Nativity façade of the Sagrada Familia at Sunset. Unretouched.
Looking up the tower stairway
Plaza de Toros
Sagrada Familia – Completed Nativity Façade spires.
Passion Façade spires under construction
Barcelona to the east, viewed over the rising spires of the Passion Façade.
Plaza de Catalunya
Mercado in San Jose
Spanish Village
All photos ©1970-2012 Old Wolf Enterprises
El vell llop ha parlat.
At least, I think this is Luxembourg. I’m having a hard time remembering for sure. The picture was taken with a Leica I had gotten from my father using a fast shutter speed to stop the water. Wish I still had the camera – it was sadly stolen that same year.
In December of 1976 I had the chance to visit Egypt. This is a small sample of some of my favorite images from the trip.
Aswan – Aga Khan Mausoleum
Cairo – Muhammad Ali Mosque
Abu Simbel temple exterior
Abu Simbel Temple – Interior
The Step Pyramid of Saqqara
The Father of Terror
Cairo – Ramadan booth
Colossus at Memnon. This always calls to mind the famous poem:
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Aswan – Christmas Day, 1976
Aswan – Overlooking the Nile
Luxor
Memphis – Reclining Ramses II
This was a phenomenal trip – 2 weeks in an amazing country. Al Qahira munwwara bi Ahlaha!
All images ©1976-2012 Old Wolf Enterprises
… I can see him in his small black suit,
Following behind the funeral procession
With his features fixed in a suitable expression. ♬
–That’s Your Funeral, Oliver, London and original Broadway productions
From about 1600 to 1914, there were two professions in Europe now almost totally forgotten. The mute is depicted in art quite frequently but in literature is probably best known from Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.” Oliver is working for Sowerberry’s when this conversation takes place: “There’s an expression of melancholy in his face, my dear … which is very interesting. He would make a delightful mute, my love”. The main purpose of a funeral mute was to stand around at funerals with a sad, pathetic face. A symbolic protector of the deceased, the mute would usually stand near the door of the home or church. In Victorian times, mutes would wear somber clothing including black cloaks, top hats with trailing hatbands, and gloves. (Wikipedia)
Found at Pu(re)blog. Also added this to my own reminiscence of Times Square.
This is either incredibly cool, or wrong on every possible level, depending on what you think of Harley-Davidson and scooters in general. More on the Topper from Wikipedia.
Since we’re on the subject of scooters:
Actor Joe DeSantis on a Vespa in Calabria, 1953. The Italians have a saying: “o la moglie o la moto,” meaning that you can have a wife or a motorcycle, but not both.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Within my lifetime. That little girl looks like she’d be about my age; incredible that such things were possible.
Edit: When I first saw this picture, I was not aware of its origin. This beautiful picture by Gordon Parks is one of a series of 40 that will be on display at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, beginning 15 November, 2014.
Read more about the exhibit at the Daily Mail.
The Matterhorn, Summer 1975. ©1975-2012, Old Wolf Enterprises, All Rights Reserved
Probably one of the most iconic and picturesque images in the world – and the reality lives up to the hype. To stand in Zermatt, looking up at this beautiful mountain with the green Alm at its feet, is absolutely breathtaking.
The village looks like something out of a Disney fantasy, but it’s very real, as your wallet will attest. I lived in Switzerland in 1984, and the dollar was at 2.5 CHF then – now it’s at 1.06. Not surprisingly, the Big Mac index lists Switzerland at No. 2 worldwide – but it’s really No. 1, considering that Venezuela’s price is off the scale for a number of reasons.
But if you can afford it, Switzerland is basically one stunning view of beauty after another, across the entire country. If I were wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice, one of those little chalets would be mine.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
ZCMI (Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institute) self-parking garage at night, Salt Lake City, Utah. Image from Georges Blond: J’ai vu vivre l’Amerique, Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1957
Capacity: 542 vehicles. Designed by L. G. Farrant
Both the garage and ZCMI, long a beloved and favorite department store, are now gone, but the store’s fabled cast-iron façade has been removed, renewed, and replaced several times as it remains a Salt Lake City landmark. Its first facelift took place when the ZCMI Center Mall was built in 1975.
An early ZCMI marquee.
ZCMI, 1910
The ZCMI Center exterior, 1975-2007
ZCMI Center interior, looking west – 1970’s
ZCMI was popular for good-quality merchandise at reasonable prices, paired with knowledgeable and competent sales help. Sadly, competing businesses in the area resulted in declining revenues, and the store was sold to May Stores (Now Macy’s, Inc.) It operated under the ZCMI name for two years before becoming Meier and Frank. in 2007, the ZCMI mall and the Crossroads Mall across the way were demolished as part of a 1.5 billion-dollar project co-sponsored by Salt Lake City and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opened in March of 2012 as a multi-use center including retail, restaurants, business, entertainment and residential areas. City Creek itself, the original source of water for the 1947 Pioneers, was brought back to the surface and channeled through the development. The ZCMI façade was restored once more and now serves as a front for Macy’s.
ZCMI façade in its final completion stages, City Creek sky bridge behind.
Façade close-up
Façade detail
City Creek parking is now underground and includes capacity for 5,000 cars. You’ve come a long way, baby.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Playing in the World Game 