Saudade

Saudade is an interesting word I learned while being in Portugal and seems to gain new meaning everyday. It is not able to be directly translated to english. I've heard several interpretations. One of the best I read was it is the missing or yearning for something that is not yet known.

Fado

Fado is a Portuguese music style, generally sung by a single person (the fadista) along with a Portuguese guitar. The most popular themes of fado are saudade, nostalgia, jealousy, and short stories of the typical city quarters. Fado, and Saudade are two key and intertwined ideas in Portuguese culture. The word fado comes from Latin fatum meaning "fate" or "destiny". Fado is a musical cultural expression and recognition of this unassailable determinism which compels the resigned yearning of saudade, a bittersweet, existential yearning and hopefulness towards something over which one has no control.

Exhibition at the US Embassy, Lisbon Portugal

Last night I learned that now that the exhibitions in Estremoz are officially over, they have moved mine and the other Americans' work to be exhibited in the Embassy in Portugal. Thank you to Wes Carrington, the US Cultural Attache as well as Harold Naaijer, festival director, and Maria Joao Martins, press officer, for making this happen. I'm truly honored. Featured in the photo from left to right is British photographer, Tim Ashley and Wes Carrington at the Opening in Estremoz.

Praying for a Pipeline

I think god's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that..." -Sarah Palin

Photo by Irakly Shanidze

Agan

Photographer from Indonesia

Anastasia

Photographer from Moscow

You Tube video of the Monastery

These are not the people from the workshop, but this is a video of the place we stayed in.

Cafe Alentejano

The restaurant we are eating in every night.

Centro Ciencia Viva de Estremoz

Roughly 20 photographers and myself are staying here in this building that was once a Monastery, then a hospital and now part of a University. They have a geological museum as well. Very peaceful and calm.