Buttermilk Falls

The Waterfall, Beaver Falls, PA.

The Ice, Beaver Falls, PA.

We took a short hike to Buttermilk Falls on Sunday. It's a short drive from our apartment and we assumed that the path wouldn't be too treacherous since we had a sunny weekend. The ice formations were spectacular and the light was so beautiful underneath the rocks that we decided to go back the same afternoon and make some pictures. It's always hard to start but I'm glad to finally be making work in PA.

Cantayoc

Cantayoc Rona Chang

Cantayoc, is near the town of Nazca, Peru- you know, the place that's famous for the "mysterious" Nazca lines. I found Cantayoc to be fascinating. It's a 2000 year old aqueduct system that brings water from the mountains into the desert, which includes a series of spiral ramps (respidores). This is definitely a water image but I'm not sure about it in the context of The Hold Over Water. Any thoughts?

The View From Here

The View From Here Rona Chang

Sir Adam Beck I and II

Sir Adam Beck I and II Rona Chang

Over the weekend we tried a new Thai restaurant in the neighborhood with our friends Jeny and Andy. Here's a review from the Voice. We ordered a bunch of stuff but the best dish was the stir-fried pork curry. There was a good amount of ginger, fiery peppers, and Thai eggplant in it. The food is nice and spicy. If you can handle that, I recommend it.

Pool

Pool Rona Chang

I've been working on my freestyle with a coach for over two months now. I can finally, finally do some laps without looking like I'm having a heart attack. Yay!

Goldfish

Goldfish Rona Chang

My jaws dropped when I saw the work of Japanese photographer Toshio Shibata on Shane's blog the other day. I couldn't believe how close our work is and how I have never come across any of it. Lots of people photograph dams and rivers sure, but retainer walls? I hope to see his work in person one day, the prints must be beautiful.

Water Lines

Water Lines Rona Chang

My old moccasins from Taiwan have been wearing thin for some time and I noticed a big gaping hole in the seam of the sole. I have been on the prowl for comfortable walking shoes for some time now so I decided to put my money in a pair of well crafted shoes. I put an order in for some Arrow Mocs, handmade leather moccasins. A friend had them and I always admired the worn leather on his and even put my feet in them once so it's not a completely blind faith order. I have high hopes for them. I just have to be very patient because it will take six weeks to get them!

The Hold Over Water

I spent the weekend scanning and updating my website. I've been working on a body of work that I have loosely titled "Water Management" since 1999. I retitled it "The Hold over Water." I added a new statement and some images.


Dry River Bed, Dasi, Taiwan, 1999.


Hover Dam, Nevada, USA, 2008.

Check out the website for the full portfolio.

How to get the best views of the Waterfalls

You've heard about the waterfalls designed by Olafur Eliasson that are now happpening around lower Manhattan, right? Well I rounded up some tips for viewing them.

The Gothamist has a list of where the best sites are for viewing (yes, they've actually done the job for me.)
The Circle Line has a 30 min. Waterfall Tour that you can catch from the South St. Seaport.
Or, you can always hire a water taxi to check out the sites.

The details:
June 26- October 13, 2008
Daily 7am-10pm, except Tues. and Thurs. 9am-10pm
The New York City Waterfalls will be lit after sunset

What about the dams?

My mother called her sister in Wuhan last night to see if they were affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, China. My aunt and her family felt the quake and are fine. While thinking about them this morning, I started wondering if the Three Gorges Dam was ok. They live 4 hours down river from the largest dam in the world, in a metropolitan city that's along the Yangtze. This NYTimes article made me feel a bit better but I'm still uneasy about all of those affected by the quake.

(photo that I took in 2006 of the Three Gorges Dam)