postcard from tirana...

The view from our balcony.

The open grounds here are one of the few and precious undeveloped common areas in an otherwise very urban Tirana. The space is used for everything you can imagine: football practice, driving lessons, teenage promiscuity, sunbathing, bird-catching (yes, catching), drug dealing, public toiletry, trash disposal and animal grazing.

We've see it all and more, plus something new just about every day.

The lower patch of dirt on the left, behind the horse and cart, is often flooded with water. We call it our "Golden Pond". It provides a handy breeding ground for mosquitos.

That black cable that cuts through the top-third of the view was installed this winter by one of the telephone companies in Tirana. It still isn't connected to anything yet; it's main purpose is to spoil the view.

Albania, March 2011.

Graflex Century Graphic, 105mm f/3.7 Ektar, Ilford HP5.