"BY THE WAY...."

911 REMEMBERED…

yorsamoth — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:00:15 +0000

Kitchen Crew pauses for a photo during a French Toast frenzy that we did for breakfast.

QUEENS, NEW YORK: In the wake of the 911 attacks, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) components were given the privilege and opportunity to serve those first responders who were working, both at the Pentagon and at the WTC Ground Zero. Working in conjunction with the American Red Cross, our SBDR Volunteers we involved in the cleaning numerous apartments and other facilities in which the drywall dust generated by the collapse of the twin towers had put into the air and, consequently, into building air ducts. Another major task was the feeding of countless policemen, firemen, and other first responders who were working day and night to rescue those trapped in the wreckage or recover those who died.

Working alongside other SBDR volunteers, our Maryland/Delaware team prepared food, readied it for transport by the Red Cross to feeding stations downtown along with inventory, sanitation and clean up and a plethora (don’t you just love that word) of activities in support of the overall mission. A portable laundry unit cleaned our clothes, any many other volunteers from numerous states joined in the effort.

I apologize for the clarity of the photo as these were days when digital cameras were not yet a common item and the resolution was very poor. They were taken with an early Sony digital camera that saved the images to (are you ready for this?) a 3.5 diskette! Several of the other photos that will be displayed here will be of similar quality but they comprise a first hand photographic record of how some of us were able to give back to those who were bearing the brunt of the rescue and recovery effort.

yorsamoth — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:00:30 +0000

SOUTH YARMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS: While on Cape Cod recently, I was visiting a store and I this figure was prominently stationed at the entrance to the store. The figure had seen much use and was a bit pale from weathering but one can only imagine what he would be thinking had he been gazing out from the shoreline and wondering what those huge boats were and why had they come?

MULTILEVEL MARKETING….

yorsamoth — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:00:02 +0000

CHATHAM, MASSACHUSETTS: Small town main streets offer a unique difference from the big box environment in which many of us live. I found a hardware store located in a small town on Cape Cod that was offering “kiddie cars” in their front window. Really compact but great gas mileage.

IN GOOD COMPANY….

yorsamoth — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:00:58 +0000

BAYFIELD, ONTARIO: Though I’ve been told by some that I have a good eye for a picture, I’ve got to credit my wife who saw this shot immediately. We were visiting an art store and I usually keep the camera bagged as it is downright unethical to be shooting pictures of other’s artwork. I did make an exception in this case as the subject was not the artwork per se but the way it factored into the overall scene.

THE VIEW FROM BENEATH….

yorsamoth — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:14 +0000

BAYFIELD, ONTARIO: Outside of one of the stores in this Lake Huron town were a number of these ornate umbrellas. The real picture though was to be had underneath the canopies as the sun lit up the colorful design and hues of this large pink parasol.

JUST ADD TEA….

yorsamoth — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:00:26 +0000

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO: Whenever we visit this town on Lake Ontario, we always like to make a point of stopping by the bakery shops. As you can see from the picture here, there is a wide variety of cookies (AKA in Canada as biscuits), tea cakes, buns, breads and other baked goods. Along with this are often items that we in the states usually only find in the freezer section of the grocery store and then only in limited varieties; meat pies.

We usually end up getting my favorite of these shops; Scones (peaches and cream to be specific) Pictured here is a sampling of the wares of one of the shops.

FRESH AS A, WELL, UHH, YOU KNOW….

yorsamoth — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:00:50 +0000

STRATFORD, ONTARIO: Canadians have a real appreciation for the growing season. It gets colder there sooner and stays that way longer. But when the time has come, the color is there in droves. I caught this bloom just after the watering truck had come by.

NEAT BUT CLUNKY….

yorsamoth — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:00:48 +0000

STRATFORD, ONTARIO: The tale of the Ugly Duckling is one that most of us have heard in one variation or another. The young ones outgrow their “ugly” way pretty quickly (a post with a pic of a young cygnet appears at http://royboysphotogblog,wordpress.com) and they grow in to beautiful adults that fly and swim with grace. Preening on the shoreline is something altogether different. They look better for having cared for their feathers but they do look at bit clunky on land. Oh well. When you gotta preen, you GOTTA preen.

PRE-DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY…

yorsamoth — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:00:44 +0000

NORTHEAST, MARYLAND: There once was a time when photography as we know it now was non-existent. People used cameras that recorded images on something called film that had to be loaded into a camera and, when used, taken to places where it would be “developed”. Sometimes you would take it to drug stores or other places where film was developed, although it wasn’t even developed there. It would be sent out and the something mysterious would happen. Photo technicians who had been initiated in the arts of film developing would do their chemical magic and return something called negatives along with the pictures. Isn’t that amazing? It seems hard to believe that situation described here all changed in our lifetime, well, at least my lifetime.

I am always on the lookout for older cameras that, having been long retired, now make excellent subjects for the art that they originally had been designed to produce. Posterized this pic the gift it an antique look.

CAT YOGA….

yorsamoth — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:00:31 +0000

BAYFIELD, ONTARIO: Cats are a staple around world. When I was in Israel back in 1981, I came across several friendly felines roaming in the ruins of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. When I was sick and laying on the floor of airport in Cairo, cats were there as well and they wondered what this guy was doing on their floor. wherever you go, cats are there and (usually) in charge.

I found this guy sitting on the porch of a store in Bayfield, a small town located on the shore of Lake Huron. He seemed to be grooming but it looked a lot like he was doing yoga to me.