Photo courtesy Scuba Bob Clements Fish Rock photo reminded me of moray eel peeking from rocks

    Lately I've been exploring more and more rock formations in the area. A big help in finding them is sculptor James Goss, who currently lives in the Chiliwist south of Okanogan. (His dream is to move to the big island of Hawaii once his son graduates from high school).
    On this particular foray, he wanted to look at some volcanic rocks near Big Goose Lake. I weaseled a trip along. The temperature was near freezing, with strong winds and an occasional rain fall. Footing was treacherous, especially for me. My clumsy feet felt their way across the rocks with little assistance from my one eye, which can't tell depth.
    But it did spot these rocks, which immediatly sent me into laughter. I think James and his girlfriend, now wife Amy, thought I'd gone bonkers. James nimbly skipped down the rocks to take a look see. He eventually saw what I saw, as I quickly set up before the vision failed me.
    Amy took a bit longer, but she saw it, too. One rock appeared to be peaking out from the others. And on this rock was a band of pink forming lips. Two green circles of rock formed eyes. A cleverly positioned chipmunk turd formed the perfect nose. You can see the rock at the bottom of the image in the middle.
    I get a kick out of a lot of people holding up the print, looking at it from various angles, squinting and saying, łThis is nice.˛ When I tell them about the rock fish, they wince and put the print away.
    This brings up a point I often ponder. A photograph without a title stands on its own. Add words, and you change the meaning of the image immediately. To most people, this was an interesting formation of rocks. When they see the title, the image changes completely, sometimes forever.
    On the other hand, some times words and images produce a completely new affect with which the photographer can live. The combination of Walt Whitman's poems and Edward Weston's images comes to mind.
    Lately - this was written in October, 1999 - I've been studying rock formations again, with an eye not for the odd but for movement, sculpturing. I recently returned from a short trip to Wenatchee and back via Sun Lakes near Soap Lake. I took three different images, each with something to offer me in moving towards more abstraction in my work.
    The first image was a rock cut south of Wenatchee. I had just put in a Bach fugue when I spotted the cut volcanic rocks. I know I will return to the area again, perhaps in November, because I spotted at least one other area to explore. But the music and image really inspired me. Almost to the point of not hearing the roaring vehicles passing on the highway.
    The other images were near the Lake Lenore Caves. I hope to have something printed before the New Year. Time may stop for no one, but it sure seems to go its separate way when you are having fun creating images.