washing clothes across the world

I got mixed up how to spell frog talk
Here it is:
Koack, ack, ack Koack, ack, ack

It is not Swedish ducks who are rappers. It is Danish ducks.
I have asked a few Swedish friends and they do not know either what a Swedish duck says. Will try to find out as I am getting curious myself.

From the perspective of all these years later, the mullberry bush/laundry song seems to me to be about the inculcation of getting all the family involved in household chores - that is, me, as a kid.

But I really remember it (or do I) as having to do with us kids running around the front yards of our neighborhood. Maybe that is just word association.

Probably it was neither of those, but something we sang in, first grade...

That photo from upstate new york is one fabulous photo, Aidan. I love it as much as I do the one by Harry Gruyaert from Magnum that I posted in the first place.

Great proportions, great texture, wildly beautiful color, it's a dancing photo..

dancing? well, the clothes, the blanket edging, the twigs, the shadows, the line of snow on the branch..


The north carolina one is a painting through a lens. Wow.

Same thing here, the flying sand. You have to pick your time of day..


great post, permerson.

saab says Swedish frogs say "kvark, kvark", while Americans know our frogs say, "ribbit, ribbit". The frogs are obviously speaking two totally different languages.

Thank you Osso and Saab. The photo I got in upstate New York - I was driving with my daughter and saw the clothesline - the house was on a fairly major road - though set back from the road. The clothes line was in the side yard, so was visible from the road.
I slammed on the brakes, pulled over and walked back to the house, my daughter yelling, 'Mom- what are you doing? You can't just walk up on those peoples' yard and take a picture of their clothes.'
But I did and no one came running out of the house to take my license plate number thinking I was a peeping tom or something.

The house in North Carolina - I wanted to live there. Every time I walked past that house, I thought, 'That's the kind of place I want when I get my own place- just a little house by a stream.

Osso mentioned:

Yeah - that's what I love about photography. My hands can't manipulate what my mind's eye sees - I love color and would love to be able to draw - but I can't at ALL! It's always been such a huge frustration for me - but a camera makes it all possible for me- this artistic expression that my clumsy hands can't manage.

I'm looking for a clothesline picture I took in Italy - when I find it - I'll post it.
Thanks for starting this thread Osso.

Found it:


If I remember correctly, this was in Lucca, in Tuscany.

Two songs about washing and drying clothes that I've always loved:



This guy actually has a nice voice and does a good job on this song. I'd buy a record by him.
I originally heard this song done by Bob Dylan and the Band on his basement tapes album: