Indecision 52/365

1 - snooted with foam board backdrop
2 - Red gel no backdrop
3 - bare flash

Leggs 51/365

Stockings my daughter was wearing....

Strobist - speedlight camera right at 1/32 power with 1/4 CTO gel.

You Decide 50/365

 Is it a flower or a weed?

Snowglobe 49/365

A keepsake from my daughters communion

Strobist  - two speedlights, each set at 45 degrees at 1/8 power bounced off the ceiling.  One radio fired and the other optical slave.  

Apples in the Sun 48/365

Its the time of year when you have both variety and reasonable prices.

Lilac Flower 47/365

A macro of the very tiny flower.

Acrylic Stairs 46/355

Apple has 4 stores in Manhattan and one of them is underground.  Entrance is via a round acrylic elevator or spiral staircase.

The Clueless Leader 45/365

Do you work for this character?

44/365

Sometimes it hard to tell where the couch ends and the dog begins....

43/365

42/365

Spring Has Hatched 41/365

The street vendors were hawking their wares at the impromptu farmers market. Organic brown eggs $4 a dozen.  I can do better in the supermarket.  Organic eggs, are there any other kind?

Adjustments Needed 40/365

I can’t find or make time for photography after work.  I might try posting from work but that means using a PC because I’m not hauling my Mac to/from work.  NYC street scenes will likely dominate for the next week or two.

Strobist – DIY grilled flash camera right at 1/16 power. 

Precious 39/365

Kids are more cooperative than puppies when it comes to trying to take pictures.  I’ll have to rely and hope for the best  with candid shots. 

The Lost Week 38/365

Between the unplanned road trip, new puppies, and unplanned activity at work I haven't picked up my camera in a week.  Hopefully, I'm back on track....

What Parents Do 37/365

What a day!  Regular visitors here know that I on Long Island and that I have a daughter attending the University of Delaware.  The distance between our home and the school is about 170 miles and roughly 3 hours drive under ideal conditions. 

My daughter was home for a week during spring break, which concluded on Easter Sunday.  We finished dinner and helped her get ready for the journey back to school.   She left around 7:30pm.  We heard from her around 9pm when she informed us about the horrible traffic she was stuck in traveling though NYC.

She called back shortly after 10pm from the NJ Turnpike (I-95) telling me that there was a problem with the brakes on her truck.  I had her pull into the gas station and check the brake fluid level.  It was low so she purchased a can to refill the reservoir.  At this point I’m concerned because brakes are a sealed system and it should never be low on fluid.  I have her test the brakes but they’re still not right.   

She seeks assistance from the gas station attendants who confirm my suspicion that one of the break lines has ruptured.  The gas stations along the NJ Turnpike do not perform any mechanical repairs.  The service is limited to fixing flats and changing tires.  The attendant offers to patch the brake line using duck tape!  That’s right, duck tape.  WAIT, STOP RIGHT THERE!! There’s several thousand pounds of pressure within the tubing and hoses that make up a cars brake system.  Now the guy meant well and was trying to be helpful but there’s no way in hell I’m going to risk my daughters life on duck tapes ability to withstand the pressure of a hydraulic braking system.

I make it perfectly clear to her that she’s not to attempt to drive the truck anywhere.  She assures me that she’ll park it and wait for me. 

I leave my house around 10:20pm and get stuck in the same holiday traffic as my daughter.  I finally arrive at the rest area shortly after midnight.  We talk to the gas station attendants and make arrangements to have the vehicle towed off the turnpike.  The tow truck arrives and departs around 1am and we head out for Delaware.  My daughter still has an 8am class on Monday morning…

We arrive on campus around 3:00am and go directly to sleep in the sorority house.  I wake to the alarm at 8am, shower and dress and call the repair show.  They have the truck but it hasn’t been looked at yet.   I head north for the 120 mile drive to Woodbridge NJ. Along the way I contact my 77-year-old dad, who lives in Jersey City.  I convince him to play copilot and meet me at the repair shop.  

We get my daughters truck back and begin the 120 mile trek back to UDel. It was fairly uneventful except for some traffic around the Philadelphia exits.  

  Back in Delaware we meet up with my daughter, give grandpa a quick tour of the campus then head out for dinner.  We said our good bye’s and headed north.   I drop my dad off at his car and struggle with the NYC traffic for the last leg of the journey home.  

It was a 22 hour adventure that racked up 600 miles and cost about $400 bucks but I don’t have a single complaint and I’d do it all over again if need be.

Siblings 36/365

The family spent most of the afternoon in the backyard playing with the puppies.  They were introduced to four other canines on the block.  I’m exhausted…  Not the best picture of the day as I flubbed the focus, but I love the spirit behind the shot. 

New Additions To The Family 35/365

Meet Madison, a 10 week old Cockalier (Cavalier King Charles and Cocker Spaniel) and Sandy, a 4 month old Golden Retriever.  We brought them home today. Oh Boy!

Daffodils 34/365

These came from my wife’s garden.  She brought them inside so we could enjoy them before they wilted and died.

Twenty Five Percent - Gone 33/365

As I rotated the calendar this morning to usher in a new month I was startled by the realization that ¼ of 2010 is behind us.