“Through the Fog” sounds like I’m going to spend the post expounding on my journey and coping with Pam's death and grief. And I guess in a way it is . . . but it also isn't.
Tule Fog is a special kind of weather phenomenon that happens almost exclusively in California’s Central Valley. It doesn’t roll in from the water like in LA or San Francisco . . . it rises from the ground and gets so thick you can’t see the front end of your car.
Being in it is peaceful and centering, and a little like being in a low budget horror film. Driving in it is a learned skill and can be something of a nightmare at the best of times.
I work for a school district where "Foggy Day Schedule" is a real thing and means that school starts two hours late. But I like to leave at my normal time, 6:45am, to give myself plenty of time to drive down carefully. One day, I decided to fire off some of my film. Just for fun, on my way in to work.
It felt good to get some photos done. To burn through a couple of rolls and not look back. I didn’t have to think about color, water, or anything. I just mixed everything up and went. I wish it was all that easy. I wish I could just slap together some chemistry and fix things. I can’t. That’s not how life works. But I forget sometimes that this film project, and picking up film at all is about my personal needs . . . and that I need to respect those needs and goals.
I leave you with these as I prepare for SDCC 2018, consider the various sources I can get water from, and work to block out time for film development in what is left of my summer.
While I work on that, please; Enjoy the fog.