Max Bittle Photography : New Hampshire Photographer : 618.727.0510

i went out to the local harbor this afternoon to check out the lady washington. it was the hms interceptor in the pirates of the caribbean trilogy.

hiking up here is a bit different than back in the midwest. i think the air is cleaner for one. there’s also mountains and lots and lots of evergreen trees. it’s colder too. i need to hike more…….if it just weren’t for youtube.

i was taking some pictures of my buddy max the other night behind the alamo when a car pulled in and made for some cool light.

sorry for the lack of posts recently (for the those who actually read).

i’ve had a superbly busy and enjoyable week. i love my job and life right now, there’s nothing else i can really say. meeting random people everyday, taking pictures, and getting paid to do it is the most satisfying job one could ever ask for.

here’s some recent pictures.

i just finished reading the diary of a young girl by anne frank. tears were streaming by the time i finished reading the afterward chapter. it just tells what happened to everyone in such a matter of fact way. so sad.

i’m singing a wordless chorus right now. that book is the most profound thing i have ever read. the circumstances are unimaginable to someone of my generation. she had such optimism and it is to be commended. she was like a lone rose growing amidst destruction, just peeking her pretty little face up through the madness that surrounded her.

at first i felt obtrusive reading her private thoughts, but as the diary (kitty) progressed i realized that she was writing it so that it could be read. it’s really surreal to read the daily accounts of someone’s life knowing what their ultimate fate will be.

the book just ends. but, it doesn’t really end. anne talks about the way she feels and the way she acts. then at the bottom of the page it reads “the diary ends here,” or something like that. so sad. little did she know that the next morning they would come for her and the seven others in the secret annex. oh it breaks my heart to think of how humans could be put through the horrors of concentration camps.

i visited amsterdam a little over two years ago and had go to the anne frank house. i really wish i had read the book before going. it was emotional, but after reading it i can’t even imagine……

here’s an excerpted from my european journal on the anne frank house:

“Following breakfast we were off to the Anne Frank House, which opened at 9:00. This may have been my single favorite individual place on this trip. It had an eeriness to it that i cannot describe, but it was more sad than scary. The museum was organized well and the whole tour took roughly an hour. As you move through the house you can’t help but feel for these people and how they were forced to live. I hate Adolf Hitler. He is by far the worst human to ever be born. What he put the Jewish people through is one of the biggest tragedies known to man. When Anne was in hiding they couldn’t eat well, talk at certain times, or even flush the toilet. To say the least, the museum was a real eye opener to the events that occurred and has inspired me to read her diary. Seeing the actual diary was a very moving experience. I just stood there staring for several minutes.”

the anne frank house website has all sorts of information. it’s definitely worth checking out.

anne wrote: “Our chestnut tree is in full bloom. It’s covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year.” here’s a link to a live webcam where you can view the tree right now. click here.

there is a great band called neutral milk hotel. from what i’ve heard their album aeroplane over the sea is all about anne frank.

check this video out if you get the time.

here’s some tourist pictures i took while at Prinsengracht 267 in amsterdam.

the first two are of the house and the third is if you’re standing in front of the house and looking across the canal.

i’m longing for npr. npr has been a staple in my life for the past few years. nothing beats the personal quality of good radio programing.

my npr listening has been dangerously low since moving to bellingham. it’s mostly because of my building, “the alamo.” i can’t pick up the local station on my radio and i have no internet. it pains me, npr is just so great.

on another note, whimsical whatnots is looking for random bits of life to blog about. i’m looking for anything that might make for interesting topics. posting pictures and writing is just boring me too much. recommendations?

i’m taking a pit stop on my saturday night. before i join my friends and neighbors in the alamo for some more goodness i thought i would post a picture….

when i meet someone one of the first things i look at are their hands. i love hands. they fascinate me and drive my curiosity. hands can tell you so much about a person. i have my mother’s hands while both my brothers have my father’s.

i love a good conversation almost more than anything. solid conversation is like taking that first bite of your favorite food while sitting alongside loved ones in a desired place with perfect weather and a good glass of wine.

a good conversation has no time limits or constraints. it’s almost as if it has a life of its own. it has a pulse that beats in rhythm when those conversing are on the same page. it doesn’t miss a beat and skips along as if it were jumping rope out on the playground during recess.

this picture was taken on the beach last night while i had a good conversation with some friends over the telephone. ah…..conversation.