New Calvary & MLK, Jr.

- Forty-five years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Norfolk Virginia to preach at his friend Rev. Milton Reid's installation as pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church. Milton Reid who passed away last month was a well known early Virginia civil rights activist. Dr. King was scheduled to return to preach again at New Calvary Baptist in early April 1968 but postponed the visit to go to Memphis to support the sanitation workers strike where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. New Calvary Baptist is located at the corner of Calvert St. and Virginia Beach Blvd. in Norfolk Virginia. In the background of this photo can be seen historic First Calvary Baptist Church, just to the left out of the frame is the historic Attucks Theater. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, converted to B&W in Adobe Lightroom 3.Several years ago I listened to the audio version of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1998), ed. Clayborne Carson. I highly recommend this version read by LeVar Burton in a Grammy Award winning performance which also contains recordings of many speeches and famous oratory of Dr. King. A must listen for anyone who is a student of leadership.

Terrapin's

- It's Virginia Beach Restaurant Week so we dined out tonight with our good friends Susan and Duane at Terrapin Restaurant on Holly Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Always great food and drink and the atmosphere is special. This photo shows the paper lanterns over the bar with the open kitchen in the background. I was facing away from the scene but a wall of mirrors gives every seat at the table a great view. The appetizer and main course were wonderful but you can't go to Terrapin's and not have desert. I had the double chocolate brownie toffee mousse with vanilla toasted marshmallow malt ice cream. Check out this presentation. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800.

Reflected Sunset

- Glorious sunset this evening reflected in the chrome exterior of the No Frill Grill at Hilltop in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 400.

The Line Up

The line up first thing in the morning at the Hampton Roads Transit gas shop on Monticello Ave. in Norfolk, Virginia. The combination of the early morning sunlight streaming in and the garage's high pressure sodium lights make this a unique scene at the end of my morning commute to work each day. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Mechanical

- These are some of the mechanical systems in the overhead spaces at HRT's new Norfolk Bus Garage. The new facility will be completed soon and bus operations will move in by May. The new building is designed to be LEED Silver certified and we may even get a Gold rating, finger's are crossed. This building replaced a 100 year old facility that originally served trolley cars before being converted to a bus garage in the 1940's. Another 50+ years of public transit service will come from this new building. See some more photos from my walk through today here. Canon G11, 1/5 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800.

Resist Temptation

- Temptation is everywhere. This vending machine is luring you in with bright colors and promises of fat and lots of sodium. One way to resist, make a picture rather than cave in. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400.

Impossible

- The Impossible Project is an effort by former Polaroid employees who had a passion and believed the Impossible dream - to bring back Polariod instant film. In a former Polaroid factory in Enschede, Netherlands they have bringing back to us a variety of great old and new instant films for our beloved Polaroids. This is a closeup of my 1970's vintage SX-70 camera, IMHO one of slickest cameras ever made. It's cool stainless steel folding case and leather accents are a work of art. I'm sure the blog will feature some Polaroid photos soon. Canon 40D, 1/15 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, lighting from the Cowboy Studio LED light panel.