It seems that even though we live in Canada today we are just waiting for tomorrow’s elections in the US. I feel unsettled. I decided to putter in my oficina and look at some negatives in a box. These that I found I have seen before as I have scanned and put in blogs some of the pictures of Rosemary and me wearing the same shirts and the two of her not wearing anything but revealing nothing.
This time I decided to scan the negatives and will place them here both in vertical and horizontal format.
There was one single negative of a couple that as a negative I could not recognize. I scanned it and so found out that the woman was a friend and teaching colleague in Mexico City who was Welsh. Her name was Vivien Worsdall and her English was absolutely impeccable. She insisted in saying luncheon and not lunch and sofas were always davenports. She gave me many tips and I became a better teacher of English to Mexican executives working in American companies. She adored Rosemary.
I had not thought of her for years. Finding this negative it almost feels like I have participated in a resurrection.
From the time I married Rosemary in 1968 and particularly when me moved to a little house in Arboledas, Estado de México I began taking portraits of wealthy Mexican families, of friends and of my family. I used to good clunkers, a Pentacon-F and an Asahi Pentax S-3. I had a good 85 mm Komura portrait lens that fit both SLRs.I processed the negatives in one of our two bathrooms and printed them there. It was this realization that I could earn a living as a portrait photographer that gave Rosemary the idea for the four of us to move to Vancouver.
As a portrait photographer I find this as a heavy philosophical thought that will probably have me thinking about it tonight when I get into bed in anticipation of what will happen tomorrow.
In a small Welsh coincidence, my Welsh neighbours, the Galsworthys have invited me tomorrow to watch the proceedings on BBC. My daughter Hilary has invited herself and made cookies. It will be fun. I hope.
