To My Surprise

A couple of years ago I opened an email from a curator at the Smithonian Institution. Preparations were underway to open their National Museum of African American History & Culture and she was asking for permission to use a photograph that I had taken in 1970.

Let’s go back 45+ years. Then I was a student at the University of Michigan and a volunteer for the University Activities Committee. I was assigned to cover the Martin Luther King Jr memorial concert where the popular Fifth Dimension would perform. I was armed with a press pass and free to move throughout the huge stadium. But I was careful to avoid annoying the audience as I roamed around the stage area to get to different vantage points. And so I took a few dozen rolls of film that evening.

In 1970, as a 20 year-old youngster this was just plain fun for me. Nonetheless it amazes me that an event from long ago resurrected itself so many years later.

Anyway, here are some of the shots from that evening that led to the inclusion of my photo in one of the Smithonian Museums.

---

---

This photo has been on display at the NMAAHC of the Smithonian
Billy Davis Jr and Lamonte McLemore	Lamonte and Marilyn McCoo
Florence LaRue and Marilyn McCoo	Ron Townsend
Florence LaRue	Billy Davis Jr
I was able to speak to the group briefly backstage after the concert
And I was lucky enough to get their autographs too.

Visiting Monument Valley with the Grandkids

I have a habit of revisiting fabulously gorgeous places. Some have a magnetic attraction that just keep me coming back.

Each fall I ferry Mom’s car to Arizona and then back to Michigan in the spring. When I can make the arrangements, I ask one of our grandkids to come along to keep me company and in turn share some wonderful sites with them.

The small town of Kayenta, AZ lies along the route between Phoenix and Michigan. A few miles north of the town along the Arizona/Utah border is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park – a most unique and eye-popping location. There you will leisurely drive along the 17-mile dirt road to view a multitude of amazing cliffs, buttes and mesas.

These photos were taken at a spot with with either the iconic West Mitten Butte or Merrick Butte in the distance.

Taken April 2011

Taken July 2014

Taken Nov 2014

Taken Apr 2015

Taken Apr 2018

Taken Apr 2019

The photos are a great way for me to remember this magnificent area. Hopefully the grandkids will recall their visit in years to come.

I’ve taken an awful lot of photos over the years – some were for professional purposes, some as obligatory family responsibilities (wedding, birthdays, etc.) and some (many, many, many) for my own pleasure.   In this last category are a group that I consider fun photos. I’ve put a large number of them into my snapshot gallery.   I’m happy to share them with you so please click here and I’ll take you to see them.

« Older Posts — Newer Posts »