Short road trip last weekend up to Frederick from Baltimore and back took place under some incredible skies.

All the photos were taken through a closed window producing some interesting reflections.

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There’s this huge dead tree at the end of my block. It towers above the big old dilapidated house it sits next to. Birds love this tree.  I do too.  I  find myself snapping the same general shot of it over and over.  I am fascinated with its  shape and how long after it has ceased living it is still such a powerful presence.

Dead Tree – Alice Wessendorf, 2009

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Currently stretched across Charles street, two blocks South of   North Avenue, are three strings of lanterns. They showed up during Artscape this year I believe. I am in love with them, and hope they stay.

[*For those not from Baltimore "From the Land of Pleasant Living" was the slogan for our one time Baltimore brewed beer National Bohemian. Or as we refer to it Natty Boh.]

Loud jangly laughter and furtive giggles behind palms pressed to pink cheeked faces. Bright neon lights reflecting in wide wandering eyes and glinting off staring store front windows.  Jiggling flashes of flesh and tired faces behind quickly closed curtains. It’s the red light district….

Scarlett, Alice Wessendorf

Folies Pigalle, Alice Wessendorf

Moulin Rouge, Alice Wessendorf

Sex Shop, Alice Wessendorf

Sexodrome, Alice Wessendorf

CineX, Alice Wessendorf

Red Light District – Alice Wessendorf,  Paris, France 2005

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Motion – Alice Wessendorf

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A thank you and head nod to We Love You So for introducing me both to Tanyth Berkeley‘s photography and AmericanSuburbanX‘s commentary on her work. I am simply in awe of her photos and the delicate way in which she treats the awkward and breathtaking beauty of these unique people.

Like We Love You So I don’t feel that I could say it any better than American SuburbanX so please forgive the echo.

“She likes the pale ones, the large headed types, the big bodies and the long giraffe necks. She likes the Robert Crumb shapes and the vampire faces, the glowing white skin and the men-in-dresses with womanly laces. She likes the eyes set back in the skull or the shoulders holding up those big heads that are smashed in like a pretty pumpkin in certain places. Her specialty is the awkward, the rare flower, the big cheek boned and special feminine shells and large sizes and different races.”

Please do go read the rest of  it: Tanyth Berkeley likes the special ones… after you have a look at a couple photos.

"Grace in Bed" - Copyright Tanyth Berkeley

"Rachel Pearls" - Copyright Tanyth Berkeley

"Simona" - Copyright Tanyth Berkeley

"Deanna" - Copyright Tanyth Berkely

Note: All photos copyright of Tanyth Berkeley. See Bellwether Gallery to inquire about purchases.

Tanyth Berkeley portrait courtesy of The City Review

Storm rolls in – Alice Wessendorf, Outer Banks, North Carolina

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I feel tense today. On edge. I know that this too will pass. But for now my nerve endings are all tingly, on red alert waiting for disaster.

Other shoe if you are going to drop I wish you’d just do it already. I am over the waiting and would like to move on to the recovery phase of the program now.

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Alice Wessendorf, Baltimore, MD

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Gerrit and I are trying our very best to be more conscious of our food purchasing habits.  We are picking organic and local farm grown food choices whenever we can. It’s not easy, but we are trying. The industrialized food system is just bad news for our health, our environment, and our workers.  For more information on the harm this system is doing be sure to check out the film Food, Inc .

We have a wonderful Farmer’s Market right here in our own neighborhood of Waverly in Baltimore. We used to go quite often and then fell out of the habit. We made it back this week and our committed to going every week for our fruit, vegetables, eggs, cheese, and bread needs.

Gerrit made us a to-die-for-delicious homemade soup last night with the vegetables we bought this weekend. With a loaf of fresh sesame seed topped bread on the side it was pure heaven.

I was to busy filling up shopping bags to get many photos this weekend. But here are a couple of our awesome Waverly Farmer’s Market.

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