Here is a short movie of some of the young people we met at Zakatek in Warsaw.  All very pretty.  This is the last of the Warsaw posts.

This is the last of the Leningrad Cowboy posts.  There are about 140 really fun slides and Iwona and I added a sound track for fun.

“All You Need Is Love” from their Buena Vodka Social Club album.  Filmed live in Linz, Austria with my Canon T2i using a 55-250mm lense.  Sound sucks because I forgot my shotgun mike in the US…

Early in the planning for of our trip to Warsaw, Poland, Iwona introduced me to the videos from a rock group from Helsinki, Finland called the Leningrad Cowboys.  They are delightfully creative and talented performers and I encourage you to look them up on the internet and watch their videos.

We discovered that they were touring Europe and would be playing in Linz, Austria during our stay in Warsaw.  We booked a side trip to Linz and we were on our way to one of the most entertaining performances I’ve ever experienced.

This is a video I took of part of the performance.  Its crude but I think it captures some of the delightful energy of the Leningrad Cowboys.

09APR2012 – Bud rigged up a special ping pong table for his Bud and Mike all night ping pong marathons.  Refreshments were way served.  Mike slept in his van in the driveway after this particular night of good wholesome exercise.

Bud lent me this fine polaroid to scan when I first visited Durango…

I went to the June 8 O’Banion’s Punk Rock Bar reunion of a group of old punk rockers I hung out with from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.  I worked at the bar in ’79 and ’80.  A head banging good time.  Here are the photos I took.  I got a little carried away and added a sound track and credits, etc.  The whole thing is about 25 minutes long.

Please enjoy…

09APR2012 – In Durango, I assisted Bud with one of his bullet art works.

We started with a trip to the local gun shop to get ammunition.  I think we bought around 150 rounds.

Back at the ranch, Bud shored up vertically a massive piece of a Douglas fir beam.  It was around 8”x16”x30” if memory serves.

We loaded up all the guns at our disposal: two .380’s, one 9mm, three .40 S&W.  Everything is semi-auto.

It was a beautiful day.

Bud’s goal was to vertically split the 8” face of the beam exactly in half by shooting bullets at it.  This strategy meant that all of our shots would have to land on the vertical centerline of the 8” beam.  So we shot at point blank range to ensure accuracy.

It took about 100 rounds to split the beam.  The bullet patterns were beautiful and intriguing.  I didn’t get a picture of it yet but will next time in Durango.

		Bud Meditates Before the Shoot VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I stood by, an able and willing and obedient assistant.  For me, sustained short-term firing was the best part.

More to come about the strange world of Durango…

08APR2012 – From Santa Fe, I went to Durango to see Bud and Sofia Madeen.  I hadn’t seen them for 27 years.  I think their most remarkable achievement since I last saw them is their beautiful daughter, Zoë, whom I had not met previously.  They have nine acres in a beautiful area of Durango.  They built a magnificent home and studio here both of there own design.

Their talents are many including architecture, interior design, and fine arts.  Bud is now pursuing organic farming.

Bud, for the most part, is the Bud I remember with the addition of the wisdom of the ages.  He is as innovative and enthusiastic as ever.

Smart, smart and pretty Sofia seems to do everything with a verve I thought not possible from a single human being.  She pedals a bicycle over distances that would challenge a motor.  I get tired just watching her.

Zoë inherited the best of her parents.  She is beautiful and enthralling with a quiet charm that is both youthful and mischievous.

The Land of Bud, Sofia, Zoë VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL