Photographer builds tree of no-cost items

Bearing the fiscal cliff and simplicity of the season in mind, Carson City’s Charles Adams created a tree that cost nothing but his time and creative mind.“I wanted to do a tree that cost nothing,” he said. “And it was simple and uncomplicated.”Adams, whose career in Hollywood as a photographer spanned four decades, photographed the famous of the celebrity and political world through the years.Among the celebrities of the entertainment world were the likes of Marlon Brando and Marvin Gaye. In the political-government venue, he has credits that included many, and he was honored to have presidential hopeful Barack Obama visit his Carson City home during June 2007.Then an Illinois senator, Obama at that time used the Adams home for “a meet-and-greet party” with a multitude of guests on hand.Adams, who traveled the world as a photographer on different occasions, used to have holiday season parties with a theme tree for that event at his Carson CIty home.This year, however, Adams decided against the party and did his own tree using such things as flowers, leaves, berries, balls and pine cones. He said he decided to arrange them as a tree “in a downward spiral to make the tree appear in motion and then top it off with a large bow.” His no-cost approach stems from the national news of this period. “The 2012 holiday season finds us all in the mindset of a fiscal cliff,” he said, taking note of news regarding whether Obama and Congress can avert automatic tax increases and budget cuts, called sequestration, actions set up earlier to force compromise or cause probable recession.“The question,” Adams said, “then arises on how to create a beautiful Christmas tree at no expense by recycling things that we already have on hand, and make a simple but extraordinary tree.”The tree is finished for this year.“With God’s guidance,” Adams concluded, “this fiscal cliff will take care of itself.”