I read Annie Leibovitz's photo book,
Pilgrimage
. It's interesting to look at. She visits places like Niagara Falls and Emily Dickinson's home. This is the type of book that would make a good present--for a man or a woman. I checked it out at the library, but if someone gave me a copy I would appreciate it. The photographs are worth coming back to.
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| A detail from one of Emily Dickinson's white dresses |
I got to thinking about pilgrimages. Where would you like to go? I would like to see Niagara Falls. I like seeing early American history stuff and I would love to go to Ireland some day. I would like to see Graceland, the Grand Ole Opry, and Apple Records. I like old churches and homes of writers. I'd love to go to ComicCon and Wimbledon. I'd like to see a really big river some day--like, a huge one. If the world of Harry Potter were real I would of course want to visit Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Godric's Hollow.
i saw this exhibit at the american art museum last week, and it was so beautiful. i have been to a few of the places she visited (orchard house, walden pond, yosemite) but it's so interesting to see those places again through her eyes (especially since photography isn't normally allowed in lots of those places). i'd like to go everywhere on her list, pretty much. i am bummed that i haven't even seen the spiral jetty and i lived so close to it for six years.
ReplyDeletei think that one of the intro panels in the exhibit mentions that she is traditionally known as a portrait photographer, so this is a departure from her normal work. but it's not really—they're just portraits of places instead of people, which is pretty great.
also, i thought of a place i really want to visit—the white cliffs of dover. i just love giant, mysterious natural wonders.
ReplyDeleteI know--I've got to get out to see the Spiral Jetty. Cliffs of Dover is a good one.
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ReplyDeleteNiagra falls is awesome. You should go there. I think it also counts as a really big river.
ReplyDeleteNiagara...
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely go to Ireland. My husband and I went, and met my daughter and her family there (because they live in Scotland)--it was awesome. The Liffey runs right through Dublin, and that was rather thrilling. It's an ancient city. It's pilgrimage worthy.
ReplyDeleteone more...a few years ago my daughter was a nanny in the Boston area, and when I went to visit her, we went to the Concord Library. Which, by itself, is worth a pilgrimage, but we went down to the special collections, and this, mind you, is a public library, but they brought out a manuscript page of Walden. The actual page that Henry David wrote on. That was pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteDang, my mom used to live in Concord and I never went there!
ReplyDeleteI want to go to Petra.
A few pilgrimage type places that I have seen and LOVED were the Coliseum, Niagara Falls, and the Manhattan skyline. That last one isn't that exciting because, driving from where I live, you first see it from the dirty old NJ turnpike surrounded by dirty old NJ industry and commerce but I get a little thrill every time.
ReplyDeleteThe Coliseum is amazing and huge and ragged and gorgeous. When/if you go to Niagara Falls, be sure to go on the Maid of the Mist. It sounds cheesy but it is totally worth it and so fun.
I would love to go to the UK and see all the varieties of cliffs there.
My number one thing that I probably won't ever see is Easter Island. I LOVE the whole Easter Island thing. The statues are so mysterious and it gives me butterflies to think about how isolated the island is.
My number one thing that I probably will see someday is Mankato, MN. The Betsy-Tacy books shaped my childhood, and as over-the-top as that sounds it is true.
I want to go to Port Issac where they film Doc Martin. I just do - Harry thinks it's not a place he's keen to see though, so it may not happen.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever come up north I will host your Yellastone adventure, and afrom here you can continue on to Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites in teh Dakotas. You coudl even walk there and pretend it's trek. Something to think about...the bison await you at Diamond Bar Seven Ranch on the Yellowstone River (a medium-sized tributary to the Missouri, which will lead you to the Mississippi, where you can float all the way down to Nawlins). -warmest regards, JamieM
ReplyDeletePS: (Jamie again)--mmm, white cliffs of dover! I DID that! sooo beautiful! (all the whiteish dirt in France and East England fascinated me--lovely dirt!)
ReplyDeleteI went to Niagara Falls many times as a kid, and didn't realize what a big deal it is until I was older. They're very intimidating. If you do go, go to the Canadian side, and if you can, ride on the Maid of the Mist.
ReplyDeleteI want to see more of Hawai'i and Spain, and I want to take my family with me. Ireland, and England, too. Lately Italy has piqued my interest, but I'm not sure why. Is it safe to go to Morocco?
Amazing piece of work!
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