She Kept A Parrot
A Journal For Charlie
Portrait of A Man In A Bar
A Man in a Crowded Bar
I know this man. We affectionately call him “Listo as does his family. His given name is Ruben. He is a laborer in the concrete business. He works for us. He is a shy, brown-skinned man with beautiful, curly hair and large deep eyes. He is a solid block of a man who keeps to himself. He doesn’t talk to me, but I imagine that I know him.
9 Comments on “Portrait of A Man In A Bar”
Comments
She Kept A Parrot 
That was a beautiful post you had about the people who take care of you…I don’t know where it went, but I got that error message about it no longer existing, or some such crud like that. It was very moving, sweet…your loving people….loving you.
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I dumped the thing! I’ve done one of those before and I didn’t like this one. I have more people to include so I will post another one. Dang! I hoped nobody would see that one. 🙂 Thank you for saying such a sweet thing about it!
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I was first struck by the detail of the black and white, the beautiful man, actually…and loved it…and then I noticed that you called the man Listo…or everyone does. If he is of Spanish descent, as he appears to be, his name means “I am ready.” What a fitting name for the man you described…”laborer in the concrete business…a solid block of a man who keeps to himself.” How beautiful is that…? I am ready….
I believe I have seen you before, George…but stumbled upon you again this evening when I was browsing others’ blogs…and you were highly recommended. I’m glad I came avisiting. 🙂
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Well, I’m glad you came avisiting too! I am excited to learn the translation of Listo’s name. Yes, he is of Spanish descent. His parents came to the US from Mexico. He was born here. I could look at his employment record, but I believe he is about forty-five years old. His wife is my housekeeper. She is a real professional. The only person I ever knew who is a professional in that business. She is a friend too who brings coffee and tacos and carne guisada for my lunch. I look forward to hearing her come through the door to the garage to wake me. We are well suited. We both sleep late she wakes me around noon. Listo has been with us a long time. He is a sweet man. I think he is dyslectic. He doesn’t read or write well. He’s far too intelligent to have failed to learn to read well. His son used to work with us too. He was also dyslectic. What a shame nobody discovered it. I will ask Irma whether she knows the translation of Listo’s name. Thank you for visiting. I am happy that you like Listo’s portrait. It is one of my favorite photographs.
I am on a mission to find all of the people who visit me. I will find you too! 🙂
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Thank you for the “back story” of Listo and his family…it certainly completes the picture.
I will be here when you come asearching! 🙂
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‘Alex Autin’ has expressed my thoughts far better than I could have. This is a beautiful photo
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Thank you so much. I love images of faces. Almost every watercolor, engraving or etching I own has a “face”. Even my lamps have faces..from “The Three Graces” to a group of monkeys! Your watercolors are breathtaking. That is such a difficult medium. It astounds me when I see you work so beautifully in it. Thank you for visiting. I look forward to seeing each new watercolor!
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I’m completely enjoying the honest, unpretentious, quality found in your work.Your blog itself reflects this unassuming nature….clean, simple, lack of clutter, with no massive sidebar screaming for attention over the featured work. The focus is purely on the work being shown. There’s courage in allowing the work to speak for itself. Your short, yet elegant, descriptions accompanying each piece also reflect this honesty. Well done.
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I’m happy you like it. I never thought about it. I just post photos the way I like to look at them. I think photography is very personal so it’s nice when other people like our images, but it isn’t necessary. You make me smile. I’m far too old to worry about details or appearances, Alex. I think I never did. I’m shameless! What I really enjoy is seeing young people’s work. There is a lot of it here, and it is exciting to see. The world is starved for beauty, and I think all of you give back what you see of that beauty. Ah, how it feeds my old soul. Thank you for your kindness, Alex. BTW, I’m thinking of posting the ugliest self-portrait anybody ever saw. I giggle when I think of it. I’m not quite certain that it won’t make you think I belong in a home somewhere. But, what the hell. 🙂
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