The Long and Short of It

The Diving Wall, near the entry

The Long of it and the Short of it. As if I could be so constrained! Tonight was the opening at the Kimball Art Center of my sports show, aptly (I think… hey it’s my story, and I’ll stick to it until I find a better one..ever the pragmatist) called Managing Gravity. It’s about 3am in the beautiful Hotel Peery, as I write… the Shiloh Inn still doing a helluva’ n interpretation of the Mother Ship in Close Encounters. I shouldn’t leave packing for the last minute but I usually do. Thus., Im just finishing packing, and of course with 90 minutes before my wake up call I’m hesitant to fall asleep, and miss my flight altogether.



The floating panels and far wall (Winter Games 2002)

The short of it: Great opening reception tonight at the Gallery. Something on the order of 250-300 people tromped through the doors over about 3 ½ hours. Great fun, saw many high school classmates (Dick Clark, Gwen Rowley, Gretchen Anderson – not sure she counts.. she was married to Norm Anderson of our class, but I think she might be younger -- Chris Papanikalas.. who lives in Paris but was home visiting, Byron Barkeley, and master photographer John Telford, who I know since the days of little league when I couldn’t hit his left handed pitching. )


Champion catcher Dick Clark (on left, the one without unruly hair)
Somewhat Ironic that two of these folks were champion athletes: Dick Clark (a true home run hitting catcher) and Telford both played baseball at a high level -= unlike yours truly who was, in an act of ignominious horror, cut from the Coaching Class in 8th grade – the group of kids who make up all the teams. That was the wake up call I needed to realize I’d never play professional football. Kind of like saying that by yelling “Schuster”- our dogs name, that elephants wouldn’t dare run through our neighborhood. Well, we yelled his name and never had elephants, so I guess it must have worked. Also present, were cousins Terry and Howard Landa, Jeff and Brock Rosenblatt, and a host of other Salt Lakers who trooped up to see the show, and briefly, I guess, Me. Several of the wonderful team who worked on the 2002 Olympic photo book, Pauline Ploquin, Alex Hesse, and Steve Currie showed up for the fun, as did – getting award for farthest last minute travel, former AP photographer Laura Rauch, who came from Las Vegas. Many photographers though few pictures taken. No surprize. At Iris & my wedding there must have been twenty photographers. The only pictures we have are from Joan Gramatte, aspiring amateur who caught a great moment. But the photographers? I guess they were too busy eating cake.


Window Posters at the Kimball, which are visible from the street.

The pictures looked great. The transformation from total mess to elegant gallery was one that astonished me. As a rich vacationing Brahmin once told Iris in Round Hill, the exclusive Jamaican resort at a soiree which followed a long day of shooting pictures… “Miss, you sure do clean up good….” Well the gallery was looking very cleaned up, indeed. Thanks to Pam Crowe-Weisberg, Adam Bateman, and all the other good natured, energetic folks of the Art Center for making it work. Much appreciated. And I passed out dozens of WereJustSayin business cards (it’s a business you ask? No, not yet.) so watch those siteMonitor numbers get ready to bounce!

That said, folks we still never really got a Super Bowl Party Invite (Walt, hanging out in the barn just doesn’t qualify as an actual Invite, tempting though it may be!) So, we have decided in stead to make an announcement to announce. At 4:30 pm today Iris and I will have an announcement to make that we will be making an announcement. Probably has something to do with making an exploratory committee and Nationwide fund raising. We can’t say any more yet. Don’t’ want to steal the Bears thunder. So.. that’s the long and short of it. If we pick up any Middle of it – and once we find out what IT is.. – we’ll let you all know. The good news, I seem healed from last week's fall on the stairs at Dave & Laura Fishers house - thanks to many of you for thinking about me. And.. as always, thanks for watching. We’re just sayin… David