Need to say special thanks to my friend Brian for loaning me his Pentax DSLR. Been getting lots of great shots with it. I've really been enjoying Flickr more and more. It's great meting other people from all over the world who enjoy and/or produce photos. Some really talented creative people there. Always being challenged to sharpen my eye and skills.

I am absolutely crazy about old wood, stained, raw, varnished and especially painted with paint fading. This is the door on my friend's family house dating back 3 generations.

Something about windows in dark rooms that call out to me. A little haunting, a lot fascinating and beautiful.

What amazes me is how you set out to shoot something and maybe you do but later you find what was waiting for you like a surprise gift that you were meant to shoot.

Maybe someone crossing the street will give you a glimpse into their being for a split second. Only the image serves as a witness of the micro-encounter.

Perhaps the whole time I've just been reflecting on myself?

 Haven't posted photo essay in a bit. I've been getting more and more involved in PP(post processing) of my images. Why? 1) Because I can, 2) Because I like it. I feel that tools like Photoshop allow a photographer to better reproduce his feelings and vision. I also feel certain photographs(many for that matter) speak for themselves just fine with minimal processing. In Digital photography everything is synthetically processed to some degree.

These little retro style Nissan's are very common here in crowded Taiwan. Doraemon stull maintains some iconic presence as well.

It is not uncommon to see some crazy modifications of motor scooters here in Taiwan. I thought this EPA one was kind of cool.

I have always been fascinated with the markets here in Taiwan and still am to this day. Maybe it's the variety of merchandise that's available from delicious food to worthless crap (it's all in the eye of the beholder). Maybe it's the way it's merchandised or just the vibrancy of the marketers and marketees networking.

I seem to be becoming a fan of Art Street up by Dong Hai Universwity. It is the closest thing Taichung has to a Greenwich Village or Sausalito-type bohemian vibe. There are several cool shops nicely decorated and more and more nicely dressed hipsters floating around there.

This lady noticed that I had shot her and her dog. She asked me if the young man next to me was my son. I replied, "Yes." She said, "This is my son too."

Sometimes the temples in Taiwan become very vibrant on auspicious days pre-ordained so in the HuangLi, kind of yellow emperor's Almanac. All the auspicious days and festival days requiring sacrifices and prayers are in that book.

So what are you seeing and hearing these days? Here and elesewhere?

Ezra Pound-The Seeing Eye

The small dogs look at the big dogs;
They observe unwieldy dimensions
And curious imperfections of odor.
Here is the formal male group:
The young men look upon their seniors,
They consider the elderly mind
And observe its inexplicable correlations.

Said Tsin-Tsu:
It is only in small dogs and the young
That we find minute observation

I've been realizing more and more that people's faces tell the best stories in the best way possible. So much is conveyed in a  glance, a smirk, a frown... One tiny gesture contains much more complexity than all of the Grand Canyon IMHO. Anyway enough babbling let's have a look.

This man got what he needed and begins to take off on bike with his purchases in tow.

The apple guy for the masses. Not pitching fanboy geek goodies just the crunchy kind that keeps the doctor away.

Lot's of attitude rolling off this youngblood. He's got the look, found in a book and happy to pay for it, but he's owning it now. Might even say his reputation is on the line.

This lady seemed so poised and dignified even among the throngs. That isn't affected, that comes from within. Mighty aura mojo with her.

Working busily to finish up work on his Year of the Ox entry for the Lantern Festival pageant. Bright colored cultural goodness.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, worked hard to attain, has had wars fought over it and drives economies. Soothing to the eyes like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.

Musical inspiration while composing essay: Miles Dewey Davis-Panagea/Gondwana

I've been getting back into the photo rhythm: the dance of light, color, texture and shadow.

Great noodle factory in the traditional market near my house. Traditional markets open in the morning usually have live poultry, sometimes live fish, and fresh produce for the day's needs. My favorite is "MianGeDa" a chunky, chewy,  noodle bit. These people rock!

The use of chilli peppers for visual accent is as appropriate as using them for enhancing the flavor of food.

Nice area in Taichung close to the new City Hall. Nice tree-lined sewer stream and some upscale shops and restaurants.

There are some awesome sunrises here in central Taiwan. Love the view from my rear balcony.

Yesterday I took my family into town for some shopping. We decided to get a little fresh air and exercise in the Taichung Ampitheater park. This little guy looked like he was having some fun and caught my eye.

A worker on the park construction project.

Kevin and Anne about to cross the bridge.

Workmen busy  building amphitheater roof system.

Friendly sun cake shop boss gave us some tea and sun cakes(a local specialty) to try.

Funky old fortune-telling sign downtown.

Started with a kid finish with 2. Can't top kids in photos,can you?

At some point the city fathers decided they wanted Taichung to be the "cultural center" of Taiwan as well as the geographic center. Part of this resulted in the now annual Jazz Festival that takes place here in October. I attended the first night at People's Square with my son Kevin. We stayed for the first act and got to enjoy the night sights, energy of a crowd together outdoors, and music all for the  same free price. It's great to attend outdoor events in a nice setting and People's Square didn't disappoint. The Barry Likumahuwa Project from Indonesia are a group of young, energetic musicians playing mostly what I call "smooth" or "pop" jazz. Not my favorite but certainly passable under the circumstances. My cynical side would be to call it jazz for people that don't like or "get" jazz but I digress.

I think they were a good choice for an opener since they brought good energy and familiar Asian friendliness to the air. Here are some shots from that night.

Mayor jason Hu, emceee's and other local dignitaries.

The band and it's 15 year old sax player.

As mentioned they had good energy and a lot of movement.

I loved Barry's geeky Atari shirt-a classic. Was ready fro a game of Pong after seeing that...

Hot sax player in jam session from Thailand.

Some of the night lights-nearby Eslite Mall.

Shot of stage from the side.

Here are some of the images I've taken recently on walks and jaunts around Taichung-central Taiwan.

Just loved this "buddha" outing. Several on the truck in the beautiful morning light.

Diligently tidying up for 10/10 Taiwan national hioliday.

Fishing on the holiday-good way to chill and pass time.

Lanterns in a row-the temple was visibkle from far end of stream. It added nice color and contrast to my view.

Decided to shoot this purple bloom from behind for a change of pace.

Lot's of nice textural images from streambed-both close-up and long-view.

Early morning exereciser along bank.

Some geometric feel in the mix.

More patterns in the streambed

Loved how this fence framed the rising sun.

Closed betel nut stand with betel nut beauties standing guard in poster form.

Cube at First Square-did car pop out of cube?

Brian being deep at nice nook off of Computer Alley. Love sitting outside in the nice weather. Great spot.

I love the colors and textures of this downtown pedestrian mall archway.

Kind of like a Taiwan Buena Vista Social Club? Well a Mah Jong Rooster Social Club anyway....

Lately I have been shooting a variety of different subjects in and around town on errands and photo walks. Hope you like some of them.

One of the buildings at Taichung's China Medical Center. Shot while waiting for my appointment for a check up there. This is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Taiwan and they have gotten really good at bilingual signage throughout facility with many bilingual staff as well. A welcome element when you are in a hospital and already have other things on your mind.

The thing I like about this shot is the representative quality of it-Taiwan is a busy, colorful and vibrant place.

The scooter-the preferred means of transport in crowded and certainly urban Taiwan. Rubber thongs optional

Just really loved the silhouette of this tree and the rising sun from behind.

When these towers come into view on my regular morning walks-it is a sign that I have entered the back stretch of my walking. Also like the template they make.

School kid pedalling along to junior high-I know because it is my son's school.

Yes, even in Taiwan we can't escape multi-national corporate clowns

Very geometrically-themed kitchen store.

Like this pond in front of this restaurant. They have fragrant plumeria blossoms in there and it smells great going past it.

Haven't a clue of what the aboriginal motif and pasta have to do with one another. I love these craxy, eclectic mashups of cultural icons that are visible in Taiwan's fusion pop culture.

Made me think of Crayola-that's right the big 64 piece box.

My favorite of the set. This kid was so engaged in his gaming that he nearly walked right into me. I lucked out and got this great shot as a result.

This is the largest market in Taichung, Taiwan (Taiwan's 3rd largest city). It's insane-totally vibrant and busy and fun.

Got a bug in me to go and shoot some photos in some new spots or ones that I haven't covered that well. I was still within my favorite light/time band:early morning or late afternoon. Here are a few images that were fun to shoot and I feel came out fairly well. Hope you agree.

I've walked by and shot this fountain before but when I saw this recent addition of lone Water Lily, just had to have it. I did nudge it a drop to get a slightly better angle.

I've been to this temple before up in the hills of Dakeng, but didn't have good light. I did this session.

This was the first time I visited this temple in the fields opposite JiuShe Park. Love the upward angle with some blue sky against the bright temple colors.

I knew this was going to be good just from the "keyhole" archway.

I received a call on my mobile just as I was going over this bridge. As luck would have it, this fellow was doing some fishing.

Some of the classic colors and shapes of traditional Chinese temple roofs.

I love the markets in Asia-this one is Taichung's largest Chienkuo market. They are so alive and crazy and colorful and ASIAN! My photos all available here for viewing.