Here’s the reason we’re renovating. The photo doesn’t do it justice. In person it’s way, way more lavender, as was the entire bathroom. The addition was done in the ’60s and like a lot of things back then, was heavily influenced by psychodelics. I’m sure lavender commodes were  pretty popular then, and as they say, what goes around, comes around, so I fully expect lavender bathrooms to make a comeback. If anyone would like to submit a bid on a slightly used lavender commode just email me. Otherwise it becomes a garden planter.

Never let it be said we’re not willing to do our part to jump start the economy. This used to be my bathroom, looking into what used to be my bedroom. Mary’s been threatening to do this for several years and I finally ran out of excuses, so yesterday demolition began.

Meet Jeff and his brother, Philip. They run a local construction company, and we hired them to do the renovation. They’re better known around town as Mr. and Mr. November, from the “Nekkid Men From the Center of the Universe” calendar, which is how I first met them. I guess I felt like I owed them something.

Last month I shot a portrait of author, Fran Slayton, for a magazine interview. Her first novel, “When the Whistle Blows” had just been published and was getting good reviews. Turns out I was her first magazine shoot. Lucky her. She invited me to her book launch party and by a stroke of luck, it was in Charlottesville right across the way from Look 3. There was a continous line of folks buying her book, so I didn’t get much of a chance to talk with her, so I shot a few photos, said hi, and went back to the exhibits.

Look3, the festival of the photograph, was this weekend in Charlottesville, VA. It’s billed as a festival of peace, love and photography and that’s pretty much how it is. It had its origins as a slide show in Nick Nichols backyard for Nick and a few of his friends, who just happened to be some of the best photographers in the world. It’s grown to Nick and several thousand of his friends, with corporate sponsors, multiple exhibits, huge photos hanging in the trees and still some of the best photographers in the world.

Each year they honor three photographers and interview them for a couple of hours in the Paramount Theater. This year it was Sylvia Platchey, Martin Parr and Gilles Peress. Apparently Peress is a very private person and just does not do interviews. He prefers to let his pictures speak for him. You could call him the “reluctant interviewee”. The challenge of “interviewer” fell on the shoulders of former Time photo editor, Mary Anne Golon, and part of what made this interview so interesting, not to mention a lot of fun, apart from Peress’ sense of humor, was watching her sometimes frustrating attempts to ellicit information from the “reluctant interviewee”.

So it’s 3 am and I can’t sleep. Usually I’ll just toss and turn until the alarm goes off, but this morning I decided to try something different. I’ve read all my email, checked all the blogs I follow, checked what’s happening in the world, read about the new iphone, came across this picture from our New Years trip to the Outerbanks. Now what?

There’s something about water that attracts kids. It’s just plain fun. How many adults would you find sitting on the side of a fountain spraying water, not caring how wet they get?

I spent the first five years of academia under the rule(r) of nuns and learning to live with a uniform (navy blue pants, white shirt, black shoes) which formed an aversion to dress codes. Time has taught me though, that we all have dress codes. About 15 or 20 years ago I was at the Smithsonian to hear Annie Lebovitz speak. It was pointed out to me that the majority of the photographers in the audience, including myself, were dressed in jeans, white shirt, leather jacket and cowboy boots. So much for independence. The dress code Friday night was cowboy boots and a mini skirt. Personally, I think I looked better in cowboy boots and jeans.