Nostalgic
Dairy Queen. Tastee Freez. They were competing chains in Elkins when I grew up. Fast food, milk shakes, and soft serve cones. Hamburger, fries before McD was born. Tastee Freez still lives. Small but alive. Dairy Queen is around. How about one of the original early stores? Pretty small. But it’s there, running, and original. I haven’t been in one in forever (decades, many). I’m almost ready to go again. Meanwhile, here’s an original still serving up the customers. It was a toss-up, but, we leaned toward Tastee Freez as kids.
Provenance
These are snapshots, out of focus, poorly composed, grab shots if you will. The spinning wheel is an Ashford, akin to a comparable Nikon camera. It is a venerable wheel, well respected among spinners. Who knew? I don’t. But here are the only three owners this wheel has known. Colleen is the third owner. Ha! Of course, how do you pass up a bargain. The previous owner knew the original owner and I met them all at the sale. Imagine that? It’s a small world.
Snow Geese
Canadian. They make quite a showing as they migrate. Thousands. It’s a big flock. I was fascinated by the landing pattern. It was choreographed like an airport. They circled and came into the wind to land. Of course, there was no spacing. You fly in both directions simultaneously. No crashes. No harm no fowl.
Working
How do you pick a photo for posting? No mystery. It just sticks out enough and you want to comment upon it. Sometimes it’s just a scene that you don’t often come across. What? What were five cherry pickers in such a hurry to accomplish? I figure they turned off the power and were in a hurry to finish. It was a lot of trucks. And there were plenty of helpers below just standing around as support staff. One to fix and four to watch. Sounds about right?
Going
My cats are smart. Aren’t they all? They know when we are headed out. In fact, Patch is positively frantic when the suitcase comes out of the closet. I’m told that dogs (maybe cats?) have no sense of time. They sure know when something is about to happen. I whistle and they come to the door in order to go out on the deck. Everyone was gathered. Maybe it was coincidental? I think not. Yes. We miss them when we travel. And they miss us.
Beer
My cat drinks beer? That is a pottery beer stein/mug – or so I have been told. I don’t recall the name they called it. And, there is my nutcase cat – Nutley – drinking from it. There’s probably not enough beer for me to be chastened for giving beer to a minor (cat). Nutley, that’s his name.
Cat count
Feather is one smart cat. She learned very early how to depress a door handle and spring the door open. Lately the door to our deck has been her project. Unless I lock the door, she is likely to have a go. I forget sometimes. Today I was photographing the cardinals at my bird-feeder. Suddenly the birds took off. I glanced to the deck and saw the reason. Feather was there beneath the feeder hoping to catch a bird. Loose! She was loose! Darn! Make that worse. Three other cats were out as well. And two had made a jailbreak down the stairs to the yard below. Willow, pictured in the photo of the deck, likes to jump to the rail. I have a gate; it was down because of the wind. And, Patch and Ray were on the loose. Ray, at least knows the drill. He trotted up the stairs. Patch was out in the yard. Not good! We got them all back. Can you count to seven? We did it twice. Everyone is safe and sound. I am working on my penance for leaving the door unlocked. And there is no photo to commemorate the action. I was too busy herding cats at that moment.
Socket
Spice has the look of freshly pulling her own paw from an electric socket. No matter what, she has tangles. I realize that the background loom is not helping. Poor thing. We are working there. She’s resting. Possession is the word. We let her sit. Good kitty!
Portrait
I saw a poster in the pet shop offering to shoot cat portraits. Ha ha! Animals are not easy to photograph. You cannot talk to them and expect compliance. Cats do as they please. Mine are resigned. It was like that with my kids too. Let dad take his pictures and then maybe he will go away. My cats take no offence with my photos. Elle would run at the sight of a camera when we first met. Now she sits patiently. No harm no foul. I would like to do a portrait for you.
Moral dilemma
We have a lot of discussion about the world. Do you recycle? Do you know that much of it goes to China? It’s not turned into renewable things. It’s just trash in China. How about chicken? Here’s how they transport them. Don’t tell me about the awful conditions they are treated in Delaware. Organic eggs cost nearly $5 a dozen as opposed to $2.09. You decide. By looking at an egg I can tell that you did not lie and that that egg came from a happy chicken? It’s tortuous thinking. As I said, we debate a good many things. $5 or $2, it’s a dilemma.
Basket case
We took a basket making class. Don’t ask. I used to joke about basket making as a throw away college course in which to get an easy “A.” Now I have nightmares about the final exam tomorrow in a college course in which I neglected to attend a single class. I’m retired! No classes! Ever! I cannot fail. And I will not take another final exam. Ever! As you can see our work was immediately appropriated and put to good comfort and use.
Falafel
I made these! Proud?! You bet. They taste authentic. They are inexpensive street food in Saudi. They are a bit more expensive in Delaware. I always ate osso bucco in Italian restaurants. It seemed so complicated till I found out how dead simple it was to make. And falafel are a lot of pots and pans, but they are so easy to make in quantity. So, I will not be ordering them any longer. Its secret has been revealed and I can make them with ease.
say what?
“Little wonder that Mr. Trump, when notified that a special counsel had been appointed to scrutinize his behavior, reportedly slumped in his chair and said: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”” – from the New York Times, Mueller Report.
Right, left, center. Whatever your political persuasion. When you are quoted to have said this, it would certainly appear that you did something. Common sense! The lies are staggering right up to the Barr press report an hour before we got this quote. “You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” – Abe. It appears we have put team before democracy.
Blue Jay
There was a blue jay that posed for me for the longest time. No tricks. It turned this way and that. I took the pictures. Thank you.
Pro Wave Cureall
This is a device without any redeeming use as medical device for diagnosis, treatment, or cure. It is so stated in bold print on the first page. It is electrical stimulation based on the meridian lines on the acupuncture charts. It was expensive to buy the machine in its time. Now it is a curiosity. Hey! Even placebos work. And a broken clock is right twice a day. And… well, you get the idea.
Catnip
Catnip. I’ve not paid much attention to it. We grew it in the container garden. The cats mostly ignored it. I guess that once you dry it, it becomes potent, kind of like potatoes are nothing till it’s vodka. Gather around, gnaw, paw, and claw. Eat catnip and be merry. It drew them like a moth to a candle. Five anyway, the other two were aloof for reasons unknown. Eventually, everyone did have a go. Cat stupor.
Cardinal at our feeder
This bright feathered feeder was posing for me. I got the requisite catalog shots. Then the action started. He flitted to and fro. I got my shots. Action is hard. I have told you that a motor drive will not ensure a good action shot. It’ timing and luck. Mostly luck. Have I mentioned that I am a lucky guy.
All in a day
It’s not flattering (to me). It is a snap arranged and taken by Colleen. She calls me the Pied Piper. I sit and the cats gather. We have one, two, three here. She says these are my cats…as opposed to hers. Cats have preferences too. I would deny it. But, there are favorites. All are given the love they demand. Some demand more than others.
Squirrel
The squirrel returns. Hey! It could be a movie. Squirrels gotta eat! This one came back to the feeder. He was caught in the rain. His coat and tail were soaked. The poor guy was about as frightened as could be when I confronted him. He was so fat from feeding that he had trouble escaping the cage. Off he ran. Good riddance? Nope he was back again a day or two later. It’s never done.
Iconic
I realize that most people will not necessarily appreciate this image. Let me explain it. It is of a diver wearing his tank on his hip – Armand. It’s a style of diving to allow the diver not to bump things if he were wearing his tank on his back. We are approaching the landing dock, hence the waves. There is action with serenity. I appreciate the moment in which the dive is ending and the next to come. Peace.
Cardinal
All in one day and at the same time, it was unusual to see. Both were there. And I was able to get a shot of them. Birds, fish, cats, oh my! It was nice to capture the images. Action. It’s fortuitous. Patience. The skill is there. The circumstance is a bit of luck.
Vitamin – what’s in one?
Vitamins, duh! a multi-vitamin? Multi’s, of course. All that in a little red pill – red dye was not extra? All you need? Daily? I eat a lot of food. But really, all you need is that little red pill. 100% of daily requirement. Such a little pill, so much promise. Then there is Vit C and calcium. 1000 mg. That’s a pill to swallow! Why the big pill? To make it look more important? Or is that the minimum size in which to pack the chemical? If 100% of what I need is in the little red pill, what is it that makes a 1000 mg pill so large and so necessary?
Nuts! That would be a different question. Why do cashews cost so much? The price of VCR’s and flat screen TV’s came down…. the price of nuts never changes.
Art
You may have guessed that I have a dim view of modern art. I don’t see the point in a mish mash of paint and call it abstract art. Or that all black panel where the artist advises: “should it ever need retouching, use ## black paint.” Oh! We were at a basket exhibition at the Biggs Museum. Non-traditional ones were also on display. How about a basket made of staples? Is it ‘the more outrageous’ that gets displayed? There was a screen vase made with woven spots. And the screen was flamed to leave flame marks. At least I can see that. The most fascinating thing was a take-off on the Perfect Storm – movie and book. That maelstrom at least made sense to me.
Congregate
After the first cold spell, there has been a lot of activity around the feeder. The birds did not find its location for about a week after we installed it. Now it’s a regular stop for food. A woodpecker! The seed supply dwindles steadily now. My goal is to get better pics. So far the caged feeder has hindered my ability to get the bird without distraction. And, they tend to stay to the far side of the feeder away from the house. Perhaps I should use a remote camera set up? I guess I’m already nuts. I have a dedicated camera on a tripod pre-focused on the feeder. I just didn’t go all the way ‘round the bend.
photobackstory 