Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Elbow room and looking around.

I like some elbow room when I park. It amuses me to watch drivers circling around like gulping goldfish waiting for that pellet to hit the water. Or for a parking spot near the door to open up. I realize that for a few it's necessary to park close. If more people would park and walk they'd find their physical health would improve. Then they wouldn't feel the need to park so close. Life outside the goldfish bowl is pretty awesome.

Interestingly, most of the time I'm entering the store while the goldfish are still circling.

In this case there was plenty of elbow room. Trying to decide which spot to use was killing me, though. I wonder how long it will be before this space in front of a government building will be full again?



It's just a snapshot. All the photos except this one were taken the same day. I threw in this one just because I wanted to. Elvira cleans up pretty well. A beautiful bike in a beautiful setting along the river. I like the way she's framed by the trees.

Parked beside another river but a bit farther away from the water. Don't worry about the green pole sticking up. I'm experimenting with a new camera mount. It works out okay as long as I keep my lean angles very shallow.

I once read that successful photography is more about how the photographer sees things than in the actual technical aspect. One should take in the 360 degree ( sorry, don't know if that is Celsius or Farenheit ) view. So here's looking in the other direction.

Rebel that I am, I just have to bend the rules once in a while. As you can see below.

Suddenly I'm a bit worried. A question just ocurred to me. I wonder if the bullet holes in the arrow sign are from the farmer shooting at previous violators?

Talk about elbow room! Elvira looks pretty isolated in the next photo, doesn't she? By the way, the parking enforcement people will ticket a bike that's backed into a spot in this parking structure. It's just easier all around to park away from the crowd. Did I mention I need the exercise, anyway?

In the spirit of taking in the full view, I took a shot over the edge of the wall. How often do you see the top of a light fixture? Actually, after looking at it, I realize I can go a long time without seeing another one.


Yes, the camera strap was around my neck. I also wrapped the strap around a small metal stanchion. That way, if I fell over the wall, the neck strap would keep me from plunging to the sidewalk. Somehow there seems to be a flaw in that plan but I can't quite get the "hang" of what it might be. The answer is dangling just out of my reach. Oh, well.

I don't know how to spell "silhouette" so I'll just say that the tree shadows looked kind of cool to me. This is from the second floor but over a couple of openings from where I shot the light fixture. The sky and the cloud pattern make kind of a nice background.

Well that's it for today. Life is hectic. Tonight is the reception for the local photo contest. It will be interesting to see which were the winning photos. For now the sun's out. I know two wheels that are impatient to roll!

Miles and smiles,


Dan








6 comments:

Jack Riepe said...

Dear Sir:

What an absolutely delightful blog episode this was today! It had lots of pictures of a motorcycle. It had humor. It depicted one of the warmest and most appealing things on earth: a "motorcycle exclusive" parking area. And it ended on a high note.

I read it aloud to the dog, and he thought so too.

Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads

Mike said...

Nice photos Dan. I hope you do well tonight! BTW, where's that parking structure?

Bluekat said...

This looks like a parking area Ron and I rode past today on Capitol St. There was no one parked there when we went by. I have to assume they skipped out and were riding on this great, sunny day.

Love Elvira's glamor shot out under the trees, she looks marvelous! Ron keeps telling me I don't want a black bike, it'll show all the dirt (is that a bad thing??). I dunno, she looks pretty good to me.

I never made it over to Albany before the deadline :(
Hope you did well in the photo contest. It's always nice to get some recognition and kudos for your work.

Unknown said...

Mr Irondad:

Wonder what happened Wed night. I'm thinking that you won something and your head swelled so much you couldn't get your helmet off, and you are preparing your acceptance speech

bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin

irondad said...

Jack,

I cannot tell you how pleased I am that your dog enjoyed the post. Thank you for sharing!

Mike,

The parking structure is in Salem. It's Marion Parkade North of Salem Center. I park on the far North end, second level. Most people will not walk very far so I have plenty of space alone.

Take care,

Dan

irondad said...

Bluekat,

See my reply to Mike as to the location. I'm pleased to see your comment on the glamour shot. I thought the focus was a bit off. Elvira shows dirt up close but not far away.

I guess you could say she has "far out" looks that way. The farther out you are the less dirty she looks!

Bobskoot,

I just posted the results. The delay was in my acceptance speech. My list of people to thank is quite long! Actually, that wasn't really it. I couldn't remember how to spell Bobskoot. With two "B"'s and three "O"'s I get confused!

Take care,

Dan