Eye in the pyramid

The loss of my young friend knocked the wind out of me this morning and it turned into a rather strange day. Jon and I had planned to shoot film on an outing, he with his Pentax and Leica and me with my 1953 Rolleiflex, recently back from its expensive tuneup.

We first stopped at the venerable Rosicrucian Fellowship on Mt. Ecclesia, situated on an old largely forgotten and wondrous knoll in Oceanside. I took an elderly sign painter mentor, Les Gampp here on holidays for some great vegetarian meals in the eighties. Kind of spooky spiritualist. Our grandparents' parents obviously got as weird as we did if not more so.

An old christian mystic community, it has perhaps seen better days but still exudes a potent charm, if approached respectfully. I may have been a trifle boisterous but there were no signs of any offense taken on the very sparsely populated grounds. I don't believed I caused a blip in the healing energy field. Someone would have felt it and certainly let me know.

Did have something weird happen. The leather rollei camera strap around my neck suddenly broke and I caught it a foot off the ground, saving considerable pain and damage. Second baseman's reflexes, kid still got it...

Then I had some sort of film wind problem. Glad I brought the digital along for backup, although I was limited by having only my one Sigma 10 - 20mm lens.

Its a fun lens for both landscape and portrait so I am pretty happy. But perhaps there was some strange juju circling around me from the occultist retreat.

Some great old agaves on site, the old girl must have really been something in her day.

Beautiful doors on the big chapel.

They remind me of the work of Reginald Machell or perhaps Hord himself. Very lovely. Must have been something to it, I left and my third eye was positively throbbing.

We decided to split down to the pier. Air out of the balloon with my friend's passing but managed to click a few shots off.

Did somebody tell my wife I was buying a new lens? Nobody likes a stoolie...

ladies enjoying the afternoon, possibly related to the JW preacher on my other side.

Ruby's Girls

Keeping the rhythm

"I'm here every day. This exact spot. I fish. This is what I do."

Waukeegan native, retired military - Navy 23 years. Wife still in. Blackhawks final tonight.