Introduction

On this site, I posted a picture (almost) every day, from December 3, 2010 to December 3, 2011. Only 16 days during that period are without pictures. All but two pictures were taken on the day of the post. Sometimes the daily picture represented the day in a larger way; sometimes it was just a picture. Since I posted so often, some pictures are more interesting than others.

After one year of posting a daily picture, I posted pictures less frequently - whenever I had something worth sharing.

After two years of more casual posting, I decided to once again post a daily (or almost daily) picture in 2014.

I'm not a photographer, and most of these pictures were taken with an inexpensive digital camera. A few were taken with a cellphone camera. Click on any picture for a larger view.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Exercise Machine


Much of the last day of the year was devoted to picking up and assembling a new elliptical machine. This had nothing to do with any new year's resolutions - we actually used our old one so much that we broke it. Jockomo thought the pieces were perfect to relax among; with his help and that of The Allman Brothers and King Sunny Ade, I had it assembled in a couple of hours.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Blues at Blind Willie's


A low-light photo of Fatback Deluxe, with my friend Ben Gettys on bass, at Blind Willie's in Atlanta.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Monday, December 27, 2010

Chamblee Antiques


An antique store in Chamblee, Georgia - built as a church in the 1880's.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Unboxing Day


The day after Christmas is known in some countries as Boxing Day. Since we didn't have much of a Christmas, Karen and I exchanged gifts for "Unboxing Day" this morning. She has always had a knack for finding interesting and unexpected presents - this year they included a book of poetry by W.S. Merton, a CD by the great Malian musician Bassekou Kouyate, and a Kindle electronic reader. My presents to her weren't nearly as imaginative.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas 2010


Christmas for us this year began in a hotel near the Frankfurt airport. This was followed by four hours or so at the airport and twelve hours on a plane. But we made it home.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Clever Geocache


We're stuck in Frankfurt with a canceled flight. I have several depressing pictures related to that theme, but thought I would post a composite picture (before and after opening) of a clever geocache I found in the German woods near our hotel today.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Hot Girl-on-Girl Action


My wife and a close friend on the campus of the University of Saarland.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Carnal and the Spiritual in Paris

Today's plan was to spend the day in Paris, but train cancellations and delays meant that we only spent a few hour there this afternoon. I'm breaking my "rules" and posting two pictures, representing the carnal and the spiritual.


In a little cafe, I had a plate of sausages and the best pommes frites (French fries) that I've ever had - not surprising, I guess.


I took lots of pictures at Notre Dame cathedral, but I like this 14-century representation of Doubting Thomas.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Saar River


The Saar River at dusk, taken from the bridge to the Schloss Palace.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Neugrabenweg, Saarbrucken


Sorry about another "Germany in the snow" picture. I only took a few shots today; through a misunderstanding, I didn't have my camera for most of the day. This is Neugrabenweg (literally, "New Ditch Way"), the street our hotel is on in Saarbrucken.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Saarland Snow


Sorry about all the snow pictures - it's fascinating to a Georgia boy. My nephew and I took a hike in the woods in Saarland, Germany this morning.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Early Morning Frankfurt


Outside the main train station in Frankfurt on a cold morning.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Main River, Frankfurt


We're spending a snowy day in Frankfurt before heading to Saarbrucken to visit relatives.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Headed for Europe


A few minutes after this picture was taken, we were on this plane, headed to Frankfurt, Germany.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Yin and Yang


I have avoided posting pictures of my cats so far - it's pretty cliche, and a lot of folks don't like cats. But I wanted to capture this moment. Our cats don't like each other, or rather, Sassy, the female (right), doesn't like Jockomo, the male. Jockomo is pretty oblivious to Sassy most of the time. But the cold weather we've been having makes strange bedfellows, hence this yin/yang pose.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Frozen Pond


It seldom gets cold enough long enough for lakes to freeze here in Georgia. But it hasn't gotten above freezing for several days now. This pond is in the Shepherd Nature Preserve in Decatur.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Midtown Atlanta


Midtown Atlanta, looking over Piedmont Park.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Snow on Ivy


Snow is infrequent here in Georgia. Today we got a very light dusting, with perhaps more to come.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Waterworks


Abandoned waterworks - Decatur, Georgia.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Restaurant Cat


The resident cat at a restaurant in Augusta, Georgia, enjoying the sun on a cold day.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Savannah Bottles


These are 19th-century soda bottles from Savannah, known for their rich colors. I was struck by the way the sun shone through them this morning. The blue John Ryan bottle is prized by bottle collectors.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Antenna and Grey Sun


This in not the most attractive picture I took today, but it's the one which best represents the day: cold and so overcast that the sun is a grey smudge.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Old Brick Pit Barbecue


Being a Southern boy, my favorite thing to eat is barbecue. Whatever the rest of the country thinks, "barbecue" is a noun, not a verb, and refers to pork slow-cooked over hickory wood and served with sauce; the sauce can be tomato-, vinegar-, or mustard-based. Here in Georgia, Brunswick stew is an essential accompaniment. Since barbecue is not the healthiest thing in the world to eat, I try to limit my intake, but today I visited one of my favorite places. Old Brick Pit Barbecue is, in my learned opinion, one of the two best barbecue joints in Atlanta - the other being Harold's. Note the regular and hot vinegar-based sauces on the table.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Waiting for Parole


Took a walk on Atlanta's coldest day for ten months - not that it would seem that cold to many people. Saw these jailbirds on Arizona Avenue.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

78 Album


I'm a record collector, and in some ways I'm the worst kind. I collect, among other things, 78 RPM records. I love them for their direct, immediate sound as well as for the sense of holding a piece of history. Today I cleaned and played a 4-record album of 12" 78s which I found recently - Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey,and Bunny Berigan. The records are in excellent condition and sound great.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Recording with the 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra



Six and a half hours in the recording studio today. The kick drum is miked with a conventional bass drum mic and a homemade one, which uses a 10-inch speaker for a diaphragm; it's mounted into a cheap rack tom.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Kizzie's Baby



About a month ago, I visited the grave of the great blues singer Ma Rainey. Rainey is buried in Porterdale Cemetery in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia. After finding her grave, I was wandering through the graveyard and came across this stone. I returned today and took this picture.

For most of the history of the South, racial segregation did not end with death. Porterdale Cemetery was designed to be the final resting place for the black residents of Columbus. And seeing this tombstone brought the terrible history of my region home to me. At first I thought it was strange that there were no last names on this stone. Then I realized that Kizzie and Jenny didn't have last names - they were slaves.

The stone itself raises some questions. It's marble, and professionally carved. Most of the older markers in Porterdale are concrete. There's not much chance that, in Georgia in 1858, Kizzie could have paid for her daughter's tombstone - so who did? Was Kizzie the maid of a privileged family? Could Jenny's father have been the slavemaster?