Neon Breakfast

More of my late night neon the beach pictures. The top picture of Dino's "D-HoP" was the one that got me thinking that I should drive around and take pictures of all the neon signs. The Southern Sunrise sign was a picture of opportunity; I was actually shooting the place across the parking lot from it. It seems there is a lot of these Breakfast/Lunch places that aren't open for supper. Maybe it's a beach thing. Now, Krispy Kreme is a whole other story. Seven o'clock in the evening and this place was hopping. Trying to get a picture without car after car coming and going was harder than going inside and getting a low-cal doughnut.

Ol' Green Beard

Things aren't always what they are cracked up to be. In the years that we've attended the Lunar New Years parade in New York City this colorful individual has made an appearance. Always the green beard, always the rainbow pup in the carriage. This year it even included a live parrot. He wandered through just minutes before the start of the parade. Looking around the inner webs for a name for our super hero here brings nothing. He seems to be in attendance at a lot of parades but he's just not near as famous as the Naked Cowboy.

Barn Charm from Afar

Yesterday I set out for a short drive. Two and a half hours later I got home. A quick buzz through the State Game Lands led me to Three Square Hollow Road. I started to just loop around, then I took a right. This took me up. And up. I stopped at the look out (see below) and started to zoom in on some of the barns and farms in the valley below. This is the Cumberland Valley. From the Blue Mountain to the South Mountain out there beyond the haze of early morning. These barns are on the outskirts of Newburg and Newville. Hopewell Township and Upper Mifflin Township and the small villages in between.

For more barns click on the Barn Charm icon up above here.

Hairy Woodpecker

More woodpeckers at the suet block. Today I was sitting at the computer, with the camera nearby, when this male Hairy Woodpecker showed up. It was really windy yesterday and he kept hanging out on the opposite side of the feeder until finally the wind slowly spun him around so I could get some pictures. The Hairy Woodpecker looks so much like the Downy Woodpecker (female pictured below) and without seeing them nearly side by side you would have a hard time telling the two apart. The Sibley Guide to Birds show the difference as mainly their size, the Hairy is 9.25" with a longer beak while the Downy is only 6.75" with a conspicuous tuft at the base of their beak.

Sky Wheel Sunset

These are all pictures of the sunset at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The way the country is shaped Myrtle Beach is actually west southwest from North Myrtle, so at this time of year the sun sets down the beach. I didn't notice the Ferris wheel until I was almost back and it was lit up. Myrtle is 15 miles from North Myrtle. The Sky Wheel is the largest Ferris wheel on the east coast and opened last May. At 200 feet tall it has 42 air conditioned gondolas. No wonder I could see it from so far away.

Neon Buffet

I sort of remember telling you all that I spent some of my evenings at the beach driving around taking pictures of the neon signs. Well here, finally, is the beginning of these. Today we go for the seafood buffet neon. All of these are located along Route 17, Kings Highway, between North Myrtle beach and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We actually ate at Captian Benjamin's, which is one I didn't get a picture of.

Original Ben

When it's unseasonably warm outside and you go to Ice Fest you find things to take pictures of other than melting statues. This is the side entrance to the Franklin County Heritage Center along Lincoln Way East in Chambersburg. And that golden fellow with his back to you is Ben Franklin. Ben use to sit on top of the old Courthouse across the street. In 1991 they took him down and replaced him with a fiberglass replica. The original here is a 250 pound, 8 foot tall hunk of pine covered in gold leaf and was carved in 1865.

Empire State

This is what you should picture in your mind when someone says that they were in New York City. Not the crowds in Times Square. Not the dirt and graffiti. You should see crossing the street with the ever present Empire State Building looking over it's city. People rushing off to wherever people who rush go and the ever iconic NYC Taxi cab. And you should faintly hear a siren several blocks away. That's what I see.

Making Rainbows

Back to Barn Charm (number 21 for me) after a short break. And then I'm not ready for it. So, I dug into the files. I took these in June of 2008 when my fire department was doing some training on dry hydrants. Dry hydrants are PVC connections placed underground, extending into a water source, leaving a connection that a fire engine can hook up to in case water is needed to fight a fire. These are usually placed on the outskirts of town where there are no municipal hydrants to use. Occasionally we will go out and pump water from these to make sure they are not clogged and to train our drivers on how these operate. The water we flow is directed back into the pond. This particular ponds sits back off the paved road on a Mennonite farm and our presence provided the evenings entertainment for the community.

I case you have forgotten, you need to click on that little barn picture up there and be transported to  farms and barns all over the place. It's just that easy.

Tern in Flight

While walking the South Carolina beach last Christmas and waiting for the sun to set I practiced taking flying bird pictures. Here is a Tern, my guess is a Common Tern, flying towards the setting sun. many of these and other gulls would let you walk right up on them before they would relocate.

Where There Is Smoke...

Where there is smoke... there is firemen. Some of my pictures from last month's apartment fire. All these, and all of the pictures I took that night, are handheld between 1:30 and 4 AM. High ISO, low f stop. Shoot three or four and hope one is worthy.

This is post 17 hundred for me.

Winter Drive

This past weekend I took a drive out to the State Game Lands. My Mission; take a picture of the cold. How do you do that? We were to have a storm over the weekend but it never really materialized. I tried to get some video for you but the batteries finally died on me. They've been replaced now and they're talking about another storm this weekend. Maybe I can get that video finished that I started.

Haculla & I'm So Tall... NYC Graffiti

Some New York City graffiti along the Bowery. If you Google Haculla he is apparently a well known street 'artist' in SoHo and Brooklyn. This blue guy overlooks the New Museum of New York City. I don't know if Mr Haculla is responsible for the Tall remark but you gotta wonder how many people walk around the city with a can of paint and an extending paint roller and hang out on top of buildings? Or is this an old Steve Martin reference?

2012 Harrisburg Auto Show

 2012 Dodge Charger

 2012 Chevrolet Cruze

 2011 Jeep Wrangler

 2012 Audi R8

 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

2012 Chevrolet Camero Convertible 45th Anniversary Edition

Here is the Best of Show cars from the 2012 Harrisburg Auto Show. In no particular order. Pictures and selection to this list by Junior. I was more of a fan of the 1966 El Camino.

Returning the Favor; 29 Years Later

The year was 1983, January 4th. As normal I was at the firehouse that evening. An alarm came in for a basement fire in Letterkeny Township. To say I remember every detail would be a stretch. I remember an interior attack. Was I on the nozzle? I don't know. I do remember this picture. I was getting a fresh air cylinder when I noticed the Public Opinion photographer (Christopher Shatzer) snapping away. I grabbed my helmet and told Charley to hurry up. Next day, to my surprise, we were front page. Fast forward 29 years and 12 days and a major fire on East Garfield Street in Shippensburg. I, long ago, stopped packing up and  now carry my camera when I go to a fire call. Charley is still at it. The top picture is my son, born more than ten years after that basement fire on Sandy Mount Road, helping Charley out with a breath of fresh air. That old newspaper picture followed me through my Air Force enlistment, always found on a wall or on a shelf, reminding me of where I came from.

Sparrows at the Feeder

For me distinguishing one sparrow from another is too much work. I'm 90% sure these are sparrows. But only 110% sure that I think they're White Crowned Sparrows? Maybe not?

F.D.N.Y. Reserve Engine 500

What would a trip to Gotham City be without fire engines? Here is Reserve Engine 500 sitting near the Mott and Canal Street intersection. Engine 500 is assigned to Ladder 18's house. I can't figure out what engine this was before going to the reserve. And I can't believe that I didn't get a picture of the front of the engine.

As a bonus is another video I posted on YouTube the other night, I call it NYC Police, Fire and Ambulance. It shows Little Italy's Engine 55 responding down the Bowery near Spring Street.