Translate

CONTACT US...


Phone
1-918-760-1575

email mspeermorgan@netscape.net



Monday, May 25, 2015

A few more images from Baghdad 1990....

As I have said in a previous installment, I was a member of Peace Wave, a group of people put together by John Quigley. We were to try to secure the release of Japanese Hostages from the Iraqis just before the first war, Desert Storm. While looking over my files I have come across these never published images of the group. Not everyone is present as they were involved in the negioations to secure the release of Hostages from the Government.

The hostages had become a real problem for the Iraqi Government as virtually every country had people that couldn't leave Iraq, so the International Sports and Musical Festival was put together by the Iraqis as a cover to get rid of the Hostages. We were to get the Japanese Hostages, and the Japanese the Americans. 





Coming back from Babylon we were taken to and amazing 10 story structure designed by the Japanese. It appeared to be emerging from the desert in an oasis river. Obviously our wish for peace didn't prevail.



Some of the Japenese members of the event.




Just before the Basketball game.



Since we didn't have uniforms we borrowed from the Iraqis.




The immortal Quigley jump shot......



After the event we went to the Japanese Embassy for a very late dinner and chill out time.
Although we were catching up with the Iraqis at the half, the game was called due to unknown reasons. Probably to guarantee a win by our opposition. The gentleman just right of me was one of the American Hostages known as "The walking dead." This was one of three groups in Iraq at the time, the Known, Unknown...those kept in hiding by Iraqi friends, and The Walking Dead. He was known to the American government AND the Iraqis but was left in limbo as he wasn't "held", but had no exit out of the country. He did get out with the Japanese as I understand. As we were landing at LAX a couple of days later the pilot announced that the American Hostages were in the air with the Japanese.

I must say that I never expected the war, which started a month after we left Baghdad, to last as long as it has. I deeply appreciate the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women and their families on this Memorial Day. I wish I could have done more....

Sunday, May 24, 2015

19,000 views passed !!!

Thanks all...Twenty thousand views coming up !!!!!!

Back to the past...

The rain has been relentless, 3.5 to 5 inches last night with more on the way. There's going to be a lot of down time in the office so why not capitalize on it. Traveling to Missouri and Kansas decorating graves of past family members I happened upon several images that seemed to be destined for a new reality. While in undergrad and grad school the creating of these realities was a passion. I've been away from the process since I closed my darkroom down in 1996 and am now reaching to my MacIntosh to rekindle the vision.

This is a composite to start the ball rolling and look for more to appear. Ideas seem to be jumping up as I think about the possibilities so a review of past files is in order to look for material. Only the Shadow knows for sure......

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Getting a better look at my images...

I hadn't thought too much about it before, but did you as a viewer, realize that clicking your cursor on
any of my blog images you can see it enlarged ? Try it ...it makes the viewing of the images much more satisfying. As soon as the rain quits......more images are coming.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Wet..............

The rains are still falling in Oklahoma.

The good side of the coin..
Ponds and lakes are full
The water table is refreshed from being 13 inches down.
Lawn mower sales will be up.
Moles have drowned.
Ducks are happy.
Fish are swimming.
I haven't had to wash the car.

The bad side of the coin.
It's still raining.
The Koi pond needs to be drained a couple of inches daily.
I need to buy goats as the grass is too high to mow.
Getting stir crazy with cabin fever.
Animals have been seen pairing off and looking for a BIG boat.
My toes are growing webs between them.
It's still raining.
It's going to rain until Monday morning.

RAINING.............

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

19,000 views around the corner....

With the recent weather here in Oklahoma...tornadoes...rain...more rain...and more rain coming, my personal photographic efforts have come to a standstill. The commercial work is still coming in but I can't seem to get time to shoot for myself. It is somewhat frustrating because I like to produce personal imagery. With that said, after Wednesday of next week the rain should subside and I can get out and shoot. It feels like, no pun intended, that I've been enduring a drought of personal photographic creativity. I really hate that ! In all probability I will look at some old imagery and see what I can put together this weekend.

With that in mind....look for my Blog to surpass the 19,000 view mark next week. That's pretty exciting....who'd a thunk....