I am getting into a routine of visiting my photos every day and slowly editing through them. You will notice a change in the photo galleries as I edit through the photos. I am finally trying to add and organize photos and information from each institution that I have visited. I must say, it has been quite […]

The seasons are changing and we prepare for Winter. The coldness is in the air and so is change. This Winter, as the leaves fall and the snow moves in, I prepare myself to be locked into my office. While I have been absent from this online form, absent publicly from updates on this project, […]

Happy New Year everyone! I know I am a week behind on wishing this. I still can’t even believe that it is a new year. They say that time moves quicker as you get older. Whoever “they” are… it is true. Time does move faster. Or life becomes more full, more complex, more urgent, and […]

Boulder Edge TV: The Empty Places I did an interview for Boulder Edge TV several months ago and the interview is finally posted (link above). It is always astounding for me to watch the recorded version of myself. I often get the feeling of watching a complete stranger, only that stranger somehow happens to be […]

I visited Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee on Thursday May 3rd. I knew immediately upon driving onto the campus, that this hospital was different. It was like walking a bit into the past, but in a different way then the places I have been, where the past is a dilapidated reminder of what used to […]

I have have now been in the south for 5 days filled with a hurricane of activities. The Breakdown: Saturday: landed in New Orleans, got my rental car, and began the journey. Drove to the French Quarter on a mission to find some good food and visit Cafe du Monde. I drove in circles, snaking […]

DAY 1: My suitcase still smells of cat pee, which is a terrible way to start a trip. “Cat pee?” You ask. It’s actually a funny story… I flew to a wedding in Texas just a couple of months ago. I was already running late for the flight, my suitcase was packed and I went […]

The weather has been warm. The sun shining brightly as it seems only to do in Colorado. Still, a cold wind has been blowing from the mountains, reminding of the seasons change. I drive the streets of Boulder and find that every corner seems to be claimed by sign holders. The holidays have brought them […]

. What to do. The storm has passed, the calm has settled in. Now I find myself filled with a new unrest… boredom’s swinging pendulum. From one extreme to the next; from too much to do to now too little. I wonder, is there a place, a happy blissful place, between these two extremes? Is […]

The snow is melting. The last storm has passed and the forecast seems clear. A cool wind blows from the east across the mountains. Winter is here; the skies are a pale blue, cloudless. One week after my fundraiser and my life begins to settle… just a bit. I feel the strong desire to hibernate. […]

The fundraiser is over and I wish I could say the storm has passed; it has not. I feel the tip of the iceberg pushing onward cold and heavy and determined. My fundraiser event was successful. I define success in many ways. The event was sold out: success. There were more people in attendance that […]

From my window, the trees branches bow. Powdery cold adorns them in thick white blankets, heavy, pure, silent. Today will be a snow day, whether I like it or not, I have no say. There is a fire crackling downstairs. It warms the house, fills it with a sweet smoky smell. I sit in my […]

I have entered into fundraiser land. A strange and dark land filled with excessive emails, phone calls, answering machines, followups, schmoozing, sales pitches, late nights, and giant grins with outstretched hands. This land is ruled by a giant monster clock named Time. I stumble through through this strange land with the appearance of a cool […]

Check out this teaser of “Stories that Fill the Empty Places.” While the project is still far from being complete, this is a short video I have put together to give you a better idea of what the final project is all about.

While the building that remained are not as old as some of the other institutions I have photographed, the history was still rich in the soil and trees. Stories linger on though the architecture no longer remains.

Some journaling and photo’s from the 6 institutions I visited in the north east at the end of August… two in Vermont, one in New Hampshire, two in Maine, and Medfield State Hospital in MA.

On May 2, Ralena Gordon, author and photographer of The Empty Places project was interviewed on the Denver CBS Affiliate television station. While the interview was just about 3 minutes long, it gave a good impression of the project and fundraiser and helped to promote the event. Following the interview, an email was …

Here’s what the jazz magazine “All*About*Jazz”, says about this event:

“BOULDER, CO/LOS ANGELES, CA — Nationally known jazz fusion keyboardist and composer Lao Tizer brings his Los Angeles-based band TIZER to his hometown of Boulder for a fundraiser on May 7 at the Boulder Theater …

Come enjoy a fun night of music and art while also learning about local photographer Ralena Gordon’s latest project “Stories that Fill the Empty Places.” There will be a silent auction filled with gift certificates from local businesses and artwork from local artists, guest speaker Robert Whitaker a …