Uncle Bill Installment #20

The family speculates: The only thing I could ever get out of my brother, who’s about five years older than me, when I asked him about Uncle Bill was, “Bill experienced the rapture of the deep.” Then … My brother recently told me he has dementia. I immediately asked, “Ok. Before you forget. What do […]

Uncle Bill Installment #19

I feel like the first 18 installments belong to “PART ONE”. I’m giving you a bit of a palette cleanser here…two installments, #19 & #20. These two pieces are a glance into the original protagonists of this story. Two people we still know little about, Donald Diehl and Uncle Bill. After these, I CAN TELL […]

Uncle Bill Installment #18

Remember that last installment where I said this story was reminiscent of South Pacific The Musical? South Pacific actually had a message. One that had nothing to do with hair shampoo or cross dressing stage shows. South Pacific was about acceptance. It came about that Kendrea, Denise’s daughter, contacted her aunt, Denise’s sister. A sister […]

Uncle Bill Installment #17

Uncle Bill embraced technology. Photography was one of his passions. When I look at my uncle’s pictures of his time on the Eastern Range, even though some are black and white, in my mind they explode with color. They may have faded or deteriorated in other ways – perhaps screwed up in the first place? […]

Uncle Bill Installment #16

I don’t know what my uncle’s relationship was with black coral – or if he even had one. I don’t know much about my uncle’s relationships with other-than-sea-creatures either. I can only speculate.   Corals are composed of polyps, each having a ring of tractable tentacles surrounding a mouth. Similar to trees, coral form growth […]

Uncle Bill Installment #15

  NOTES FROM A ROAD TRIP.   When you live about as far west as you can get in the lower 48, any eastbound road trip consists of days and days of craggy buttes and plains. I used to get antsy going over what seemed like the same landscape every day. Anymore? I see the […]

Uncle Bill Installment #14

So, Mr. X called me. I hate calling him “Mr. X”. It sounds X Files or worse, porno. At 88 years old he sounds very sharp and robust. He didn’t know Uncle Bill well at all. He was Uncle Bill’s roommate at the time of his disappearance. He was on San Salvador Island for a […]

Uncle Bill Installment #13

A small thing happened while I was on San Salvador Island [it was a big thing].  “Marie” posted a comment to one of my blog installments. “My mother talks about this incident at the base. She was a young girl and worked in the mess hall, she remembers Bill very well, she can tell you […]

Uncle Bill Installment #12

From Nassau, I phoned Bob and we exchanged our usual topics of conversation … the daily junk that old married folk talk about when they’re apart: His golf score. The latest neighborhood news. The size, color, regularity and consistency of our dog’s poop. The mail – there’s a small  package from my cousin, Kate. Years […]

Uncle Bill Installment #11

  Our final evening on Sal Salvador island arrived. We were to meet Juanita Vernecia at the tip of the island. Juanita’s son owns Dis Da One, a grocery store in North Victoria Hill. When we arrived, we were met with a friendly “Hello!” Garnell (Juanita’s daughter) is a lovely wisp of a thing. Dressed […]

Uncle Bill Installment #10

Photo by Bill Scales.    The following day broke with absolute brilliance over San Salvador Island. We got up early and headed toward the north end of the island for a hike along the coral cliff. During the hike, I shot photos using my uncle’s cameras, etc. while my mind picked over events of the […]

Uncle Bill Installment #9

Photo by Bill Scales. Introduction to Installment #9 : Installment #7 had a lot of hullabaloo (or should I say ballyhoo?) about my initial island impressions. I’d gone to San Salvador island to see where my uncle had disappeared, shoot with his film cameras and, possibly talk to someone who was of age during that […]

Uncle Bill Installment #8

I’d traveled to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, not knowing much about my long lost uncle and not expecting to find out much. Driving around the Queen’s Highway (the road that rings the island) those first few days, I felt I knew more about the island than I did about my uncle. [I knew […]

Uncle Bill Installment #7

Taking Uncle Bill’s cameras to the place he was last known to have been (San Salvador Island in the Bahamas) was, at first, just a little spark of an idea. Learning more about my Uncle Bill over the past few months brought a significant shift in my thoughts, moving this photo project from the recesses […]

Uncle Bill Installment #6

To celebrate Thanksgiving 2022, my cousin John and his wife Gabe, who reside in southern California, rented an Airbnb in Tacoma, just south of Seattle.  Bob & I and our dog Luna had been invited to join in the holiday dinner along with our good friend, Cindy. John has spent years cataloging his mother’s effects […]

Uncle Bill Installment #5

  Coming out of the Covid time, I began to delve deeper into the contents of the Ancestry folder that cousin Kate had sent:   Most items were dated June, 30 1958 and on into July and August of the same year. Between the time of the investigation and the presenting of the actual investigator’s […]

Uncle Bill: Installment #4

November, 2019. Southeast Michigan. With leftover crusty snow on the ground, some sun and outside temperatures in the 20’s – 30’s, the scene inside the house appeared more like a natural disaster than a home for sale. There had been a bungled estate sale and, in the intervening months, the home my parents’ raised us […]

Uncle Bill: Installment #3

North Cove, Washington. 2017: A knock at the door sent the dog into a frenzy and signaled UPS had arrived with a package. What did Bob order now? With Channel 9, our local public television station, broadcasting in the background, I carried the package into the house and set it on the floor. Oh! It’s […]

Uncle Bill : Installment #2

  My parents lived in the same house in southeast Michigan for almost 60 years. It was the house I grew up in. Over the course of the final 10 years they lived there, my visits increased as their needs increased. I live in western Washington. My sister was always there for them, but I’d […]

Uncle Bill : Installment #1

My Uncle Bill was always just some old, dead guy. He died 2 years before I was born, which made him not necessarily real to me. What held intrigue for us kids growing up was the fact that he disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle. Is the Bermuda Triangle even a thing these days? My mom […]

Herland Forest

Death is a common ground where we’re all headed. I’m going to die, feed a tree and save a forest. I’m all set.   It was Hipcamp that brought me to Herland. In looking for a campsite, not too far – no too close, the forest is what first drew me. As the listing states, […]

Reluctantly crouched

Shortly before our summertime trip to Iceland a while back, I saw a note about a “Runners’ Festival” in the Westfjords. Whadya know? It was happening during the time that we would be there. This Runners’ Festival, lasting 3 days, was touted to attract runners from all over the world. It said something like, “Imagine […]

My mom.

      She was born Sue Ellen Scales in the farmlands of Ohio on January 12th, 1931 to Helen (Armstrong) and Rufus Scales. The first of five children, Sue excelled in school. She and her siblings were involved in every possible extra curricular activity. As she put it, “There were so few students in […]

4×5 pinhole and the anatomy of a self portrait gown shoot

  A couple of years ago at a PSPCS camera show, Mike Immel approached me. ” I have something for you”, he said while caressing a lovely chunk of what appeared to be polished lumber. See, that’s just it. This 4×5 camera makes you want to stroke it. It’s heavy, smooth and sturdy. Simple even. […]

Favorite Podcasts ?

During Covid, a lot of things happened when we weren’t supposed to be doing anything. New podcasts seemed to pop up every week. Seeking some cameraderie, I started listening. Not just listening to camera-related podcasts, I also managed to sneak in some other topics. I revolutionized my compost system, attempted to up my game in […]

The Great Pintoid Adventure

I jam the Pintoid camera into the sand. Bracing the metal tin, either into or against more stationery objects has become my forté. It more often that not makes for a low-to-the-ground vantage point but it helps to stabilize my pinhole camera. The exposures are long and I rarely bother to carry a tripod. Peeling […]

The Wayback Machine

Happy New Year 2023! It was in the 1990s that I traded some photography to a woman whose husband designed websites for Microsoft. The offer was that he would build a website for my business and I would shoot photos of their kids. Piece of cake. Small businesses at the time didn’t often have a […]

Those who decide to leave and those who just … leave.

This year I’ve continued the daunting task of creating world peace through Junk Store Cameras. Have you noticed a difference yet? [You’re welcome.] Now that I’m retired I have more time for it. So I guess you can expect more peace is on the way. In Portugal, I left a C3 with these yay-hoos:   […]

#detritusredefined

I finally figured out what I want to do with my life! I’m mixing my love of alternative photography with my love for the river mud and turning it into pieces I’ve [somewhat embarrassingly] tagged #detritusredefined . I leave these pieces in off the wall places. A rusty exhibition of sorts. (You can click on the […]

Onward (backward) and Upward (downward) … but really upward!

What the heck? Junk Store Cameras has a blog now? Last year, I closed my business due to the same reasons that most everyone around here closed their business. I am now working on junkstorecameras.com a whole lot more. Eek! So fun! Except for when it’s not. Like, fixing bugs, etc. Anyway, I moved my […]

World Peace through Junk Store Cameras

Originally posted Sept 6, 2018. When folks ask, “How was your trip?” Where do I start? Where do I even begin? So I say, “Oh it was good … Fun.”  We touched down at Heathrow. The customs agent at Heathrow asked me where we were headed and since I didn’t know I asked him where he’d […]

Detritus Redefined

Of late, I’ve not only finished major projects, but have also started off in a new direction. I’m creating assemblages using a mix of alternative photographic pieces and objects found on the beach and in local waterways. The found objects? Junk, really. “Detritus” … which sounds more refined. My three latest pieces combine wetplate collodion […]

CyClick

CyClick was literally years in the making. I had a vision of an embellished bike, replete with cameras, cycling and documenting parades and various other functions. I’m also attempting to beautify the world, one rusty hulk at a time, hopefully bringing about world peace while I’m at it. That’s all. Click here for a YouTube video […]

Dog Friendly Venues

The magazines are out!  I spent quite some time working on this one. Dog friendly venues! Straight up my alley. Over a period of a couple of months, I traveled up and down the Grays Harbor area and surrounds, taking dog pics like a fiend. Congrats to those who ended up in the bit. So […]

A place for everything and everything in its place.

So my friend said, “You should blog about some of these studio updates you’re doing.” And I said, “My blog! Holy shit! My blog! I forgot all about it!” Here’s an update: A couple of months ago, the hot water tank went out. It’s in the back of the darkroom. We had to take a […]

April: A month of many camera holidays.

April is slam-packed with camera holidays and two of my favorites are: The PSPCS Camera Sale & Swap and Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day.   The camera show happened on the 13th. Always, ALWAYS an exciting experience! The smell of dust and Bakelite … the clicking of shutters and whirring of self timers. Absolutely thrilling!  I’ve […]

Petoskey Universe

[Tangent alert: No photography/camera stuff in this post.] There’s a universe in a Petoskey stone. Growing up in Michigan, Petoskey stones were the holy grail of fossils. When I was a kid I could spot a Petoskey stone at 50 paces. My dad marveled at my Petoskey spotting skills. Years later, I realized my Petoskey […]

Admissions of an addict.

My name is Marcy and I’m an addict. “HELLO MARCY” I haven’t been to the river in three days, fourteen hours and thirty six minutes. The scent of the earth … the mud, the brackishness of the water. The train echos across the river, gray in the morning light. I can’t get ENOUGH! I find […]

Time is an illusion

Mark O’Brien visited me all the way from Ann Arbor! After the usual pleasantries, food … liquor, we headed out to the studio for some camera talk and more libations. He had come not only to visit but also to interview me for possible inclusion in a future Film Photography Project podcast. [Update: Here’s a […]

Trips and ideas… YOUR ideas?

Oh man. So much amazing crap going on! I’ve got a couple of trips coming up and I had this idea. I want to bring a few cameras with me to leave behind with deserving (unfortunate?) souls. For one, I’m looking for tips on crazy, funky camera / photographica related places to go in the […]

Oh boy!

I’m, like, so happy right now! I’ve been scratching my spinning head over creation of the new junkstorecameras.com web site. The camera reviews… they’re SO vital to our advancement as a species. But that dang menu issue… well… I’m pleased to announce that it’s cleared up! Menus are working. The site is functioning. Life is […]

A GRAND trip!

We made a spur of the moment decision to visit the Grand Canyon for Christmas day.  When taking a trip, deciding on what photographic equipment to bring is my biggest concern. This time, I chose (mainly for its cuteness and ease of use) the Canonet QL17 GIII.   I also threw my Nikon D700 into the camera bag. We […]

I’m fine! Just “Differently Plateleted”

When people ask ,”Are you ok?” it hits me in exactly the same way as the question, “How far are you from the water?” A question with a surprisingly complicated answer. We live in North Cove, WA – an area referred to as Washaway Beach. When we bought our house in 1992 we weren’t considered […]

Fun stuff! Respites.

In a month bestrewed with medical appointments (instead of gown shoots in Europe … fingernails tapping on a glass tabletop …) It’s making me wonder, what do people do who actually have time to do stuff? Like, I set aside this time to be away but now I’m home and when I feel good, I […]

Lovely shades of azure blue and things I let slide.

I was at a pharmacy. The  pharmacist (who looked more like a concessionaire at Pirate Daze than a pharmacist) looked up over the counter and exclaimed “You’re getting THESE? …. Wow!” Should’ve been a clue. I let it slide. But that’s not where this story begins. At about the start of this year, I downloaded a […]

A summer full of #formalwearworninappropriately , etc.

The universe has thrown me a curve ball and I had to cancel our trip to Europe due to a health glitch. Meanwhile, the sun and the moon have conspired to present a total solar eclipse in my back-fucking-yard and that is one get-well card you do not ignore. Besides, in a rare moment of brilliance, […]

Conglomeration

I did not realize, when I began this 100 day camera review journey, that I would be sent down so many different avenues of inspiration. There was a time when I processed so much film, I simply glanced at the negatives, chose a few to print or scan, then filed them. Delving into these file […]

Handtinting photographs

I’ve spent a good part of my professional life hand-tinting photographs with a variety of paints, dyes, pastels, Photoshop etc. (There’s 30 years I won’t get back.) I have a youtube channel where I’ve posted three handtinting how-to videos. Click here for a link to the first How-to Handtinting with Oils 101. The second video […]

Bill Dawson, metalsmith

  Gather ’round, my creative friends! I’m working on photographing some pieces by renowned metalsmith, Bill Dawson. ( click here for his website … but don’t go there yet! I still need your attention over here.) What I’ve been given are six whorls made from silver, gold, copper, etc. Before I began this project, I didn’t […]

Junk Store Cameras – a labor of love.

Once upon a time there was a magnificent website. Well, ok… maybe it was magnificent only to me.   Where to begin with this? Ha! 2015 was the 20th anniversary of a website I run called JunkStoreCameras.com . Once a bustling metropolis populated with many plastic and bakelite cameras, over time the site has become run down. Its shades […]

#formalwearworninappropriately

There are times when I question the use of that hashtag … #formalwearworninappropriately. I sometimes think better grammar might have it “formalwearworninaninappropriatemanner”, but that doesn’t quite jibe with the spirit of this series, sounding more like someone has simply loosened their tie or has their gown bunched into the back of their panty hose. Besides, it’s much too […]

Cleaning the studio like a mad woman (not)

I have this idyllic picture in my head of what I’ll be doing throughout this fall / winter season. While the rain and wind pelt our house and studio, I’m busily working on my web sites, cooking great meals, working on my beaded bike (CyClick) and CLEANING MY STUDIO. This is the vision I have. […]

Gala Edition Cameras – beaded wonders of the world

I have this weird thing I do sometimes [a lot of the time]. I bead cameras. I call them my “Gala Edition” cameras. I take glass beads, rhinestones and other questionably precious pieces and attach them to cameras. I’ve been doing this for a while. Most of my friends don’t even know that I do […]

200 Things – a Washaway Beach album

Update: 04-08-2023: I’m still really proud of this really quirky, overpriced (not my fault) book. Since this book was published, measures have been taken and, for the most part, the erosion is being controlled.  Are the erosion measures working? Has the tide simply slacked for a while? Is it a fluke? Even those of us […]

First Post and New Website!

I have this thing where, I have all these great blog ideas. Then I go to implement them and everything comes to a screaming, screeching halt. (Insert the sound of skidding tires and a whiff of overheated brake pads.) Typing these few sentences is the first step in erasing that awful smell of burnt rubber […]