LostBob's Blog

Sanity Restored?

2010-11-01T13:40:00.004-04:00

Here’s your sign

A few signs of sanity seen at Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity Oct 30, 2010.

Restore Sanity

2010-09-17T10:37:00.011-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Rally to Restore Sanity

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Mark your calendar.

The Robots are Coming

2010-06-15T18:29:00.025-04:00

I have been privileged to receive a pre-publication draft of The Robots are Coming from the author. This has nothing to do with any aptitude for literary review or interest or fear of robots on my part. Rather the author is my oldest friend. This is therefore not an unbiased review. The author will show up at my doorstep with beverages and conversation more often if this book sells well.

And since our friendship has always been built on friendly argumentative exchange, I won’t try to suggest that this book is without fault or that I fully embrace its conclusions. There were a few spots where the argument sounded too much like Glenn Beck for my taste though I didn’t mind the occasional political jab.

The robots are coming Actually, we all know that they are already here. We know about the ones that man the auto assembly lines and we know about the ones the police use to probe and destroy shopping bags left behind by careless tourists. We also know about armed and unmanned drones flying over Pakistan providing not so silent security for wedding parties and such.

And we know about endless loop, mind numbing, talking software that substitutes for customer ‘Service’. The robots are here alright. We built them to do useful or profitable things for us and we tolerate them because we like the convenience it brings (or we really are desperate to get through to customer service).

We all also know about the internet and the growing power that is Google. We know about 2001 a Space Odyssey , The Matrix and The Terminator films and we know that we are not ‘there’ yet. At least we think so. This book shows that we’re a lot closer than you think. The author provides a well-documented look at exactly where robot technology is at today, how quickly it has gotten there and how few the steps are and how quickly they might occur that will send us hurtling willingly into the matrix.

The author warns in bold type from the first page of the introduction that when the robots come for you “your neighbors will help it happen” I’m one of the unwitting neighbors; happy to turn over to iTunes and the cloud information about my complete music collection (and likely whether it was obtained legally). Happy to allow their software to pick the music I listen to in exchange for the pleasure of hearing my music in novel and interesting sequence and the convenience of not having to sort through 100’s of CDs to do it. I don’t mind giving Pandora Radio my thumbs up or down clicks as they learn my taste in music. I like the end result. Radio that reads my mind (and yes I do occasionally succumb to targeted advertising and buy new music). Without the cloud I would have never heard Lucinda Williams sing Dylan’s Positively Fourth Street.

And I can’t neglect mention of the irony of how utterly indispensible Google and the cloud were in producing a book warning of its imminent threat. Or the role that a company named after a river in South America might play if it is to be successful.

This 20 minute TED Talk video demonstrates why you should read this book.

Quoting the author of The Robots are Coming:

“In this powerful talk, the world‘s foremost robot expert shows how the widespread use of robots in war is changing the realities of combat. He shows us scenarios straight out of science fiction -- that are no longer at all fictitious.”

Georgia O'Keeffe Hides in My New Camera

2010-05-07T15:39:00.007-04:00

Orange Poppy in Morning Sun

I seem to have found the spirit of Georgia O'Keeffe peeking out from my new camera. You hardly notice she's there at all in the full frame image.

Check out some of Ms O'keeffe's flowers. Visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.

The ghost of Georgia O'Keeffe was hiding among the Iris too.

Blue Iris

Compare to Georgia O’Keeffe’s Blue Flower, 1918 which can be seen HERE, HERE or HERE.

1962 Hagerstown Bi-Centennial Tokens

2010-03-19T10:29:00.006-04:00

Souvenir Money

Hagerstown Bi-Centennial – Antietam South Mountain Centennial

Clara Barton, Angel of the Battle Field Founder of the American Red Cross

Historic Dunker Church, Battle of Antietam Sept 17, 1862

Gathland Civil War Correspondents Memorial Frederick County Md.

Good for 50 cents in trade at any cooperating business or redeemable at any Washington or Frederick County Maryland Bank on or before 2:00 P.M. April 5, 1962

These are soon to be lost to the eBay auctioneer. Thought they deserved a spot in the virtual scrapbook first. Click on the image tovisit the Flickr PhotoPage where you can see a higher resolution image.

High Water on the Potomac River

2010-03-15T11:40:00.005-04:00

March 14, 2010

These pictures were taken at Dam #5. I have posted photos taken yesterday afternoon along the Potomac River and C & O Canal in a Flickr PhotoSet. Pictures are from Taylor's Landing, Conononheague Aqueduct and Dam No. 5.

You can see the full photoset here.

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to their Flickr PhotoPage where you can see the full size images. Check them out

Old Silver Certificates

2010-02-19T10:29:00.017-05:00

Money may not have gone farther back then but it did cover more area.

The top bill, a series 1899 Black Eagle Dollar is signed by John Burke Treasurer of the US and Houston B. Teehee , Register of the Treasury. This dates the bill between March 1915 and Nov 1919. It’s the dollar in use on the day of my mother’s birth and through World War I. To collectors this bill is known as a Friedberg Catalog # 233.

The lower bill is a 1923 series Silver Certificate signed by Frank White and Harley V. Speelman They signed bills through Nov 1927. This bill is Friedberg #237.

These and a few similar bills are from my mother’s estate. Most will soon be lost to the auctioneer at eBay.

You can see all the bills in more detail in a PhotoSet on my Flickr Photo Sharing site. Just click on the pictures above or to the left to check them out. Or follow this link

Note the links to name/date range above are to ronscurrency.com. That site is my source for dating the bills.

Thanks and kudus to Philip Driver at Philipdrivercurrency.com His site and friendly correspondence has been very helpful in learning the history and value of these bills. Check out his site if you would like to see or purchase rare and high quality similar old silver certificates.

While searching for info about my mother's bills I found two very good sites with well written currency grading definitions and guidelines.

The Currency Grading Tutorial found at Heritage Auction Galleries's site is an excelent reference. RonsCurrency.com's grading page is also very good.

The Cracked Quarter

2010-02-03T12:19:00.010-05:00

This 1957 George Washington silver quarter is cracked. Check it out. Click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged detail view of the crack.

I found this quarter among change gathered on my paper route at age 13 or 14. It was already well circulated and worn but the crack seemed unusual. I set the quarter aside with a small coin collection. It’s one of the few things that survive from that collection.

I have always been intrigued by that crack. A digital camera with a macro setting and a little bit of software and now you can see why.

How can you crack a quarter after it is struck without bending it all out of shape and leaving tool marks? I don’t think you can. I think this quarter was cracked before it was struck. The silver blank that became this quarter was cracked before the die was struck. It should have never left the mint in Philadelphia.

You can see more pictures of this quarter on my Flickr photo sharing site. Click on the pic to check them out.

I was a White House Security Breach

2009-12-07T13:22:00.004-05:00

I really was.

It was in the mid 80s (the picture is more recent). I was involved in installation and acceptance of a secure video teleconferencing link between the White House and the Pentagon. My colleagues and I did not hold adequate security clearances for free access to the work location in the basement of the White House. We needed to be escorted everywhere. Even to the toilet.

Getting to the worksite involved showing up at the gate, identifying ourselves to the Uniformed Secret Service who verified that we were on an access list and called for our escorts from the White House Communications Agency. Meanwhile we stepped through a magnetometer while our tools and briefcases etc. were x-rayed and scanned. The Uniformed Secret Service then provided us with a visitor badge on a chain to wear around our necks for the day. We waited at the secret service shack at the gate until our escorts arrived to take us down to the communication equipment rooms under the east wing..

At lunch time our escorts would return us to the gate. We held onto our badges while we walked the city in search of a restaurant. On return from lunch we displayed our badges at the gate and the secret service allowed us to step through the magnetometer. We then called for our escorts who would meet us again for return to work.

One day when a colleague and I returned from lunch and called for our escorts they told us that they were short handed and busy “handling traffic” at the moment and did we mind waiting a little while. It was a warm spring day and we didn’t mind waiting on the White House lawn by the gate.

Meanwhile a chatty uniformed secret service agent at the gate asked why our escort was delayed on such a fine day. When I told him he said well you guys know where your going don’t you? I’ll take you there. So we followed him from the gate into the east wing of the white house. We turn down the right corridor and get to the top of the stairwell leading down into the basement where the communications equipment rooms are located. There was a sign at the top of the stairwell indicating that the area was restricted to certain personnel which apparently did not include the uniformed secret service agent escorting us. The agent said “you guys know where you are going from here right?” and dumped us on our own into the bowls of the White House.

It was an eerie feeling pounding on the iron vault door of the Comms room trying to get the attention of the folks behind the door among the chattering equipment. I had visions of spending the rest of the day being grilled by the secret service.. That didn’t happen but a uniformed secret service agent got a good chewing out.

It was a breach. Was it good enough to make the list?

Building Sanctuary

2009-11-18T09:17:00.008-05:00

These photos were taken on Aug 1, 2009 during construction of the new sanctuary at Emmanuel Baptist Temple on the Old National Pike just west of Hagerstown. Clicking on the photo will take you to a Flickr PhotoSet of similar photos taken that same day. The photos there are geotagged with links for locating the spot on a map.

Emmanuel Baptist Temple has documented the construction of their new sanctuary with monthly slideshows and a large photo collection. The phase of construction captured in my image can be seen in more detail in their August 2009 Slideshow.

The Kingfisher

2009-10-28T16:01:00.010-04:00

This guy was seen in Baker Park He was there for a little fishing and some live blues. The Tom Principato Band was scheduled to perform that evening. Unfortunately the show was rained out. I just rediscovered this photo while doing some hard drive reorganization. Click on the Picture to see it in original color and size or here to see it on Flickr PhotoSharing site. The photo there is geotagged.

Censorship Preserves Our Way of Life

2009-09-09T09:28:00.004-04:00

Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, Superintendent of Schools for Washington County, Maryland and the Board of Education has acted to protect our students from the following words of the President of the United States:

“But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.”

We don't want to hear crap like that here in Washington County. We like excuses here. Illegal aliens, liberals, commies, socialists, gays, blacks…. Give us more excuses. We don’t want any threats to our way of life.

And we certainly don’t want to risk telling our children stuff like this:

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions”

They just might take it seriously and then where would we be? The very foundations of this community could be shattered.

Each and every member of the BOE should be remembered for this “courageous” act of censorship which serves only to preserve and protect the standing and status of our community. What a remarkable legacy these so-called "educators" leave for posterity. They should really be proud of themselves.

Their next effort should be to purge our school dictionaries of definitions number two and three of this word. Definition number one seems perfectly adequate here.

The Dollar Dragon

2009-08-31T00:35:00.007-04:00

The 34^th year of Kaung Hsu

Detail seen on 1908 Chinese silver 'Dragon Dollar'

Click on the image to the left to see a larger image of both sides of the coin.

They Say it's Your Birthday

2009-08-26T21:27:00.007-04:00

"And frankly. the song scares me to death"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

Enjoy the Adventure

2009-07-11T10:35:00.003-04:00

MSO at Antietam National Battlefield 2009

2009-07-04T23:59:00.008-04:00

Just a couple of pictures from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra Salute to Independence at Antietam National Battlefield. The performance is always superb this year was no exception. The premier performance of Ghosts of Antietam by the MSO’s principle timpanist Joe McIntyre was really nice. The sound of the tympanis in the darkening view of Bloody Lane and the fields beyond was haunting and beautiful.

My Dad would have been 97 yesterday He was very proud to have been born on the fourth of July. . His Grandfather was at Antietam. He would have really enjoyed the John Phillips Sousa numbrs.

My Mother

2009-06-07T21:00:00.002-04:00

October 7, 1918 - June 7, 2009

My mother passed away Sunday evening at age 90. Her final illness developed suddenly over just a few days. The end was peaceful with her family at her side. Over the past days, the entire family, from siblings to great grandchildren have had the precious opportunity to say good bye and for that we will be forever grateful.

Addendum: June 12

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts prayers. The services for my mother were beautiful and exactly as she would have wanted.

Mother looked absolutely beautiful in a powder blue casket that she and my dad picked together more than 10 years ago. She wore a navy blue dress that she herself picked and set aside because she knew then exactly how good she would look in it. Mom’s hair was done by her favorite hairdresser who, when I called to tell her about mom and ask if she would, volunteered before I could ask.

The service was performed by her pastor, a friend of both my parents for more than a dozen years. He spoke, not as a preacher, but as a friend. Six grandsons served as Pallbearers. I followed the Hearst to the cemetery in the Miata with the top down , my ex-wife at my side and Willie Nelson singing How Great Thou Art on the CD player. Mother would have appreciated that on at least half a dozen different levels.

Family and friends gathered at the funeral home Wed. evening and at her granddaughters farm after the funeral. We even had eight great-great grandchildren present if my count is correct and counting is not always so easy in this family.

It couldn’t have been more fitting or more beautiful. Mother would have approved (and so would her third grade teacher).

She had a long and good life, wished only the same for others and did her best to make it so for her family and friends. She will be missed.

Western MD Blues Fest is Comming!

2009-04-27T00:38:00.012-04:00

Be There!

Your browser does not support iframes.

Just Because

2009-04-10T20:13:00.005-04:00

It's Good Friday

It was in fact, a good Friday

Flower in Glass Egg

It's a glass paperweight,
the size and shape of an egg.

Fitting somehow

Cordoglio, L'Aquila

2009-04-06T12:07:00.005-04:00

Fontana Luminosa, L'Aquila

This photo was taken in March of 2002. The fountain is located just 7.6 km from the epicenter of this morning's earthquake in central Italy. My heart goes out to the people in the beautiful city of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy. Cordoglio.

Search Me

2009-04-04T10:12:00.022-04:00

WTF? Google

This single post, The Cars of the Beast, is responsible for nearly 60% of the traffic on this blog. Folks are coming from around the world to see that page. It's been viewed from one hundred countries just since February What's up with that?

The Cars of the Beast, on LostBob's Blog

A Google Web search for cars of the beast, the title of the post, shows nothing unusual. My Blog is listed part way down the first page.

Note: Clicking on the images below will repeat the Google Search as I entered it, opening in a (single) new window.

If I put the search string in quotes Google's response is more specific but still nothing to compel folks from around the world to click on it.

A closer look at my StatsCounter reports show that over 77% of my visitors arrive Google Image Search, less than 4% from all other searches and only two of nearly 2000 from Google Blog Search. Isn't that curious?

A Google Image search for the cars of the beast yields this:

OK, the shiny black Porsche Carrera and Lamborghini are pretty cool. I'd click on those. Seems to explain why folks find that post. But watch what happens if you put the search string in quotes:

Every picture displayed, save one, is by LostBob, every link is to this blog. Those on the second page too. Most of the images shown do not appear on the Cars of the Beast post. In fact, clicking most will take you to places in the blog where the car of the beast photos cannot even be seen. Some take you to posts with photos different than the one shown.

WTF? Google

And here's a surprise. If You leave the s off of cars Google gets really personal, ignoring the car photos completely. I think Google is trying to scare me away from Flickr and onto Picasa.

Big Brother really is watching.

Dylan's Children's: Book Forever Young

2009-03-10T07:00:00.005-04:00

This clip from Bob Dylan was a great find surfing YouTube.

Checkout Bob Dylan's Children's book Forever Young

Old Blog gets New Life

2009-03-08T04:44:00.011-04:00

Once upon a time in a blog much like this one, incompetence and circumstance led to duplication (sort of). A few old posts languishing in the blogosphere. Stories about Hillary Clinton, the girls of Mumbai and an apartment in Kazan. Pictures of a bar in India and some Churches in Rome. All gathering digital dust with nary a virtual viewer.

Such was the fate of LostBob’s Old Blog (sort of). until the discovery of bloggers magic cut-and-paste time machine. That little ‘Post Options’ drop down in the edit window. Suddenly it's 2006 again. My old posts can re-appear in a blog that wasn’t even around then. They have been reincarnated.

Most of what was once there has moved here. So if you’ve stumbled here or there via some wayward link or if Google has lured you here for something that was once there but is no longer. It’s probably here. So there you are.

Actually, it’s here

The pictures are links to the most popular old posts
The Car of the Beast?	Seaview Hotel
Loading Oil in Dubai	The Girls of Mumbai
Ponte Vittorio Emanuele	Santa Maria Maggiore
The pictures are from the old posts. The links take you to the post's new home. The post about "The Car of the Beast" was revised and is now the most popular post on this blog.

Remembering John Cephas

2009-03-05T13:24:00.009-05:00

Legendary bluesman John “Bowling Green” Cephas dies at 78

“More than anything else, I would like to see a revival of country blues by more young people … more people going to concerts, learning to play the music,” Cephas once said. “That’s why I stay in the field of traditional music. I don’t want it to die.”

I met John Cephas in the early 90’s at Oliver’s Pub in Hagerstown. A genuinely friendly man, he spoke of how much he enjoyed playing in Hagerstown.

From his agent, Piedmont Talent’s Steve Hecht

A descendent of slaves, Cephas was born in Washington, D.C. in 1930, and acquired his “Bowling Green” moniker from his childhood days in Bowling Green, Virginia. Cephas discovered gospel as a child, but soon learned the blues from a guitar-playing aunt while his grandfather taught him about eastern Virginia folklore.

I have put together a little playlist of John Cephas clips on YouTube. The clips show him solo and as part of Cephas & Wiggins with long time partner Phil Wiggins on harmonica. The clips show him doing what he did best, playing and teaching. Spend a few minutes and check them out. Or if you are too busy just minimize this window and enjoy the music of John Cephas for a few minutes.

Fellow Hagerstownian Grudnik captured a nice shot of John Cephas at the Western Maryland Blues Fest in 2005. See it on his Flickr photostream.

Note that links in this post open in a single new window.

Samos is Amos

2009-03-01T22:09:00.012-05:00

but Sanon ain't Anon

If Samos is Amos and Amos is famous then Sanon ain't Anon no more.

The photo is of the entrance to Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia.
Clicking on it will take you there. Go ahead. I’ve already changed the subject.

Amos Anon’s Book

2009-02-21T21:50:00.038-05:00

Are there really any dead Tibetans?

My old friend Amos Anon has written a serious and scholarly study guide to the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Now I'm no expert, but I thought the whole purpose of that book was to ensure that Tibetans don’t stay dead. At least not for long.

So why aren't there more Tibetans among us?

Updated Feb 24^th:
Turns out Amos has provided the answer in an e-mail.

“Actually, the purpose of the Tibetan Book of the Dead is to help you stay dead, or in other words, to not get reincarnated. “

Which pretty much explains it all.

Told you he was the expert. The only version of the Tibetan Book of the Dead I've read all the way through is the comic book version of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. And Timothy Leary's too; they both agree with Amos. And I bet some of those that do reincarnate come back as Chinese, just for revenge. Or maybe as spies. Karma!

The supply of Tibetans will eventually run out.

I'm not the expert. So you should check out what Amos has to say for yourself at his new blog

Samos Samon's Seudo Serial

Better still, go to Amazon where you can read an excerpt then buy his book. Amos tells me it really is very good.

Besides, he needs the money. He owes me a beer.

Note: Links external to Blogger open in a single new window.

Kid Ric's Last Picks

2009-02-21T02:52:00.015-05:00

I didn't know Kid Ric well. I met him at Merlin’s Tavern a few times over beers. Ric introduced me to Blogger there. We talked about music and old friends.

Robert Johnson "...was among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians.... ...Considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll", his vocal phrasing, original songs, and guitar style have influenced a broad range of musicians, including Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, Jack White and Eric Clapton…”

Add Kid Ric to that list.

Robert Johnson’s Graves , the final post on Kid Ric's Blog appeared on July 6th, 2007. I have reproduced it below.

A small tribute to The great Robert Johnson.
Not just another Taurus genius.

YouTube - Robert Johnson's Graves

Peace, love and light,
Ric

The YouTube video(which opens in a new window)and its background music are hauntingly prophetic yet eerily appropriate and it certainly feels like Ric was indeed saying goodbye.

But less than an hour after posting, Ric added Purple is the color by Milow to his internet radio stream at Kid Ric’s Picks and had this to say:

“This one is a mover. Drums are hot. Love the vocals and the interesting way they play off each other. Great instrumentation. Nice mix. Way to go Milow!”

The song, full of life and energy is quite different from the video. Both are fitting for the Kid Ric that I met.

Ric continued adding songs to his radio stream through early September. By the end of the month he was off to California. He never made it back.

On Nov 25th, 2007 this comment appeared on Kid Ric’s Blog:

It's with great regret that I must tell everyone that Kid Ric (Ric Grove) of Hagerstown, MD did pass away from his short battle with cancer on 11/14/07. He went to California on September 26th to try some alternative treatment, but unfortunately never returned. He was a very good friend of ours and will be missed. Ric & I knew each other for over thirty years, played music together in several projects. Ric was a very talented individual as an artist and a musician, and also a very good hearted guy. He also did web design on the side and won many awards for his web designs. Recently he designed and built my band's web site http://www.thephatkatz.com/, as well as taught me how to maintain it. I'm very sorry to give all of you the bad news, but I think Ric would've wanted you to know what happened to him. He often spoke of his good friends on the blogs.

-Tom Taylor

Fair well my friend. Good tunes! Your music lives on.

Clicking on my self portrait on the left will play Kid Ric's Internet Radio Stream in a new window.

While we are reminiscing, remember also friends Alan Reischer and Nelson Carpenter.

It was Alan who introduced me to Tom Robbin's novels while listening to The Bama on WPFW on Saturday mornings. He is missed (and so is The Bama). Shepherdstown and the Meklenburg Inn are not the same without him.

Nelson, I hardly knew you. It looks like you were fading away even in this picture from 1972.

Stop by Merlin's and lift a pint to Ric, Alan or Nelson. Cheers my friends.

Georgia O'Keeffe in a Paperweight

2009-02-12T13:47:00.014-05:00

The macro setting on my camera reveals a bit of the spirit of Georgia Okeeffe in this little three inch glass paperweight.

The bubble floats above the petals like a tiny hot air ballon. Looking carefully at the full size image reveals that it is tethered by a thread of tiny bubbles.

Clicking on the photos will take you to their pages on my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see the full size image.

Clicking on the thumbnail will take you to a a Flickr photo set where you can see several other similar shots.

Grandma’s Family Postcards

2009-02-07T16:08:00.012-05:00

This is one of a series of Real Photo Postcards (RPPC) passed down from a grandmother I never knew. Most of the RPPCs are from M. J. Hoover Studios, Carlisle & Newville, PA. The photocard stock is from AZO and was manufactured between 1904 and 1918.

I have collected the most interesting (to me anyway) ones into a photoset on my Flickr photo sharing site. You can see them by clicking on the image to te left.

My grandmother was Bessie Geedy of Newville, PA. She passed away in 1947. Her dad, a veteran of the 126th Regiment PA Infantry, was wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

The people in the photos are her family and friends. Most of the pictures are unmarked and the people unidentified.

Reflecting Self Portraits

2009-02-06T22:51:00.012-05:00

It's a photograph not a Photoshop composite. Taken with an Olympus C5050.

Self Portrait circa 1972.

The full size image on my Flickr Photo sharing site gives a better hint about how this was done.

Reflections of M. C. Escher

2009-01-13T14:42:00.013-05:00

The image below is a photograph. It's not a PhotoShop creation.

Inspired by M. C. Escher's 1935 Lithograph "Hand with Reflecting Sphere" .

This one, a play on M.C. Escher's 1946 Lithograph "Three Spheres II" is a PhotoShop creation. It's a composite of four images.

I have posted some similarly inspired photos into a Flickr PhotoSet I call On M. C. Escher click the link to see them.

You can see my post about my brush with M.C. Escher in my post on visiting Castrovalva in Abruzzo, Italy.

Goerz Pocket Tenax

2008-12-11T22:05:00.008-05:00

Goerz Pocket Tenax

The camera belongs to a friend. It is a Goerz Pocket Tenax folding plate camera manufactured by C. P. Goerz of Berlin about 100 years ago. The lens an F6.8 Syntor with 5 inch focal length. The compound shutter and aperture control works and the bellows appears light tight. The camera needs only a trip to a good shop for a careful cleaning and lubrication to be fully functional.

The camera kit includes a 7x5x3 inch wooden carrying case and numbered 3.25 x 4.25 inch glass film plate holders.

Camerapedia has this to say about C.P. Goerz

C. P. Goerz was founded in 1886 by Carl Paul Goerz (1854-1923), a salesman who once had been in apprenticeship at Emil Busch in Rathenow and later was partner of Eugen Krauss in Paris. Originally Goerz sold mathematical tools for schools, since 1887 also cameras. By taking over F. A. Hintze's workshop in 1888 his company became a camera maker itself, named Optische Anstalt C. P. Goerz since 1890. It was based in Berlin.

I have posted a few other pictures of this camera to a set called C P Goerz Camera Check them out.

Should anybody have any more information about this camera, please leave a comment.

You can learn more about plate cameras and how they operate at licm.org.uk

Goerz Pocket Tenax Kit

Conspiracy Theory

2008-12-01T10:37:00.008-05:00

Who knew that Kenn Starr had a company in India? Or that Monica was part of an diabolical plot to sell butter?

Billboard seen in Mumbai in 1998.

I have placed a few pictures taken in and around Mumbai, India in 1998 into a photo set on my Flickr site. Clicking HERE or on the photo above will take you to the photo set.

Google Image Search Games

2008-08-31T12:00:00.007-04:00

The Cars of the Beast

The full story is found here

Google is playing games with you.

People from all over the world are arriving at this post from a Google Image Search for "The Cars of the Beast" or similar. Folks click on the thumbnail image of one of the photos you see in the slideshow. But instead of the pictures in my post, Google sends them to a picture of my granddaughter or to a Bob Dylan Video. Not exactly what they were looking for.

It's all part of the Great Google Conspiracy and now I'm on to them. Follow the link under the slideshow to see the post and learn a bit more about the cars. Or, depending on how you got here, pull your scroll bar down two posts.

Watch Google search play games with the Cars of the Beast at Search Me, WTF? Google

Paranoid Blues Birthday

2008-08-26T13:20:00.001-04:00

But something is happening here and we don’t know what it is do we Mr. Jones? ... "there must be some way out of here" said the joker to the thief. ... Keep a clean nose, watch the plain clothes and you won't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. ... But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here, All the pigeons gonna run to him.

My apologies to Bob Dylan
Note that links in this post external to blogger open in a single new window.

The Cars of the Beast ?

2008-08-06T12:34:00.027-04:00

Seen on opening day at the Dubai Autodrome

Bad in Black, Lamborghini 666

I was told that these cars are owned by Dubai's Sheik Maktoum. He drove a U.S. made Viper in the feature race on that opening day. I don't recall where he finished. I thought it was a bold and gutsy, in your face move, to put the "Number of the Beast" on the cars. Classy. And the Viper was nice too.

Porsche Carrera GT 666

In Dubai auto “number plates” are sold by auction. Highly sought after low numbers and auspicious numbers can bring more than a million dollars.

Millions Spent on UAE Car Number Plates 18 February 2008

In Dubai more than $US7m was spent on the car number plate bearing the number 98. Of course that was small change compared to the $US14m spent by one Emiriti in Abu Dhabi on a number plate bearing the number 1.

Porsche Carrera GT 666-2

It's my guess that the license plate numbers costs as much as the cars. American's might pay an extra $100 for a vanity plate. In the U.A.E. it's a much bigger deal. Millions can be spent for that special number. Check out these articles from Dubai's Gulf News:

Dubai number plate auction generates Dh41m ($11.162 million U.S.)

A number of two-digit numbers, 89, 43, 61 and 78, were on offer, 43 and 61 toping the list by generating Dh2.3 million ($626,ooo U.S.) each. The four numbers were sold for a total of Dh11,14 million. ($3.033 million U.S.)

Dubai holds special number plate auction

Dubai: Number Plate G 16 broke all records of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) special number plates auction when it was sold for Dh5 million ($1.36 million U.S.) Friday, according to RTA.

You can read an earlier post about my day at the Dubai Autodrome in A Day at the Races Check it out.

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Update: April 16^th, 2009

As of this date, this post has now been viewed by folks from 100 different countries. Check it out at And Haiti makes 100 on LostBob's Blog.

See why this post is the most popular on this blog at Search Me, WTF Google?

One Day in the Life

2008-08-04T18:22:00.008-04:00

"gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart."

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Blagoveshensky Cathedral, Kazan

Alexander Solzhenitsyn died yesterday at age 89.

The obituary in on BBC’c Web Page is worth a read.

From the Guardian

Solzhenitsyn's wife, Natalya, told Interfax that her husband, who suffered along with millions of Russians in the prison camp system, had died as he had hoped to die.

"He wanted to die in the summer, and he died in the summer," she said. "He wanted to die at home, and he died at home. In general, I should say that Alexander Isaevich lived a difficult but happy life.

His book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of my all time most memorable reads.

A Better Shot

2008-06-09T10:35:00.003-04:00

The gentleman behind the camera getting a better shot of Guitar Shorty has his own collection of BluesFest photos here:

Grudnick’s BluesFest Photoset

Western Maryland Blues Fest, 2008

2008-06-06T18:28:00.009-04:00

Hagerstown, MD
May 29 through June 1 2008

I have started to post some pictures from the 2008 Western Maryland Blues Fest into a photoset on my Flickr photo sharing site. Check them out.

Bettye Lavette Band

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to its page in my photoset where you can se or download the full size image or view more bluesfest photos.

Bettye Lavette

Charlie Musselwhite

Charlie Musselwhite Band

Buckwheat Zydeco

Buckwheat Zydeco

Norma Jean Bruso

Guitar Shorty

You can see the full photoset here

My kind of place

2008-06-01T09:26:00.002-04:00

A friend sent me this

If you take this road, the next left is Discovery Rd.

Too bad that one is a dead end.

More from Mianyang, China

2008-05-15T00:40:00.009-04:00

My pictures from Mianyang and Chengdu are snapshots from more than 11 years ago. I was there for less than three weeks but those weeks remain a highlight of ten years of working abroad. It is heartbreaking to see the images and hear the news coming from there this week.

The Morning Ferry

Note: Clicking on the pictures will take you to it’s page in my Flickr photoset where you can see more pictures from Mianyang and Chengdu.

From the L.A. Times

MIANYANG, CHINA -- Everywhere you turned Wednesday, there was more bad news: The official death toll from China's earthquake climbed to nearly 15,000, with thousands still missing; 391 dams were damaged; and in Mianyang county, 3,600 passengers were trapped in trains, and 120 coal miners lost underground.

Fishing

From the Chicago Tribune

MIANYANG, China — The survivors surged into every available space: on top of flattened ping-pong tables, inside an abandoned boxing ring, between treadmills — any place they could find in a sports stadium that has become a settlement for the displaced in one of Sichuan's hardest-hit cities.

A quick search of photos posted on Flickr shows that the cities have changed dramatically since I was there, more cars on the streets, more modern buildings, more shopping; tangible results of China’s economic boom.

See: Commentary by Andrew Smeall, Asia Society

The disaster unfolding in Sichuan, China reveals the tragic side of China's focus on rapid economic growth. Although the Chinese government has responded with admirable swiftness and determination in the face of this disaster, some of the damage, and future tragedies, can only be avoided through more rigorous attention to building codes….

This earthquake merely highlights examples of a trend that has become evident across much of China's economy over the last few years—a trend of profits coming before people. Supporting environmental regulatory industries through fines levied on polluters ironically insures that regulators profit from the continued existence of polluters.

Click here to see a slideshow of 30 images taken in Mianyang and Chengdu in the early spring of 1997.

The People of Mianyang and Chengdu

2008-05-13T23:34:00.009-04:00

In early spring of 1997 I visited Chengdu and Mianyang in Sichuan Province, China.. Those cities are much in the news in recent days following the magnitude 7.9 earthquake with epicenter not far from Mianyang.

I had a wonderful time there and would love to return. The images I see on the news and the web from there are tragic and heartbreaking.

I am posting these pictures of some of the wonderful people I encountered there in hope that wherever they are today, they are safe and well.

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to it’s page in my Flickr photoset where I have posted more photos from my visit there.

Today these young schoolgirls could be high school or university age. Are they still able to smile as they did in 1997?

From China View

MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A teenage girl has told how she and her classmates sang pop songs together as they lay trapped and injured in the ruins of their high school after the massive earthquake in southwest China on Monday.

The Scissor Sharpener

Mianyang Folksinger

Chengdu Bartender. He was very proud of his city and more than willing to have his picture snapped but he turned his ID badge around first.

Please see: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/14/content_8167930.htm

MIANYANG, Sichuan, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Death toll in the earthquake-stricken Mianyang City jumped from 3629 to 5,430 by 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday.
Information from the quake control and relief efforts headquarter of Mianyang City said Monday's earthquake also left 1,396 people missing, 18,486 more buried in debris, and 23,235 others injured.

See Also:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/14/content_8170751.htm

http://www.cctv.com/english/20080514/101800.shtml

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/05/13/in-mianyang-street-lights-lit-relative-calm/

Please visit my Mianyang and Chengdu, 1997 photo set where you can see more photos of Mianyang and her people.

Alexander Gardner’s Burnside Bridge Photos

2008-05-01T14:48:00.011-04:00

Alexander Gardner took a series of photographs of the Antietam Battlefield beginning just two days after the battle where 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing in a single day of combat.

Gardner’s photographs were the first time an American battlefield had ever been photographed with many of the dead still on the field. Gardner, 41 years old at the time of the battle, was employed by Mathew Brady's studio in Washington, DC.

Library of Congress Image cwpb 04327 from Gardner Negative.

Gardner’s photos include four taken of Burnside Bridge. I have attempted to discover Gardner’s camera position and recreate those shots. The results provide a glimpse of how much (or little) the area has changed in nearly 150 years.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge (follow link to Gardner’s photo)

This would be the same view seen by many of the attacking soldiers in Burnside's command.

Clicking on the photos will take you to its page in my Flickr photoset where you can see a full size image. You can also locate the camera position on a google map or satellite image by following the “Taken in: (map)” link found under Additional Information on that page.

Clicking on the link that is the photo's title will take you to Alexander Gardner's historic photo for comparison.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge 2 (to Gardner’s photo)

Now that I know the spot, I can return with my tripod and attempt to duplicate Gardner’s long exposure time.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge 3 (to Gardner’s photo)

I believe the fence is a bit closer to the bank of the Antietam creek in Gardner’s shot.

Gardner’s Burnside Bridge 4 (to Gardner’s photo)

I have found Gardner’s position for this shot but I have missed on the time of day.

You can see 30 of Gardner’s photographs on the National Park Service Antietam webpage here:

Historic Photographs by Alexander Gardner

The photos can be seen as a slide show or in a gallery of downloadable 3000 x 2400 pixel images.

Follow this link to see a slideshow of some of my recent Antietam Battlefield photos:

LostBob’s Antietam Battlefield Photoset

Explain This

2008-05-01T14:35:00.004-04:00

Which end of this tree was in the ground?

Burnside's Heron Revisited

2008-04-30T23:34:00.008-04:00

He's in there. He won't let me get much closer than this.

Click on the picture to enlarge to see the heron.

You can see more photos of thus guy’s neighborhood around Burnside Bridge and Antietam National Battlefield here:

http://flickr.com/photos/lostbob/sets/72157604154649292/

I have a Pentax weatherproof 35mm I used to carry on canoe and backpacking trips. It has optics comparable to the Olympus C5050. I could get a good shot easily with the old Pentax zoom90-WR. It had feature that my Olympus lacks. A sensor for the remote control on the back of the camera. I could set the camera on a tripod and focus on the Heron’s favorite spot. I could then hide in cover behind the camera and wait for him to return. I already know it takes only about five minutes for him to return if I am out of sight.

The Olympus has a sensor only on the front of the camera. I would have to hide under the water.

Burnside's Heron

2008-04-27T01:47:00.004-04:00

I spotted this Great Blue Heron a few days ago while walking on the Antietam Battlefield. Note: Clicking on the pictures will take you to my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see full size images as well as more photos of feathered friends on the Antietam Battlefield.

The Heron fishes the Antietam Creek just below Burnside Bridge and he keeps me just far enough away to almost get a picture out of this old Olympus camera.

Almost, but not quite. Or maybe it’s just that I am not smart enough to get closer to him. In either case, it’s more about soaking up some sunshine, breathing some fresh air and trying to hang onto whatever is left of my sanity than about the picture. Or the bird.

I have posted some more photos of this guy on my Flickr photo-sharing site. The full size images seen there are cropped from a 2560 x 1920 pixel original off the camera. I can get higher pixel density off the camera but I can’t do anything to improve the little piece of glass that sits in front. I need a real telephoto lens. Like the 300mm auto stabilized one in my 35mm camera bag.

I need a new camera (and a new life). It’s time for a digital SLR.

My Olympus C5050 has been a good camera (mostly) and I have a history with Olympus digital cameras starting with a C2020 when it was one of only about half a dozen 2 mega pixel cameras on the market. That one was replaced with a C4040 after I bounced the 2020 off the seat of my jeep. I loved the C4040. When it was stolen, I replaced it with the C5050. I don’t like the C5050 as much as I did the 4040 because of changes to knobs and controls etc.

When I bought the C5050 my Canon EOS-A2 35mm SLR was still my primary camera. There were digital SLRs on the market then but only one with a large format, full frame CCD and that one cost over 6 grand.

I told myself that I would hold out for digital SLR until Canon’s large format CCD was available in a camera body that sold for less than 2K and was compatible with my EOS lenses.

It looks like the EOS-5D is getting there.

I am interested in hearing from anyone with experience buying Canon camera bodies online.

Any advice about pitfalls to avoid? Things to look out for?

Grandma

2008-04-08T11:11:00.005-04:00

Today is Grandma's birthday, April 8, 1894

I can still recall the smell of the sand tarts she baked when I was a kid.

....and the grandfather clock circa 1973.

Grandma passed away in June of 1978

My Grandfather’s Clock

2008-04-02T19:53:00.018-04:00

Actually it’s my mother’s clock

It’s an English longcase clock
In the early sixty’s my grandfather was an antique dealer in Lancaster County, PA. My uncle, his only son, became a dealer in the mid sixties. This clock was acquired by my uncle and sold to my parents with help of a small loan from my grandmother. That is pretty much the full history of the clock as I knew it until yesterday.

We were fairly certain that it was an English clock but knew no more than that. There were no identifying marks anywhere on the clock. We knew that there was a painted dial under the engraved brass dial but had never seen it.

My mother has recently moved and the clock has taken a trip to the clock shop before being relocated. The clock shop has exposed the painted dial as they perform fifty year maintenance procedures.

The clock appears to made by an English clockmaker named James Edwards of Stourbridge. Stoubridge is an industrial area 12 miles west of Birmingham (and place of manufacture of the first steam locomotive ever to operate in the United States, the Stourbridge Lion ).

I don’t yet know when Mr Edwards of Stourbridge manufactured his clocks.

The painted dial reveals that the clock originally had a movement with only two winding spindles protruding through the dial. Three additional holes have been drilled in the painted face to accommodate the three spindles of the current eight day movement. It is likely that the clock originally had a 30 hour movement which was replaced with the eight day movement with the chimes to make life more comfortable and convenient for the owner of the clock. A little Google time tells me this was not uncommon.

The engraved brass dial makes the story a little more interesting. While almost imperceptible from the front, the brass dial was also drilled to fit the original two spindle movement. Those older holes were carefully plugged, filled, and polished and then the engraving detail was carefully replicated. These plugged holes show clearly on the back of the dial. It appears that the brass dial was added some time before the clock was upgraded to the current movement. It would seem that whoever installed the movement now in the clock was skilled craftsman.

So that’s everything I know about the clock today. I am hoping to learn more and will share it as I find it. Meanwhile, if someone should stumble across this site who can tell me something about this clock or its clockmaker or who could point me along the way, I would appreciate hearing your comments.

Addendum; 3 April

I have learned a little bit more about the clock today. The back of the painted dial contains a “falseplate” used for attachment to the movement. The falseplate is stamped “S Baker Birmingham”.

A Google search yielded this interesting site with information on dating painted dials and an index of dialmakers.

…the people who made the dials which the clockmakers used. The clockmaker's name is usually on the dial, but the dialmaker's name is often stamped on the reverse of the dial or cast into the "falseplate".

BAKER, SAMUEL - BIRMINGHAM - clock dials 1823 to 1850

http://www.dialrestorer.co.uk/7.html

I have posted a few more pictures of the clock on my Flickr photo sharing site. You can view them as a slide show or download full-size images there.
Check them out.

Thurston Griggs Trail

2008-03-21T23:13:00.014-04:00

Click on the trail marker to see the trail map.

(While not shown on the map, there is a parking lot at the trailhead.)

The equinox and the full moon provided a good excuse for a hike to Black Rock and Annapolis Rock overlooks on the Appalachian Trail. The forecast was almost perfect, cool and windy with mostly clear skies, sunset at 7:23 PM. The moon, 99% illuminated and just 20 hours from full, rising at 6:34PM.

With no foliage on the trees I could watch the first sunset of spring from Black Rock then hike a portion of the trail by the light of the full moon.

Walking silently through the woods under the light of a bright moon. Pretty good way to welcome springtime if you ask me.

Sunset and Graffiti

Click the Pics. to see More

Sunset at Black Rock

The closest access to Black Rock overlook is via the trail that follows the old Bagtown Road roadbed, parallel to Black Rock Creek up the mountain to intersect with the Appalachian Trail near the site of the old Black Rock Hotel. That trail, with the lower portion re-routed to the south bank of the creek is now known as the Thurston Griggs Trail.

Moderately steep, rocky and wet the trail climbs for just under a mile until it intersects the AT near what is now the Pogo Memorial campsite where the Black Rock Hotel once stood. Turning south on the AT the trail climbs less steeply for about a half mile to Black Rock overlook (short side trail marked with blue blaze).

After capturing the sunset at Black Rock I continued south on the AT, now level and wooded along the summit ridge, with the glowing remains of the sunset to the west and bright full moon rising through the trees to the east, reaching Annapolis Rock overlook just before the last orange colors of the sunset faded to black in the west.

At Annapolis Rock I watched as the moon to climbed higher through the trees casting a bright glow and deep shadows on the rocks and cliff around me.

It was after 9 PM with the moon high in the sky when I left Annapolis Rock. The light from the moon was more than sufficient to follow the trail safely including watching my footing. I carried a light but ever needed it. I did need to stop occasionally for a brief period while a passing cloud darkened the moon. I made it back to my car by 11 PM including a second stop at Black Rock.

Turns out Thurston Griggs is a pretty interesting character and one who probably deserves to have a trail named after him.

One Man's Window on the Twentieth-Century
(Autobiography of Thurston Griggs)

This autobiography describes some periods and events in the life of Dr. Thurston Griggs, including 3 months spent in Germany when the Nazi party was gaining popularity, and several years spent in mainland China in Canton and Peking (Beijing) before and after World War II. Graduate education at Harvard and his experiences as a Conscientious Objector during World War II are the subject of several chapters. There is discussion of his musical and play-writing pursuits, his ground-breaking invention of a speech-transcription process for voice recognition in the 1960's, and his work on behalf of the Appalachian Trail and the hiking community in the Potomac Appalachian region.

The Irish Brigade at Antietam

2008-03-17T11:19:00.012-04:00

In honor of St Patrick’s Day I am posting a few shots of The Irish Brigade Monument at Antietam National Battlefield. The monument stands at the entrance to the observation tower near the end of Bloody Lane.

Irish Brigade Monument

On September 17th, 1862 the Irish Brigade suffered heavy casualties as they crossed the corn field and approached Bloody Lane. The brigade’s casualty list included 113 dead, 422 wounded and 5 missing.

Clicking on these images will enlarge them for easy reading.

How many of those were immigrants or sons of immigrants? How many came to this country simply because there were no jobs and little food back home? Came to perform hard and dirty work for a lower wage than the folks already settled here were willing to accept? How many came simply because it was the only way they could find to feed and clothe their families?

How many were welcomed by their new neighbors in the months and years before they spilled their blood early on an autumn day in a Maryland cornfield?

Just some food for thought as we raise a pint of Guinness in honor of the Patron Saint of Ireland.

Click the Pic. to visit it's Flickr PhotoPage where you can see (and download)high resolution originals. For example, the monument detail image to the left is available at 1500 x 1200 pixels.

Other pictures from the Antitam National Battelfield can be seen in my Antietam Battlefield PhotoSet on Flickr

Cheers!

Padre Pio goes to Doha

2008-03-17T01:56:00.020-04:00

I was reading Dubai's Gulf News Online Yesterday when this reference to Padre Pio caught my eye.

The emotional ceremony reached its climax when Cardinal Diaz presented the chalice donated by the Holy Father to the Church and placed a relic of Saint Padre Pio Da Pietralcina in the altar during the dedication ceremony.

It comes from an interesting article on the dedication of the first Catholic Church in QatarPope greets Hamad on church opening

I first encountered the name of Padre Pio while driving around Italy’s spectacularly beautiful Gargano Peninsula (the spur above the heal of the boot on the Adriatic coast) in June of 2002. The Pope declared Padre Pio a saint on the 16th and his name and face were front page headline news on all of the newspapers on the newstands. It could not read the Italian text but it was pretty clear that the folks in the area were quite proud of their local Saint.

Wikipedia has many interesting things to say about Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, The Capuchin Friar famous for his stigmata and the patron saint of stress relief and the January blues.

Padre Pio was assigned to Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary, located in the Gargano Mountains in San Giovanni Rotondo. Except for a brief time during WWI, Padre Pio remaned there until his death.

The reference to Padre Pio inspired me to post a few photos taken on that spectacular drive.

Fishing at Vieste

Clicking on the photos will take you to my Flickr photo set of photos from the Gargano Peninsula where you can see a slide show or download full size images.

Gargano Coast

101 Dalmatians

2008-03-15T20:33:00.015-04:00

Congratulations to Cynthia Gross, Cast and Crew for a terrific show

Clicking on the photos will take you to my Flickr PhotoSet of pictures from the show where you can see the full size images or view the set as a slide show. For any family or friends of the cast who might happen by, the original images are large enough to identify the cast members. You are welcome to download them if you like.

Sea View Hotel, revisited

2008-03-08T21:03:00.007-05:00

Sea View Hotel, Juhu Beach Mumbai

Rising Tide at Sea View Hotel

Note: Clicking on the photo will take you to its page in my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see a full size image (and additional photos).

The photo above is my most viewed photo on Flickr. For a long while I could not figure out why this photo got so much attention. It is not in any special group or pool. I’ve finally figured it out (with help of Flickr’s statistics tools). Google is sending folks there when they enter 'Sea View Hotel Juhu' or 'Sea View Hotel Mumbai' into a Google search. So now I know.

The images above and below are cropped from a 9600 dpi scan of the 35mm negative. No reason, just playimg with my HP Scanjet 3970 scanner.

Floating the Potomac River

2008-03-07T21:54:00.006-05:00

Floating from Paw Paw to Little Orleans way too many years ago.

This started as a first attempt to scan a 35mm color negative on my HP-3970 Scanner.

The negatives are from a 1991 canoe camping trip floating from Paw Paw down to Little Orleans. These shots are from near the put-in. Twelve miles of the Paw Paw bends lie ahead. The bends is that section of river bypassed by the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal via the Paw Paw Tunnel. After the bends there is a hiker-biker camping site where the canal rejoins the river on the downstream side of the tunnel. From the camp site it is less than two mile back the tow path and through the tunnel (very convenient if you’ve left your jacket back in the car).

This is probably the best overnight trip on the Potomac. Finish up with a cold one at Bill’s Place in Little Orleans.

That's Water over the Dam

2008-03-06T22:54:00.003-05:00

Note: Clicking on the photo will take you to its page in my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see a full size image (and additional photos).

The rain swollen Potomac River flows over dam #4 near Sharpsburg, MD

Dam 4 was a feeder dam supplying water to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

River's Rising

2008-03-05T22:05:00.004-05:00

Rising Water on the Potomac River

Dam #4 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park
March 5, 2008

A beautiful day after a hard rain

On to Scanno

2008-02-18T18:33:00.025-05:00

Previously I wrote about visiting Castrovalva. This is easily done as a side trip on the way to the more popular destination of Scanno, also the subject of an M. C. Escher work.

A Street in Scanno, Abruzzo Italy

Escher’s 1930 woodcut, Street in Scanno, Abruzzi can be seen on the home page (and in the gallery) of the Official M. C. Escher Web Site. Escher’s view looks toward my camera position.

Scanno, just 100 miles and a couple of centuries away from the hustle and bustle of Rome, is a breath of fresh air and should not be missed.

The Road to Scanno

The drive south through the Valle del Sagittario on SR479 is simply spectacular, reminding me of an earlier drive up the Big Thompson Canyon from Loveland Colorado to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

In the photo above, taken from Castrovalva, a portion of the road just south of Anversa Degli Abruzzi is seen. South to Scanno is to the left.

The Road to Scanno 2	Lago di San Domenico
looking south from near Castrovalva	& Gole del Sagittario

Villalago

Rainbow over Lago di Scanno

Lago di San Domenico

Above, Lago di San Domenico, and Gole del Sagittario. The lake is a popular swimming and picnic spot.

I last wrote of reaching SR479 by exiting the A-25/E-80 Autostrada at the exit for Casale and Anversa Degli Abruzzi. This is correct but is not my best advice.

Unless you are really in a hurry (which is not a very good way to visit Italy), exit a bit earlier at Pescina and follow SR83, the old route over the mountain to Casale. It will add only about 20 minutes of driving time (and maybe 10 more stopping to say wow at the views) as you climb over the mountain (Montagna Grande) that the Autostrada tunnels through. You won't be disappointed.

Cocullo

The town of Cocullo sits just above the eastern portal of the Autostrada tunnel. If you take the Autostrada you will pass beneath the town underground. If you follow the route from Pescina you will see the town from above before passing through it.

Because Pescina and Casale are both accessible just off the Autostrada with no major towns in between, this beautiful road sees little auto traffic though it is quite popular among the local motorcyclists. Pescina also offers nice spots to stop for a bite to eat before continuing.

I have posted more photos from Abruzzo into photosets on my Flickr Photo Site

Please check out Abruzzo – Sud (South of A-25, includes Scanno photos), Abruzzo – Nord (North of A-25) and Abruzzo – Fucino (Fucino Valley). Many of the photos there are GeoTagged for location. Comments, suggestions and corrections are welcome and appreciated.

A Trip to Castrovalva

2008-02-18T18:28:00.017-05:00

A Town in Abruzzo, An M.C. Escher Lithograph and the title of an episode in the BBC television series Dr. Who.

Castrovalva, Abruzzo Italy

I first saw Castrovalva from my car while driving the A25/E80 Autostrada between Avezzano and Pescara. The town is perched on a knife edge ridge off to your right shortly after you emerge from the tunnel Galleria San Domenico below Cocullo. From the highway, the town almost appears inaccessible. I had to find out how to get there.

The Road to Castrovalva

To reach the town you exit the A25 immediately after you emerge from the tunnel and travel through Casale and Anversa Degli Abruzzi. The road up to Castrovalva is a left turn shortly after Anversa Degli Abruzzi off SR479, the road south to Scanno through the Valle del Sagittario, between Monte Genzana and Montagna Grande. The road to the town climbs steeply up the western side of the hill via a series of switchbacks until a short tunnel just below the ridge line crosses over to the eastern side. A final switchback brings you into Castrovalva.

Castrovalva Rooftops

Castrovalva Street Views

The Edge of Town

The town was the subject of a 1930 Lithograph by M.C. Escher. I would love to include Escher’s image here but copyright prevents it. The best I can do is point you to the Wikipedia page for the print and to the Official M. C. Escher Website where Castrovalva and many other images are found in several galleries. I learned of the Escher connection only recently. Had I known, I could have attempted to locate his vantage point and recreate his view.

M. C. Escher's View (almost)

Escher’s view was apparently near the current road, shortly after it passes through the ridge line tunnel and prior to the last switch back. This is as close as I got. My view is from above the town. Little has changed except the Autostrada which can be seen entering the tunnel between Casale and Cocullo in the distance.

I have posted more photos from Abruzzo into photosets on my Flickr Photo Site

Please check out Abruzzo – Sud (South of A-25, includes Castrovalva photos), Abruzzo – Nord (North
of A-25) and Abruzzo – Fucino (Fucino Valley). Many of the photos there are GeoTagged for location. Comments, suggestions and corrections are welcome and appreciated.

A Perfect Sunday in Prague

2008-02-18T18:14:00.008-05:00

Strahov Library Window

The far window looks into the Theological Hall in Strahov Monastery Library There's a surprise behind the window. Click the Pic. to see.

Back in 1996, a perfect Sunday in Prague started with Sunday Brunch at Red Hot & Blues. They had the best American breakfast in the city, a friendly Czech staff and a largely ex-pat clientele. Friendly and relaxed, you didn’t mind the typical Czech service. Your orange juice and coffee might be served at the same temperature. The Czech waitress seemed to misunderstand the meaning of the wait part of her title.

After brunch, a walk from Ujezd up the hill, through the park to Strahov Monastery.

It’s my favorite spot in Prague. A real working Monastery with an incredibly beautiful library. The ornately beautiful Philosophical and Theological halls with frescoed ceilings and shelves of centuries old leather bound books are a trip back in time. It is the Monastery’s actual working library. The library and its museum are not highlighted in the tourist books and therefore rarely crowded.

After a vist to the Library and Museum, find a spot on a bench on the Monastery grounds. With vineyards cascading down the hill toward Mala-Strana and the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, the Monastary grounds overlook Prague Castle, St Nicholas Cathedral, The Charles Bridge, the Vlatava River and Old Towne Prague. The view is spectacular as the sun sets over your shoulder and turns the city to gold and the chimes from bells in the Monastery, the Castle and St Nicholas fill the air.

End the day with fresh draft Czech beer and live Jazz at U-Maleho Glena. …
Perfect!

I have posted some pictures of Strahov Monastery on my Flickr photo site. Check them out. More to follow.

Walking with Hillary

2008-02-18T18:00:00.007-05:00

Window Reykjavik Restaurant, Praha

The photo was taken from inside Reykjavik Seafood Restaurant in Old Town Prague. In 1996 it was among Prague’s top restaurants. I had dinner there the night I walked across the Charles Bridge with Hillary Clinton.

After dinner, I was walking across the Charles Bridge on my way home to my apartment in Smichov (with a stop first at U Maleho Glena). Hillary Clinton joined me on the walk. Sort of.

It was a day or so before the fourth of July. Hillary Clinton was on a European tour with a stop in Prague. As I walked, east to west, across Prague’s landmark pedestrian bridge, Hillary and entourage were crossing west to east.

The Charles Bridge is always crowded but never more so than on a warm summer evening. As I started across the bridge, there was the normal heavy evening press. As I neared the center of the bridge, the crowd moving toward me became increasingly dense with something of an urgent press forward. I was clearly going against the flow when I encountered a flying wedge of secret service and security shouldering the crowd out of the way so that Hillary and company had a wide swath of un-crowded bridge to casually stroll across. I was one of the folks elbowed aside to create that space.

I’ve walked across the Charles Bridge with Hillary.

Prague, 1996 revisited

2008-02-18T17:43:00.019-05:00

A magic time in the golden city

Sunday morning after a rain. This 1961 Skoda Octavia has the street to itself.

On the left, Prague roofs viewed from the clock tower in Old Town Square. On the right, the Mill on Kampa Park (now restored).

Golden Prague. The Embankment and Old Town Prague seen from Kampa.

Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral.
Prague at night is magic

Click on the Pic.

to see a different side of 1996 Prague.

Read my post Walking with Hillary about my stroll across the Charles Bridge with Hillary Clinton.

Or check out my idea of A Perfect Sunday in Prague

Mala Strana, Karlov Most and Old Town Prague from Prague Castle.

To see more photos from this magic city please visit my PhotoSets Prague 1996 and Prague 2002 on Flickr.

Attitude Adjustment Time II

2008-02-18T17:01:00.009-05:00

A Visit to Amsterdam

Click on the Pic for an alternative attitude adjustment.

Checking the Map

Everybody needs a little attitude adjustment time. Amsterdam is perfect. Opportunities abound just a few steps away in any direction.

Take a walk along the canals

Visit the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh

Explore the city then enjoy a foot massage and a nice dinner.

A collection of photos from a March 2003 visit can be found at Amsterdam on my Flickr PhotoSharing site at my Amsterdam PhotoSet on Flickr

An alternative Amsterdam attitude adjustment can be found in my earlier post Attitude Adjustment Time on LostBob's Blog.

Wadi Shis

2008-02-18T16:33:00.007-05:00

The green jeep of the story below.

That's Sregei on the rocks.

Wadi Bashed

2008-02-18T15:53:00.007-05:00

Return to the Scene

The real story was the year before.

I was driving. Sergei was navigating using the Wadi Asimah trip description in “Off-Road in the Emirates, Vol 2" by Dariush Zandi.

“…Follow the track that disappears into the water and comes out again…”

Opps, too late. There was more water that day. And the rocks that are piled against the small dam were not there…yet.

Picture the previous year’s jeep, a green one. front wheels hanging in the air above those little rock ramps that are not there yet. Picture the frame cross member resting squarely on that little concrete dam, rear wheels dug in to the axel in loose gravel at the bottom of the pool. Imagine it is 42 deg C (108F).

Glad there was water in that pool.

It's not the Stairway to Heaven

2007-11-18T22:10:00.003-05:00

Spiraling Downward

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to its page in my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see a full size image (and many additional photos).

The photos are from an amazing building in a very beautiful city. You will have to click on the photos and visit the photo page to see where. The location is geo-tagged and can be located on a map or satellite image there as well.

JUNK at Always Ron’s

2007-11-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

Note: Clicking on the photo will take you to its page in my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see a full size image (and additional photos).

I stopped at Always’s Ron’s in Hagerstown yesterday for a bite and a beer. I was rewarded for my effort by the sound of Junk. The band, according to their web sites, plays Frederick and Hagerstown area venues. The band describes its music as Jazz/Funk Fusion. I was impressed.

Impressed enough to drag the camera out of the car and take a few pictures, post them here and tell you about it.

The Maryland crab soup and crab stuffed mushrooms were pretty good too.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out their web sites and listen to some of the music samples they have there. Blues for Ben is very nice.

Better yet, check their schedule and go see them live some where. They will be back at Always Ron’s on Saturday December 1st from 9 until midnight.

Visit:

http://www.alwaysrons.com/

http://www.thejunkband.com/

http://www.myspace.com/junkjazzfunk

A Few Nice Cars

2007-09-20T21:58:00.001-04:00

Pretty aren't they?

Note: Clicking on the photos below will take you to its page in my Flickr photo sharing site where you can see a full size image.

I came upon this scene while on a Sunday afternoon drive in and around Queensland’s Glass House Mountains. The Queensland Cobra Owner’s Club were gathered at the Landsborough Pub. I had to stop and take a few pictures. The Landsborough Pub was a good find as well. Good beer, friendly people and fabulous food. And sometimes live music on the weekends.

The view is looking due east toward Caloundra.
The northern end of Bribie Island can just be seen in the original image.

That really does say 427 FORD. Awesome!

You can check out more of my hot car photos here

I’ve Been Published

2007-08-19T23:14:00.004-04:00

Sort of.

Stairwell Musei Vaticani

You descend the stairwell as you exit the Vatican Museum.

This photo appears in the August 2007 issue of the Rome edition of Where Magazine. It’s one of those magazines you find on the hotel night stand, along with the room service menu.

The photo won 3rd place in the magazine’s Favorite Views of Rome photo contest on Flickr, the photo sharing web site. My photo is printed in the corner at 2 inches tall. Still, it’s nice to see one of my favorite photos actually appear in a magazine.

Check out O Roma o morte, the first place photo (on Flickr). I really like it.

After seeing the Raphael Rooms, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, and the treasures of art and history in the museum this beautiful modern stairwell returns you to the streets and the hustle and bustle of the city of Rome. It is a visual reminder of the continuity of art, history and civilization that is the City of Rome.

The same image seen in black & white

Stairwell Musei Vaticani

Gondolas in the Morning

2007-08-19T21:13:00.004-04:00

Early Morning in Venice

This was a poorly exposed shot on an overcast morning. I played with it in Photoshop LE until I got this image which I think better conveys the magic of Venice.

Western Maryland Blues Fest

2007-05-27T19:30:00.001-04:00

The City of Hagerstown hosts the 12th annual Western Maryland Blues Fest from Friday June 1st, through Sunday the 3rd. Friday and Saturday performances take place on two stages downtown, just off the square, and are well worth the reasonable ticket price.

Note: Clicking on the photos will take you to it's page in my Flickr Photostream where you can see a full size image (and additional Blues Fest pictures).

The Duke Robillard Band performs on the Budweiser Stage at the 2004 Blues Fest.

Paul Rishell & Annie Raines perform on the Bud Light Stage at the 2004 Blues Fest.

Joe Bonamassa closes this year's Saturday program. He alone is worth the day’s ticket price.

The photo to the left is from his performance at last year's Blues Fest.

Sunday’s performances, the Family Blues Picnic, are free and take place at the bandshell in Hagerstown’s City Park.

I am really looking forward to the Mary Ann Redmond Band’s performance there. (Note there is an error on the schedule listed on Mary Ann’s web page. Her performance will be at City Park and not downtown as stated on her site).

Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys Perform in the Bandshell at the 2006 Blues Fest.

There is also a free prelude performance around noon on Thursday, May 31st at University Plaza in downtown Hagerstown.

This is a big event for my hometown. It is defiantly worth the drive from the Baltimore or Washington area. Maybe I will see some of you there.

Complete schedule and ticket information is available at the Blues Fest web site along with directions to the venues. Check it out.

I have posted more photos from previous years on my Flickr Photo site. Check them out here.

Prague 1996

2007-04-19T18:10:00.005-04:00

A magic time in the golden city

Remembering good friends and good times

Gabriela, Dorian & Maggi at U Maleho Glena

In 1996 U Maleho Glena was arguably the best bar in town. I have pictures and stories to prove it. Vaclav Havel stopped by one Sunday night to hear some jazz. Woody Harrelson stopped in to drink some absinth and hit on Maggie.

Maggi tending bar, Gabriela in Halloween attire at U Maleho Glena.

Live music downstairs most nights. Open mike jam on Monday, Reggae on Wednesday, Jazz Saturday and Sunday. Good folks, food and beer every night. The Sax player's name is Bill. He was the best in Prague in 1996. I remember his music but not his last name. If anyone knows, please leave a comment.

The Tiger Lillies, you had to be there.

Click the Pic. to see a different side of 1996 Prague.

Read my post Walking with Hillary about my stroll across the Charles Bridge with Hillary Clinton.

Or check out my idea of A Perfect Sunday in Prague

To see more photos from this magic city please visit my PhotoSets Prague 1996 and Prague 2002 on Flickr.

Black & White

2007-04-18T02:33:00.004-04:00

Black & white photos courtesy of PhotoShop Elements.

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele, Rome

Seen from Ponte Sant' Angelo

Click on the photos to visit their Flickr PhotoPage where high resolution images can be downloaded and where links to color images can be found.

The stairwell to my flat on my last visit to Prague.

Elevator Shaft, and Stairwell, Prague Town Hall

Doorway and Ruins at Trajan Market, Rome

Inspired by M.C. Escher, a Glass Sphere and a Bottle of Wine.

Stairwell Musei Vaticani

Check out more of my Black & White photos by visiting my Black & White PhotoSet on Flickr.

The Subway Hike

2007-04-17T21:03:00.006-04:00

Zion National Park, Utah

On the trail to the Subway, Zion National Park

The Subway–Left Fork trailhead is off the Kolob Terrace Road near the western edge of Zion National Park. The trailhead is on top of the slope on the left. At the canyon floor, the trail will follow the Left Fork creek bed upstream to the subway.

Much of the way the trail is the stream bed. Leave your boots in the pack. Wear something that can get soaked.

The trail is a long series of these step like waterfalls.

That's the entrance to the subway just ahead.

Looking out from the end of the subway

The Subway

This is actually just the beginning of the northwestern end of the canyon called the subway. It's possible to continue through but we were out of time. We needed to be back at the trailhead before sunset.

See my post Cable Mountain Hike, (also in Zion National Park) on LostBob's Blog

I have placed a number of photos from this trip into my Zion National Park PhotoSet on Flickr. Check them out.

Attitude Adjustment Time

2007-04-16T19:50:00.011-04:00

A Visit to Amsterdam

Click on the Pic for an alternative attitude adjustment.

Checking the Map

Everybody needs a little attitude adjustment time. Amsterdam is perfect. Opportunities abound just a few steps away in any direction.

The sidewalks and outdoor cafes are but the aroma from Amsterdam’s coffee shops is nothing at all like Starbucks. Better go inside and investigate.

Click the Pic.s

A Few Cold Ones

It’s still early the young lady behind Door 56 has not even arrived. Click the Pic. for something else to do for awhile.

A collection of photos from a March 2003 visit can be seen at my Amsterdam PhotoSet on Flickr

An alternative Amsterdam attitude adjustment can be found in Attitude Adjustment Time II on LostBob's Blog.

Cable Mountain Hike

2007-04-15T18:25:00.009-04:00

Zion National Park, Utah

Virgin River Valley and Angel's Landing

View from the Cable Head

At the Cable Head, the final destination on the Cable Mountain Hike in Zion National Park, Utah. Looking down on the trail head at the parking lot over 2000 ft below. The switchback trail up the cliffs can be seen in the lower part of the photo.

Note: Clicking on the pictures in this post will take you to the photo's Flickr PhotoPage. Links open in a single new window.

The trail squeezes through a narrow side canyon then continues upward until reaching the Mesa top and spectacular views over the Utah country side.

At the Cable Head, the final destination for the day's hike. That's Gregg my high school buddy and backpacking partner looking out from the rock. The first photo in this post was taken looking down from this spot.

See my post The Subway Hike, (also in Zion National Park) on LostBob's Blog

I have placed a number of photos from this trip into my Zion National Park PhotoSet on Flickr. Check them out.

Who am I ?

2007-03-03T02:49:00.015-05:00

For many years, I was a telecomm engineer. I lived and worked all over the world.

I put satellite communications equipment on planes trains and automobiles; I installed equipment in the White House and the Pentagon and designed stuff for the folks at Fort Meade. My name is on patents for the satellite telephone system used by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.

I was paid to play in private jets, high speed chase boats, railroad locomotives and over-the-road trucks. They paid me to fly over Juneau Alaska in a float plane and over Utah’s canyon lands in a helicopter. I flew over the great salt lake and Colorado Rockies in the cockpit of a Lear. I drove from Tuscan to Tucumcari and Tehachapi to Tonopah (and from Berlin to Paris. And Melbourne to Brisbane). I drove jeeps over sand dunes in the Arabian Desert. It was a magic carpet ride.

Told differently, I was away from home 50 weeks a year, working 60 – 80 hours a week and living in hotels. I got close to a lot of really nice places with little time to see them.

Either way, I loved what I did but came to dislike the folks I did it for so we parted company . I’m whittling away at my savings and bored out of my mind. That’s still a better than working for thieves, even thieves with magic carpet rides.

Thank you very much Rupert, changing the name does not protect the innocent, or hide the guilty.

This blog is an attempt to put it all in some perspective and help me decide what I want to be when I grow up.

I’m too old to become a postal employee

Nigel's Jeep

2006-03-12T21:18:00.000-05:00

I got a call from an old friend the other day. Nigel worked in the UAE for a few years. He liked to play in the sand. Nigel drove faster in the sand than he did on the road. Nigel was the only one in our little group to flatten two tires at once on a sand dune; the right rear is also flat.

Walking around in Rome

2006-03-06T21:21:00.004-05:00

Walking around in Rome is one of life’s pleasures that I wish everyone could enjoy. Anyone with an opportunity should take advantage of it. You won’t be disappointed.

Meanwhile, until I can find my way back to Rome, I found this really cool website where I can take a virtual walk in Rome. They have beautiful panoramic tours of many of my favorite spots in Rome. There is one taken from Ponte Vittorio Emanuele that is very nice. It has a beautiful view of Ponte San Angelo.

Another, taken from directly in front of Fontana di Trevi, is interesting for having not a single person in sight. You can see that it was done in the early AM before dawn but still no people at all at Trevi Fountain. That’s amazing.

There is a second panorama from the fountain with the tripod moved to the left. You can see that it is an hour or so later and a few people have entered the scene, two men who look like grocers or butchers have stopped on the way to work. They sit on the hand rail seemingly unaware of the fountain behind them.

This photo looking down on Piazza del Popolo is a good example of why it's time for a digital SLR. My Olympus suffers from parallax between the view finder and the main lens. The Obelisk was perfectly aligned down the center of the street in the view finder.

Check out roma.arounder.com, it may not be the second best thing to a walk in Rome but it’s pretty good.

The panoramas are full spherical pans, you can watch as a movie or use your mouse to pan anywhere. There are also panoramic tours of the Colosseum, Piazza del Popolo, The Forum, Piazza di Spagna, the Pantheon and Saint Peter’s Square. There are also beautiful views inside and outside of the churches of San Giovanni, Santa Maria Maggorie and San Paolo.

The Churches of Rome

2006-03-05T21:24:00.002-05:00

The dome of the Sistine Chapel in Rome's Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Follow this link for a panoramic tour inside this beautiful church. This is a really cool site, check it out.

Recently I installed Photoshop Elements on my PC. I have a plan to get my digital photos organized. No small task, I have six years and a dozen countries worth of photos scattered over my hard drive. Photoshop Elements should help. Should help, if I use it. You see, I recently installed Photoshop, more than a year after I bought it.

The problem is my habit of continuing to do a task in the familiar way, no matter how inefficient, rather than setting the task aside for a short while to find a more efficient process. I do it even knowing that a better way is available and that it is within my abilities. The task must be done. I don’t have time to learn a better way now. I’ll do it when the task is done. But then, the task is done. It can wait.

I have Limited Edition Photo Shop. It came with my Olympus camera. I’m familiar with it and it does what I need. For moving pictures around I use windows explorer and put stuff where I want. So I was reluctant to get started with Elements. I have to unlearn old habits. I can’t move, copy and rename photos with explorer. Elements loses track of them. I have to learn to work within the application.

In any case, my first effort with Elements is organizing a years worth of pictures taken in Rome. Rome is best seen on foot. It is a beautiful city for walking around and taking pictures. My habit while walking, with or without camera, was to enter any church with open door that I passed. There are so many beautiful churches, large or small, ancient or merely old. Each is a living work of art. One need not be religious to enter or to be awed. You do need to be respectful of those who are, to be welcome.

Tourists are welcome in Rome’s churches and not just the ones in the tourist books. Some do not welcome tourists during mass and post a sign saying so near the door. Be respectful and never take flash pictures. It is not permitted, it’s harmful to the art and it doesn’t usually work well anyway.

You can’t use flash and tripods are not permitted in the major churches. (The no tripod rule is to prevent unauthorized commercial photography. Kind of like selective availability on GPS except that they didn’t turn it off.) You can still get nice photos. Find a place and a way to set your camera down to hold it still for the needed longer exposures; use timer release if you have it. I frequently used my ball cap and the camera strap to hold and point the camera. A small beanbag would be perfect. Take advantage of whatever you can find to set the camera on (respect do not touch signs please). Sometimes just set it on the floor and point it up. You will get surprisingly good pictures (with some surprising angles too).

I have posted some pictures of the churches of Rome on my Flickr photo site. These are the first of my photos that have been readied for posting with Photoshop Elements. Stop by and check them out. Leave a comment, make suggestions let me know what you think.

Site Seeing in Italy

2006-02-19T21:28:00.002-05:00

For far too many hours of nearly a year, this was my view of Italy. The corner of my desk at Telespazio (check out the quickBird satellite phots on the link )
i.e. Centro Spazio del Fucino Piero Fanti, in Italy’s Fucino Valley.

The Fucino valley is near Avezzano in Abruuzzo, in mountainous central Italy. The valley, once a lake, has no natural outlet, The lake was first drained by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago. . The site is major telecommunications portal and home to more than 100 satellite dishes, some more than 30 meters in diameter. The site is also home to the remains of the ship Marconi used to send his first wireless message. Click on the picture to see the view outside the office.

My three sons are seen in the picture in the center. It was taken far too long ago on the Shore of Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. The aspirin bottle on the desk is nearly empty; that says a lot in it’s self. I miss my bright ceramic coffee mugs. I bought four different ones in a shop in Avezanno. I left them behind when I moved to my next assignment.

The book is Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. I liked the movie, I’m a big Nicholas Cage fan, and Penelope Cruz doesn’t hurt either. Buy it paperback and tear out the last chapter before reading it. The ending is just not believable. Watch the movie, the director does it better than the author.

An Evening Stroll in Dubai

2006-02-18T21:31:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago when I was playing with pictures, I talked about taking the abra across Dubai creek for dinner at Pancho Villa's. When temperature and humidity permit. A pleasant stroll back to the car after dinner can show a side of Dubai much different than the glitter of Burj- Al Arab and the shopping malls. This photo is the textile souk shortly after closing time. One shop still appears open at the end of the street. I like the wooden sidewalk covers. You can see the ever present sand and dust on the wood and on my lenses. It enhances the memory if not the photo. (Click on the picture for woodwork detail).

Golden Arrows Novelties and Gifts was the last shop to close on that evening.

Don't go back on the same abra I told you to use on the way to dinner. Instead, take the one closer to Pancho Villa's and closer to the mouth of the creek.

Linger by the dhow docks as working class Dubai ends its day.

Detour through the spice souk then the Heritage House area. This recently restored area of Dubai dates back to the turn of the 20th century. Click on the picture for a peep inside the window and a whisper of color from a beautiful carpet.

Playing with Pictures

2006-02-12T17:14:00.000-05:00

I am just playing. I am trying to understand the various options for uploading & posting pictures. This photo of an Abra on Dubai Creek was posted as small image with no layout selected. We can pretty much see how well that works.

This time
I have posted using medium and left layout.

Another image of an Abra on the creek.

Not a very good look for text with a landscape picture is it?

Next is a large centered image. The Abra is the best way to cross the creek, except most of the year when it is too hot. Park on the Deira side of the creek, next to the Sheraton or opposite the Intercontinental. Stroll by he Dhows, stop for a fresh fruit cocktail and a falafal before crossing. Use the Abra stop nearest the Intercontinental. Walk through the old textile souk then left, right, left to the Ambassador Hotel and Pancho Villa's for dinner. It's much faster than a taxi and costs only 14 cents. Besides, there's no parking near Panch Villa's anyway.

This image of the Dubai's famous gold souk was posted as small, left layout.

The gold souk is don't miss for a visit to Dubai. You can get good deals if you remember a few things. First, the guy behind the counter is a better negotiator than you are. Always! Next, know the current market price of gold. The price you pay will be based on the daily gold price and the weight of the item plus a "workmanship fee". If you know the daily gold price, you can determine the "workmanship fee" that is what is negotiable.
Next, be paitent. You must be prepared to walk away from the first several purchases you attempt. The first dealers "best price" is your starting point at the next. Remember these guys really are better at this than you are. Do this a couple of times on similar items and you will have a pretty good idea of the "workmanship fee" floor. And I now have a pretty good idead of how to use left and right layout with small images.

Now posting large, left with portrait picture.The Dubai spice souk. One of the more interesting sections of old Diera Dubai. Certainly the most aromatic part of town.

Does show that there is enough room for text beside a large portrait size image post.

Now medium, right, portrait. This shot is also in the Diera Dubai spice souk.

A medium size portrait image provides a better look for text beside the picture.
This next post is large center layout. It is from the Dubai Dhow docks.

. This last post is a large image, centered. I cropped it to make it square.

In any case, I had a lot of trouble uploading pictures today. I frequently got the get the uploading screen but the DONE screen never appears and I get no html for a link. Any ideas?

Dubai Dhow Docks

2006-02-05T21:34:00.004-05:00

Loading Oil in Dubai

I used to describe Dubai in two contrasting ways. Dubai was the Singapore of the Middle East and also the New Orleans of the Middle East. This was before Hurricane Katrina.

The Singapore reference is fairy obvious. Dubai is the business and shopping hub of the Middle East. Dubai’s rapid five star development has received a lot of recent attention. Michael Jackson shops there now.

The New Orleans reference is less obvious. Friends have suggested Las Vegas of the Middle East. I disagree. It’s not a “What happens in Dubai stays in Dubai” kind of place. And it doesn’t have the decadence of Las Vegas. It’s much more discreet. For the Middle East, Dubai is a New Orleans kind of city. It’s a place to go to relax, unwind a bit and enjoy life. Dubai is a place where the rules are just little more relaxed than at home. It’s not that the rules don’t apply; it’s more that people are just a little more forgiving, just a little more tolerant. A place where it’s just a little bit easier to see people as just fellow human beings trying to get by. Dubai is the New Orleans of the Middle East and that’s a good thing.

With all the glitter of modern Dubai, a place not to be missed is the Dhow docks. Right in the heart of the city on the banks of Dubai Creek, the Dubai Dhow docks are a part of maritime transportation network that anchors this city to the Arabian Gulf.

Strolling along the Dhow docks was a favorite thing to do in Dubai. If you are visiting Dubai you shouldn’t miss it. Dhows come from all over the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea; Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Oman. You will see every imaginable type of cargo being loaded and unloaded. The crews lounge onboard or relax in small groups by the docks. Stop and enjoy shawarma and a fresh fruit cocktail. Relax and watch life on the creek. It’s a world away from Emirates Tower and the glitter of Sheikh Zayed Road.

I have posted some pictures taken on the Dhow docks in Dubai and Sharjah in Dubai Dhow Docks a PhotoSet on Flickr. Please check them out

At Jim Thompson’s House

2006-02-04T16:57:00.000-05:00

Bangkok was a brief vacation stop; less than a week. Bangkok was going to be some much needed R&R after a year in Bombay. I had heard lots of stories about Bangkok. I heard that it was dirty, crowded, and overrun by beggars and pushy crooked street hawkers. I heard that the only thing in Bangkok was sex and sleaze. That’s what I heard and that’s what I expected. It was an R&R trip.

Was I surprised. Bangkok is a jewel. It is spectacularly beautiful, the food is fantastic and the people are charming. OK it is crowded and traffic sucks but I was coming from Bombay. Bangkok was a breath of fresh air.

I explored the city using the Chao Phraya River ferry and canal taxis to get around; traveling by foot from the ferry stops. I shot 14 rolls of film in five days. I will post some pictures from time to time.

One highlight of my trip was a visit to Jim Thompson Thai House and Museum. Jim Thompson, an American, was once the OSS station chief in Bangkok. Later he became a very successful silk trader who built a traditional Thai home and garden in the center of the city. The house was built by transporting several traditional homes from the countryside and assembling them into a single larger structure enclosing a beautiful garden. Jim Thompson disappeared while vacationing in Malaysia in 1967 and was never heard from again. His home is now a museum. If you visit Bangkok, don’t miss it.

I have posted some photos from the gardens at the Jim Thompson house on my Flickr photo site. Please take a look and leave your comments.

My Apartment in Kazan

2006-02-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

Part of 1997 was spent in this apartment in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. Click on the picture to see the kitchen. This was not 5 star accommodation but the apartment had character and provided a much better glimpse of life in Russia than a hotel stay would have.

The footballer was one of the many children in the apartment complex. The boys liked to play pranks on me like heating the #7 button on the elevator with a lighter so that when I pressed it, I smashed the button and burned my thumb. This guy tried to trick me into saying vulgar Russian phrases to the neighborhood girls.

Kazan is the capitol of Tatarstan and home to the Kazan Kremlin.

My friend Sergey has provided this link for more information on the Kazan Kremlin.

I have posted some photos from in and around Kazan. Stop by, take a look and please leave a comment.

My Neighborhood in Juhu

2006-02-01T17:00:00.001-05:00

My Juhu Beach Neighbors

I lived and worked in Mumbai in 1998. India was a difficult assignment. A year in India changed my life; I gained 40 pound while there and still carry it today.

I shared an office with a woman from Bangalore for some time prior to leaving for India. She was vegetarian and complained frequently about the lack of vegetarian variety in American restaurants. She was very excited for me. Said I would love the vegetarian food selection there. I was looking forward to it; healthy vegetarian food would help me shed a couple of pounds picked up eating borsch, pellmani and smetana in Russia.

She never told me about ghee.

I stayed in Juhu beach. A walk in the neighborhood was frequently a walk on the beach. As a westerner, wherever you go in India, you will be pressed upon by the very poor. Beggars and children with there hands out are everywhere. They can be very persistent. Most westerners find that among the most difficult aspects of life in India.

That was not the case for me. I had little difficulty with the beggars and the very poor. When I walked I carried a small pocket full of wrapped candies. The beggar children in the neighborhood quickly learned that if I had six pieces of candy and there were eight children no one got any candy. They learned to approach me in small numbers. They also learned that if I had a candy, I would give it to them. If I had none, I said so. There was no need for persistence. They would run off and leave me to my walk.

The woman in the photo approached me on the beach one day. With very broken English she asked if I lived in a hotel. I was very puzzled and unsure why she was asking. Finally I understood. Baby Shampoo. She was asking if I had any of the little hotel shampoo bottles. She wanted shampoo for her daughter. After that, I always carried a couple of bottles of shampoo. It was the candy for the ladies.

I was at first surprised by how many people would ask to have there photo taken. I would take photos then, later after the film was processed, I would carry copies of the photos as I walked. If I encountered the same people, I gave them a photo. The smiles I received remain a highlight of my time in India.

I have posted some pictures of the people of Juhu Beach in My Juhu Neighbors a PhotoSet on Flickr. Check them out. Leave a comment. Let me know you’ve been there.

Girls of Mumbai

2006-01-30T17:01:00.004-05:00

The Worli Girls of Mumbai

I was out walking in near Worli in Mumbai when I came across these two girls brushing their teeth on the side of the street. The girl on the left asked to have her photo taken. The girl on the right seemed unsure. Their father was outside of camera range encouraging them.

One of the surprises of India was how frequently the poor approached asking to be photographed. At first I assumed people thought I carried an instant camera. Not so, they just liked to be photographed.

Click the Pic. to visit My Neighborhood in Juhu on LostBob's Blog.

To see more photos of the Girls of Mumbai please visit My Juhu Neighbors and Mumbai PhotoSets on Flickr.

My Room in St Kilda

2006-01-16T17:03:00.000-05:00

This was once my room at the Hotel Tolarno in St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia. Part of the adjacent building was removed during a restoration. Suddenly I had a view. I like this one better. You won’t see it in tourist brochures.

Hotel Tolarno is a terrific little boutique hotel right on Fitzroy in the heart of Saint Kilda. I highly recommend it. While in Melbourne be sure to check out the Royal Exhibition Hall. I am pretty sure it is the largest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere.

I like to take pictures of and through windows. I have posted a few favorites in Windows around the World. I have been trying to learn a bit about a couple of photo hosting sites. I am looking for comments on the pictures and their presentation.

The Neighborhood Bar

2006-01-14T17:05:00.005-05:00

Sea View Hotel - Juhu Beach, Mumbai

Everyone needs a neighborhood bar; a place to unwind and kickback with friends after work. In Prague it was U-Maleho Glena. In 1996 that was the best bar in the world. I have pictures and stories to prove it. Vaclav Havel stopped by one Sunday night to hear some jazz. Woody Harrelson stopped in once to drink absinth and hit on Maggie.

While in Jakarta, the neighborhood bar was Elvis’ Bar. They had great food, pool tables and dart boards. They had 2 for 1 on drinks at happy hour. You could phone in your drink order before 7PM and secure the happy hour prices for a later arrival. They had a great Indonesian band that did all the standard covers. A standout was Knockin on Heavens’ Door done Guns ‘n Roses style. There was another Elvis in Singapore.

For a brief time my neighborhood bar was at the Hotel Tolarno in St Kilda. Incredible food, the owner is a famous Melbourne television chef. The bar had a great music collection including some Ry Cooder music.

My neighborhood bar in Dubai was Jules Bar, In Avezzano it was Joyce’s Pub. It was once the Bentz Street Raw Bar in Frederick. I miss that one.

For nearly a year my neighborhood bar was the deck at The Sea View Hotel at Juhu Beach in Mumbai. I would have Kingfisher beer and freshly made paneer tika in the evening after work. I could watch the sea, the people, the sunset and the human powered Farris wheel from the deck. It was the best place to be in Mumbai. My apartment was in the Hotel Emerald just down the street. Or the beach, depending on my mood.

I am home now and I haven't found my neighborhood bar.

Maastricht Reflections

2006-01-13T17:08:00.002-05:00

Shop windows in Maastricht, Netherlands March, 2003

I was working in Dubai during the lead up to the war in Iraq. When George Bush issued his 48 hour ultimatum I was directed to leave on the next available flight. I was flying to Frankfurt when the war broke out. Air traffic disruption added 2 hours to flight time. I left my baggage in the left-luggage office at the airport and took the train to Maastricht. I know some folks at a great little bar called Blues Café’ Duke there. I tagged along to an Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets concert at the Muziekodroom in Hasselt, Belgium about 25 km away. They're a great band and they kicked ass. The venue reminded me of the Grand Emporium in Kansas City where I saw them once before. I took these photos back in Maastricht the next morning.

Click onthe pictures to see them full size on my Flickr photosharing site.

A Day at the Races

2006-01-12T17:09:00.009-05:00

Porsche Carrera GT 666

Taken at Dubai's Autodrome in October of 2004 on the day of the inaugural race for the newly opened track. It was a typical warm and sunny Dubai day. I was there with my friends Wageh who is Egyptian and Stephen from Scotland. Sergei was home in Kazan on paternity leave enjoying his recently born son.

Stephen honeymooned in Cuba and now lives in Mexico. Wageh is married to a Moroccan woman. We used to smoke sheesha and watch the Dhows and Abras (Dubai’s water taxis) at the creek side Lebanese restaurant in Bur Dubai.

I was told that this car is owned by Dubai's Sheik Maktoum. He drove a U.S. made Dodge Viper in the feature race on that opening day. I don't recall where he finished.

My friend Amos Anon says "The world is a very strange place" I think he is right.

You can read another post about the Sheik's cars in The Cars of the Beast Check it out.

Note: All Links in this post (except the last) open in a single new window.

Self Portrait

2006-01-11T17:11:00.004-05:00

At the Race, Dubai 2004

It's not my car.