rocks. I really don't believe there was any human intervention in the collapse of the monuments. They seemed too precious. I became a believer in the Vortex from this trip, and I feel certain that they are all over the world. They aren't an avenue to another place per se, but instead I think, a communication between individuals speaking the common language of humanity. "I Am"
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Old friends.....
This is a gathering of a group of Taylor Wilsons' friends that I shot several weeks ago as part of his Senior Session. Like the one I took in 1967 of my friends around the old steam engine...in years to come this portrait group will become more valuable. Good job guys......
THE FROGS........
In the late 70's early 80's some of you may remember the studio car I drove, a 1951 Chevy Panel truck. I had bought it from a friend of mine for $ 500.00 and at the point of purchase it had no interior, was a 6 volt system, was a very bad color of yellow/brown with a primer front end. The name "Video Van" stuck. I had great visions for it and all my Dad could say was "How much did they pay you to take it ?'He lacked my positive attitude and visual nature. I had the front end rebuilt to take care of the shimmy that I experienced when driving over 30 miles and hour. Had it rewired and converted to a 12 volt system, brakes, and then a trip to the body shop. I will be eternally grateful to one of my heroes, Frank Saferight the owner of Grundys Bodyshop in Carthage Mo.
Frank is one of the old guard of the street rod community of the Joplin, Pittsburg, Carthage area. He has owned a great collection of rods over the years that are and were classics of perfection. I knew he could complete my vision and in fact, offered some touches to it that really set the mark. He suggested that we recess the gas filler and put a flap over it to clean up the look. He also came up with the color scheme which was, the only choice for the vehicle. The Body was a dark metallic brown and the fenders and running board were black......I set off the wheels with Baby Moons and chrome rims. Damn it looked good.
We carpeted the entire interior and installed two "coach chairs" for the driver and passenger, put in the stereo and I was ready to rock and roll. I drove the car for about 4 years and have some fond memories. Perhaps the most memorable was "The Night Of the Suicidal Frogs". I had been contacted by the State of Missouri to video tape the damage caused by the extreme flooding between Kansas City and St. Louis during the massive storms that hit the state. While traveling with a representative between locations one night, in one of the massive downpours, we experienced a very STRANGE event.
As we were driving along, barely able to see through the rain, we kept hearing sort of a slap/splat that increased with the amount of rain that came down. The van had pneumatic wipers which were pretty remarkable in their inefficiency. If you increased your speed the wiper quit working until you leveled off at a "cruising speed. Translation.....to see where we were going there were occasions when I had to stick my head out the window. OK.....blinding rainstorm, hilly road, head out window, and seeing hundreds of bullfrogs leaping to the safety of the high ground road, only to encounter.........The Video Van...SLAP/SPLAT. It was not pretty.
The reason for the story is the memory was brought up when I photographed Larry Coopers 50's era truck that I shot last weekend. It's a great ride, it wears him well, and the location was perfect. I sure love my job.
Frank is one of the old guard of the street rod community of the Joplin, Pittsburg, Carthage area. He has owned a great collection of rods over the years that are and were classics of perfection. I knew he could complete my vision and in fact, offered some touches to it that really set the mark. He suggested that we recess the gas filler and put a flap over it to clean up the look. He also came up with the color scheme which was, the only choice for the vehicle. The Body was a dark metallic brown and the fenders and running board were black......I set off the wheels with Baby Moons and chrome rims. Damn it looked good.
We carpeted the entire interior and installed two "coach chairs" for the driver and passenger, put in the stereo and I was ready to rock and roll. I drove the car for about 4 years and have some fond memories. Perhaps the most memorable was "The Night Of the Suicidal Frogs". I had been contacted by the State of Missouri to video tape the damage caused by the extreme flooding between Kansas City and St. Louis during the massive storms that hit the state. While traveling with a representative between locations one night, in one of the massive downpours, we experienced a very STRANGE event.
As we were driving along, barely able to see through the rain, we kept hearing sort of a slap/splat that increased with the amount of rain that came down. The van had pneumatic wipers which were pretty remarkable in their inefficiency. If you increased your speed the wiper quit working until you leveled off at a "cruising speed. Translation.....to see where we were going there were occasions when I had to stick my head out the window. OK.....blinding rainstorm, hilly road, head out window, and seeing hundreds of bullfrogs leaping to the safety of the high ground road, only to encounter.........The Video Van...SLAP/SPLAT. It was not pretty.
The reason for the story is the memory was brought up when I photographed Larry Coopers 50's era truck that I shot last weekend. It's a great ride, it wears him well, and the location was perfect. I sure love my job.
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