What's Up Doc?

I have proof! Looney Tunes were not lying! In the red desert lands of Arizona, scurying amongst the mesas, buttes and bluffs, we spotted Wily Coyote, Road Runner and Bugs Bunny. Here is a pic of the rabbit to prove it... but these are not in the "cartoon" versions of course, they are real. We have seen many bunnies, a couple of coyotes, and a road-runner sped by during a tour of Monument Valley. Everyone got excited, someone yelled "meep meep".

Today we tried canyoning for the first time, and thouroughly enjoyed it. Tomorrow, we are going on a full-day canyoning trip. should be fun!

Gaston

Freezing Arizona

Greetings from Arizona!

Who knew that it could get cold here? Really cold! When we packed, we only stuffed our winter jackets in our suitcases because Accuweather.com kept threatening us with under 0'F weather. We didn't believe it, and even in Phoenix, it was warm enough to just go out with a windbreaker.

But as we drove North, hooo-wee! Blinding snowstorms, winds that slice through you like a million daggers, and ice that threathens to shorten your trip at ever turn of the road. I am happy to report that we have survived, and are very glad to have our parkas on hand.

The sun has been out for the last few days, illuminating all of the marvels that northern Arizona has to offer. Today was especially beautiful. We drove around Monument Valley and visited other spectacular natural wonders. The snow actually turns out to be a good thing - it highlights every ragged feature of this intricate landscape.

Lars was philosophizing a while today about how small and fleating human lives are compared to the incredible geological history of this area. I think the third of the three pictures I attach here symbolizes that well...

We had a memorable meal today in the blink-and-you-will-miss-it town of Mexican Hat, Utah. Everything on the table, without exception, bubbled in the same grease of the same fryer. And to season it all, we had six different types of sauces to choose from: ketchup, sour cream, salsa, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, and something new called "fry sauce." Locals here sure have a knack to make their fry-ups palatable!

Accuweather.com now promises that it will get warmer in the next few days, and we are sure looking forwards to it. We are now heading towards a few days of hiking in slot canyons, and then greeting the New Year on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Wish us more sun and blue skies!

Happy New Year! - Gaston

Obama Fashions

In Eastern Europe in the 1990's, and to some extent, still now, it seemed Calvin Klein designed everything anyone wore. His logo was plastered on anything from cheap baseball caps to plastic shopping bags. Bootleggers had deduced that anything bearing the prestigious CK logo had more chances of selling, and for more money. None of it was real of course. All of these dubious Calvin Klein fashions and accessories had probably originated in a Siberian warehouse or a Chinese sweatshop.

Well, nowadays in DC, I feel almost as if we are going back to those years, but the popular name plastering everything now is not Calvin Klein anymore, but Barack Obama. All types of new products appear everyday, and the trend just seems to grow. There are of course the ubiquitous Obama shirts, which every third person seems to be wearing. Their numbers multiply the closer one gets to a university campus. I saw a man on the street with an Obama tuque yesterday. On the metro, a young woman had an embroidered Obama backpack. On television, the gaudiest product anyone could imagine - plates, coins, figurines - are up for sale, all bearing the president-elect's smiling face. Already all souvenir shops in DC have huge window displays of all their Obama wares, ready for the giant profits of inauguration day. If Obama could copyright his name and his image, there's not telling the amount of revenue he could rake in!

Color on Paper

Hi everyone - I've been drawing a lot lately. Maybe the darker days of winter trigger a need in my brain for more color. I am particularly proud of these three pieces. They are quite large, 14"X 17", took a lot of time and patience, but it was all worth it. I really like them, and enjoyed making them. Maybe a big-time art dealer will see these pieces here and offer me a million dollars for them... or at least space in a gallery? ;-)

Interesting fact - Before moving to Latvia in 1997, I used to draw often. But somehow, that part of me disappeared in Latvia, and I barely drew or painted anything at all, just a few odd pieces. However, as soon as I returned to North America this May, I picked up my colors again. In the evening, while watching TV, I sit with my box of 125 markers, and draw away.

Hope you enjoy these pieces too. - Gaston

Website under renovation

I am in the process of giving my website, www.gastonlacombe.com, a new look and a new direction. I've added new galleries and deleted many old ones. I'd be interested in hearing what others think about the new orientation of my site. If anyone feels like it, drop me a comment!

Thanks - Gaston

DC Sleeps

I learned something important yesterday evening - taking night pictures from a bridge is a bad idea! I am working on a series of pics right now which I want to call DC Sleeps. The inspiration comes from a song by "The Postal Service", called The District Sleeps Alone Tonight. If you don't know the song, I'm sure there are a million places on the internet where you can download it. Anyway, yesterday evening I was on Francis Scott Key Bridge in Georgetown, trying to take pictures of the city lights over the Potomac, but, even with a tripod, 98% of my pictures ended up blurry. See, to get good pictures at night the camera has to expose for a long time; long enough to be affected by any movement. The bridge was shaking! Constantly! Just one car crossing the bridge was enough to destroy any attempt at a picture. The attached pic, even if overexposed anyway, can show you what all my pictures turned out like. So, frustrated, I headed back for terra firma, and pointed my camera elsewhere. All of this to say, keep an eye on my website, I am planning a complete revamping soon... - Gaston