Ann-alog, a Pixel Remix, where Ann Torrence blogs about photographing for a book on U.S. Highway 89, the greatest road trip route in America. Photography tips, locations, trip reports, and real life.

Lucy in May 2006

Lucy loved jazz music, especially the melodic, blowsy, swinging standards, sax and trumpet. Definitely not drum solos. Ben Webster, Art Farmer, Miles Davis in less boppy phases, Gerry Mulligan all passed the audition. If there is a heaven, Lucy is sitting on Gene Harris' piano and Coleman Hawkins is blowing "Body and Soul" into her ear. It's a small comforting thought, though I'd much rather she still be in her chair.

She came to me when she was 8 weeks old, chased under the fence by my neighbor. I let her sit outside all night, until the next evening, because a pet seemed just too much in my crazy life. The next night, I heard her cry, saw her cute little white chin and paws, and relented. Not before she bit me though.

Lucy liked to sleep in her basket in the winter sunshine, to chase her wiffle ball and to spy on the neighbors through the windows. She hated cats so bad she chipped both fangs by running full speed into glass doors. She flew on a plane once, to come to Utah. In our first house here, she would perch on the newel post of the stairs to look out the window when she waited for me to come home. She was still here when I got back from New Zealand, and all the other times I had to leave her behind.

Seventeen is old for a cat, especially one with Lucy's list of problems. Three years after a stroke is amazing. She took going blind better than we did watching her bump into things. She was a tough old girl and even on her last day, she wasn't planning to go. I could have kept her another day, another hour, but none of us could handle another seizure and we had to say good-bye on the 20th of August.

When my friend Marlene lost her cat and dog in the same month last fall, she said that the house felt strangely empty. I greeted Lucy every time I came into the house, gave her pets when I took a break from my computer, held her every morning while I did my little writing routine. Since I've been home all day, she would come sit by my desk, in her blindness, just because. Empty is hardly the word. It's like a sucker punch to wonder where she is and then remember.

I'm glad Lucy isn't suffering any more. She was the amazing wonder cat in her miraculous recoveries but she couldn't last forever. Even so, I wasn't ready to let her go.

That neighbor who chased her under the fence 17 years ago used to say, "Annie darling (that's what he called me), we think we take care of those pets, but they are really God's little angels he sends to take care of us." Lucy the fur-coated angel, eyes blissfully squinting, grooving with the jazz legends. Thank you, Lucy, for taking such good care of me. I miss her so.

In line for another go at Speedweek

This is the tow car for the Dripps & Gibby Racing team, and behind you can see car number 1986, in the E/STR class. Their best time at Speedweek was 163.035 mph [Quarter: 161.588 |Mile 1: 147.625 | Mile 2: 163.935]. Driver Robin Dripps owns the record for the east coast in that class, and was attempting to set the Bonneville record. One of the team members, Lucia, told me that last year they had used a recent model Ford as their tow car. A supporter decided they needed more style in the operation and loaned them the classic Pontiac.

The IR stuff is really fun, because there's no wrong answer. I can imbue it with as much drama as I like. This one uses a much simpler technique than one in the previous post, with as good effect.

Colorized IR at Bonneville Speedway

Thanks to Bryan, another fine outing to Bonneville Speedway for Speedweek. We got going a lot (4:30 am) earlier than last year, but we didn't quite make it to the salt flats before sunrise. The light was good for a while even so, and the cars were parked in line overnight, so we got some fun shots of the place waking up.

I was curious to see how the IR would look on the salt flats, so I took my D70 and filter, and did some experiments. I'm also working out color palettes for the final images, since there isn't a right answer. Spent most of the day trying to match one picture I colorized using a highly improvised technique to something that is repeatable, save-able as a Photoshop action (actionable? er, no.) So I ask my nerdier audience members, if I have an image that has been colorized, can you extract a gradient map out of the image to apply to others? Because I like this palette, and I got close making a gradient map, but not the same. I want the map. If not that, another trip to Speedweek next year would be nice. Thanks, B.

Days of '47 float

At the Days of '47 parade in SLC for "pie and beer" day, I got the perfect spot under the eagle on State Street, right down the centerline of U.S. 89. I like how the hula arms are mimicking the bird.