Author Archives: davidstong
first birthday picture
I’ve done over 30 birthday cards for my daughter. I recently found this- the first picture I did for her birthday when, I think, she was three. It wasn’t a card, though; it was a framed pastel. The actual card had only one lizard on it and a poem/riddle that spelled out her name. The …
for anne
My intent was to run this every June, but with other things going on I forget. I make a drawing of my daughter at her current age every year on her birthday card. This is Anne Frank in a birthday remembrance that I did a few years ago showing Anne at roughly the age she’ll …
D Building
The photo is of an empty and deteriorating D Building at Pennhurst State School and Hospital. I worked there from 1970—when I was about to turn 18—through 1972. During that time, we moved from D-4 to D-1, then up on the hill to C-2. I met some wonderful people: some worked there, but most lived …
summer rain, 1972
This is an older post from a November 2009 blog: Barry was a runner. He stood in the half light by the back door of the ward, his eyes almost closed. He rocked gently as he shifted his weight from left foot to right foot and back. He was tall and thin; so thin that …
arcade fourth floor
After a torrential rain I cleaned some broken glass and got out the ladder so contractors could access the roof from inside. I took the opportunity to go up into the space under the roof to look for damage. I remembered my ipad, and took a few photos for folks who may never get the …
birthday 36
Big pictures. Sorry. You see, I did the main image and thought the funny pages my daughter was reading would be readable. They actually are, but for me, only with a magnifying glass. So I did one of the funny page alone, without any perspective. This is where they sit. Unmistakeable. In the comics, though, …
portrait
Egon Schiele? No, but close. I love this drawing. When I saw it I asked my granddaughter if I could have it. She looked a bit uncomfortable when she said, “Actually, I made it for mom.” I was bummed, but I understood. The next day I took this photo- as good as I could make …
Brownies
On Thursday, my granddaughter got off the school bus with a paper in her hand. Usually her hands are free to play and all papers are in her backpack. As we walked up the driveway, she showed me the paper and told me it was a recipe for brownies that she wrote. It looked simple …
The Vic
I was talking with an old friend over the holiday. We briefly compared notes about Thanksgiving at the Victorian Manor. Her restaurant. She’d done a web search for Maurice, the chef, and turned up this essay from my very old (early 2006) web space: At one time, this link loaded the Victorian Manor’s Web page. …