Picture of the Week #212 "Bright Intelligent Messengers Furnished Here" Montreal, Canada 1965 Signed and Stamped

What can I say. This sign was for real. We were visiting friends in Montreal when I passed this delivery shop. Somehow the sign comes across funny. It doesn't mean to be, but somehow it brings a smile when I read it. I don't know if there was another sign announcing their name or if it was even a joke. There were no bicycles or scooters or vans out front. I only took the picture and moved on. Today, they are probably Fed Ex.

Picture of the Week #211 "Palio Patrol" Siena, Italy 1989 Signed and Stamped

When I spent the summer alone two years before I met my beautiful wife, I went to Siena Italy with nothing on my agenda but just go take some pictures and grab lunch. When I entered the parking area I noticed how packed it seemed. I luckily found a spot and walked in to the walled town. Suddenly I heard the most incredible chants coming from what seemed like hundreds of voices. As I walked past a confectionary store I saw all the way through the shop to the balcony over looking the town square and down below there were thousands of people. It was moments before the famed Palio horse race was about to begin. As I was wearing a camera over my shoulder the woman who owned the shop smiled to me as if to acknowledge that she thought I was a photojournalist and allowed me to join her on the balcony. In a short time a gun went off and the horses charged around the dirt covered Campo. Immediately after the race ended the dirt was swept aside and tables were placed and the town began to party. I was so lucky to arbitrarily pick that day of all days to visit Siena. I can cross that unexpected visit off my bucket list. Unforgettable.

Picture of the Week #210 "Fashion & Weather - Always Changing" Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 1979 & Beverly Hills, California 2012 Signed and Stamped

Okay, I merged two images together to make my statement that fashion and weather are always changing. The beach was in Cabo San Lucas in Baja Mexico, while the fashionista was at the Beverly Hills Art Walk on a beautiful sunny summer day. It was the color that I felt made the two images meld. The beach was shot on film while she was shot digitally. Photoshop is my friend.

Picture of the Week #209 "Up Up and Away" Vancouver, B.C. Canada 2005 Signed and Stamped

Vancouver was a surprise. I was dazzled by all the clean modern buildings. As I normally take pictures of people, this charming city offered a new perspective on architecture. I wandered around for some time just shooting up. The sky was clear. No clouds. No sign of weather. Just silhouettes of the graphic buildings reaching skywards.

Picture of the Week #208 "Perched" Santa Monica, California 2012 Signed and Stamped

Most of my posts are of older images. Today's was just shot when my wife Ann and I went for a walk along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica taking in a glorious California day. Ann pointed up to the birds to show me them perched on the light pole. I thought she was warning me to watch out for droppings. I always see the dark while she basks in the light. I swung my camera around as we waited for the light to change so we could cross the street. In a blink I ran off three images. This was the first and our favorite. We then went on our merry way. When I came home I printed this out 44" X 62" and will now hang it in our library.

Picture of the Week #207 "Sly Before Rocky" Brooklyn, New York 1972 Signed and Stamped

When I made my first motion picture I was fortunate enough to have Sylvester Stallone not only act but also co-write with me his first screen appearance. I knew from the second I saw him that he was destined for fame. I had never met anyone as focused and driven as Sly. Not to mention talented. We owe each other so much. A few years ago he had come to a book signing of my personal reminiscence of "The Making of the Lords of Flatbush" where he, on camera, gave me credit for creating his character which later became "Rocky" and "Fonzie" from "Happy Days". The rest became history. A large print of this image is now hanging at the Mouche Gallery in Beverly Hills.

Picture of the Week #206 "The Diver" Vancouver British Colombia 2005 Signed and Stamped

This was right out of the camera. It's an odd image, especially with the piles of what I think is sulphur across the way. I wonder how many other tourists to V.C. encountered this site. I think of this city more for it's high rise architecture than this strange statue sitting on a rock, mask, fins and all.