November 3, 1964

 

Who among us can say, with any degree of certainty, exactly what they were doing on this date 56 years ago?

Well, maybe some can . . . and maybe there are some that weren't even born 56 years ago.

Anyway, as it so happens (as it was meant to happen) Mike has documentary evidence of what he was doing on November 3, 1964. Yes, as part of his PsyOps training, he was kneeling on the grass outside some barracks in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, getting a first-hand look at the capabilities of a psychological warfare unit. Wow!

So that was the big event of that day. Of somewhat lesser interest was the presidential election also taking place on November 3rd, won by LJB over Barry Goldwater. 

Below, the reverse of the "1st Psy War Bn" leaflet.

Vine and Fence (1960)

Vine and Fence - Los Angeles  1960

Hm. I think that this might be the last photo taken in 1960 that's available to post. Taken in my parents' backyard in Los Angeles.

Below, a similar, more recent photo (this month) taken in our Fairfax backyard, using an iPhone 7.

Old Pole Bean Vines (Fairfax) - Marin County  2020

Sunset (1960)

 

Sunset, Coast - Northern California  1960

Another 1960 photo. So, it probably was taken on the California coast. But maybe in Oregon?

Hard to say.

Monday Cat Blogging (1960)

Cat - Los Angeles  1960

Taken in the backyard. I think that the crop was accidental. Also, can't remember anything about the cat.

But! A 60-year old photo!

Sand Dunes, Tamarisk

 

Tamarisk, Dunes - Death Valley  1961

Tamarisks are considered an invasive species. So they might have been removed by now (59 years later.) I think that I used a Speed Graphic with a roll film adapter for this photo.

I used a 35mm camera for my favorite dune photo(s), taken in the 1970s.

East Coast Pix - 1960's

Sunset, Fort Holabird (Baltimore) - Maryland 1966

White Cross (New York City) - New York  1966

Mike was stationed at Fort Holabird at the beginning of 1964, then towards the end of 1966, during which time he visited New York a few times.

Mike's diploma below, now proudly pushpinned to his darkroom wall.

Fort Holabird Diploma 

Monday Goat Blogging (1965)

Goats - Okinawa  1965

I don't think that these photos have been posted on the blog before. One of my fellow servicemen in the U.S. Army was from Hyannisport, MA. He had somehow acquired a small sailboat and then somehow convinced me that it was a good idea to sail from the main island of Okinawa to one of the very smaller islands nearby.

Crazy, of course, since I can't swim, and we had no life vests.

Photos taken with a Nikon F, using Kodachrome film.

Boat - Okinawa  1965

Bishop Pass - 2007

Sunrise (Bishop Pass) - Sierra Nevada  2007

Dusy Basin, Black Divide - Sierra Nevada  2007

As I had said, I had been up in this area before. First time was in 1961 (below) with a twin-lens reflex camera.

From the notes:

6:30 AM—Get up. My sleep was very altitude-impaired. Of course: camp site over 11,000 feet. Gasping for air, etc. However, adjusted slightly as the night progressed, so will continue (at one point I was wondering). 41º.

Dusy Basin, Black Divide -  Sierra Nevada  1961

Cherry Blossoms, Berkeley 1969

Cherry Blossoms, Shingles - Berkeley  1969

So, I recently found the photo below depicting my work desk in my Berkeley room: some Joe Grant art of Scrooge McDuck as Uncle Sam and a photo of cherry blossoms against weathered shingles. I was able to locate one of the cherry blossom/shingles negatives with the result shown above.

I used a Nikon F SLR and Panatomic-X film for these photos.

Also stuck on the wall is a haiku by Basho:

Yoku mireba
Nazuna hana saku,
Kakine kana.

Translated as:

looking closely:
a shepherd's purse blossoming
beneath the hedge

I guess that I thought that the poem somehow related to the cherry blossoms and shingles.

Mike's Desk & Art - Berkeley  1969

. . . from the archives #102: Backyard - Berkeley 1969

Backyard - Berkeley  1969

50 years ago. I was renting a second-floor room in a house on College Avenue while I was attending UC Berkeley. Google Street View reveals that the place looks about the same now.

Mike, College Avenue House

College Avenue House (Google) January, 2018

. . . from the archives #96: Surf, Queen Anne's Lace - California Coast 1968

Surf, Queen Anne's Lace - California Coast  1968

Well, that's the problem with some of these older negatives: there's really no way to know exactly where they were taken. Sometimes it's obvious, and sometimes I just remember the circumstances for some reason.

But not with this one. So, for now, just "California Coast" as the location. Standing on a cliff somewhere, pointing the camera downwards.

I used a Nikon F 35mm camera, with, probably, Panatomic-X film.

Monday Pigeon Blogging

Little Girl, Pigeons (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Taken with a Nikon F during my first visit to Japan, in 1966. Hm. Let's do the math . . . why, that was 50 years ago! How time flies, like pigeons about to be rousted by a little girl.

Scooter, Okinawa - January, 1966

Motor Scooter (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Who among us can pinpoint exactly where we were 50 years ago this month?

I don't know, maybe a lot! Maybe some weren't even born 50 years ago.

Anyway, 50 years ago this month Mike was motor scootering down a rural byway in Okinawa with his Nikon F slung over his shoulder*. At one point he impulsively stopped and clambered up a nearby hillside through the pampas grass to get a photo of his older, but still serviceable, motor scooter.


*Maybe. Can't exactly remember how the camera was carried.

Boats, Reflections Okinawa 1966

Boat, Reflections (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Boats, Reflections (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Down by the harbor.

I recall one episode when the local longshoremen went on strike and members of the U.S. Army were ordered in to help unload the ships. I walked onto one of the boats, tiptoed over to a hold and peered down. Yikes! It was like looking into a bottomless black pit.

Needless to say I put my hands into my pockets, sauntered away then quickly hid. It worked!

Kyoto Sightems 1966

Photographers (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Caboose (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Photographers at work at a temple courtyard and  . . . a caboose!

Movie Posters 1966

Movie Posters - Japan  1966

Movie Posters - Japan  1966

I've tried to translate some of this, but alas, I'm totally not up to the task.

Street Scene, Casks Kyoto 1966

Street Scene (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Casks (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Some of these older photos I remember taking, but some I don't. Like the above.

Kids, Japan 1966

Kid Throwing (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Kids, Ditch (Okinawa) - Japan  1966

Some Nikon F black and white street photos.

Steps, Shrine 1966

Steps (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Shrine (Kyoto) - Japan  1966

Kyoto in 1966, in these scenes looking much the same as it does today.

Monday Cat Blogging

Lady, Cat (Kyoto) - Japan 1966

Cat was scampering away, but she managed to catch up and snag it.