Sad and Happy Event

Bridgewater, Connecticut

This afternoon we went to a memorial get together for a couple, Bob and Shirley, whom Tina had known literally all her life, and I'd known for a mere 40 years or so. It was a lovely gathering with food and drink for friends and relatives. Bob was a wonderful photographer who worked in the alternate processes—gum, bromoil, manipulated negatives—calling himself an "unregenerated Pictorialist," through decades when that sort of work was very much out of fashion. Much of his archive would today look very up to date with the revival of alternate processes.

So a memorial, but a happy one, a party they both would have enjoyed.

A happy surprise for me was that photographer Bill Eppridge was there. I've known his work forever, but had never before met him. We had a fascinating talk for a couple of hours, ranging from photography to politics and society and back again. He kept spotting something and taking pictures from the hip, shoulder, and at arm's length with a little Canon minicam.

Bridgewater, Connecticut