mpcurtis, Author at Mel Curtis

Barney

You never have to worry about what to say. Nobody knows what to say. Most anything works that conveys a sincere feeling of understanding. And just being there, or in your case, knowing you are there. What doesn’t really help me is the usual platitudes we use at times like this. Like…you know you loved him and he loved you…

September 11, 2025Uncategorized

Uncategorized

The Sun is Still Shining

The little guy slid downhill pretty fast. At first the vet thought he just had an upset stomach and gave me some meds. That was last Thursday. But when he continued to not eat, I saw the vet on Saturday. They ran some blood tests and in the words of the vet, his liver was on fire. If it was…

September 8, 2025Uncategorized

Celebrations Gardens Musings

Respite

My creative effort from yesterday. I was sitting in the garden, enjoying the summer afternoon when Barney decided to join me. For a dog on death row, he is doing remarkably well. I see no evidence of his cancer. I see lots of evidence of his age. He woke me up twice last night to do his business. He wanted…

August 21, 2025Celebrations, Gardens, Musings

Musings

It’s Like I Always Have You Around

I didn’t realize your hair had changed. So, I went back to look at the recent photos I just took and found these that I hadn’t processed. So many lovely moments. I feel rather fortunate (as opposed to lucky) to be a photographic artist. I can make images that will constantly remind me of friends like you. It’s like I…

August 13, 2025Musings

Musings

What Will I Be When I Grow Up?

Birthdays are weird. When I younger I used to wonder what I would be when I grew up. I spent much of my youth dazed and confused, even my time at Hunter/Miller. At a certain point I realized I was grown up and this was my life. The next phase was working on getting my act together. The pieces all…

August 4, 2025Musings

Musings Seattle

Thought Walks

I understand feeling like a lump sometimes. I get that way too at times. Especially after a visit from a friend like you. For a few days my life is much fuller and takes me away from my caregiver life. And after you leave, there is a void that is hard to fill. I start projects too, that often languish.…

July 24, 2025Musings, Seattle

Musings

Visual Breadcrumbs

I am glad you picked up on my emotional bookmark comment. I feel very strongly about that. I can distinctly remember making most of my images, or what was going on at the time or what someone’s story was. Each image transports me back to that moment, like a bookmark to a passage in a book. It’s a pretty cool…

June 25, 2025Musings

Seattle

Home Alone

I went to grad school to not only fill in the gaps of my self-taught photo education but also to get that piece of paper that would open the door to teaching at the university level. My photo education in grad school continued to be self-taught, but at least I got a piece of paper out of it. Teaching itself…

June 25, 2025Seattle

Odds and Ends

Ansel Adams

My comments about photography and music are not mine but rather the words of Ansel Adams, perhaps the greatest photographer of the 20th century. In case you are not totally familiar with his work, a brief history lesson. His first career dream was to be a concert pianist. He trained and worked hard at it, but felt he wasn’t good enough…

June 18, 2025Odds and Ends

Musings Seattle

One of These Days

So, tell me about your new camera. Have you always been mirrorless, or is this a new thing? I am not really into mirrorless myself, though I know they are rage and DSLRs are going away. Besides not liking the digital viewfinder, I didn’t like the idea of getting all new lenses. When I switched from Nikon to Canon all…

June 5, 2025Musings, Seattle