Grease Monkey

Last night, I posted a pic of the Orange Turd on FB and a photographer friend of mine from Texas who also rides motorcycles and supports the Orange Turd, commented on it. 

Without getting into an argument about Trump with him, after all we are friends and respect each other political differences, I responded to his question. The conversation then switched into two of my favorite subjects, motorcycles and photography.

I learned that he went from drag-racing motorcycles to now riding cruiser motorcycles traveling cross country and also photographing races at the racetrack. He posted a picture of his current Honda Goldwing, which is the type of bike I hope to be riding when I get older.

I was suddenly transported back in time to 1989, when I was the assistant service manager at a motorcycle Honda dealership in Canarsie, Brooklyn, NY. Back then I was given the task to install a sidecar to a brand new 1989 Honda Goldwing.

Our conversation reminded me that a picture was taken the day the customer arrived to the dealership to pick up his motorcycle, so I began digging for it. It took me at least one hour to find the picture hidden in an old flash drive.

This old picture of my days working as a grease monkey at the motorcycle dealership brought back lots of memories. The unfortunate part is that some of my old friends in the picture are no longer with us. It always amazes me the memories and emotions a picture can evoke on a person.

Tales From The Garage

Planned to visit my bike at the garage but it began raining last evening. The poor bike has been hibernating for too long.

Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may decide what to do. The bike is due for its annual wash but what's the point of taking it to the car wash if its raining? I am hoping that drier weather get here by the end of the week; I like to keep my motorcycle looking good all the time.

Internal Revenue Service

I wrote about this situation with the IRS --> HERE <-- two weeks ago. The IRS had scheduled an appointment at their offices for me to bring documents that prove that I am the person who filed my 2022 taxes. Since 2022, without explanations this appointment has been cancelled/postponed three times by the IRS.

I was in Puerto Rico attending the 50th Anniversary of my High School graduation. So I had planned my June trip in a way that I could return a couple of days before my appointment which was June 27th. Every time the IRS postponed the appointment I had to wait several months before another appt could be scheduled.

To make a long story short, I arrived to the IRS office at 8:30am and presented my paperwork. They were satisfied with the requested papers, and I was told I should receive my 2022 IRS refund in 9 weeks. The refund arrived last week, six weeks ahead of schedule. It was about time.

Philadelphia City Skyline

For months, I was very unsuccessful trying to photograph the Philadelphia city skyline from the 33rd floor of the Loews Hotel. Twice, on different occasions, security staff asked me to leave the premises; only hotel guests are allowed up on that floor.

Months later, on a pleasant and sunny Fathers Day, I decided to go out on a photo walk to find places in downtown Philadelphia to photograph. I was having breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market not far from the Loews Hotel, so I decided to try to go up to the 33rd floor one more time.

Once I reached the 33rd floor and the elevator doors opened, I was surprised that this time I had the whole place to myself. The city skyline looks spectacular from the hotel upper floors, it is by far the best view of the city.

The glass windows were all shut, so I had to photograph the city skyline thru glass. I set up my tripod and took a few test shots to test the lens sharpness. I took a series of five different exposures of the same image, and I was in and out of the hotel in less than five minutes.

All in all, although the results are mixed for me, I am happy with the final result.

Foto Friday - Behind The Scenes

One warm summer, a few years ago, we were getting drenched every weekend. So there was no motivation to ride my motorcycle.

So instead of riding, I went out on a photo walk with my camera in tow. That particular evening I decided to first visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Afterwards, I walked a few blocks near the Schuylkill River and tried to shoot one of the locations I always have a hard time photographing, the Philadelphia Boathouse Row. Even if my life depended on it, I can't get a decent photograph of this place.

- Boathouse Row is a historic site which is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River just north of the Fairmount Water Works and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It consists of a row of fifteen boathouses housing social and rowing clubs and their racing shells. - wikipedia

It didn't help that the cloudy overcast made for a dull and gray sky. But hey, I figured I got nothing to lose so I might as well take a couple of pictures. Who knows, I may just get lucky.

It seemed as if it was going to rain again, so I hurried setting up my camera underneath the Fairmount Water Works gazebo used for wedding ceremonies.

I was so put off by the lousy weather, that only took 5 or 6 pictures of the Boathouse Row, including a couple of them behind the scene images. The timing couldn't be more perfect. By the time I packed my camera gear, it started to drizzle and the SEPTA bus arrived.

Another photo shoot, another lousy Boathouse Row picture.

I Noticed Your Crack Is Showing A Bit

Do you know that the wide crack in the Liberty Bell was actually caused by the repair job? Several years ago I visited the Liberty Bell at the Independence National Historic Park right after a doctor’s appointment. The place was completely empty; any other time will mean huge crowds and long lines at the security scanner. 

The Independence Hall area is always too crowded, especially at the Liberty Bell, with all sorts of tourists from all over the world trying to snap selfies. I guess the impending rain and chance of potential snow kept most people away on this particular day.

After I passed the scanner and security checkpoint, I headed straight over to the Liberty Bell area. I am always trying to do the right thing, so I asked the security guard if I could use my tripod. Of course she said no, “no tripods allowed”. 

I looked around, there was only me, two other people and the security guard in the area. There was no way my tripod would get in the way and would constitute a tripping hazard.

But she said no, so I tried to make the best of it and tried shooting handheld. As expected, most of my pictures at the Liberty Bell came out blurry and out of focus. Most times I have to use a tripod because my right hand trembles when least expected and my poor eyesight doesn’t help either. Oh well, the joys of getting old. 

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

During a breezy spring evening, I took the subway to Center City looking for places near me to photograph.

I rarely go out anymore looking for photography opportunities in big groups. Much rather prefer going solo on a photo walk. A solo walk can be a great way to step away from the daily routine and be one with my camera and surroundings.

On this particular day, I made the wrong turn after exiting the subway, and found this magnificent sculpture of a crashed plane in front of me. It felt like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

This sculpture became one of my favorite works of art to photograph. Enjoy!