Happy Holidaze!

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Happy Holidaze from me and all my 'nattie concepts'!

Natasha, Miss Delta Blue, Miss Purple Lele, Betty the Bullhorn, & (reluctantly) my uncooperative cat, Rhoda.  

It's that time of year again and this time me and all my nattie concepts decided to don our Santa hats.  Well, everybody except my cat, Rhoda.  She was mortified at the thought of being seen in public in full holiday regalia...  

She begged me not to make her do it..

But when I convinced her that she really did look cute, and that I would not show her face to any other feline, canine, or critter, she, ever so reluctantly....

...agreed.

With the stipulation, of course, that she would not have to face the humiliation of appearing at the actual photo shoot, so once again, Rhoda appears in a frame.

Have a Peaceful and Merry Christmas!!!
The World Tour resumes in the New Year!!

Natasha

The State of my World (Tour) - Performance/Exhibit Dec. 7th

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From start to 2/3rds finished, the World Tour photographs are piling up and the song ideas are a' churning...

The state of my World Tour is well, what is has been from the get-go, its a works in progress. Originally planned for April, it began in July.  I thought I would be finished with the Louisiana portion by October, instead I'll probably finish in December/January.

All along the way I've been asked what I was going to do with it, what was my end result. The only definitive answer I could give is that being in the midst of the journey, I wasn't, am still not, sure of what the final outcome will be.   But I  knew along the way I'd chronicle my interchangeably international journey in a  music/photo performance piece, a la Nattie at the DMV.

In keeping with that spirit,  I will be presenting a short performance of the tour complete with ditties that are somewhat witty, and photography that is relatively sharp..  If you are in the New Orleans area next Wednesday, December 7th,  come check out The State of My World (Tour) at Buffas Bar & Restaurant.  Its a works-in-progress as I hope to develop a show for more international travel in the future.   I'll sing a few ditties about my creative journey and experiences with Transylvania Bats and Waterloo watering holes.  Sorta.   In addition to the performance I will have a photo exhibit on the walls featuring my (experimental) liquid emulsion prints.

 I've enjoyed playing around with different photographic formats and techniques during the World Tour, using 35mm, Holga, digital point and shoot and even camera phones to capture the ever changing landscape in the state of my world.  It's nice to know that through all of the wide variety of photographic apparatuses we have available to us these days to capture a diverse and evolving world, the true essence of photography: capturing, recording, and controlling light, remains a constant.

 Musically, well, the travels have provided me with a few tunes.  The ditties remain the same, but I am pleased to report I finally put a B minor into one of my songs, haha.

So I hope to see you December 7th as I celebrate the World (so far), the Journey (so far) , and my B minor.

Also, you can check out lots of photographic works this month as December brings with it PhotoNOLA, a celebration of photography in New Orleans.  Check their website to see a long list of photographic happenings all over town.

The State of My World (Tour)

Buffas Bar - Backroom

1001 Esplanade  NOLA (enter on Burgundy Street)

December 7th, 2011

8pm (precisely)

NEXT UP:

Travels from the North

(stay tuned, the Tour aint done yet..)

all content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

Tiggers Never Get Lost - in Copenhagen, Louisiana

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Tis True.  A Tigger never gets lost.

But I do.

It was bound to happen.  After all, I am an admitted hypocrite.  Just call me "Rabbit".   I knock technological advances all the time. I've written enough songs about it to produce an entire show. Yet when I go on my World Tour adventures  I am armed with only Google Map directions and my hotshot phone.   Yes, the Once-Upon-A-Time Wanna-Be Geographer doesn't even bring a map with her...It never dawned on me that I might want a broader view of the landscape, but then again, isn't that what this whole World Tour shenanigan is about?

But first - Copenhagen.

When I think of the Copenhagen countryside, I am going to think of tall trees and log cabins.  How appropo..

 I will also think of these Horse Bff's I encountered on my drive:

I should have suspected something was amiss in Copenhagen Proper, when the signs just didn't add up. Clearly, this shoe shop was closed.  And it was Saturday.

It took me awhile, driving through the winding wooded roads to realize that I didn't know where in the heck I was, that I had missed the signs for the roads I was supposed to turn on.   Since I didn't realize I was lost, I had no problem stopping off now and then for a photo shoot in the lovely forest.

Soon after the forest shoot was when I realized - 'Oh. I'm not supposed to be here anymore'.  Woops.  GPS and fancy phones work GREAT when you have a car charger or at least keep your phone charged. And when you are capable of reading a map the size your thumb.  (okay, palm..)

After a while of driving and guessing where I need to be, all the roads started to look the same, and I began to feel like I was in some sort of Truman Show type of reality.

Open Road...Curve...Woods...

Open Road...Curve and Woods...(again)

Open Road..Curve..and Woods...(again..)

Then finally --- I found my way out of the Forest.  I was so happy to see this sign:

And I knew which way I was headed - South.  So off I went.. Carefree, happy, and at peace with the lovely images I had captured in and near Copenhagen, Louisiana. Getting off track actually helped me to stay on my path.  So I was content.

And then.  The unthinkable happened.   I hit a squirrel.  I maimed it I think.   It happened so fast yet so clearly in my mind. I saw it flip and scamper off...WWTD?  (What Would Tigger Do?)  Well, I'm not Tigger, so instead of bouncing back to the injured Squirrel, I kept driving. With my hand over my mouth, shocked at what I had done.

 I didn't want to write about The Squirrel.  I didn't want to admit it is part of my journey. But it is.  I can accept that.  And hold out on the hope that 'yeah, maybe I made that Squirrel even stronger!'...sigh...

In conclusion, my trip to Copenhagen was beautiful, but also yielded many adventures.   I got lost like Rabbit, bounced back like Tigger, and then I maimed Twiggy.

I think a nice jar of honey would be good right about now.

All content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Ay Carumba! Viva Italia! - in Colombia, Cuba, and Sicily Island, Louisiana

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It's November and the color palette of my World Tour has changed.  The red, yellow, orange, and fading green leaves provided a nice visual track to my spicy destinations of Sicily (Island), Cuba, and Columbia, Louisiana.
My first stop was Sicily Island. The island in the middle of the state.

I purposely decided I was NOT going to photograph churches and leave the spiritual searching at home for a while.  So instead, I focused on true Italian traits, like shopping and fashion:

Island Stylin' Salon

But then again, I do like happening upon visual evidence of small town philosophies, so I was pleasantly surprised when I developed the film and discovered the flair over the Trustworthy Hardware..

Yes, I have a thing for flair, it always seems a bit 'divine' to me.  Yet another validation of my World Tour journey.  One reason I had for starting this thing was to get out and shoot, unlock some of that creativity....It appears I'm on the right path..

Upon leaving Sicily Island, I passed through Turkey Creek on my way to Columbia.

And then at last, I reached Columbia.

Honestly, I hardly spent any time there, though it did look like a darling town.  It was another place that just 'happened' to be on my route. But I sure was sad that I arrived too late for the rodeo....

From Columbia, I headed north towards Cuba.  

In truth, I'm not sure if I ever made it to Cuba or not.  By the Google Map directions, I did.  But I never saw any sign.  These little villages can be hard to pinpoint. (as is evident by my journey through Bristol)  As I was driving around looking for signs of Cuba, I spotted a marker on the South side of the highway.  Hoping it might have something to do with Cuba, I turned around to get a better look, and then -  Ay Carumba!  

Yes, more Indian Mounds...with a little flair....

The mounds, from the Coles Creek Culture,  added a lil piquant to my journey. Only 698 more to go!  (Okay, that will be another tour...)  Not only do they give me something to research and learn about, they also make me realize how large, and how small,  our world really is.  

Up Next:

Adventures in Copenhagen

all content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand - in Hamburg, Louisiana

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Well, not really.  I don't really need to hold or take your hand in Hamburg, but I thought it was a funny title.  And its the only German I know.
True to my word, I had a lil Lennon on the iPod, but I quickly changed it when I realized what's in Hamburg.

It's not the Beatles or the Beetles (read: boll weevils)

It's cotton.

And lots of it.

So that meant it was time to listen to Merle Haggard. Well, sort of. I switched to Gram Parsons who does my fave version of Merle's "California Cottonfields". (In my twisted mind, it makes sense to hear Gram Parsons' version as I drove through Louisiana's cotton fields, because he is buried here.  Not in Hamburg. In Metairie.  But I waaayyy digress...)


Anyhoo, after leaving Waterloo, I headed on and towards New Roads, and new surroundings, albeit very carefully...

And lo and behold - I arrived in Cotton Country.  Avoyelles Parish. 

 I'd like to return next time before the cotton is harvested.  But still, the scenery made for some nice driving and photo shooting...

One thing I enjoy about this World Tour is the photographic comfort and inspiration. I'm keeping it real with my beloved 35mm and (mostly) black and white film. But just as I discover new things to think about, like ancient mound builders or the creation and production of cotton, I also am drawn to playing around with different photographic processes.  

Hamburg Handtint

 Hamburg, tiny hamlet that it is,   

    houses a cotton gin: 

a store that I guess I didnt photograph;

 this computer repair shop:

and a horse.  

Like all the international small towns I've acquainted myself with, this one is just lovely, 

and such a nice drive.

I'm looking forward to more.

All content (c) Natasha Sanchez

www.nattie-concepts.com

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Sie Liebt Dich, Hamburg!