Sunset

Being near the Equator, the light in El Salvador is brilliant. And the sunsets are even more stunning. The first day I went out to shoot a photo I thought it looked very different and really neat, but could not quite put my finger on it. Then it hit me.... the sand is black. Like other highly volcanic areas the sand in La Libertad is made from volcanic rock and therefore is black.

La Libertad Market

After the fish market we walked across town to the main market. It was an interesting place with hundreds of nooks and back alleys and side stands. The merchants spilled out so far into the streets so far that they had to move their wares in order to allow buses to pass. We had already bought a hammock at the pier for the backyard, so we just browsed the hundreds of tiny stands and tried not to be overwhelmed by the number of people and merchants and buses. It's certainly eye opening to see how most of the world does their shopping.
After the market we headed down to the beach for lunch. Dozens of waiters stood in the streets trying to convince you that their restaurant was the best. Since they all had the same sign (provided by the El Salvadorean brewer of a great beer called simply "Pilsner") There wasn't much to choose by, so we selected pretty much at random.
For somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 total we had four beers, two plates of mussels on the half shell, two plates of small marinated shrimp, a Red Snapper served whole and pan fried with rice and vegetables and a plate of rice with calamari. Wow, what a lunch.

Puerto La Libertad

OK, Lots of back posting to do here, but let's start with the Thursday that Fran and I spent knocking around in La Libertad, El Salvador. It's not exactly a resort town but is a beautiful city with lots of kids and smiling faces. We started out the day at the Puerto La Libertad fish market. The entire market is on a pier over the Pacific Ocean. The fishermen use a long narrow boat with a traditional outboard. The more sought after catches (red snapper mostly) are sold fresh while smaller less desirable fish are dried on the concrete seawall surrounding the beach.

When the fishermen return for the day the boats are hooked to a crane at the end of the pier and are hauled up and loaded onto carts. From there the carts are rolled to the fish market at the end of the pier and the catch is off-loaded and sold. Can't get much fresher than that!

Finally!

Well, we finally closed on our house here in Tulsa. It was a long process and it's not totally over yet. We still have to paint and fix a few things before we move in, but it is really a neat house. Here are some before photos. 

www.shanebevel.com/house/before

www.shanebevel.com/house/outsidebefore

Old Stories Never Die

Nearly four years ago I set out for Houma, La. with a new reporter at The Times named James Ramage. Our goal was to look into the possibility of a serial killer preying on male prostitutes and drug addicts across South Louisiana. 

Today that man was convicted for the first set of deaths and sentenced to eight life sentences in prison. 

It's strange, I had nearly forgotten about the project until I read the headline today in a Houma Courier email (an email I had signed up to receive when we were working on the story and just never cancelled).

I still haven't finished reading all the back stories, but it seems that most of the men we suspected of being victims have been confirmed to be among Ronald Dominque's 23 victims. 

In fact Octavia Jones (pictured above) is now said to be related to four of the victims. We originally only knew that her nephew August Terrill Watkins was among the dead. 

It was a sad, creepy week. We talked to people who had lost friends years ago and those who had lost them recently. We even attended the funeral service for the most recent victim. 

I am sad that my paper at the time didn't see the importance in continuing to follow the story, but at the same time I am thrilled that Houma and Terrebonne parish are safer places to be. 

For more information on the killings visit www.houmatoday.com

The Photographed Photographer

It is not often that the photographer gets photographed. So here you go. Fran and I, under immense pressure from family, finally broke out the iron and had some photos made in downtown Tulsa. 

Big thanks to our friends James and Julia (Julia playing light stand at left) for helping out and making the photos. To see more of James' work check out: www.jamesplumee.com

If you desire to see more foolishness, please feel free: www.shanebevel.com/engagement

JPG Magazine

Well, after reading the magazine for quite some time I have decided to try and contribute each month to a magazine called JPG. It's an interesting setup. You submit one image each for three themes for each issue of the magazine. It doesn't yield much if you are published, but it's a cool magazine and gets me thinking about my photography in a different way.

Anyhow, check it out.

Das Haus!

Well, we did it!

We signed the contract on a house today. It's a cool little 1929 gingerbread house in Midtown Tulsa. Under 3 miles to downtown and across the street from TU, it's close to a lot of things that we like, including the apartment I am living in now.

This means that if each of you come to my house on Sept 14 and grab one thing and walk two blocks... well.... then we will be moved! So come on.

The photo above shows the house as it is now, the way it will look when we get the keys (they are replacing the awful pink roof before we close. And the third photo shows it with red brick. We hope to either sand blast the brown paint off the brick, or maybe just paint it red again.

We are so hot.... we're on FIRE!

Just as we recover from the stolen purse and the dog having heartworms... Fran gets a call at work Monday that her apartment building is on fire and she should come and check in at the office so they know everything is ok.

Next thing you know we are both at her apartment looking over the smoldering remains of her apartment.

We were able to recover a few heirloom items that we will have to restore (bubbled varnish, smoke smell, warped and cracked tabletop) and a few nice outfits went to the cleaners in a vain hope they can get the stink out. And of course we found the photos soaked in char-water, but were able to take them out of albums that night and save them.

Amazingly, a month ago I had made her bring all her valuables to my house (which is insured) and just a week ago we gave my couches to a neighbor in need and moved her new couch and chair to my house. So really, on top of her not being there, we are very blessed.

In short my friends... if you don't have a renters insurance policy or homeowners... call and get one. NOW would be a good time.

Passport!

Well, after all the nasty stories I have heard about people not getting passports or it taking months on end to get them, I was terrified at the thought of not getting mine in time for my honeymoon. However this afternoon, 6 days from when I applied, I arrived home to find my passport in the mail!

Fran and I are really excited about the prospect of building houses for people to celebrate our new life together. Not to mention the beach in El Salvador is supposed to be pretty nice ;)

Anyhow, here is a little video overview from The Fuller Center of Housing about the project at St. Joseph's Home for the Poor.