Call & Response

a photographic dialogue

Month: February, 2013

List

The Call: Exercises — Jessica After each visit, Danny’s physical therapist makes a list of all the exercises they did during the session and gives him “homework” exercises to work on until the next visit. Since he has been receiving therapy since he was two months old, the book is quite full now and it […]

Kitchen

The Call: Well Traveled — Cheryl Years ago, when I was in college, my aunt found this desk in the alley behind her Boston apartment. Since her tiny place was stuffed to the gills, she saved it for me. It traveled up to my parents’ house in Maine, then down to Dennis’s folks’ house in […]

Incomplete

The Call: Missing Piece — Jessica You know that feeling like something is missing? And you just can’t put your finger on it? That until you find that missing piece your life is going to feel incomplete? Yeah. I’m there — but I’m actively searching. It will probably turn up under the couch cushions. Everything […]

Protagonist

The Call: Fire and Snow — Cheryl I have not read Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” since college. I can’t remember the protagonist’s name, or even if he has a name, but I will never forget that story. In fact, it’s time to read it again. The Response: On the Shelf — Jessica I […]

Rush

The Call: Foggy Sunrise — Jessica I’ve caught some pretty magnificent sunrises in my backyard. Most of the time we are too busy rushing off to school to really do more than notice and approve. Today was, however, a lot less rushed and I was able to take my camera along when I let the […]

Quiet

The Call: Henry’s Guitar was Silent — Cheryl Last night, Luke, Bridget and Henry went to the annual All-Nighter at the YMCA with a church group they belong to. They swam, played dodgeball, participated in team challenges, and had an all-around great time. Dennis picked them up at 5 am. The house was quieter than […]

Thirst

The Call: Tall Glass of Water — Jessica Some days the ideas come and other days it’s a drought. Today I am thirsting for some spark or idea to work with but the well is coming up dry. Okay — that should be enough cliches for one post. Response: Empty — Cheryl Dennis gave up […]

Silk

The Call: Beading Cord — Cheryl Years ago, I bought this silk cord to restring some pearls. I have yet to open the package. The Response: Pixie’s Ears — Jessica Pixie’s ears are as soft as silk. And she was too busy playing with the other dog, India, to sit and let me get a […]

Cherish

The Call: Corner of the Table — Jessica The Valentine flowers were wilting fast — only a few remained in decent condition. Since I cherish the gift of flowers and the thought behind the gift, I trimmed the good flowers and put them in the small crystal bud vase. Of all the vases I received […]

Polished

The Call: Monstrously Handsome — Cheryl I finally convinced Jack to let me cut his hair. He looks so much more polished now, even when he’s pretending to be a monster. The Response: Submitted — Jessica The final college essay — edited, polished and submitted. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting. And fighting off […]

Tip

The Call: Green Tips — Jessica Spring is coming! This little patch of daffodils is hidden behind a large bush on the side of the house that we rarely see. I knew that the tips would be bursting through the ground by now but I was surprised at how far along they really were. And […]

Innocence

The Call: White is the Color of Innocence — Cheryl Design by Robert Frost I found a dimpled spider, fat and white On a white heal-all, holding up a moth Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth— Assorted characters of death and blight Mixed ready to begin the morning right, Like the ingredients of […]

Name

The Call: Shot Through the Heart — Jessica I was checking on the call for the day as I was driving to pick up my 2nd oldest son who had spent the night at a friend’s house. As soon as I saw the call, I heard the lyrics to the song on the radio. “Shot […]

Service

The Call: Striving to Serve — Cheryl These are just a few of the journals I have started over the years. As of late, I’ve been reading through them and making some interesting discoveries. One of the journals (red, spiral-bound, perhaps — which, by the by, is comprised of wonderfully thick paper that fountain pens […]