Fun With Light

Many times in my 24 years of taking photographs, I've seen mistakes turn into experiments and experiments turn into expressions. Here are a few examples of what can happen when the sun (or man-made light source) is in just the right place and the elements cooperate for a second or two. Above: "Sun, Trees" - Rockville, MD - 1989.

"The Old Pier" - Lewes, DE - 1997.

"From The Pool To The Wall" - St. Thomas, USVI - 1986

"Fair Ride" - Montgomery County Agricultural Fair - Gaithersburg, MD - 1991

OK, soon we will be entering the phase in which I find myself stalling for time so I can get some more of my pre-digital material scanned... :)

Train-chasing in 2nd Gear

In an effort to keep you non-railfans from getting dangerously bored, I've tried to round up a few train pics that are at least somewhat interesting, photographically speaking. I found that I have more than a few, so I randomly selected nine for this post and I will upload more later. If trains just aren't your thing, hang in there. I'll be getting to The Cruising Years (MD, PA, VA, WV, KY) soon, and hopefully the lighthouses that follow will prove to be worth the wait. But first - the above banner photo is the meeting of two Conrail trains just about smack in the middle of the famed Horseshoe Curve, near Altoona, PA in 1995.

This set of Rio Grande light power was photographed as it followed the Amtrak train #5 "California Zephyr" into the Rockies west of Denver, CO in January 1987.

Where the railroad meets the sea - CSX #6577 (with the obnoxiously elusive #4253 hiding behind it) sits at Penn-Mary Junction in East Baltimore, MD in 1992. The gantry cranes in the background belong to the Port of Baltimore.

A rare switching operation at Point of Rocks, MD in the summer of 1991.

Significant more for history than for photographic quality, this shot of a westbound container train leaving Cumberland, MD in 1992 could not be duplicated today. The rails that branch off to the right (towards Cincinnati) are now single-track, the manual switch lines in the far upper right of the frame are gone (replaced by electronic relays), the steps of Viaduct Junction tower, from which I shot this photo (and the tower itself) are gone and there's now a big modern signal bridge situated about where the last engine is. "Progress."

Westbound freight laboring up the grade near Fairhope, PA in a misty autumn chill - 1993.

Westbound auto-racks crossing Thomas Viaduct over the Patapsco River, between Relay and Elkridge, MD - not far from Baltimore - in 1992.

Amtrak train #29 "Capitol Limited" blasts westward past Randolph Road with a couple of miles to go before its first stop at Rockville, MD in 1995.

CSX #6603, still in B&O paint, awaiting service at the Riverside Shops in Baltimore, MD in 1994.

Thanks for looking. Much more to come!

Closer To Home

Okay gang. Short and sweet. Here are a few more images of the places I've called home. Leading off is a time-lapse shot of Rockville Pike in front of Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville, MD from December 1992.

Front porch view - Christmas, 1989.

Two feet of snow - very rare in Rockville! February 1983.

Also rare - this aerial view of our house (the one with the tan roof), courtesy of my friend the pilot - 1986.

Long nighttime B&W of the old jungle gym at Rock Creek Valley Elementary School - Rockville, MD - 1987. Nearly froze my feet right off, walking around the neighborhood in the snow half the night!

Here's what my alma mater Rockville High School looked like from the air in December of 1986. It has since been renovated so extensively that almost nothing from the structure above survives, except for the theater building at the far left. You really can't go back, I guess. Not that I'd want to, but still. Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Um, self-portrait. Germantown, MD - 1995.

THREE feet of snow! Enough for legitimate drifts! Frederick, MD - January, 1996.

Join me next time for whatever it is I find myself in the mood for - providing, of course, that whatever that turns out to be has already been scanned.

A Visit With Grave Digger

Might as well stay present-day for another post to the ol' phloggy-bloggy thing. This one is especially for my little buddy Jonah, who is a good kid, despite the best efforts of his mom. ;) I'm pretty sure at least a couple of my nephews will also appreciate these pictures. Kevin? Peter? Anyway, I'm told that Grave Digger is a legend on the monster truck circuit, and his home shop is on US Route 158 in Poplar Creek, NC. I drive past "Digger's Dungeon" on my way to and from the Outer Banks at least once a year, and this April while on my 2009 birthday cake run for my wife [Maris], I finally had good weather and a few minutes to spare.

The most recent model gets posed on its nose out front.

An older Digger...

... and an even older Digger. Check out the rust!

And now, a word from our sponsor. I suddenly find myself getting thirsty.

I suppose it would be scary if it weren't just so silly. It's fun, though. And isn't that really what it's all about? (Well, that and the Hokey-Pokey, of course.)

Thanks for stopping by!
I'm not sure where to go, next. I don't think I'm quite ready to tackle the 12 zillion lighthouse photos or the material from my thousands of miles of aimless wandering with [Maris] from the past decade. Maybe more local color, trains and a few more critters and pets...

Chickpea's Excellent Adventure

And now for something completely different. I haven't really done one of these "story" posts, yet. I'm also going to break my own unwritten "no people" rule...

My dear, sweet Aunt Liz recently moved out west and couldn't take both of her beloved cats with her, so she left Chickpea in the capable care of her sister (my mom) for a couple of weeks. Today, Chickpea became one of the first pets to fly on Pet Airways, and I had the awesome responsibility of helping Mom get her safely to B.W.I. Airport. She is now on her way to be reunited with Aunt Liz somewhere out past the Louisiana Purchase.

"I'm done with the Metro Section and this coffee is cold. Who is this guy and what is with the camera?"

"Is it me or is there a vibe? I thought I felt a vibe. It was a 'time to put Chickpea in her crate' kind of vibe. I'm pretty sure..."

"What? I know I haven't been under any beds - or under any furniture, for that matter - the whole time I've been here. I thought I'd try it now. Go away, please."

"She's coming to get me, isn't she? I don't feel safe ANYwhere, anymore."

"I told you there was a %$#&^* VIBE!"

"What's so funny? I'm in a CAGE! My keeper has betrayed me."

"Well, this isn't so bad. Maybe I'm going home."

"What is that noise - JET ENGINES??? Put me down. You are not cool. Hey - a bird..."

Okay, so the real adventure took place after we dropped the poor thing off with the very nice pet-friendly people at Pet Airways' BWI terminal, but we don't get to be a part of that. We're picturing a Learjet 60 with a cat or dog in every seat and in-flight movies featuring birds and squirrels. Chickpea, despite her one attempt to flee to the farthest corner underneath a bed, was actually very blasé about the whole thing and is a very sweet little cat.

Bon Voyage, little one. Say Hi to Aunt Liz for us!

Critters!

I have always found animals to be much easier to photograph than people. Before we move into my extensive collection of bird pics and my ludicrous volumes of panda shots, here are a few other furry (and some not so furry) friends. Above, three sheep in a row - somewhere along Route 15 (or maybe Route 11) in Virginia, 1998.

El Ray ("The King") - St. Thomas, USVI - 1986

Shorty, the cat who came with the house - St. Thomas, USVI - 1986

Elizabeth atop the curtains (and just look at those groovy curtains, too!) - Rockville, MD - 1983 (another rare surviving photo from the instamatic years)

Bubba The Party Snake - Rockville, MD - 2000 (Bubba could sleep for days, but as soon as I got the camera out, he was all over the place)

Sunning Crocodile - Everglades National Park, FL - 1999

M A N T I S !! - Germantown, MD 1995

Pygmy Goat - Point of Rocks, MD - 1998

Um, Grasshopper - Lancaster, VA - 2001

Yep, that's a squirrel. Lake Needwood, MD - 1991

The Southernmost Beach Cat, possibly one of Hemingway's. Either way, the world is his sandbox. Key West - 2002

This is as close as I've ever seen a cat get to actually looking embarrassed. Molly - Rockville, MD - 1997

Finally (for now), Molly fills my old windowsill with her great bulk - Rockville, MD - 1993