Abandoned (part 4)

More pictures from the abandoned farmstead series. I think this will be it with this place for a while, I have more but it's time to move on. Maybe this weekend I can find another subject. Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed this and I think I would like to revisit it, maybe after a snowfall, maybe stop back in the spring to see if there is still signs of life. I could see if I could make something happen if I were to find the first crocuses of spring blooming amongst the decay, maybe a family of cottontails or a nest of robins. Oh, I think for sure I'll check back, now you'll have to stop back to see if I actually do.

Gutterball Zone (PG XLV)

Park Lanes has been the scene of so many birthday parties in my kids' lives that I don't know how a town could survive without a bowling alley. At one time there were two alleys in Shippensburg, Park Lanes and Jay Wrights. But, of course, Jay had a roller rink in the basement. Oh yeah, roller rinks, we'll save that for another time. Bowling and Rolling, in my opinion, were staples growing up, usually reserved for special occasions but so much better than playing games with the TV.

I liked the way the spotlight shined on the building, so I ran up late last week in the dark and fired off some pictures. Froze my butt off while I was at it. I also thought as I was processing it that I liked to over-processed grainy look to this. Hope you do too.

"It all comes down to this roll. Roy Munson, a man-child, with a dream to topple bowling giant Ernie McCracken. If he strikes, he's the 1979 Odor-Eaters Champion. He's got one foot in the frying pan and one in the pressure cooker." Ernie McCraken (Bill Murray) Kingpin 1996

It's Fun to Stay...

...at the YMCA (raise your hands), It's fun to stay at the YMCA (come on, raise your hands, I know to want to). OK, maybe you don't want to.

This is the Y on the 700 block of North Front Street in Harrisburg, PA. A beautiful building, maybe next time I'll get some details of the doorways. (WEBSITE). The Harrisburg Y was founded in 1854 to keep young men off the streets and out of trouble. This building was built in 1932 with many additions throughout the years.

The Crew and The Crue

January 28, 1986. What were you doing? Me? I had tickets to a Motley Crue concert at the Rhein-Neckar Halle in Eppelheim, West Germany. There was probably 6 or 7 of us from my dorm back in Ramstein, 4 of us were in my friend John's car. This was their Theatre of Pain tour and I don't remember who opened for them anymore, but I remember that before the concert started John returned from the restroom with the news. Yes, it was that day, that January 28th, 1986. John told us he heard from a US soldier that the Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded on take-off and that there were no survivors. Our response was skepticism, that we would have heard if it were true. Do the math, though, we were 6 hours ahead of the East Coast which would have put us outside the concert hall at 11:38 AM eastern standard time. Later, after the concert, on our way back to the base we heard the news report on AFN Radio, it was real, it really happened. We pulled to the side of the road so we could hear every word they said and I remember thinking out loud, "What Now?" Well, 22 years have gone by now, the Shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entry 5 years ago this Friday and the Space Shuttle program goes on with most people not even blinking an eye or even knowing, or caring. That's what now.

These pictures are from the Motley Crue concert, the top is Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil, the bottom picture would be Tommy Lee's rotating drum stand, this is the one that only rotated 90 degrees not the one that later would spin 180 degrees. The pictures are from scans, the camera was my first 35mm, the Olympus XA2.

Ponies of Black Duck Marsh

Assateague Island, VA. December 22, 2007.

Dome Sweet Dome

Some people would question the use of two , not just one, but two dome pictures in the same week. Well I am here to break the rules people. This dome caught my eye last Thursday as I drove down Pomfret Street (my German is a little rusty, but doesn't Pomfret mean potato fries? maybe that's pommes frites) Anyways, back to the dome. As I drove down Pomfret Street in Carlisle, PA, the afternoon sun shining on the dome and cross cried out for me to see what I could make of it. I liked this shot in a minimalistic way. Another shot, including parts of the church would have been a good one to post also, maybe later. (possibly 3 dome pictures in 1 week? say it isn't so.)

This is the Grace United Methodist Church on the northeast corner of West Pomfret and South West Street in Carlisle, PA. Website here. According the their website, this part of the church was built in 1929-1930.

Empire Hook & Ladder, Carlisle, PA

These are some details from the Empire Hook & Ladder Company's old station on West Pomfret Street in Carlisle, PA. If you want more of their background, they where a featured as Old School Fire Department #1 on this very blog. This relief sculpture is up probably 30 -35 feet from street level and it shows the evolution of the fire department. From bucket brigades through horse drawn apparatus and onto motorized trucks. The details are awesome for something that is no where near where someone would be able to appreciate it. That, folks, is my job today. Here it is. Appreciate it.

8 Minutes in Time or Bad Moon Rising

Every picture is a work in progress. Every picture is a learning process I'll use for the next picture I take. I will never take the perfect picture. It's like saying that today was the best day ever, when tomorrow could be even better. I've taken moon pictures before, but I read about this way of manipulating a series of moon pictures, so I tried it last night. To be precise I tried it last night at 10:18, 10:20, 10:22, 10:24 and 10:26. With the Rebel on a tripod and using my timer, I snapped a shot every two minutes without moving the camera's orientation. Then I copied them all together and started erasing. A tad out of focus but not bad, it probably would have been easier at two and a half minutes so I wouldn't have the overlap. Live and learn, baby. Live and learn.

Thanks for stopping by if I haven't said so before.

Who or What is Burgess? (PG XLIV)

This is the last of the Upstate New York Gentleman from last summer. Painted Gent 44 is located on Route 13 northeast of Cortland near East Homer, NY. And my question to Central New York State is who or what is Burgess? At least that is what I think it says, I can not read the writing under that. A 'C', maybe an "A', maybe an 'L', I don't know. This could be one that is lost and gone forever, oh my darling.

Getting Your Pennsylvania Quarter's Worth

Behold, the Capital dome in Harrisburg, PA. And atop the dome stands Lady Commonwealth herself. Famous for her appearance on the obverse of the state quarter back in 1999. (note: I can't find anywhere the name of this statue, I thought it was Lady Commonwealth) I've always wondered why PA was the second state to sign the Declaration of Independence. Just how did Delaware beat Pennsylvania to Philly?

This building was built in 1906, replacing the old capital building that was destroyed by fire in 1897. The building has it's own website, can you believe it?

Tickets to an O's Game...Priceless

I have officially started a countdown 'til Opening Day. Yesterday morning I went online and I am now the proud owner of a row of 4 seats in Camden Yards for a Thursday evening in June. Why? Because my daughter lives and breathes baseball for this guy, the Orioles rightfielder, Nick Markakis. Thursday, June 19th is Markakis bobblehead night. We'll see you at the Yard. Let's go O's.

This picture was from last years Fan-Fest, while we got autographs. Apparently this year will be the same set-up. I liked it better at the convention center, last year was a cluster.

Abandoned (part 3)

Continuing with last weekends farmstead pictures, this weekend you see here the back end of the farm house, been a while since this gentleman has seen a paint brush. Also, a shot from in the garage of an old Shredded Wheat carton (before Uneeda Biscuit frosted them and made them bite-size), the farmer probably nailed this up with coffee can tops to help insulate the garage against those northwest winds. Amazing how everything had a use even what we would call trash today.

Visions of Spring

It's hard to believe that in less than a month that pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Followed, soon after that by the rest of the team. Will the O's actually have a winning record this year? Will they go all the way? That's what is great about the beginning of a new year, last season is over and gone. But speaking of spring training, will Dodgertown become Birdland? Just gotta wait and see.

Today's pictures come from Doc Norcross Little League Field in Shippensburg. These pictures are less that an hour old.

In The Beginning... I Remember

Well, my beginning anyway. This is the old hose drying rack at the Vigilant Hose Company in Shippensburg. This big dinosaur was made from angle iron and wood, we used to roll it out of the annex and load it with the wet hose we would wash up after a call. In the winter we would stand the hose on edge under the engines or take it to the Steam Plant at Shippensburg State College to dry. The rack has been gone for years now, we just lay the hose out where we can nowadays. The engine was Engine 152, a 1976 International/Bruco owned by the Borough. This was the first unit painted Slime-Lime. We eventually went to all lime-yellow and in 1999 started going back to our traditional cream over red. I'm not sure when this was taken, probably 1980 or 1981. I was the last Lieutenant on this engine, we sold it in April 1983 and I left for basic training in June. I can remember riding in the engine, riding in the open bench jump seat and riding on the tailboard (gasp!). I remember that in the back compartment was an old air-pack box with everything you needed to hit a hydrant. I remember one guy would grab the 4" and wrap the hydrant while someone else would grab the box, pull it out, swing it around and slide it over to the fire plug so the layout man could hook it up. I also remember it was slow, it seemed to top out at 55 mph, some engines you can remember taking your breath away, this one just got you there.

Abandoned (part 2)

More picture from my clandestine maneuvers from this past weekend. More stuff. More dilapidation. And, of course, more Ballantine for everyone, this round's on me.

Ballantine facts: originated in 1850, 4th largest brewery in the U.S. by 1877, 3rd largest by 1950 (right behind #2 Schlitz and #1 A-B). 1972 sold to Falstaff, 1974 bankrupt. Now brewed by Pabst in 40 oz. bottles. From Newark N.J., my vote for armpit of America. Just in case you were wondering.

Chincoteague Beachwear (PG XLIII)

Painted Gentleman 43 is the Chincoteague Beachwear store at the intersection of Deep Hole Road and Maddox Boulevard (Beach Road), in, you guessed it, Chincoteague Island, Virginia. Very beautiful mural, very lifelike. It was closed over Christmas, so I wasn't able to get that boogie board I've had my eye on.

The Church at Ground Zero

This is St. Paul's Chapel located at 209 Broadway in New York City and is Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use. Built in 1766, in a field away from the city, it has seen it's share of history including visits from George Washington and George Clinton (first Governor of New York). In the 8 months following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, St. Paul's saw a lot of important people. The chapel served as place of rest for recovery workers. Volunteers served hot meals, made beds and prayed with those who worked so hard during operations at Ground Zero.

Abandoned (part 1)

I got out this morning and took a few pictures. As you can see from the first picture, I can't exactly tell you where. Have you ever thought about something you wanted to do for so long that you thought you had figured it out just the way you wanted it, then you start and it changes and grows and morphs into something completely different? That's what happened today. This old farmstead has been empty for a few years now. The old farmer is gone, no one left to take over or just no one cared. I use the word farm loosely, I don't think there have been crops or livestock grown here for years before it went empty. The barn is down, the sheds are sagging, sliding off their foundations, foundations that themselves are falling apart, returning to the earth with the help of the weather and more than a few groundhogs. I slipped in here this morning and took some building shots, then I invited myself into some of the outbuildings. What I found inside got me rethinking what it was that I originally intended to do. I started seeing things. Seeing bits and pieces of another life or maybe another's life. Like this paint can. It must be 30 years old. I don't think the old guy that lived here has been gone for five, yet here sits the Pratt and Lambert can just as it did when he last used it, waiting to do some touch up as soon as he needed. I found at this point I started snapping shots of stuff, junk, trash you could call it. But to this old farmer it meant something. Maybe it was for the milk house, maybe it was for the barnyard fence, maybe he just got too busy to straighten up the shed and toss it. Maybe.

Loblolly Pines

These pine stars come from Assateague Island,VA. Loblollys grow long needles ,as long as nine inches, and in bunches of three. These trees are very abundant on the island and provide shelter for deer and ponies during storms and homes for the Delmarva Fox Squirrel. I took these pictures along the Woodland Trail over Christmas vacation.

Rifle Falls

These are the Rifle Falls, located in Rifle Falls State Park outside of Rifle, Colorado. I've been here twice and both times there was a wedding going on. In the arid summers of the Western Slope these falls offer a bit of an oasis. Stand close and you can feel the spray from the water. Or take the trail to the top of the fall and look down over. Follow the trail on around and you can stand behind the falls. Along the trail are small limestone caves to explore, this is a good place to drive out of the way to burn some kid-energy.

These pictures are only a memory now, a dream. Right now it is cloudy and 20 degrees in Rifle. Rifle, by the way sits just off of Interstate 70 at exit 90, the State Route 13 to Meeker exit.

Vigilant Brotherhood, Columbia, PA

In 2000, the Vigilant Fire Company #2, Shawnee Company #3 and the Keystone Company #5 merged into the Columbia Consolidated Fire Company. Columbia is in western Lancaster County, PA. They have a website, but you'll find out more about them here. Station 2 is located at 265 South Tenth Street in Columbia.

I was asked recently who was the oldest Vigilant Company. My latest research shows 46 Vigilants, the older ones would be the Vigilant Engine Company in Georgetown, DC - 1817, the Vigilant Engine Company #7 in Baltimore - 1804 and the Vigilant Steam Fire Engine Company in Charleston SC - 1819. None of these made it into the 20th century. The Vigilant Fire Company in York, PA started in 1781 and still exists today as part of the York Fire Department.

Snow Goose Pool

I guess they call this Snow Goose Pool for good reason. Snow Goose Pool is the marshy wetland inside the Wildlife Loop on Assateague Island. This road is only open to vehicular traffic from 3 PM until dusk. If you've been here on this blog lately you have seen the wide variety of wildlife that can be seen on this 3.2 mile drive. During the summer we've seen whitetail deer, sikas and more kinds of birds than you can imagine. Our Christmas trip in 2006, we saw a bald eagle nesting in an old tree. Drive slow, you never know what's around the corner.

Mail Pouch in Palmstown (PG XLII)

Painted Gent No. 42 is a Mail Pouch barn along Route 11, not more than a half a mile northeast of yesterday's Cumberland Drive-In. This is the barn I mentioned a while back that I found pictures I took of it in 1988. My scanner ain't working or I would've scanned those pictures, too. Once I get it back I'll do a look back at it. Also, less than another mile northeast is where the Bowes Sealtest barn once stood (R.I.P.) The first picture is from September and was taken with the old Kodak point and shoot 5mp camera. The second was shot with the Rebel back in early December.

Closed for the Season, Reason Freezin'

This is one of the last drive-in movie theaters around these parts. The Cumberland is at the intersection of Route 11 and Route 233 not far from Exit 37 of Interstate 81, near Newville, PA. I can remember going here as a kid, I don't remember what I saw anymore. Disney movies probably. I can remember that they used to give you free passes when you got your drivers license.

There was a drive-in on Route 11 north of Chambersburg, the Sunset, I remember that one better. It's gone now, we apparently needed an industrial/business park more. Lets hope the Cumberland can hold out offering a look back at summer fun.

Assateague Wildlife Snapshots

Have I mentioned lately that I went to the beach the weekend before Christmas? Well I did. The ponies and the birds stood still and in the light for me, these guys didn't. The first picture is one of the famed endangered Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrels. About 30" long, half of which is tail, and with fur the color of a chinchilla, this was the first time I have ever seen one of them. I think I saw three that weekend. The DPFS has been on the endangered species list since 1967 and between 1969 and 1971 thirty squirrels were relocated to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge where they now number in the hundreds. Read more on the Fish & Wildlife's website. (note - I was having issues with a polarizing filter on my big zoom, it wasn't focusing properly, I removed it after the squirrel pictures. It seems to work fine on my normal lens.) The second picture is several Sika Deer cows. I've seen Sikas before, both cows and stags, I saw these from the road near the lighthouse and only managed a couple quick shots. Sikas were introduced to the Island in the 1920's and can be seen on Assateague Island, especially on the Wildlife Loop. Read about them here.

Evening Services 3

Another attempt at taking stained glass pictures at night, I think I'm starting to figure it out. This window is on the east side of Memorial Lutheran Church on the corner of East Orange Street and South Penn Street in Shippensburg, PA. The man you see here is Martin Luther, the original. ML was a 16th century German monk who questioned the Pope's authority and is often considered the founder of Protestantism. (Read more here). The bottom two pictures have been mirrored so that the writing is readable, the first picture is as you would see it from Penn Street.