Well, I've already made my reservation for next Friday night's late show at The Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe. We were told that on Friday and Saturday nights, the musicians can jam until 2 a.m. and I am definitely up for that! I spent much of today (Friday) burning CDs of the photos I took at Wednesday night's performance. I then dropped off the CDs at the Cafe for Gretchen, the owner, and for each of the musicians. As there were 60 photos on Gretchen's master copy, I didn't bother to edit or resize them. If they want to use them online or for hard copy publicity, they can take care of that themselves.

I like to do this for musicians and club owners because I so appreciate what they give to the world. A good number of my photos already grace the web sites of jazz and experimental musicians in the U.S. and Canada. All I ask is that I am credited whenever my photos are used. It's my privilege to offer what I can to help keep jazz and experimental music alive. I know that, except for the superstars, there's not much money to be made in the music business. And to make it at all, most musicians have to spend a lot of time on the road. But I also know how it feels to be doing what you love. And the musicians I know love making music more than anything in the world. They deserve my support.

It's fitting that I should use this red scarf for this Valentine's Day Challenge since I bought it to wear at another very special Valentine's Day event six years ago. That was back when I used to spend my winters in San Francisco, and, of course, finding interesting things to do in that City by the Bay was never a problem. One of the most memorable was my seeing Eve Ensler, the originator of The Vagina Monologues, perform it live with her friends at San Francisco's Masonic Auditorium on February 14, 2002. Everyone who attended was encouraged to dress in red. I bought this scarf--the reddest piece of clothing I'd ever seen--at an Indian store in my neighborhood in the Mission. When I read that today's Challenge was "Simply Red," this scarf came to mind. I guess you can see why.

To see other PBasers' responses to this Challenge, CLICK HERE.

This is an example of yet another "order-out-of-chaos" day with my friend Pat. Our task today was my collection of CDs. I know your next question and the answer is "No, I have not gotten into the iPod, iPhone, i-anything world...except my iBook, that is." I'm counter-cultural I know, but I dislike wearing earphones that close me off from the world around me. Anyway, my CDs were so disorganized that I had no idea what was there. But not any more! Not only are they all in one place, but they're even shelved according to the following styles of music: jazz, experimental, women's music, world music, new age, spoken word, vocals (both individual & group), classical, pop/folk and soundtracks. Looking at these CDs was like looking at my life over the past 10-15 years. Each one carries memories, often of live performances I've seen and heard. Sorry, my friends, but ipods will never bring back memories like CDs. I doubt if you'll remember where you were and what was going on in your life when you downloaded a song off iTunes. It just isn't the same as buying a CD directly from the musician or at one of his/her/their concerts. So now I feel like I have a new world of sound to explore, the world I already knew but had forgotten. Such abundance!

By the way, I've added three new images to my Masked Winter Woman gallery. CLICK HERE to see them.

I am in a constant state of awe as I photograph these beautiful women for my Winter Nudes gallery. Their courage, trust and daring is enough to prompt one to bow at their feet. Today was an excellent example. My model on this cold grey February day was a woman who generally ducks out of sight whenever pictures are being taken. Yet when I told her about my Winter Nudes project and invited her to pose for me, her response was, "I don't want to do it, so that probably means I should!" And she did. Beautifully, I might add. The mask was her idea and I was delighted when I saw that she'd brought it. I'd already laid out a large selection of scarves on the table in my studio for anyone who might want to use one. Interestingly enough, my friend chose a scarf that had been given to me during my visit to Beirut, Lebanon in November 2005. It felt wonderful to have it used in this way.

Technically speaking I was very happy with how my new backdrop worked out. Thank you, dear Pat! And my search to find and buy daylight bulbs for my lamps paid off. The colors turned out to be true to life without any need for photoshop manipulations. I'd also turned up the heat which was much appreciated by today's model! And I had carefully chosen a CD--Margie Adam's piano solos on "Naked Keys"--that I felt would make my friend feel comfortable. And that's what it's all about--making your model feel at home. A body at ease is a body that shows its innate grace and beauty. When you see the gallery of photos from today, I think you'll agree that this masked Winter Woman is innately beautiful. But it will take awhile before this gallery is up and running. I have 85 photos to go through so I can select and prepare the best of the best. Today's image is just a preview of coming attractions...

When I asked my furry friends to pose for this Thursday's challenge, Valentine was fine with it but Brownie had some reservations. She said she'd had problems with vertigo and didn't know if she could manage to stay on her head without falling over. But Valentine assured her he would be there to give her support. Afterwards I asked them how it had gone. Brownie said she'd felt a little dizzy but she just leaned into Valentine and that made it OK. Valentine said he liked looking at the world from a different perspective, but then Val has always been the more adventuresome of the two. After all, he started life in San Francisco. Need I say more?

Other participants can be found here: http://forum.pbase.com/viewtopic.php?t=36112&highlight=thursday+challenge

Today (Tuesday) my friend Pat came over and brought her magic touch to my studio. I'd told her about the series I've been photographing in what used to be my art studio. This room has had many manifestations in our 36 years in this house, but this is its first time as a photography studio. Even though the set-up was far from ideal, I've been taking photos there since starting this Winter Nudes series on Saturday, January 26. What I needed was a neutral-colored backdrop to cover the wall against which I like to place the courageous women who agree to pose for me. And after sharing my need with Pat, she just took care of business. Today she brought over a hemmed (by her) muslin cloth to use as a backdrop. Not only was it the perfect size to cover that wall, but it also had strips of wooden molding at the top and bottom so it would hang properly. Like WOW!!! With that and a lamp we found that casts just the right amount of light, I am all set for the three photo shoots I have scheduled in the next two weeks. That's three shoots with a total of five women. I am SO EXCITED!!! And incredibly grateful to Pat for tackling this backdrop job. What a dear friend!

By the way, I received word today that both of my Winter Nudes photos were not accepted into the Body Eclectic show at a local gallery. To be honest, I was more surprised than disappointed. I know the work is good. So now I can hang those two beautifully matted and framed photos on the walls of my studio. That should let my models know how much I value their participation in this project. Everything works out for the best.