And now for something completely different.

I grew up in rural Illinois and Edgar Lee Masters' book "The Spoon River Anthology" was pretty much required reading in high school. This is a book of short pieces written in the voices of those buried in a fictionalized small town (Spoon River) cemetery -- some humorous, some lamenting, some accusing, some confessing, some affirming, all moving.

While the town is fictionalized and the names changed, it was not hard for the inhabitants of the real town near Galesburg Illinois to recognize themselves and their townspeople. They were not particularly happy about having the town's laundry (dirty and otherwise) fictionalized in a book that became very popular.

There really is a Spoon River and it winds through an unexpectedly picturesque area in a mostly flatland state. We were driving along a country road on the bluff over the road and I saw a pioneer cemetery -- how could I not stop and photograph it. The text lettered over the image is from the book's foreword.

Last month I noted that I will have a show in July-September at the Federal Way Arts and Event Center. The beautifully lighted gallery space is in a long hallway alongside the performance hall. My photographs of performers -- dance, music, theater -- should look very much at home there.

It's been a good month -- I will also have a much smaller show, probably 20 prints, of my photographs at the Burien Arts Commission's gallery space in the city's Community Center in May and June.

Happy new year!