[Leica] Missed opportunities

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

At 08:08 AM 12/6/2001 -0600, Walter S Delesandri wrote:

>BTW, Sonny, our local 120 year old hardware store went out of business a 
>coupla years
>ago....I meant to "document" it for several years before that, and DIDN'T!!!!
>
>Walt

I live dead center in Silicon Valley. Stand on my roof and you can see 
National Semiconductor, AMD, Amdahl, Intel, etc. All within blocks, not miles.

One block from me is a five acre field called the "Corn Palace." It has 
been owned by a family for generations. Well over 100 years. Every year 
they plow it and plant corn. Some tomatoes, beans, etc., but at least four 
acres of corn. There is a well at the corner near my house and irrigation 
ditches are dug and the crops irrigated via the well and pump.

This plot borders an express way on one side and residential on three 
sides. As I said, dead center Silicon Valley. They have a small open 
building (stand) at another corner where they sell their crops. And, of 
course, other fruits and vegetables.

For years, I though of documenting the property and thought about taking 
one photograph each week from exactly the same spot. Sort of a 
chronological documentary. Going from dirt, to plowed, to planted rows, 
irrigation, to sprouting plants, to growing plants, to picked plants, to 
plowed under stalks, back to dirt.

Five years ago, some developers talked the family into selling. The plans 
were made, the type of residences (single & multi family dwellings) were 
mapped out. I went to the planning commission meetings. A $1,500,000 
deposit was made. And then nothing happened. The Corn Palace sat as idle 
dirt and weeds for two years. I kept thinking that I was really stupid not 
to have taken my photographs. I've lived here for 33 years and there 
certainly was ample time to do it.

Then we heard that the developers could not get funding and that the deal 
was off.

The old guys (Joe & Ben) that own and work the ground, and sell in the 
stand, are in their 80's. Their kids actually do a lot of the heavy labor 
nowadays. I was telling all of this to my colleague (Angela - I've 
mentioned her before - Pentax 67II, R8 - and my swim workout partner) and 
she basically shamed me into getting motivated. So I did. Sort of like 
Sandy does to Ted!  :)

Now, every Friday morning at 7am, I photograph the Corn Palace from exactly 
the same point. Actually, three different views at the same location, 12 
frames - a date card, 3 frames for each view, and a couple of spares. I 
started last March and in March 2002 I will have 52 weeks documented.

I'm going to print 52 10x10 Ciba prints, make an album, and give it to Joe 
& Ben. But I won't stop photographing. I'm going to continue but from a 
different vantage point. And since what I'm doing will be known (it's been 
a secret so far) I'll photograph Joe & Ben, their sons, the stand, tractor, 
planting, weeding, etc.

What was once a thought, a dream, is now a mission and a ritual. It will be 
difficult to stop. If I ever stop.

This is one time that it didn't slip by. But I have Angela to thank for it.

Sorry to hear that you missed it Walt.

Jim

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