Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => The Coffee Corner => Topic started by: Rob C on April 17, 2019, 09:55:23 am
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Well, I did say I would rather have caught the jogger in green knickers (?), but decided to punish myself for my unpreparedness with an extended sentence in the world of grey.
I suppose you'll see my point.
:-)
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Well done, Rob, well done.
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Well done, Rob, well done.
Muchas gracias!
FWIW, D200 with 1.8/50 Nikkor G. Would enjoy an 85mm on the D700 but getting too "careful" in my dotage - perhaps this mood will pass, but 2008 taught some scary truths.
:-)
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Dreaming of fame:
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Packard Story.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5wBEqB85vAw#fauxfullscreen
Rob
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On American Graffiti cars:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3rEjX54IFjg#fauxfullscreen
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Found this beautifully restored Fiat 500 Topolino on my last trip. Italian car with Polish license plate, parked in Cesky Krumlov, 200km south of Prague.
I learned to drive this car in late fifties, mainly on rural roads and meadows where police didn't check for driver's licenses. Great memories.
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Found this beautifully restored Fiat 500 Topolino on my last trip. Italian car with Polish license plate, parked in Cesky Krumlov, 200km south of Prague.
I learned to drive this car in late fifties, mainly on rural roads and meadows where police didn't check for driver's licenses. Great memories.
My favourite, because one day I'm going to get me one of those original ones and do a classic american roadtrip to Tuscany. "American" as in The American (https://g.co/kgs/r5FHNr).
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My favourite, because one day I'm going to get me one of those original ones and do a classic american roadtrip to Tuscany. "American" as in The American (https://g.co/kgs/r5FHNr).
Realised I'd seen that movie the moment that girl walked away to set up her target.
Have no idea about the plot now, but what a walk! And backlighting.
I love the idea of road trips; I also love the trips! I wish I had never had that first heart attack, because it put an end to my wife letting us do them ever again. She was convinced it was about stress, but it was about cholesterol: never got stressed driving because I loved it. Buy hey, could you inflict the chance of waking up next to a dead husband in some hotel out in the sticks, onto somebody you love? Wasn't even worth an argument.
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Realised I'd seen that movie the moment that girl walked away to set up her target.
Have no idea about the plot now, but what a walk! And backlighting.
I love the idea of road trips; I also love the trips! I wish I had never had that first heart attack, because it put an end to my wife letting us do them ever again. She was convinced it was about stress, but it was about cholesterol: never got stressed driving because I loved it. Buy hey, could you inflict the chance of waking up next to a dead husband in some hotel out in the sticks, onto somebody you love? Wasn't even worth an argument.
As you know, V and I have been there.
The difference is it made us all too aware that we should continue to do it while we can and do it all the more.
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As you know, V and I have been there.
The difference is it made us all too aware that we should continue to do it while we can and do it all the more.
In Ann's case she had a point: I did get a second attack which was better having at home! It's the gamble of life; with that history who could have imagined I'd be here and she, who seldom even caught a cold, would not? I try to be philosophical about it, but it still sucks.
You know, just yesterday, after lunch, I was sitting on the terrace and it looked like summer had finally come back; I realised that I had one sin of ommission that I can remember: right after she died, when I was 72, my sight was still pretty good enough for driving and being confident about it, and instead of fearing doing my French number again would just break my heart for nothing, I should have grabbed it and flown out the nest and broken that demon's back. Yesterday, what with cataracts etc., I realised it was probably too late - unless this apartment sells, and the eventual ops turn out well, thus giving me cause for that final trip up north again. Wednesday I go for two pre-op hospital tests in connection with the eyes. I hope an appointment for the actual removal of those cataracts comes soon.
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Rob, wishing you all the best, I hope the appointment goes well and the op is forthcoming.
Keith
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I just ran across a print of my first Real car: a Porsche Carrera, vintage mid-1950s.
Here it is after some unintended body work (I don't even remember this event, although I do remember on another occasion ramming the rear of the car of the Assistant Chief Inspector for the Registry of Motor Vehicles. It bashed in my front end but did no damage to his car. I apologized profusely, and he let me off.)
Ah, the joys of youth. How did we ever survive to adulthood?
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P.S. to Rob:
Good luck with the cataracts. My operations last year were totally painless, and my vision is MUCH improved.
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I just ran across a print of my first Real car: a Porsche Carrera, vintage mid-1950s.
Here it is after some unintended body work (I don't even remember this event, although I do remember on another occasion ramming the rear of the car of the Assistant Chief Inspector for the Registry of Motor Vehicles. It bashed in my front end but did no damage to his car. I apologized profusely, and he let me off.)
Ah, the joys of youth. How did we ever survive to adulthood?
Lovely car Eric. If I were you I'd be wishing it was still in my garage!
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Keith, Eric -
Thanks -fingers crossed it happens quickly!
Rob
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Lovely car Eric. If I were you I'd be wishing it was still in my garage!
Hang on a sec, wasn't that the same model that took out James Dean?
Rob
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Hang on a sec, wasn't that the same model that took out James Dean?
Rob
I think so.
But he wasn't driving mine.
Eric
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In Ann's case she had a point: I did get a second attack which was better having at home! It's the gamble of life; with that history who could have imagined I'd be here and she, who seldom even caught a cold, would not? I try to be philosophical about it, but it still sucks.
You know, just yesterday, after lunch, I was sitting on the terrace and it looked like summer had finally come back; I realised that I had one sin of ommission that I can remember: right after she died, when I was 72, my sight was still pretty good enough for driving and being confident about it, and instead of fearing doing my French number again would just break my heart for nothing, I should have grabbed it and flown out the nest and broken that demon's back. Yesterday, what with cataracts etc., I realised it was probably too late - unless this apartment sells, and the eventual ops turn out well, thus giving me cause for that final trip up north again. Wednesday I go for two pre-op hospital tests in connection with the eyes. I hope an appointment for the actual removal of those cataracts comes soon.
Rob, I wish you a successful surgery and a great car trip up north.
On my recent European trip, I rented a late model Ford Fiesta, and it was quite enjoyable driving. I never exceeded 170 km/h.
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Just came across this one from circa 1984/5 - we used to drive down there to a small restaurant/bar for lunch about once a week; it was very primitive with earthern floors, then the son went to the tourism uni. in Palma and everything changed: menu became the dreaded "international" and prices crept upwards somewhat faster..
One advantage of the days before Spain was in the European fold, was the little matter of tourist plates for your cars which, as long as you left the country every three months, meant you bought without being hit by Spanish taxes. Win some, lose some others.
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Lovely car Eric. If I were you I'd be wishing it was still in my garage!
Indeed, Keith.
As homage to past lives, I have recently acquired a "Carrera" logo from the web, and I'm making a life-size sticker of it to put on the rear of my white Prius. ;D
Maybe I'll add a photo once I've done it.
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Just came across this one from circa 1984/5 - we used to drive down there to a small restaurant/bar for lunch about once a week; it was very primitive with earthern floors, then the son went to the tourism uni. in Palma and everything changed: menu became the dreaded "international" and prices crept upwards somewhat faster..
One advantage of the days before Spain was in the European fold, was the little matter of tourist plates for your cars which, as long as you left the country every three months, meant you bought without being hit by Spanish taxes. Win some, lose some others.
Lovely portrait of Ann, Rob.
The car is nice too.
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Lovely portrait of Ann, Rob.
The car is nice too.
Thanks, Eric. The red blur up top left is one of the plastic flowers that used to accompany me on my early travel brochure trips: it, and several more bunched together, were used to hide the main drag and railway line that lies for many a mile between beach and first-line hotels. But there were pedestrian bridges, so that was all right.
Conscience d'auteur? Only in retrospect: we had to eat too!
This was the next Ford: the XR3i. We did our first few transFrance Scottish trips in that one. I used to get a buzz out of the BB connotation of the plates, but kept that to myself at the time. I would never have traded that car away, but the sliding glass roof part developed a rust problem that ended up with a new roof under guarantee. After we did replace it, it was visible, on and off, until it was about fourteen years old, but as rusty as hell. I couldn't resist patting it and saying "sorry" whenever I saw it parked somewhere, but was equally glad to have traded when I did. Somebody here still has a same model in white, convertible. It must live in some very dry garage most of the year, but still looks great.
Ann looked a bit more sophisticated in this shot; must have been in a different frame of mind. She'd reached the mental point where she felt long hair was too young... I hate it when women go there; but maybe they know best. I'd have voted to keep the tresses, but couldn't offer a trade, because she wore very little makeup anyway, even as a twentysomething. I think makeup does older women much more harm than good; rather than disguise lines, it clogs in them and they shriek their presence.
Where the hell did that all come from?
;-)
P.S. Bad time of day for Kodachrome! And sharpening.
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Keith, Eric -
Thanks -fingers crossed it happens quickly!
Rob
My eye surgury for cataracts was painless and worked very well. I got the corrective lenses and now instead of wearing glasses for everything ( as I have since I was 8) I only need them for reading. I truly hope you have the same great results. Good luck!
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Hi,
Yes, both eyes have been done, and vision has returned to where it was when I was forty: distance perfect, reading glasses needed.
This was a complete switch round. About five or so years ago, it was discovered that I had elevated pressure in my eyes. The result of that condition was that my distance sight went poor, and my earlier, poor close vision became excellent!
With the post-cataract swith back to poor close vision, I shall have to get a new pair of reading glasses.
I await a further appointment with the doc for a final check-up. However, my eye sockets have become a bit swollen, and my eyes feel rather dry. Rain, pouring... But driving is enjoyable again.
Rob
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Shot in Greece. I'm pretty sure I've identified the make and model but it would be interesting to see if anyone here can guess or indeed confirm. I believe the car is circa 60s.
(http://www.keithlaban.co.uk/Classic_Clunker.jpg)
Nikon Z7, Z 50 f/1.8 S.
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Our community had an antique and late model muscle car show here in New Jersey today. We do it once a year. Thought you'd be interested in seeing some hot cars. Mainly American cars but there was a Triumph or MG and a Spitfire owned by some Scottish lad there with a thick accent and kilts. He's in there too. You can tune into the video up to 4K bandwidth or smaller. Hit fullscreen for better view. Good muscle car music with it from The Beach Boys. So turn up the volume. Here's the Youtube link. About 4 minutes run time. Enjoy.
https://youtu.be/MogdCeRNqBM
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Dreaming of fame:
Nice shot.
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Found this beautifully restored Fiat 500 Topolino on my last trip. Italian car with Polish license plate, parked in Cesky Krumlov, 200km south of Prague.
I learned to drive this car in late fifties, mainly on rural roads and meadows where police didn't check for driver's licenses. Great memories.
How big are you, Les? :)
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Hi,
Yes, both eyes have been done, and vision has returned to where it was when I was forty: distance perfect, reading glasses needed.
This was a complete switch round. About five or so years ago, it was discovered that I had elevated pressure in my eyes. The result of that condition was that my distance sight went poor, and my earlier, poor close vision became excellent!
With the post-cataract swith back to poor close vision, I shall have to get a new pair of reading glasses.
I await a further appointment with the doc for a final check-up. However, my eye sockets have become a bit swollen, and my eyes feel rather dry. Rain, pouring... But driving is enjoyable again.
Rob
Glad to hear it's working out and you're recovering. Coincidentally, my nephew just had one cataract eye done and he's seeing 20/20.
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How big are you, Les? :)
I'm 5'10" now, but was smaller at that time. My dad who was the main driver, was about 5'7", so he fit quite comfortably in the front seat of that car. I guess, also most Italians who drove those cars in the fifties, were about that height or even shorter.
Anyway, I remember our longest trip in that car driving from central Slovakia all the way to Baltic Sea in East Germany. Two adults, two kids, tent, sleeping and cooking gear, plus some other necessities on the roof rack. The trunk which was in the front was very small. I remember also the frequent tire punctures in those days, the roads and tires were not as good as now. We used to carry spare inner tubes and sometimes vulcanizing the punctured tubes right on the road.
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I'm 5'10" now, but was smaller at that time. My dad who was the main driver, was about 5'7", so he fit quite comfortably in the front seat of that car. I guess, also most Italians who drove those cars in the fifties, were about that height or even shorter.
Anyway, I remember our longest trip in that car driving from central Slovakia all the way to Baltic Sea in East Germany. Two adults, two kids, tent, sleeping and cooking gear, plus some other necessities on the roof rack. The trunk which was in the front was very small. I remember also the frequent tire punctures in those days, the roads and tires were not as good as now. We used to carry spare inner tubes and sometimes vulcanizing the punctured tubes right on the road.
I think the most ergonomically comfortable car seats - from the point of view of placing me in the right height and distance from the controls - was the Humber I had from '74 until I traded it for the X/1.9 in '78. It was possible to see where the ends of the car were and to reverse without fear of scrunches. Nobody needed parking sensors before the blob mentality overtook the car designers. Okay, maybe the Jaguars did, but I never had one! My little Fiesta has me parking blind in both directions. A nightmare. The side mirrors bear no relevance to real distance. Also, it is almost impossible to find a convenient height that suits the driving as well as providing a good view of the lower part of the instrument panel through the steering wheel.
If you ever tried to wash the inside of the windscreen, you'd curse the angle that stops your hand getting close to the glass at the bottom. I find it impossible to do at the steering wheel side of the car. But it drives very well and corners with more confidence than did the Escort it replaced. I found the latter quite alarming on some rural French roads; the dampness made it want to drift the tail out at really slow speeds. No, I always had good tyres fitted and properly inflated. Having said which, for those trips they were inflated to suit motorway driving with a full load of luggage; that probably means they were too hard for the messing about parts of the journeys. More a mark of my laziness than the car's abilities. But who's gonna keep on going up and down the pressure scale on a trip?
Anyway, has anyone identified the logo on the steering wheel in Keith's picture?
Rob
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Anyway, has anyone identified the logo on the steering wheel in Keith's picture?
Rob
For anyone who is still wondering, the car was a Ford Taunus.
Never heard of it, but one of our Dutch friends we see in Greece said he remembers them well, in fact his father had one. Apparently they were manufactured in Germany.
You live and learn.
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Ford Taunus was quite popular and relatively inexpensive family car made in Germany in several models from fifties to seventies.
Taunus is a small mountain range in Hessen in central Germany, just half an hour drive west of Frankfurt. Below is a shot taken this spring on a sunny and hazy day from the Feldberg peak in Taunus (elev. 881m).
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Interesting. There's been a Ford Taurus in the US.
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Ford Taunus was quite popular and relatively inexpensive family car made in Germany in several models from fifties to seventies.
Taunus is a small mountain range in Hessen in central Germany, just half an hour drive west of Frankfurt. Below is a shot taken this spring on a sunny and hazy day from the Feldberg peak in Taunus (elev. 881m).
Yes. I see it. Next to the third house on the left, in the back.
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Ford Taunus was quite popular and relatively inexpensive family car made in Germany in several models from fifties to seventies.
Taunus is a small mountain range in Hessen in central Germany, just half an hour drive west of Frankfurt. Below is a shot taken this spring on a sunny and hazy day from the Feldberg peak in Taunus (elev. 881m).
Les, thanks for the info.
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I am not so much into cars....
this is one of the few cars i once owned- about 1988
A Fiat Panda- it was totally unreliable - i bought it second hand for 250 € incl cassetteplayer... and a gastank half filled with water...
the paint was also a shield- to prevent rust. At some point it used 5liter oil on 250 km
PS the photo was made with a pentacon-six + russian fisheye
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A new and unexpected problem for electric cars could be the power outages.
Before PG&E Corp.’s massive blackout swept across Northern California, Tesla Inc. issued a politely worded but urgent message to its many area customers: charge up your car, now.
“A utility company in your area announced they may turn off power in some areas of Northern California beginning October 9 as part of public safety power shutoffs, which may affect power to charging options,” the notice read. “We recommend charging your Tesla to 100% today to ensure that your drive remains uninterrupted.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-rushes-keep-california-blackout-021814791.html
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Les, that also affects gasoline powered cars. You can't pump gas without electric power.
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Les, that also affects gasoline powered cars. You can't pump gas without electric power.
True, but you can always have one or two gasoline canisters in your garage ready for emergency. I have always one 25l canister filled up which I use for my lawnmower.
And maybe some gas stations have a backup generators for such a situation.
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Hurricane Sandy knocked out electricity for a week. I wasn't here at the time, fortunately. But for those who did live here it was a big inconvenience. Many subsequently installed emergency generators. So they would have power if they had electric cars to charge. Then they could drive somewhere else and leave the rest of us sitting cold in our house with spoiled food in the refrigerator. :)
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The last time we lost the power in Ontario, was a few years back, in the middle of the winter. It lasted several days, and although most homes here use gas furnaces, the homes stayed cold since the gas furnaces use electricity to activate their thermostats.
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It's not just the t'stat. What about the electric fan that blows the hot air? I have a gas range. I suppose I could turn them on to get heat. But frankly, I told my wife that if we get into this situation, we'll just drive to another area and check into a motel or go stay with relatives somewhere else. The food would spoil in the fridge. But that's cheaper than installing and maintaining a generator. I suppose I could run an extension cord to my neighbor who has a generator. :)
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Les, that also affects gasoline powered cars. You can't pump gas without electric power.
The return of the bicycle???
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The return of the bicycle???
The romantic return of the bicycle made for two! Romanic, unless the woman is less than a dancer, and sits up front.
Feet are still quite good means of transport, and about two years ago I rediscovered mine, and save quite a lot of silly car journeys down to the front to go for a walk! Now I walk down there to go for that walk, and get a double benefit. Thing is, about 90 mins is as much walking as I feel comfortable - and not bored out of my mind - doing. Unfortunately, my lunchtime favourite is a long way out of that comfort zone! For shopping, nothing beats the car, except the previous car, which had a better trunk/boot that took a lot more stuff in one trip.
Rob
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For anyone who is still wondering, the car was a Ford Taunus.
Never heard of it, but one of our Dutch friends we see in Greece said he remembers them well, in fact his father had one. Apparently they were manufactured in Germany.
You live and learn.
Your Dutch friend was right: check the emblem.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&channel=ipad_bm&source=hp&ei=l8mlXfTHGYHMaKfHrfgE&q=ford+taunus+logo&oq=ford+taunus+logo&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-hp.3..0i22i30j33i160.1386.13983..14615...6.0..0.108.1701.17j3......0....1.......8..41j0i131j46i131j0j46j46i131i275j0i10j46i10j0i13j0i13i30.nXguowSBgu
Rob
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Other than colour, memories are made of this:
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where are my "blue suede shoes " ?
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If I can't have the '59 Coup de Villle, Santa, can I have this instead?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FpC92FMwxz8
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Other than colour, memories are made of this:
I note that this blue one doesn't have the two spots fitted; I never discovered how to switch them on, so in the end, the covers were just left on permanently. Neither was there a radio nor space for one. I would love that wee machine today, especially if it had the Alfasud engine instead. That said, living so close to the sea, it would rot even faster. The spoiler has also been painted; I remember mine as black plastic. There was also a cheap go-faster stripes system on the sides. A great opportunity squandered by Fiat.
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Thinking of the difficulties I find reversing my more or less current Fiesta, this early version - possibly one of the first on the island - was a piece of cake: you could see out the back! That said, it was very hard to park because there was no power steering; I think it was even heavier to turn the wheel than was the case on the larger XR3i that replaced it. That said, it was quite a potent litlle car and I quite enjoyed it.
Unlike the earlier model of Fiesta, where the rear seats folded flat, none of the later ones ever did: you were left with an inconvenient slope upwards.
I think, on balance, that I might prefer that old XR2 to my current ride.
Rob
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Other than colour, memories are made of this:
My father in law had an X19. It was a blast to drive but it ate front wheel bearinga at an alarming rate.
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My father in law had an X19. It was a blast to drive but it ate front wheel bearinga at an alarming rate.
I didn't keep mine long enough to find out: I was washing it one day and discovered that the alloy wheels had started to rot: the factory had attached balance weights directly to the rims, metal to metal, inducing cathodic reactions that, had they used the normal sticky pad solution, wouldn't have happened. When I took the car back to the dealer, he told me that Fiat had been offering free replacement wheels, but that the period had run out. As I only saw two other such cars around my city, it beggars belief that he didn't contact me, especially as we were long-time clients on two sides of the family. They used to be Rootes dealers. When they dumped Rootes, they went to Fiat and Alfa, which is how I came to buy an Alfa as the means of losing the X1/9.
I didn't really drive that X1/9 properly: apparently, the engine was supposed to be run at very high revs, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, and so perhaps in trying to look after it, I never enjoyed it as I might.