The call me . . . . . Ansel . . . . .
I am in this wonderful little town of Dubois (rhymes with Two Boys) Wyoming. The very last sign of civilization before entering Grand Teton NP from the east. Not too touristy, not too citchy, but just enough local flavor and culture to balance each other nicely. The people are just darn nice folk. Regular people, if you will.
Today was rainy and windy and cold. Just plain nasty. So, I do some of my housekeeping chores so I can move into dry camp in the Tetons tomorrow (Wednesday). After lunch, I decide to take my camera and wander through town to get a few shots. As I do so, I stop into the various little gift shops, souvenir shops and all of the galleries I come to. One of these, I had been in the night before. It is run by a number of artists who work together to run this little shop, and there are a number of different media represented. I met one of them the night before and we talked for well over an hour.
So today when I am in there, one of the other proprietors is managing the shop. We share greetings and then she notices my camera and the large lens. And the ensuing conversation goes something like this . . . .
‘Nice camera. Are you a photographer?’
‘No, but I play one on TV.’
‘What kind of photography do you do?’
‘Mostly landscapes and candids.’
‘Oh, and what is your favorite subject matter?’
‘Old dead trees.’
‘Have you ever been displayed, have you ever had a show?’
‘No, I am not in it for the money, just for the sake of the art.’
‘Are you any good at what you do?’
‘I can’t really say, I try not to judge my own work.’
‘Well what’s your name, are you someone famous?’
‘I don’t know about that. They call me Ansel, Ansel Adams.’
‘Well Ansel, it’s nice to meet you. You need to come back the first week of July so we can introduce you to the National Geographic people that will be here. I am sure they will be excited to meet you.
And so, they call me Ansel . . . all over town. Even at the Square Dance tonight. One of the people I met today while wandering through the gallery, saw me and said hi. Now the bartenders and the patrons all know me now as Ansel. It’s the funniest thing.
While I was walking about downtown, I popped into the local hardware store for a couple of items. When I walked out the front door and started out across the parking lot back towards the main street through town, I hear a piano, playing Scott Joplin music, and it is definitely outside. I round the corner and there sits one of the proprietors of one of the other galleries in town, playing away on a 120 year old upright piano that he had gotten from the school district and restored. This fella is very talented by the way, he also does relief carvings in antler. It was quite astonishing.
So I hope you enjoy the following Gallery of shots from Dubois WY by the artist formerly known as Ansel, otherwise known to you all as Michael.
The view out my front door, Live Joplin on the streets of Dubois, and a Mine in the heart of downtown.
Largest Elk in the World, and the Dubois Dome (Shhh!!! It’s a Quonset hut, but don’t tell the residents that)