Another Delco Guy In South Jersey

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - August 17, 2011

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - July 18, 2007

A New Day

  It started as just a hint of pink over the trees across the creek.

Then built into a glow in the trees that became a ball of orange.

Unfortunately, before the sun came over the trees, the clouds rolled in and all we got was a bright gray morning.

Still, the bright gray is better than the cold darkness and we've got the day underway!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Changes At Occupy Philly

Yesterday I took a bit of a walk at lunch and headed over to the Occupy Philly encampment at Dilworth Plaza, adjacent to Philadelphia City Hall.  I have visited four times since the occupiers took root there in September.

There has been some news lately, as just after the election, Mayor Nutter took to the airwaves to declare that the Occupy Philly group had changed, and that given the change he was going to have to start dealing with them differently.  Nutter noted issues with public health and safety as well as the group's refusal to move to an area across the street to allow a planned renovation of the Dilworth Plaza site to begin.

The Occupy Philly folks on the other hand have shot back that they have not changed, but rather it's Nutter that has been on the move.  Various Occupy Philly members made statements in stark contrast to the Mayor Nutter's allegations.  And, predictably, there were some folks in the middle, not sure who was right as the movement heads into the winter.

From my visit, I have to say that the encampment is distinctly different than it was in late summer.  Then it seemed like a large portion of the group were college students enjoying the warm nights and permissive atmosphere rather than having to stay in their dorm rooms.  When I visited during the day, the core group was a combination of aging hippies,  some homeless people, a group of hard-core activists and a sprinkling of young people.  All of those folks were there in the evening hours too, but there was also a night-time influx of vocal college aged-students, suspiciously clean for folks allegedly living outside.

Things have changed a lot in the last few weeks.  The population of hard-core homeless is much greater.  There are obviously people there up to no good.  Most of the college students are gone.  Many of the older folks have moved on as well.  The police presences is decidedly more edgy. The place has the look and smell of a homeless encampment; it does not feel like a political movement from my perspective. 

My photos don't show the change as much as they should.  I didnt take as many this time and I definitely was careful who I shot.  For the first time, I was subjected to open hostilty as I walked among the tents.  There were areas where I not only didn't feel welcome, but I didn't walk though because they did not appear safe.  It's also clear that there are concerns among those camping there about safety. 

I am not sure what the future is for Occupy Philly.  Will it be cleared away by force like Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland?  Will they move across the street to the area suggested by the city?  With the movement continue to with as the temerature drop anonly those experienced with sleeping outside in a Philadelphia winter are willing to stay?

Whatever happens, I do feel like it will be happening soon.

Delco Sunset

I am a sunset guy.  I will pull over on the side of the road to watch the amazing play of pinks and purples across the sky on summer evenings or pull on a coat and watch the golds dance on a cold winter afternoon.  I take a lot of sunset photos, some that look like an inferno is engulfing the earth, some where the sun just disappeared into the desert twilight, some others that certainly show the face of god, a few that illuminated special moments and some where the world seemed near an end.

Yesterday as the sun was setting on the Eagles' season, Dan Walklett said, "You should get your camera."  I am glad he did.  All my life I have enjoyed taking photos, somtimes alone, some times prompted by others, sometimes with someone special at my side. 

I've never seen to that were the same and yet I alwasy have the same thought. "What a great way to end a day."  Regardless of how bad the day way, a good sunset can always make it better.  This time of year it's a little tough with the sun setting before I get out of work, but that just gives me another reason to look forward to the weekend!

Good Morning From Medford, NJ!

We have a great sunrise here to start our day. I hope you have a great week!

Pig Takes Over Ike's Computer

We are monitoring a tense standoff between a pig and Ike in the SFS office at UArts.

More details as they become available.

Somewhere Over Kansas

We are 1150 miles into the trip with 450 to go. A few small bumps here and there, but pretty good so far up here at 29,000 feet.

Temperature I'm the ground in Denver should be I'm the 80s. Positively chilly!

The Kids Are Ready For Santa!!

It Must Be Fall

Marc Vetri has the pumpkins and apples out in front of his eponymous Spruce Street restaurant, so it must be fall!

Keeping Digital Photos Safe

As I am sure you have noticed, I shoot a lot of photos.  My trusty Canon Digital Rebel XT body has over 30,000 shutter releases on it and is showing no signs of age. 

Back in the day, all 30,000 of those photos would have gone onto film and been processed using traditional the Kodak C-41 wet chemistry development process.  In my case, that's over 1000 rolls of film in the last 3 years!  Imagine the cost, damage to the environment and tons of wasted energy and money on all the bad shots.

These days, everything is digital.  And as inexpensive and simple as that may seem, it presents its own set of challenges.  What happens if your hard drive crashes?  Suppose technology goes against you and you're stuck with the Sony Betamax version of photo storage?

I've got some tips that were prompted by a friend who is just embarking on her journey of digital photography.  

• First, you have to make sure you have enough hard drive space on your computer/laptop to download all the images off of the memory stick.
• Second, I use flickr.com to save/share the best of the photos.  It costs about $25 a year, but it's a great way to share the photos with family/friends.
• Third, I burn all of all of the photos I take to discs regularly in case I ever have a hard drive failure.  It's a pain in the neck, but most newer laptops and computers come with software to burn DVDs.  Look on the door of the disc drive.  If it has logo that says DVD-ROM, you can burn the photos to the disc.  It just takes some patience!
• Fourth, I use a back up drive called a Western Digital My Book to back up the files one more time onto an external hard drive.  Here's a link to a very roomy, easy to set up drive that is also fairly cheap:  http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Book-Mirror-WDH2U20000N/dp/B001B8RSAK?&camp=212361&linkCode=wsw&tag=anothedelcogu-20&creative=384613
• Finally, print out the photos you really like.  Keep them where you keep your important papers.  You never know when somehting really bad is going to happen and your data will be lost.  If you do this, a few of your best memories will survive the fire/theft/whatever.  If you're using Flickr, you'll still have all those images too!

It may seem like a lot, but there aren't any negatives anymore.  grandma's photo album is a thing of the past.  You can't get another copy of a digital photo if you lose the data or it gets corrupted or you laptop gets stolen.  That's why I recommend all the extra steps.

If you've got tips or tricks for working with digital images, please leave a comment!

Snow Photos

Got Some Work To Do Before The Party
Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

At 7:30 am , there is 7 inches on the ground here in Moorestown. Still no peeps from upstairs. It's only a matter of time ...

More photos up here.

Photography Rights Under Fire on Amtrak and Elsewhere

While this hilarious Stephen Colbert report makes light of the situation that Duane P. Kerzic found himself in on December 21, 2008, I don't think it's a laughing matter. 

The facts of the case are:

• Kerzic bought a ticket and traveled to New York's Penn Station
• He was there to take photographs
• He intended to enter the photographs in Amtrak's annual photography contest
• He walked around the platform between Tracks 9 and 10, taking some cool photos
• He was handcuffed and detained for an hour by Amtrak security
• He was issued a citation for trespassing
• He wrote letters and emails to everyone under the sun

Now obviously I don't know how Kerzic behaved in the period leading up and after his arrest.  One might intuit from his website that he is a bit umm ... uhh ... how to put his ... obsessive.  But clearly he's got a point that he was in a public area of the station and Amtrak policy allows photos in public areas.

While this may seem to be an isolated case, Amtrak has a history of incidents like this.  There are a number of internet discussions, associations and even T-shirts that are evaluating the ramifications of the 'war on terror' on the rights of photographers to take pictures of public buildings, transportation systems and other 'sensitive' facilities.

I've actually been 'challenged' by a federal officer while taking photos in Washington, DC of the Federal Reserve complex.  While I was not asked to do more than provide my identification and wait while the tactically-armored officer ran my name through the terrorist watch list or something, it was still a sobering experience.

I don't doubt that there are people in the US who are here to do us harm.  What I do doubt is the value of diluting the freedoms that America says it represents in order to protect us from what ever potential harm is out here.  The actions of government in the post 9-11 period have eroded the basic freedoms of Americans.  From photography to protection against wiretaps and internet snooping, we live in a period where we can taking no activity for granted.  Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis states my point better than I ever could - 'The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.'

I have few hopes for the new Obama administration.  There's too much to do and too many people willing to let the mess fester for their own benefit.  One thing I am expecting from Obama and Holder and the rest is an end to the Cheneyist reduction of personal freedoms and a return to a government that honors all of the Bill of Rights, not just the second amendment. 

A Sign From The Past

Everywhere you look there are signs that have nothing to do with today's reality.

I find that oddly comforting.

A Prettier View of Maine

  Camden Harbor 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Another Delco Guy spent the day driving up the coast of Maine from Portland as far as Camden.  It was a gray and rainy day north of Portland, but the sun broke through on the way back south. 

The highlight of the day was getting to photograph the harbors of Rockport and Camden as well as wandering along Route 1.  We had a few good brews from Sheepscot Valley Brewing at Sarah's in Wiscasset.  I particularly liked the Pemaquid Ale, which the bartender described as being "made by some guy in the next town in his barn."  Best barn-made beer I've had in a while.

We're resting up watching Casino Royale right now, and then may see if there is any nightlife to be had in The Old Port.

Is this picture prettier, Matt?

On Flickr, Photography and Art

I'm not an artist.  I can't draw.  I can't sing or dance and I don't even write much anymore.  But I do take pictures.  I have always hesitated when asked if I am a photographers.  I don't see my self as a photographer, because I generally see photographers as artists who do more than just take pictures.  While I have some training as a photo journalist, I also avoid that title too.

So I don't really know what I am.  Maybe a lifejournalist.  Most of my photos are of places I have traveled to or of my family.  I take my camera with me most places.  It's telling though that the 'Most Interesting' of my photos on Flickr are mostly of scantily-clad women at the Phillies game.  I don't work with my images much.  My photojournalism training tells me that's somehow unethical, but the perfectionist in me wants to clean some things up.  There's a tension there and my brother tells me that I have to get over what I was told in the past and make the images do what I want them to do.  I just wonder about how that affects the experience of the person viewing them.

Now I stumbled on a New York Times Magazine article that posits that the overly-processed images that are so wildly popular on Flickr are them selves a new art form, and that gives me yet another thing to wonder about.  Is it art because the person making it says it is?  Or is my work NOT ART just because i say it isn't?  I say I wish I knew.

Friday Filler

Here's Another Delco Guy Lunch Time Update:

One of my photos is featured today on the Verizon Newsroom website today.  It's a crop of my most popular Flickr shot and provides art for a Paul Hagen story about Philly Phans.  Thanks Pat!

A bit later today, the GF, me and my camera are headed down to Drunken Educators Carousing Teacher Appreciation Night at CBP.  Should be a fun night. 

After that, we'll be headed down to Annapolis for the weekend courtesy of Starwoods points! 

Have a good one.

Nice Place

One Down!

The Phils took care of their end of the Philly sport double-header today, downing the Astros 10-2 behind great work on the mound by Brett Myers.  Things are crazy down here in the stadium area with Flyers fans pouring in and Phils Phans celebrating.

Let's hope the Flyers can hold up their end of the deal tonight and go up 3-1 on the Caps tonight.

Took the Afternoon Off

One of the major benefits of working in Center City is access to day baseball. Enjoy watching on your monitors gang.  I am in section 121!

Opening Day Photos Up

  Opening Day Pre-Game 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

While the day ended badly for Phils fans as Tom "gasoline" Gordon blew up, surrendering 5 runs and losing the opener for the Phightins, it was still a fun day.

All the photos are up here.

Matty and I had a great time in the parking lot for the pre-game, hanging with some of Philly's pre-eminent sports bloggers, Enrico and Meech plus Coaches Rowe and Mack and a bunch of others.  We enjoyed the festivities, stayed dry during the game, and headed to McFadden's for a post game of Jody Mac and Mr. Greengenes.

It was my third straight Phils Opening Day and I still have not seen a win.  One of these days...

D3 National Champs

  Confetti Rains Down 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

I've uploaded a batch of photos from my recent trip to Salem, Virginia to call the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship weekend.

The photos are here.  And some reflections on what it's like to be a former coach returning to the site of a national Championship with out a team should be posted a bit later tonight.

More New Mexico Photos Up

  Bandelier 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Hey there y'all.  I'm hanging out at home today watching the 50th Daytona 500 trying to get some work done.  I'm taking a bit of a break now, so I thought I would let you know that there are plenty more photos up from my recent trip to New Mexico.  The latest set is from Bandelier National Monument, one of the most amazing places I have ever visited.  I tried to capture both the immenseness of the landscape there and the grandeur of the scenery.

I tried, but I think ultimately failed.  You can judge for yourself from the photos here.

New Mexico Photos

Well, it's my last day in New Mexico, and I have finally gotten enough of a break and enough of an internet connection to put some of the photos I have taken up on Flickr.

The photos are from my first 2 days here.  Sunday's drive up on The Turquoise Trail was a great way to get acquainted with the geography and breath-taking scenery of Northern New Mexico.  There is also a set of photos that is part of what I shot in the Town of Santa Fe.  There will be some more when I get home, but the wireless connection isn't letting me do much more today.

I also have lots of great shots coming from my afternoons in the Bandelier National Monument and on the High Road to Taos.  The photo adjoining this post is a preview of the High Road set I will post in a few days.

Right now, I just hope that the bad weather back East doesn't delay my arrival home!

Christmas Photos Up

  Me and The Kids - photo credit- Matt Pesotski 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Hello all!!!!

As we begin to wind down the year, I have started to upload the images from Christmas.

The set from Christmas Day itself is up on my Flickr site.  Other photos will follow shortly.

Among my gifts this year was a Tamron 180-250mm IF lens.  The GF made a big investment in my photo hobby and you can see in some of the images the wide range this lens has.  It's way easier to shoot indoors and close with it, given the nice wide angle ability it gives me.  It was a super thing to find under the tree!

I'll have a full round up of the gifts later after we rake out the living room and I find them all!

Family Archives Project

I take a good many photographs,  About 1000 a month for the last year and a half.  Having a digital camera and a big external hard drive helps a lot in terms of editing and storing the images.  I also have about 2500 of the images up on the internet photo sharing site Flickr.  There are sets of family photographs, travel photography, random shots and a few attempts at photographic art. 

And now there is a new section for the family photo archives.  I have a stack of photos that my mom and dad got from my father's aunt.  They're black and whites from the 40s and 50s and show my father's family in various stiff post-war poses.  There are photos of people I never met, including my grandmother, and photos of folks I never knew until much much later.  There are also some shots my mom saved of my grandmother's extensive collection of photographs from the 60s, 70s and 80s.  They are primarily fading color shots, with a few portraits and such worked in.

I started scanning the images on my Epson Perfection 4180 Photo scanner.  The photographs are old and brittle, some in worse shape than others.  If I don't start now, they will fade away to nothing.  While there isn't much of historic value among the piles of photos I have to scan, they deserve to be preserved.  People took the time to take the photos, paid a lot to have them developed, and saved them for all these years.  They should be preserved.   

So head on over to Flickr and see how the project is progressing.  One note however - in the interveneing years, some of the names have been lost.  If you know who someone is or where the shot may have been taken, please leave a comment so we can add the data.

Now back to the holiday preparations!

Snow In Philly

  City Hall Lights 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

While it's pretty much all gone now, last night marked the first real snow in Philadelphia this season.  The late autumn storm brought between one and four inches of the white stuff across the area.  it was enough to make driving a bit messy, though not really treacherous. 

This morning, it was as cold as I can remember in a long time, with the thermometer showing 22 degrees when I got the CR-V started this morning.  I uploaded a few images of Center City that I shot on the way home last night.  The camera shake was desired this time, but I sure hope I get a monopod from Santa! I especially like the ghostly appearance of the lower portion of City Hall in the photo at the left.

Have a great day!

Kyla Ebbert Nude This Time

Remember this past summer when some moron at Southwest Arilines took it upon herself to decide that a paying customer was wearing a too-short miniskirt and threw Kyla Ebbert off the plane?

Yeah.  I had forgotten too.

After that, Southwest issued an apology and used the situaion in their ads for a bit, Ms. Ebbert, either a college student, an aspiring lawyer, or Hooters waitress, depending on where you read, appeared on every bad TV show on the tube.

Then, blessedly, she disappeared off the face of the earth, except for parody writers and on myspace.

Until yesterday, that is, when Ebbert announced that she had posed nude for Playboy.  Like we all didn't see THAT one coming!  It took about 12 minutes for the photos to be leaked to the internet.  If you must see the images, here they are, but you have to go to confession later. 

Don't worry mom, "they are very tastefully done" according to Ebbert.

New Photo Set Up

  Glessner Covered Bridge 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

After a bit of a delay, the first of the autumnal photos from my recent trip to southwestern Pennsylvania have been posted over at my Flickr site.  I'm still working on the images from the Flight 93 Memorial, which I also visited on that trip.

These images have been a bit of a struggle for me.  I am using the rather crappy kit lens that I have had for years.  It's served me well, but you see a lot of noise on the long focal lengths as it isn't image stabilized.  The focus is also a touch soft. 

I am also struggling to show the deep blue of the sky and also catch the pop of the fall foliage colors.  I am a novice Photoshop CS3 user, but gosh, what an amazing program!  For the most part, I have erred on the side of the leaves, but probably would have had better results working a bit more with my filters as I was actually shooting the images to try to enhance the blues.

Let me know what you think!

PHUCK!!!!!!!!!

Rough one yesterday for the Phightins, but all will be better down at The Bank today.

Photos from yesterday's madness are up at my Flickr site.  i'm on the run and will have more for ya later!

See ya all down at the park!

Dreaming of a Pennant

  Dreaming of a Pennant 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Last night, as I was headed to bed after Dan's and Mary Ann's party and catching up on the first Saturday of college football, I stuck my head into John's room before turning in.  The sight of him peacefully asleep, prized Phils cap still on his head, made me hope all the harder that the Phightin's can put last night behind them knock off the Marlins this afternoon.

It's been an up and down ride, but I sure hope that my baseball boy get a chance to see some playoff action at CBP this fall.

Chatsworth is Best -- At Something

  Sundown - Chatsworth Lake 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

The tiny Burlington County crossroads of Chatsworth has been named to Adventure Magazine's 50 Best Places to Live.  Here's what they have to say:

Chatsworth, New Jersey
- Population: 1,364
- Median home price: $257,000
- The radius: Tiny Chatsworth is the unofficial capital of New Jersey's surprising Pine Barrens, a 3,000-square-mile (7,770-square-kilometer) spread of swamp-edged streams, stands of pine and cedar, and—in autumn—tracts of cranberries  (all that, just 37 commutable miles [60 kilometers] east of Philly). The best route is the 50-mile (80-kilometer) Batona Trail; while you're hiking, watch for the diminutive (less than the length of your thumb) Pine Barrens Tree Frog.

I have to say that I was stunned when I got this news today.  I lived in the town for three years and never would have considered it remotely possible that the town would be designated the best at anything except for perhaps "Best Cranberrying Village in the New Jersey Pinelands."  There are two part-time retail businesses and a motorcycle shop in town.  The post office is a trailer.  You can't grow a darn thing because the deer outnumber the people and eat everything.

But it is amazingly beautiful in its own way.  The people are down-to-earth and very nice.  Robin's Hot Dogs are the best around.  And as, the magazine notes, the hiking is outstanding.  (The part about it being withing commutable distance to Philly is crap.  Route 70 makes it a 90 minute trip during rush hour.)  Tens of thousands flock there every year for the annual Cranberry Festival in October.

Now I can say that i have lived in two different "Best" towns.  I am currently a proud resident of Moorestown, NJ, Money Magazine's 2005 Best Place to Live.  I have to admit that the remoteness of Chatsworth makes Moorestown a clear winner for me.  (That and the shops, neighhbors, parks, etc.)

Well congratulations to Chatsworth!

A Night In Camden

  Fireworks and the BFB 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

There aren't many times when some says that they had a great night in Camden, but we sure did last night!

John, Emma, the GF and I headed over to Camden last night to catch a Riversharks game at Campbell's Field in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge on Delaware River Waterfront.  We saw a Sharks win, fireworks and John got to run the bases.

6,810 South Jerseyans turned out to see the show and I didn't see many disappointed folks.  The minor league teams sure know how to entertain fans, with contests, a merry-go-round (Emma loved it!), three different mascots and a lot of fun.

We had great seats right behind home plate, but not the greatest for photos.  Still, I got a few and they are up.

Coincidentally, we met Bob Nehring, the Sharks' Director of Group Events this morning at Wawa and he was a really nice guy and seems genuinely happy that we had a good night at the park .

Get out to a game before the season ends!

New Photo Sets

After much work trying to learn Photoshop CS3, I have posted three sets of photos from my recent vacation on my Flickr site.  The Boys Night at Fenway is memorialized, including shots of the rain, the Green Monster and us in the bar waiting.  One of my favorite places on earth, Cape Porpoise is caught in a photo shoot.  I got a chance to shoot one of the best sunsets I have ever seen in Newport, RI is recorded in another set.

There will be a bunch more pictures coming, as I have plenty more from that trip and several others I have taken recently.

Look, comment and Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

  John the Cat 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

It's hard to believe that it's been 7 years since that stormy, muggy June night that John made me wait until 6:26 am until he was finally born.  I vividly remember that even before he was out of the womb he was screaming and crying, begging for food.

After he was fed and cleaned up, he settled down a bit and has been a great kid for the last seven years.  He loves baseball more than anything and is big fan of the Yankees and SportsCenter.  I had a great time coaching him on the Marlins this year and on the Orioles last year.  I hope he never loses his love for the game.

John is a fun kid and enjoys his classmates and especially gym class.  he is a smart guy and had a good year in first grade.  Like me, he is a bit quick to anger and more than a little rambunctious.  I am sure he will always be a bit of handful for his teachers.

I have alwyas loved that John wants to be a part of everything and is eager to help me whenever he can.  Most of the projects I have done around the house have been completed with him at my side.  It's a great thing!

John is loving and sensitive, and is especially good with his little sister Emma.  I am proud of the moments that he shows her special attention and caring.  I hope that they are always as close as they are now.

I had a great day celebrating your birthday with you today, John and I look forward to our part in Moorestown.

Happy 7th Birthday Buddy!!!!

Heading to See the Mouse!

  Fireworks over Disney World Castle 
  Originally uploaded by BScythe

The family is still slumbering, but I admit I was too keyed up to sleep.

Why?

We leave for Disney World in a few hours!!!

The kids are very excited and so am I.  We will provide regular updates and photos.  We're hoping to see some manatees and go to Sea World in addition tot he Disney parks.  John also wants to get to Universal.  We'll see what all we get in.

The Southwest fare was good, Starwood points pay for the room, but god the park tickets are expensive!!!

Photos from yesterday's Pesotski Father's Day Crab Fest are up on my Flickr site.

Have a great week!

Day In Baltimore

Well we had a great day yesterday in "Charm City."  We had a few good beers, caught the O's 6-1 loss to the Rockies and toured the Inner Harbor.  It was a very full day and we were all quite tired when we returned home last night.

Talking to some O's fans from Dundalk, I was struck by how much things have changed for that franchise in the 5 years since I used to go down there every weekend.  They were always fun to watch and I never saw a game that wasn't sold out in the 5 years I had season tix to the O's.  Yesterday, on a great day, they drew barely 35,000.

The guy sitting next to me with he dad and 2 daughters said simply, "We don't get here much anymore.  We're tired of the losing."  He put the balme squarely on Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who has long been hated byt the Orange Faithful. 

On a day when they were giving away nice bobbleheads of hometown Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr, I was left to wonder if even The Ironman could turn things around for a team that has't won since he was at short.  Seems like there may be a plan afoot to make that happen.

Some of the highlights of the day were Emma falling asleep on daddy for innings 3-7 and John experimenting with the camera.  He's getting the hang of it, but he uses his left eye, which none of the rest of us do.  not sure what that is about.

I put some photos up on flickr.  I hope you enjoy them!

Friday Fantastic Four

  Grandpop in His Garden at 3447 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

This week's topic seems silly, but we want a bit more from you than just a list.  A little detail to explain why or show something of your self is REQUIRED!

What are your 4 favorite fruits and vegetables?

1. The heirloom tomatoes that my grandfather used to grow in his backyard.  Sliced with a tiny bit of salt or a little sugar even!
2. Bananas -  I try to eat one every day.  Not too ripe and not too green.  With a glass of OJ before my coffee!!! 
3. Asparagus – brushed with a little olive oil, then grilled with salt and pepper.  Perfecto!
4. Starfruit – this stuff is cool!  Crunchy, tart, sweet, fun to eat!!!!!

Honorable mentions:

• Good pineapple, freshly sliced
• Concord grapes – sweet just inside the skin and tart in the middle
• White peaches – once again from my grandfather’s tree which my sister cut down
• Strawberries
• Blueberries – fresh from the bush in the morning with the dew still on them!
• Limes – In margaritas – just the juice though!

Gift Giving Opportunity

As you may have noticed, it is currently June 5th, wich means you have only 12 shopping days left to buy my Father's Day present.  While my ex wife co-parent probably would not agree, I am nominating myself for Father of the Year and deserveto be rewarded properly.  Since my kids are too little to do much shopping on their own, I've got a few ideas for you all!

• Samsung's Deluxe Q1 Ultra - This thing is HOT!!!!  An ultra mobile 800mhz wireless computer with full keyboard and 7" screen.  A STEAL at only $1200.

• Apple iPhone - this is probably the convergence product that would break what my lil Bro calls my "PC brainwashing."  It's pricy, like everthing from Apple, but I am guessing that when Paris gets out of prison, she will be ditching the Sidekick for one of these and I want to be right there with her.

• Wireless XBox with 20 GB Harddrive - this one is more for the boy than me.  He loves his baseball on the Box, but ours is getting a bit elderly and needs to be kicked up a notch.  If ya can spare the change, spring for a pair of wireless controllers too!

• Jimmy Buffett is playing the Boardwalk in AC this summer.  And 2 tickets would be a SWEET Father's Day gift!!!  I will take care of the transportation, party supplies and grass skirts.

Just drop me a note and I will let you know where to ship these babies!  i'm really looking forward to it!

Have a good one!

A Club That Seats 43,647

The folks down at Citizens Bank Park have been getting a bit of criticism lately for the the rowdy fans that fill the place, especially for Dollar Dog and College Nights.  There have certainly been some ugly incidents down in South Philly this spring, including hot dog throwing, fights, and general insanity.  I was in the house for the most recent Hatfield Dollar Dog Night, as well as a few other incident-filled evenings this season.  It's not like fights and rowdiness are unusual at Philly sporting events.

We're the guys who threw snowballs at Santa, remember?

But something is different at CBP.

I've had this thought a few other times, but what has happened in the last few years is that CBP has become a key place to go for the young fun crowd. Monday night, there were SCORES of young ladies who were out at the park as their evening recreation instead of going to a bar. That NEVER happened at the Vet.  Of course when the ladies are there, the boys are that much more uhhh ... testosterone-filled.

With cheap prices for the worst seats, good beer and food and a fun team, CPB has become a social destination. 

Basically you end up with a 40,000 seat nightclub. Stuff's gonna happen. The key here is that the CBP folks need to make sure that they have a fun place for the younger crowd, while ensuring that older folks and those of us who go with our kids are also able to enjoy the environment.  More stringent carding by the vendors?  Yes.  Stepped up security presence in the 300 level?  Check.  Family sections with no alcohol?  Probably a plan.

Whatever the solutions, the Phils have to act now or they risk having the crowds start to stay home if the ugliness escalates.

Hat tip to my brother Matt for the post over at TheLevel that got this post started for me.

Lindsay Lohan Smashed

Former cutsey child actor turned 20 year old trainwreck Lindsay Lohan wrecked her Mercedes SL-65 on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills last night.  She walked away from the wreck and was treated and released for injuries to her chest (God, I hope she's ok.  She's already had so much work done on that chest.)

TMZ reports that  investigators found 'a usable amount of cocaine' in the car.  Jesus.  she MUST have been destroyed to leave an ounce of blow on the front seat in The Hills.  LAPD charged Lohan with DUI.

Guess re-hab didn't take for her either.

Happy Victoria Day!

It's Victoria Day here in Canada.  For those of us not Canadian citizens, that's like 4th of July in the US.  Most everything was closed, there were crowds down near the Falls and fireworks.  A fairly festive evening.

I spent most of the day at the EASFAA conference in Niagara Falls, NY.  That city is not doing real well with the exception of the casino, though the convention center is brand-new and beautiful.  The downtown mall is eerily empty, shops and all.  It looks like a neutron bomb went off.  A security guard quickly ushered me from the premises when I attempted to take a few shots.  When asked if taking pictures was against the law, he simply said "Yes it is."  I ignored him.

We hit some wineries in the Niagara region of Ontario late this afternoon.  The folks at Caroline Cellars were particularly nice!.  We headed back to the Falls and had a fairly good dinner.  Fireworks filled out the day.

Photos are really slow to upload on the hotel wireless connection, so I will have to wait until I return home to get most of them up. 

Home Sick

I'm home getting a bit of extra time with the kids this morning.  John slept in and then complained of a stomach ache.  I pretty much ignored him, assuming he just was not into school on a Monday.  He of course promptly threw up everywhere immediately after breakfast.  *SIGH*  Emma is making the most of her extra time with daddy by cooking me eggs for breakfast on her mini-kitchen.

We had a great weekend and managed to get a lot done around the house while also visiting with the grandparents.  We had a nice brunch over there for Sunday morning, all of the grandkids and kids were present.  Uncle Matt was very active as a football coach in the backyard.  Andrew appears to be a lefty, as he was able to really zing the ball from the southpaw side.

Lots of pictures are up here on my Flickr site.  I encourage you to join and comment.  It's fun and a great way to stay in touch!

Walking to Work

Just about every day on the walk to work I run into something at screams out to me to take a picture.

I love working in the city.  Nearly every day on the way to work I see something that screams to have a picture taken.  I took a few shots today that indicate to me how much of a crossroads this city is at right now.

We have old and new construction, high prices and low prices, new residents and the homeless all in very close proximity.  In addition, there are the pressures of business and commerce on the infrastructure,  crime problems in the neighborhoods and the never ending problems with the school system.

Yet it's one of the most vibrant and interesting places I have ever been.  I am very lucky to be able to come to work here every day.

In breaking news, Lynn Abraham has just figured out that John Street is a terrible mayor.

Morning Mini Post

In case you have not checked In lately, I have lots of new photos up on my Flickr page.  Some, like the shot to the right are from John's recent T-ball games and practices.  He's having a great time and enjoys the game as well as his teammates.

Others are from the recent flooding that hit the Philadelphia region and specifically Burlington County very hard.  I drove through Lumberton and Mount Laurel on Monday and took some pictures of the devastation.

I also have a new set up of The Gardens section of Mount Holly.  Built as a public housing project of one and two story attached homes, the area was plagued by the ravages of drugs and crime over the last few decades.  The area has been controversially designated for redevelopment and is largely abandoned.  A few families are holding out, either because they have nowhere to go or because they simply refuse to give in and leave.

Continuing my urban decay theme, there are many pictures from a series I am doing on Camden and the wonderful buildings I found a long the Broadway corridor which are a window into a gloried past that is so far from Camden's current reality.

Finally, there are many new shots of the family up as well, including some of my little angel Emma (right).

Today is supposed to be the best weather of the year and I am planning to head outside and do some yardwork and see what 78 degrees and sunny will feel like after weeks of a chilly, nasty spring.