Dwight Peck's personal Web site

Physiognomy

Faces -- and the study of faces, revealing the deepest secrets of character and moral history and, quite possibly, diet -- the study of people's faces changing over time leads one, reluctantly, into all sorts of back alleys of the human pageant. In some cases, the study of human faces also reveals hints of more than a few sad barroom incidents and a couple of mountain "endos" (i.e.: end over end) into the bargain.

Since this is Mr Peck's own personal Web site, guess whose physiognomy we're mostly going to study today.

Taken sometime in that vague and numinous period between the deaths of Yamamoto and Hitler and the rise to fame of Sid Caesar and Ed Sullivan, when Joe McCarthy was laying down the terms of future political discourse in America, all the kids spent 10 minutes a day huddled under their desks pretending to be learning how to survive nuclear attacks, and Adlai Stevenson was sent packing for being an "egghead".

This is not Peck, this is a surrogate, a Pascack Indian with his name on it.

As a young Dad (with pre-astrophysicist Alison), 1966

Mr Peck freshly shorn in Kansas, 1966-1967. (Left)

Recovering from the USA nicely, Mr Peck puffs a pipe and views hiking maps with Professor Charles Berman (right), Col des Mosses, Switzerland, 1979. Nice spot -- better coffee, fewer Republicans; let's hang out here for a while.

Fondue with Sir Charles, 1979 or thereabouts

Viewing the Castle of Chillon, 1979

The unfocused narrator (right) with Cathy, Charlie, and Nicole in Hermance, 1979

First adventures in the Leysin mountains -- Sur les Truex, 1979-1980. In jeans.

Academic Dean complete with tie on (left) and the whole regalia thing at ACS graduation, 1979 or 1980.

Playing go with Pierre, Alexandra House, 1979

(Left) Renaissance scholar Peck hard at his studies (Picsou = Uncle Scrooge). Right: Trying to get oriented in Switzerland, 1980.

Fun in Rhode Island, USA, 1979 or '80

The New Hotel in Houmt Souk, Isle of Djerba, Tunisia, 1981. (More.)

La Merdasson, November 1981, in a new FILA mountain coat

End of a winter camping trip, Château d'Oex, February 1982

Still another lesson well learnt: Many broken bones from a little slip near Sustenpass, 1982.

Orkney ferry, 1983. (More.)

At Lac d'Hongrin, 1983

Cornettes de Bise, winter 1986.

Festooned by Marlowe Tyson Peck, Chalet Pollux, 1990 (photo by Michèle)

Watching Bugs Bunny on télé with Marlowe, Chalet Pollux, 1991

The other end of the physiognomy, whilst headed uphill behind Famelon, 1991.

Mont d'Or with a friend, February 1991, halfway up

Ha! Here's a physiognomy much much nicer than Mr Peck's. Michele [right], Swiss Préalps, 1991.

Looking for a pub after the rainy Morat-Fribourg marathon, with Carmen and Lisa, 1991 or 1992.

Narrator, aetatis 50

Physiognomy, Part two

Who could deny this little nerd anything he asks for? (A lot of time has passed, and we're still waiting for an answer.)

Some of the many ravages and disfigurements of time upon that cherubic face have already been chronicled above, but now we push our luck past 1991, into the unknown.

Kind Papa leading young Marlowe up for some snowcaving practice, 1992.

With Michele, 1992

Trapped in a dorm room with rowdies Mercedes, André, and Marlowe, Lugano, Switzerland, 1992

Mr Peck newly clean-shaven for job hunting purposes, on Pic Chaussy with L. Durham, 1992

Both of them seriously out of employment in 1992, Mr Peck and his favorite neighbor/boarder Carmen hiked most of the Vaudoise mountains in summer and autumn of 1992.

With Marlowe Peck on top of Mount Mansfield, Vermont, USA, in 1994.

Drinking water hastily in Ohio, USA, after a run with nephew Adrian Lime; young Marlowe Tyson Peck still in pajamas. Summer 1994.

With Alison at the Trient Glacier, 1994

Marlowe, Alison, and Dad visiting Kristin in Wisconsin, summer 1996

Visiting Alice R. Peck in Ohio, USA, August 1996

The High Route in the Swiss Alps, 1997

Kancamagus highway, New Hampshire, USA, 1998

Dad and Marlowe, Trient Glacier, 1999

Señor Peck snowshoeing with his favorite semi-daughterish pal Mercedes (see above, 1992), near the Cabane de Rochefort, March 2000.

Lost in Wisconsin (again), 2000.

Eating chocolate in the Jura mountains, 2001.

Rapporteur for the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands, December 2001.

Chilly on Mont de Bière, January 2003

Smug in the Pré-Alps, April 2003

With Marlowe in Pennsylvania, USA, April 2003

At Durnstein castle near Vienna, in his T-shirt from the rummage sale, July 2003

On the Danube with Kristin, July 2003.

Vienna, 2003

Viewing the Grottes of Naye, September 2003

Alison's visit, October 2003

With Joe Pirri, Mont de Bière Devant, March 2004: perpetual merriment

Looking in vain for snow, April 2004

Dent de Vaulion, May 2004, photo by Alison Peck

Conservation issues, with Denis, Wendy, Amalia, and Sandra, 2004

Olympic National Park, Washington state, USA, July 2004

Marlowe and the Old Dad, December 2004

In swaddling clothes, April 2005

Querulous near Engstligenalp, August 2005

Contemplative, late November 2006, with the Cornettes de Bise on the horizon.

December 2006, Grotte à Chenuz

Pointe de Poêle Chaud, March 2007, with fellow hiker Christine.

Thun, 2007, aetatis sua 62 (photo by Marlowe)

Photo by Alison, April 2008

Photo by Alison, October 2009

Hard at work, Kobuleti, Georgia, May 2010

Captain Carpenter rose up in his prime
Put on his pistols and went riding out
But had got well-nigh nowhere at that time
Till he fell in with ladies in a rout.

. . . .

The curse of hell upon the sleek upstart
That got the captain finally on his back
And took the red red vitals of his heart
And made the kites to whet their beaks clack clack.

John Crowe Ransom

Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 19 April 2001, revised 26 May 2010.

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