The Stone Boy is a 1984 American drama film directed by Christopher Cain and starring Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Glenn Close, Wilford Brimley, Linda Hamilton, Dean Cain and Jason Presson. It is based on the 1957 short story "The Stone Boy" by American author Gina Berriault.

For me it is a mystery why when actors die they are remembered for obvious films. Thus Wilfred Brimley’s death was accompanied by accolades to his performance in Cocoon.

For me The Stone Boy is one of the finest films I have ever seen. A lot of the action happens in a kitchen and to watch Brimley, Close and Duvall is a performance that I like to label as virtuoso.

Of my moments facing Brimley with my camera in the early 90s, with my receding memory I remember little. But I do remember him saying something like this,”Robert Duvall is our contemporary Spencer Tracy.”

One of the particularly special and wonderful aspects of portrait photography is to photograph your subject more than once. It is even better when lapses of time have occurred between sessions.

On February 8, 1968 a judge in Coyoacán Mexico married my Rosemary and me. This was our third attempt. The two previous judges had told us that since Rosemary was Canadian and I was Argentine we needed permission from the Secretaría de Gobernación. This third time my mother did not show up. My good friend Raúl Guerrero de Montemayor was one of the witnesses, the other one, we flagged on the street. The judge had no opposition to the ceremony as I had shown up a few days before with a good bottle of French cognac.

April 1969 - University of Mexico Botanical Garden - Photographs - Andrew Taylor

On all the three occasions Rosemary wore the white bird dress. I personally cut it short (and hemmed it) so I could show off her splendid legs.

Lauren Stewart - 2016 - Fuji Instax print

Some 52 plus years later, last Thursday, July 30, our granddaughter Rebecca (22) came over to make Rosemary up. Rosemary had her hair done the day before.

I made the request that she wear the bird dress. While it was a tad tight around her chest the dress fit nicely.

With Rebecca - self timer - I was about to close my eyes

Perhaps someday I may be able to persuade the hosta gurus of the American Hosta Society not to ignore what for me is the inherent beauty and elegance of hosta flowers, and particularly before they open.

One hosta in particular, Hosta 'Invincible' has fragrant white flowers which it inherited from the August Lily, Hosta plantaginea. It has thick and dark leaves with a special glossy shine to them.  I asked its hybridizer, Paul Aden at a hosta convention many years ago why he had named it like that. His answer was a short one, “I named it after my mother-in-law.”

I have a particular liking for its flowers because before they open in August to me they resemble the Klingon Bird of Prey ship from my fave , the original Star Trek.

Hosta 'Invincible' 26 July 2020