The Machinery of Night

Posted 2:19 PM by Angie Schultz

Foto Friday: Automandias

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said:--Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
A Budget Rent-A-Car counter...

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens, June 1990

I was going to work up a full-length poem, in correct rhyme and meter, which would reference conveniently-placed Jamba Juices for the fasting activist on the move. But it got to be too much work. Poetry is hard.

This picture seems to tilt, I know. By putting these pictures on line I have discovered, to my chagrin, that I don't always hold the camera exactly straight. Who knew? Fortunately the "rotate" task fixes this. But this picture defied correct rotation -- no rotation seemed to fit all the elements. So I'm just going to blame it on the Greeks' skill with "optical refinements".

That's the Acropolis over there on the right, by the way.

This was my first trip out of the US, and I was constantly embarrassed and frightened -- by which I mean, frightened of being embarrassed. There were other, personal things going on in my life at that moment, likewise frightening and embarrassing, with the result that I cannot remember this trip with much pleasure. At the time, though, I thought this would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit Greece.

(It occurs to me that I have very seldom been frightened, except that I was frightened of being embarrassed. Of that, though, I am terrified, constantly. I envy people who have no shame.)

Anyhow: Greece. I spent two weeks on Crete, on business, and a weekend in Athens, sightseeing. These scans were made from prints. I'm hoping to get a slide scanner soon, and then I'll scan in some slides I took on the trip.

Labels: Foto Friday, Greece