Was invited to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans this evening at the start of a very pleasant evening out with someone who I met for the first time in Moscow two weeks ago. There were many good people shots that got taken today but this was, for me, the best.
Anyone who’s been to New Orleans knows that its visual attractions are varied and eye-opening. You’ll doubtless be seeing more of the city itself – and its inhabitants and visitors – over the next few days.
But here’s the reason I’m here, the Blackboard World 2012 conference at the truly colossal Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – a building that is literally a mile in length. This is Michael Chasen, the CEO of the company, at his morning keynote. I like the pose I’ve caught him in and also the display on the board behind him, which is a neat way of summarising it. He did have a reason to talk about pee particularly, but I won’t spoil the mystery by telling you what it was.
Well, I made it out of Hebden Bridge – in fact the train this morning was perfectly punctual. No water left in the town but a lot of debris around.
18 hours and a few thousand miles later, I type this sat in New Orleans, but the photo is of Manchester Airport; I boobed and did not get a window seat for the second flight in from Atlanta, thus missing some great shots of the Mississippi delta, Lake Ponchartrain and the city of NO itself, glimpsed as I craned my neck round my fellow passengers from my position on the aisle. And I’m not heading out into the city tonight – it’s too late (in my head) and I’m here until Sunday anyway, so you’ll see it, never fear. I do quite like this shot however.
This is the worst thing I have had to post about on this blog.
Until 1.15pm today had been a very uneventful day. It then started raining: hard. Very, very hard.
By 2.15pm the road on which I live had become a river, and then we saw that the lane which goes into the woods was pouring out water (and stones). Whether it was just rainwater or whether, as some speculated, the old reservoir at the top of the woods had burst its banks, the normally placid mill stream turned into a torrent. Where it goes under the main Keighley Road and through a sluice pipe into the river, this backed up against the retaining wall to an astonishing degree, rising literally 15 feet in half an hour and eventually pouring through the gardens of the two houses nearest the bridge.
The owners of the house were not in. Myself and other neighbours tried to save vital items and – most importantly – the two dogs (which you have seen before on this blog). But most of the ground floors were taken out. Our house is uphill from the stream, so was fine (a couple of idiot drivers ploughing through the stream at 30mph being the main threat).
More photos and footage can be seen on YouTube and Facebook for those into their weather porn. For comparison, the lake you see in the woods at a couple of points is where we played mölkky the other day.
I’m supposed to be going to New Orleans tomorrow, by the way – but I ain’t promising anything. At the moment, Hebden Bridge is impassable to cars.
From left to right: Pete, my brother-in-law, who may or may not moonlight as the lead singer of a thrash metal band of renown in certain circles; Vicki, my sister; Clare; and Daisy, my niece (aged 13). Out of shot – Joe and Tom (nephew). As this is a 21st century household, note the Mac on the table, part of the family. In the oven: a roasting leg of lamb. A good afternoon was had by all. (Except, perhaps, the lamb, and even that got treated well.)
More performance: but that’s because it’s Hebden Bridge’s annual arts festival at the moment. This is the Great Mandavi – a.k.a. Dave from across the road – captured just at the moment he warms his tongue up and his hat falls off. How do you decide you can do this kind of thing, by the way? I mean, what drives you to try it that first time?
It rained all day again and Hebden Bridge was one thunderstorm away from flooding once more, but the heavens relented at about 7pm, and we were spared. I don’t want to talk about the weather. The evening was a much better distraction. But I am supposed not to publish any photos of the burlesque performers so here’s the compere, Lady Wildflower, a much more pleasing shot than one of flooded fields and replacement bus services and rain and general weather-related gloom.
Sorry to go on about the bloody weather but today was the first day in two weeks which really deserved the adjectives ‘warm’ and ‘sunny’ – and even then it still rained quite severely in the evening, with two heavy thunderstorms. It may flood again tomorrow. Meanwhile, here are some flowers, proving that given enough water (ha ha) life can flourish everywhere, including in the centre of this thirty-feet-high retaining wall at the side of the Keighley Road.
The last time the sun was seen in these parts was at some point on Wednesday 20th June, two weeks ago. It reappeared today for a couple of hours in the evening, creating a paroxysm of photography in this blogger, even if the shots were largely mundane, it was just a relief to see the light. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. As I post we’ve just been hit by a pretty intense storm. You gotta love it.
Today was a dull day in every respect. The grey skies and rain are now a permanent feature of existence. Back in Manchester for the first time in 10 days but I spent most of it in my office, which isn’t a particularly great photographic subject (which is why there have been, to date, precisely no photos of it on this blog). This is the university’s new ‘learning commons’, due to open in time for the next academic year, and doubtless full of all sorts of exciting new devices that someone has decided will ‘enhance the learning experience’. Not that they ever asked any of the academics around Manchester who specialise in educational technology their opinion as to how it should be built. I know this, because I am one of them. I am sure it will be just perfect.
Being 42 