Blood Orange Photoshoot

Here is my newest favourite fruit, just in case you hadn't noticed! I like everything about blood oranges. The flavour, the texture, and of course, the colour of the peel, flesh and juice. I even like the name.

I buy them at the Covent Garden Market here in London. They sell for $2.99 per pound as opposed to $1.99 for regular oranges. They look really cool, don't you think? They add a lot to breakfast. They really brighten the morning meal, and make it a bit of an event.

Doing my food duty, I checked with the dude that sells them, and it seems that the blood orange season is short. They are only available for about a month. Approximately from Christmas until the beginning of February. I am glad I discovered them this year. Too bad we will have to wait a whole year again for them.

Just think how different the world would be if you changed all the references to 'oranges' to 'blood oranges' or 'bloody oranges'. For example: the first line of Leonard Cohens song "Suzanne", would now be ... "Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river and she wants to feed you tea and BLOODY ORANGES that come all the way from China ...". See what I mean?

Or how about that Zappa classic "Dental Floss Tycoon", or is it called "Movin' To Montana? In this case just substitute it entirely for '... dental floss tycoon ...'.
Now we can all sing, come on ... join in! "Movin' to Montana soon, gonna be a BLOODY ORANGE tycoon ...".

Or instead of asking your breakfast guest, or guests, if they would "like a glass of sunshine?", you could ask them, "Would you like a glass of BLOODY sunhine?". That one would go over very well in Britain, wouldn't it?

And speaking of Britain, WTF does 'dodgy' mean? I'm contextually challenged and I can't figure it out. For ex: 'He looked pretty DODGY!', or 'Get a load of the DODGY looking mandu!'. Or "Watch out for that DODGY BLOODY juice!", or would it be "...BLOODY DODGY juice..."?

Is it possible for mandu to even be 'dodgy'? I think I'm on the right track guessing that it has a negative connatation, but I'm not entirely sure how negative it is.

The kids got some Seinfeld DVD's for Christmas, maybe it's affecting me.

Or maybe it's because I bought some "Blood oranges"! Now isn't this better than writing about the Canadian election?

Have a nice day. As Suze Orman says, "People first, then money, then things.". Thanks Suze! (pronounced Suzie ... like a banshee).

Have a great day, thanks for stopping by.

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GM Place

Here's the old Ford Co. Ren Cen on the Detroit River waterfront.

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Downtown Motown

Here's a shot of downtown Detroit, Michigan. Even after it's demise of the late 60's, early 70's, it is still a great place. Mostly, I have spent time in the Mexicantown, South-West Detroit and Dearborn area. East Dearborn boasts a very high population of people from the Middle East. The effect is felt in Windsor, Ontario, which also seems to have a large Middle East community.

Chicken shawarma's are a favourite of mine and I did enjoy one after taking these photo's.

The Superbowl is coming next weekend so it is expected that there won't be a hotel room available. Even in Windsor the going rate seems to be 300 bucks or more per night for a minimum of three nights. Of course what it really means is that the Ambassador Bridge will be a time consuming ordeal because of the influx of out of towners. It will be interesting to meet some people at the hotel.

I do enjoy my brief visits to downtown Detroit. There are some wonderfully designed and built homes left over from the glory days. However I'm not that comfortable wandering around downtown, I don't spend enough time there to know it.

I don't have anything negative to say about America or Americans. Canada as a whole has profited nicely from our friendship with our friends and neighbours south of the border. The American economic model has been extremely generous to Canada. And thank goodness the US has a large army to help protect Canadian sovereignty. I guess Canada doesn't have much in the way national defense forces. That's just the way it is.

This evening I was able to get to mass. Although I am not particularly a believer, in general I like Catholicism. What I do enjoy at mass is the peacefulness, the sermons. There is an appealing atmosphere of community, of belonging. A number of parishes will be closing in the next few years.

Ther are a number of medical and educational institutions in this area that were initially started by the Sisters of St. Joseph in the 1800's. Although the Sister's and the church have very little to do with actively running these organisations any more, their contributions over the last 150 years have been many. Many of the individuals that worked in these past organisations were women, and their work was given freely, unpaid for. True in those days, both men and women in the church worked for free.

Jean Vanier will be in London next week. I hold him in as high esteem as I hold Dr. David Suzuki. Mr. Vanier will spend a good part of his time here with some young peoples' groups, among other engagements. His life and times are an incredible example and inspiration. Mr. Vanier is now 78 years old, so this could well be his last visit to this area. Myself and many others hope this is not the case. His compelling life has helped many, for that we can be grateful. Certainly his work is on a par with Mother Teresa. The unfortunate thing is that eventually we lose our trailblazer's. We have to remember that their work goes on, the good they accomplish with their time on earth continues after they depart. Of course the deeply appreciated are always missed.

Onulun pika umnida. It rained a lot. It's been a great day again. I wish you peace and happiness. Ciao.

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Sweet Dreams

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Up Close

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Red Rose

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Beauty

They really give the kitchen a pretty scent as well. Today was a cold, clear, sunny and crisp winter day. The perfect day for doing some inside stuff. I got a smaller plant transplanted. I also got the bathroom cleaned early, which left the middle of the day for some business calls. My reward? These flowers ... they are just gorgeous.

Jane gave us a gift of her homemade perogies and anti-pasto. That stuff will have a short lifespan around here. I'm heading off to the LMC to get some photos of tonights acts.

The weather is going to warm up so that it will be above zero until the beginning of the month. This winter really has been a gentle gift. Mother Nature can't hurt us now even if she turns ugly.

Bartlett, Blood And Brain Fuel

Ah, the morning 3 b's. Bartlett pears, Sunkist blood oranges and brain fuel courtesy of Chiquita bananas. This stuff is good with apple and cinnamon oatmeal. It's also tasty with ice cream and chocolate cake.

This mornings breakfast featured the ice cream for a change. Lunch was pork mandu and kimchi. Love that kimchi!

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Supper, who knows?

Showered In Light

This morning at 0105. The city sleeps, but there are still a few lights on. Most of the office buildings have the lights turned off for the weekend. Of course the hotels and what not always have some lights on.

The weather is still incredibly mild here, especially for January. Most days this month the temp has been just above or below 0C. Wonderful weather,very strange.

This shot is one of a series that I took between midnight and 1am this morning. I was out earlier in the evening, but there were too many distractions, time wasters. 1 am on a Sunday night is an excellent time to wander around. The city that sleeps was at my feet. Of course there are still those that live, work , move and otherwise exist in the night.

These pictures are all part of my ongoing photography apprenticeship. There is a lot of learning in the repetition, both during the day and night. I especially enjoy being out at night with the camera and tripod. I have gotten over the little bit of self-consciousness that I had when first using the tripod. Which is good because the tripod is absolutely required for night shots with their 2 to 4 second exposures. To be honest the tripod should always be used. Even for the day shots it is obvious when the tripod has not been utilized. It is an essential tool. I find it all very interesting. I now understand why experienced photographers apoligise for neglecting to use one. My $35 Optex pod from Walmart will be replaced with a quality Manifrotto or something comparable with in the next week or two. The Optex will become the lousy weather spare.

Most of the time it is taking the same pic with a number of different settings related to shutter speed, aperture, and white balance. Usually shutter speed, sometimes aperture, and occasionally WB.

While taking some photos from the Carfrae bridge yesterday afternoon I was able to get some information on where some Great Blue Heron's live. Great Blues remain a challenge because of their very elusive nature. The thrill of seeing and photographing the heron in the river last May is still very fresh, and it drives home the point that I should be acquainted with the video capabilities of the camera, my new best friend and constant companion.

I was five days late in learning all of this! Had I learnt this a week earlier, I would have been able to get some shots of Willie P. Bennett at the London Music Club last Friday the 13th! C'est la vie! I will not be denied again. I'll wait for him to come through with The Fred Eaglesmith Band and get some of all of them then! It was a full house, of only a hundred in the audience ... good deal, great venue! I was able to get down there last Thursday night for the open jam and get about 90 shots of the performers. Most end up getting culled, but I e-mail at least two pics of every performer to the website guy, so they at least have a record of who gets up on stage.
It was pretty nice not to have to fuss with a flash. All they do is use up batteries and make you have to worry about non photo related stuff. Now I am able to set the pod up in one spot and take photos. Four performers asked that I send them pics, which I did. When I get requests like that, I take about 20 or 30 pics for them.
There is a wonderful social aspect to it all as well ,which makes it an even more worthwhile experience. I think some may think that I am the officially sanctioned LMC photographer, which I'm not. None the less Pete appreciates the photos for his purposes and I get to take photos at night even if the weather outside may not permit it. Win/win.

All the photos do tend to clutter up the Flickr account a bit, but culling that is a way of life anyway, so it isn't that inconvenient.

Today is election day today in Canada. Hopefully those insincere sycophants will be turfed from office. Enough about that.

The sun is starting to shine. It's a good day, I hope yours is too.

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Bright Ones

Blood Oranges

These blood oranges are handsome rascals. They have a lot of flavour but they are not quite as sweet as regular oranges. I would buy them again in spite of the higher price.

The snow is almost gone. This morning when I woke up it was 7C. Unbelievable, but wonderful. Today the high is going to be 10C but it's already passed that mark. Now it seems like the sun may come out.

Out the door by 0630. Got started early and took 105 photos. Most of them were in the dark. That is in addition to the 75 or so taken in the dark last night. I would like to spend at least another couple of nights out there before I move into the indoor darkness.

If you are new to photography or would like to increase your understanding of this subject you should check out one book in particular. It is called Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs by Bryan Peterson. This is an excellent book that is all about aperture, shutter speed and film speed. And yes, digicams do utilise film speed as part of the image acquisition process. The author takes a fairly technical subject, makes it a readable topic, and strips away a lot of the mystery.

The other resource I have been using to learn this new hobby are various sites at Flickr.com. A number of people have been very helpful in giving advice about their learning experiences. I thank them all for their invaluable help. This site has opened up the realm of night photography without the hindrance and limitations of the flash. Having the ability to take a photograph at night without the flash doubles you picture taking time or more.

I made another visit to the Korean Market yesterday and got to practice some of my slowly developing Hanguel. My purchases included drinks, kimchi and soup. Of course I got to visit with Danny and his wife for a bit.

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Today is a good day, I hope yours is too!

Fresh Snow

If nothing else ... snow is cool! Lol. Click on image to see larger version.

The Winter Snow Holiday Is Over

This morning at 4am the temperature was still above zero degrees, and the snow was not even falling let alone burying our world. Truly we have much to be grateful for. Here it is January 18 and this month has been more similiar to April or May! What a surprise to bounce out of bed at 10am this morning and see it pristine one more time! I was up at 4 this morning and back between the sheets by 5:45. I've become addicted to ear plugs. Plus I sleep with a towel on the pillow that I can drape over my eyes. It's like being in a cocoon.It's always a worthwhile, deep sleep though.

Don't you just love the fashion on this lady? Her outfit makes for an interesting image ... white on white. A visually symbiotic relationship, don't you think?Pretty is a word that applies fine. Fashion is an interesting concept. I think it has more effect on our world than some of us realise. Even for a person like me who was never really cognizant of fashion, unless it was skimpy or short, has become more interested in fashion. And I'm grateful for it. Any trip to a big city, usually Toronto, is made more interesting by the fashion that is usually at least two years ahead of the styles here in little old London, On. If nothing else for it's sheer entertainment value. I mean, when it's new and cutting edge it is noticed by most, I think.

Dogs always seem so happy in fresh snow ... there must be something about it that appeals to them.

So our world has changed, everybody will have to adjust their driving. Things always take longer to accomplish in the snow. Right now it is still "happy snow". It hasn't gotten dirty and slushy yet. It hasn't frozen into uneven ruts on the sidwalks yet. It hasn't become to inconvenient yet. If nothing else it makes for good photos. Unfortunately it's going to get messy when the temperature rises later this evening, but then it will be back to the spring weather.

All in all, happy for another good day.

New Shirt

My son is a Led head. So am I. More fashion! Lol.

The London Delta Armouries Hotel

This is a really cool building, years ago the federal government sold of the London Armouries to private interests. Wonderfully, they were able to retain an architect who was able to include this one of a kind edifice into the design.

Where the parade ground once stood inside this replicated castle, there now stands a twenty - something storey, glass structure. For the last week or two I have been casing this property for some appealing photos that I wanted to take.

The photo I decided on in my mind, the one that I thought would really look impressive, would be to take one straight on. I planned on standing directly across from the front doors and getting a few full frontal shots.

This would have resulted in a very symmetrical image with the front doors bracketed on each side by the two nearest turrets. Altogether the photo would have four spectacular turrets across the front with the glass tower centered behind, with its' exterior elevator dividing the whole picture in half. It would have been, and I'm sure it still will be, a "great shot", a great image.

So it really was pleasing to me, and the tripod and cam, that I was able to get these few shots, (only one posted here), in preparation for the one I had thought about for a number of days.

What ended up happening would have made a great scene in a Woody Allen or Rowan Atkinson skit. I got the tripod and camera in position. I looked through the lens and zoomed appropriately, I made sure I had the flash off; I set the 2-second timer, depressed the shutter release half-way down for a last check, and everything was ready. All I had to do was wait for the traffic to clear the scene, release the shutter and wait the two seconds for it to fire, and I would have my shot.

But it was not to be. Slowly, a big yellow school bus lumbered to a stop directly between me and my shot - and stops - it's four-way flashers blinking silently.

All I could say, out loud, was shit! And then I laughed. I laughed loud! It was after all, hilarious!

Oh well, maybe today, maybe another day. I got some other shots of other stuff that had been waiting in my minds' eye.

That incident, made the outing a lot of fun actually. I hope you all have a fun day too!

Annyong higyeseyo. Choun haru daeseyo!

Bulgogi At The Asiana

Here is a shot of my friend's lunch the other day at the Asiana. We also had the miso soup and mandu as well as the sushi appetizers.

The New Asiana For Lunch

The Asiana Restaurant re-opened this past week here in London, the heart of south-western Ontario. So how was it, Mike?

It was good ... different, but good. So what was so different about it?

Well firstly, the Asiana is now a 'Korean and Japanese' restaurant. It is no longer a strictly Korean, traditional place to eat. Some of the wait staff are now non-Korean. They don't speak Korean. Or Japanese, I will assume.

From a physical perspective the new building is bright, open and nicely decorated. The tables all have up to date barbecue grills with below table ventilation. The stain on the wooden benches in the booths is a lot lighter as well. The place does have a light, airy feel to it.

My friend and I both ordered a lunch special, because we were there after all for lunch. I had the Tolsotbibimbap and my friend ordered the Bulgogi. As an appetiser we had mandu. Also offered as appetisers, or service, were sushi and sushimi, as well as miso soup.

The appetisers were all good as were the main dishes. Not only was the food good but there was enough of it.

I did find Japanese appetisers being included instead of Korean side dishes a little odd. The fact that kimchi wasn't brought to the table or even offered was surprising to me. It was also somewhat disappointing.

The food was very good, the service was excellent and the atmosphere is new and upbeat. I think most Londoners who are looking for something different will enjoy it.

I thought at $25 for two, the lunch special was a little high. Then again the place is new. That presents new economic realities perhaps. I preferred the lunch special at $6.99 with traditional side dishes.

I had been looking for the previous Asiana, the one that catered mostly to the tastes of those looking for a more traditional Korean eatery. Apparently, in order to have that, I will have to travel to Toronto's Koreatown.

Yes it was good, yes I will go back, less than I used to.
And strange as it may seem, next time I will request kimchi with the meal.

Old Ashtray

Here is an ashtray from the Copacabana at 10 E. 60th. St., NYC. I am speculating that it is circa 1945-1955, I don't know. I have Googled the address and the name and cannot get any results.

I bought it at an estate sale. The dear departed lady was 97 when she left us, and she and her husband were working people who were smart with their money, and had travelled the world widely. No doubt they visited this club on one of their trips to NYC. They probably had a drink and a dance there. God bless them both.

I don't smoke so it's easy to keep clean.

The London Nationals vs. The Tecumseh Chiefs

The London Nationals, the Junior 'B' hometown team (in blue and white), played to a 6-3 victory over the Tecumseh Chiefs tonight at the Western Fair Sportsplex. Sweet.

It is sometimes difficult to get the right focus at the arena. The reason is that the camera focuses on the netting protecting everyone from airborne pucks. This shot is ok because the players are far enough away from the netting, so the camera focuses properly. If they were closer to it they would appear out of focus.

I woud appreciate any advice on how to remedy that.

Agnieszka's Flickr Site

Agnieszka's Flickr photo site has been added to the sidebar under 'Photos'.

The creative visions of this young woman from Poland are revealed with an incredible quality. Words truly, are not capable of describing the stunning photographic art that Agnieska produces on a daily basis.

This lady consistently surpasses and exceeds her own best works.

Stability

The apple: a Gala from Bowmanville, Ontario. The knife: an Inwin from China. Taken at my in- house studio, a sheet thrown over the kitchen table. It's a damp grey day out there again and I cannot risk the camera in the dampness, hence the makeshift indoor studio. Simple and practical.

The Gaol

Here is the back of the courthouse with the attached gaol. The last hanging took place here 1951.

Middlesex County Courthouse

In London, Ontario. With gaol at rear. London was established by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a military garrison. This soldier established the system of government that would dominate the province of Ontario for the next 50 years. He was responsible for the building of roads and the survey of most of this part of Ontario. He was married to Elizabeth Simcoe who came from a family of substance. She was born the Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim. Her father's death preceded her birth, and her mother died delivering her. She was raised by her aunt who was married to Admiral Samuel Graves, the godfather to Elizabeth's husband, John Graves Simcoe.

The Music Makers ... Featuring Emma Debronyi.

This is the band that played at the London Jazz Society's monthly gig for January, The Music Makers. I don't know a lot about jazz, except that it is enjoyable. I wasn't totally ignorant as I did recognise some Duke Ellington and a few others. One that I enjoyed in particular was 'Deed Ah Do'. I have a cover of this by Vancouver(?) jazz chanteuse Diana Krall, or is that Mrs. Elvis Costello? Diana Krall I think!

The boys in the band like to refer to themselves as the 'geriatric guys'. The breadth and depth of their musical experience, reaches back to varied roots from when London's 'Wonderland Gardens' and Port Stanleys 'The Stork Club' were big band/ jazz hotspots known throughout North America. These guys I think were on the tailend of the heydays, back around the late fifties, early sixties. The talent is still there in the music and was not diminished by it becoming less popular in the mainstream.

Some of the roots mentioned were, of course, Guy Lombardo, Johnny Noubarian, The New Millionaires and the band and man that I knew and admired, and respected, and worked part-time for: Johnny Downs and his Orchestra. I had the priveledge of working for Johnny Downs at his London landmark 'The Latin Quarter', twenty-five years ago. Even though I am not a musician, my like and love of music was fed by being exposed to the sounds of The Latin Quarter.

Emma Debronyi has been well known and enjoyed by fans to the genre for decades. She has a lovely voice, and the style, grace and musical charm of a bygone era.

If yesterdays musical experience was an indicator, I think the membership that was gifted to me will be well enjoyed. Not only that, it was a great place to experiment with the camera and tripod. However, as you can see, I did not use the tripod for the picture in this posting ... my apoligies.

On another 'note', pun intended, as mentioned in the posting below, Willie P. Bennett is coming to town to play at a really great small venue, the London Music Club, and I have two tickets ... but no date ... yet! Maybe I'll have to go solo.

Bless you Johnny Downs.

Willie P. Bennett

Here they are, the tickets for this Friday night! I hope I can get the night off work. If I can't, oh well. But here's hoping! They don't sell many, like only 100 or 125. I hope I can take some photos! That would be cool! Regardless, I'm there for the music.

I ended up at karoake tonight and got to sing a bunch of songs.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.
Hasn't Hit Me Yet.
Till I Am Myself Again.
Kentucky Rain.
Galveston.
Take It Easy.
City Of New Orleans.

That's pretty good to be able to get 7 songs between 10 and 12. But you have to go to a dive to do it. Still, you wanna sing, right? I mean what do you want to do?You can drink in a nice place, but you can't sing many songs there. Then again, on a Sunday night, there aren't many other places that have karoake.

Supper: kimchi mandu, rice, kimchi and soy sauce with sesame oil. It was good.

Here is the Mocha Shrine Center in London. Apart from the fact that they have and do consistently raise money for childrens interests, why would I post this photo?

Because this is where the London Jazz Society holds their monthly jazz whoop-ups! So what?
Well I'll tell ya what! One of my Christmas gifts was an annual membership to the Jazz Society and this afternoon was the first performance I went to. Not only that it is right next door to the London Music Club of which I am also a card carrying member.

This afternoon at the LMC, Bobby Rush was bluesing it up, so I did sneak over to hang out in the foyer and listen to a song or two. While there I got two tickets to see Willie P. Bennett this Friday the 13th! Scary kids!

I'm really looking forward to seeing Willie P doing his own show, and of course, it's in a venue that I am very comfortable in. Willie is a member of Fred Eaglesmith's band and I have seen them perform together in that context. It will be new to see WPB doing his own gig!

A little bit of music for the soul.

Happy New Year!

Flaming Flower, originally uploaded by korea-bound.

Saehaepokmanhipadeuseyo!

Another pretty friend from last summer. This is also a tulip.

After The Rain

After The Rain, originally uploaded by korea-bound.

Another summer shot. Ain't no sunshine here for days, good to have some summer memories!