Another Snowy Day

Kota and I woke up to a cold and dull Saturday morning. After we'd both had breakfast, it was back into bed, me with the paper and Kota for a snooze. It wasn't until a couple of hours later that I looked out the window and saw that snow was now falling, and quite heavily.
Excitedly, I leapt out of bed and got ready to venture out with my camera. I drove out of my community and on the first turn I ended doing a near 360. The roads were obviously very slick so I headed to McDonalds to think of a plan. Sitting in my warm car watching the snow ploughs, I decided to stay local and play safe.

There is a business park with some pretty landscaping close by so I headed there very slowly. Once out of the car, the wind was harsh and biting, so I shielded myself and my camera with an umbrella and started clicking quickly.

 

  

There were some pretty shots to take but I was having a problem getting creative and my fingers were frozen after only twenty minutes so I headed back to Stuart. I sat inside with the heater on full blast and pondered while I thawed out. I didn't want to head back home just yet so I drove slowly along a nearby country lane. There was no other traffic and the road wasn't too slick.

I stopped as some deer wandered into the road. About siz or seven casually crossed in front of me and hopped over the fence.

 

I really liked this industrial view because it was such a contrast from the pretty pine trees and woodlands surrounding it. I headed back after a few miles as I didn't want to chance being stranded too far from home, so I headed next for Bull Run Park.

This dolphin at the water park didn't look too happy with the weather! There wasn't anyone else in the park at all except for a couple of rangers who gave me a wave,  along with, no doubt, a mutter under the breath about how mad I was.

I parked up close to the river and walked down to the bank. It was so pretty and wonderful to have this scenic beauty all to myself. This park is usually packed in fine weather.

 

  

There was a lot of fluffy stuff floating on the river and it took me a while to realize that it was ice forming on the water. I stood and took in the complete solitude for a while before I again had to seek warmth in the car. I was actually very surprised that I hadn't seen another photographer while I was out so I think I can classify myself as hardcore :). Either that or mad. Regardless, when I got home, it made my large mug of drinking chocolate laced with 12 year old Scotch all the more welcome!

Joe in the Lobby

 

Joe e-mailed Emily and I to let us know he'd bought some more sunglasses and wanted photos taken. So Tuesday evening, I went down to Emily's apartment and we set up in her lobby which had a wonderful art deco look to it. 

We had a lot of laughs but were feeling quite self conscious as people kept coming in and out of the elevators. We even had one woman peering through the lobby glass from outside to see what we were up to. I'm sure Joe relished feeling like a superstar!

 

The elevator doors had a cool paint job so we used that as a backdrop and even tried reflections.

I had also brought some peacock feathers with me thinking it would be a laugh but Joe was happy to strut with them and pulled off some great portraits.

 

  

Our creativity started waning with the constant interuptions, so Emily and I thought it would be great if we moved out into the street and got some shots of him with vehicle lights blurring on either side of him, but he wasn't having any of that. Joe was actually feeling self conscious! We were quite touched by that so decided to call it a night and try to think of a new location for the future.

Another Urbexing Convert

A friend and neighbor of mine decided he'd like to try some exploring so I took him on Saturday to our usual haunt to see how he'd like it. He's an avid photographer like the rest of us and immediately fell in love with the urban decay. His shutter was clicking furiously.

Jeff was really enjoying the feel of the place and was quite vocal until he saw this wall.

 

He had a problem getting over the shock of seeing this and for the rest of the afternoon, whenever our conversation fell silent, he would softly repeat the phrase and shake his head. It actually became quite funny. The wall though set the tone of my next images. I though I'd do something a bit different from usual as I've already posted a lot of images from this location. So I've played around but not all are macabre.

 

 

 

 

 

We left at dusk and followed the explorers' tradition of beers afterwards and a discussion. I think we have another member in our group!

 

A Model for the Day

On Saturday, we had the most fortunate luck in that one of Emily's friends had heard of our explorations and liked the idea of being our model for a day. I was apprehensive but also excited as this would be a first for me, and it turned out to be a first for him also. We took him to our favourite abandonment, and I furtively cast anxious looks at him as he surveyed the location. Would it be too grundgy?

We had no idea where to start so we stopped at the old basketball court. Nerves and self consciousness were hounding me at first but after about 20 minutes, I started to loosen up and enjoy the experience. Emily and I tried different perspectives and seemed to be coming up with some good results.

 

We then moved to the old childrens' play area and before we could even think about where to place him, he struck the perfect pose.

After a few more shots, we were happy to find another location and we were all completely at ease now and eager to find new ideas. We headed towards an old building that has always freaked me out but it held some superb props.

This is one of my favorites, because it looks futuristic. We spent quite some time in the building before heading outside. I had brought a jewel with me and Joe spotted an old paint can that had split open. The colors were wonderful.

 

The high security area had some lethal looking wire surrounding it and we stopped here for some more photos.

 

One of the old buildings had some old furniture still in it and an old TV that hadn't been smashed so this served as an excellent location and provided me with my favorite image of the day. I found an old still of the movie 'Bride of Frankenstein', put that on the TV, added some filter work and was really pleased with this shot.

The day was a resounding success with Emily and I having had the opportunity to use such a willing subject who was extremely patient with us and the time it took to set up our cameras. Hopefully, when he sees our photos, he'll be willing to come out again with us to another location. More of my photos of Joe can be seen here.

The New Year in England

It was good to be back in England even though the reason was sad. I had been concerned about traveling as it was snowing in Virginia and Britain was getting the worst weather it had seen for 30 years. The airport was packed but moving efficiently and I was happy to be part of the cheerful British attitudes as everyone wished each other a Happy New Year.

I thought this was really odd looking out of Mum's window at a palm tree being lashed by a snow storm. Dorset usually has a very temperate climate hence an abundance of tropical plants. Luckily this well established tree would not suffer too much from the big freeze.

Phillip the pheasant has become a regular visitor and usually pops in around lunchtime for a snack. He's quite tame but not very vocal, yet happily gobbles up everything put out for him.

Greg and I walked down to the village in the snow to stock up on important commodities such as bread, milk, cigarettes and BACON. The local butcher shop was getting low on stock so Greg snapped up stacks of stuff. I was so envious of my brother as he's allowed to take meat back with him but I can't. He bought over 60 sausages, pork & sage, beef & garlic, and over 2lbs in back bacon. I thought miserably of the bacon back in the US where you wave a fork at it and the bacon shatters into shards.

Mum had bought these free range eggs at Sainsburys and I loved the pastel colors of the shells. They were full of flavor and large. 

 

Inside the box was a description of how the chickens were raised. Pampered poultry, but the eggs were the best I'd had in years.

When Greg had flown back to Malta after Dad's funeral, Mum and I had some wonderful girl time together. We barely left the house except to run errands but did manage to visit 2 garden centers for a look round and a cup of tea. Yay, the high life! I have to admit that I was slipping back into the English way of life very easily and quickly adopted the old routine of having at least 10 cups of tea a day. Above Mum and I having a spot of tea and a bun.

I found some of Dad's old photos and scanned this one of him in his class. This was Christmas 1937 when he was 7 years old.

 When Dad was courting Mum, they had a holiday in Cornwall. I scanned some of those images but particularly loved this one Dad took of some men hanging around the local shop. Dad did his own developing and used a textured paper, cutting the edges with special scissors similar to those used in scrapbooking today.

There's still many of Dad's photos that I'd like to scan and I know we haven't found them all yet, but I'll be going back to England in a few months to travel up to North Yorkshire with Mum and Greg to scatter Dad's ashes. That will be a sad yet wonderful trip as North Yorkshire is also one of my favorite places, so I can actually look forward a little bit to that time. And we shall all be stronger by then too.

On Friday December 18th, my Dad died, and although we didn't have the closest of relationships, there is still a void. An empty chasm because of so many things that were left unsaid and undone, all emotional. My father was a perfectionist in everything he did and his last workplace stands testament to that as even after 2 years, they've still been unable to replace him.
I learnt a lot from my father; he was the best in every handyman job and happy to teach. I learnt how to lay a lawn, how to build a brick wall, how to build a pond, how to paint correctly with a brush and a roller, how to wallpaper, how to mix cement. I learnt how to do all these things properly and well, apart from tiling. I never mastered that or his woodworking skills.
He also taught us about respect, discipline and honor. Because of those values, I have many longstanding friendships which I have always fiercely protected, and I have always been devotedly loyal to my employers.
He also had a great sense of humor and I was always proud to have my father at my parties. He never failed to raise a laugh, and was often the life and soul down at the local pub.
I only wish he had been more communicative with his emotions and not been afraid to display affection. I remember on my last visit holding his hand, and he looked down surprised. I don't think we'd ever done that before.
A friend and colleague sent me a beautiful e-mail after my father's death and I took strength from the words she sent me:

Romans 8:35-39 (New International Version)

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:
   "For your sake we face death all day long;
      we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."^{[a] 37}No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So I will hold no grudge, nor fester with bitterness, because I know one day I 'll meet Dad again, and this time, we'll both greet with unrestrained affection.
I love you Dad.

A Floating Palace in Baltimore

Emily, Tim & I trekked to Baltimore on Saturday, and having not explored for a while, we were chomping at the bit. We decided to have lunch first, stopping at a fast food restaurant offering a tasty menu of chicken livers, gizzards and lake trout. I had the trout for the first and last time!

Our next stop was the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, dating back to 1873. In 1924 it became West Baltimore General Hospital, to be renamed Lutheran Hospital around 1950. It closed in 1989. And it was still very closed up as we skirted the perimeter. We saw no point of entry so had to make do with some external shots before walking around the neighborhood.

Many of the houses in this area were boarded up or about to fall down. Feral cats skulked along fences and guard dogs barked loudly, guarding I have no idea what.

Some one had dropped their breakfast so it made for a colorful photo amongst the drab surroundings. We soon tired of these sad streets, so decided to go scouting. Clambering back into the car, we scoured the streets for a nice derelict building. Bingo! We came across a large industrial looking place which looked as though it had suffered fire damage at the rear.

We found an open door and walked into a strange warehouse.

It became apparent as we stepped on the floor that all the wooden boards were floating, and it was a little weird walking across the open space. Tim correctly determined that this was once a cold storage place and underneath us would once have been ice. We realized later that this was an ice making factory. The rectangular moulds to the right of the photo held the ice blocks.

We came to a spiral staircase and saw below the machinery which once powered this plant. The "Ice House" is the remaining structure of a large ice manufacturing plant constructed in 1911 by the American Ice Company. Designed by New York architecture firm Mortimer & Co. and built by Fidelity Construction Company from Baltimore, the plant complex was "one of the largest and most modern of its kind in the State" when built and marked the significant shift from the sale of natural to manufactured ice.

 

 I loved this ammonia gauge, and this link explains why ammonia is used in refrigeration. There was an ammonia leak from the building in 2008 as workers were tearing down part of the building. There were also 2 major fires in 2001 and 2004.

Going up the spiral staircase took us to the roof and a floor with more machinery possibly for ventilation. I found this interesting link, which reports from 1909 and shows the machinery we saw here, eg, the horizontal compressor.

We left 'The Floating Palace' happy that we'd found somewhere new and exciting, and readily agreed that the next stop should be a bar to celebrate. We found a little dive bar, and entered to a strong smell of cleaning products. We sat on a stool and enquired about the draught beers of which there were none.We ordered a local beer, were given cans and asked if we needed glasses! It was also discovered that the bar didn't do food, so we decided to drink and go elsewhere. As we were about to leave, we stood, and disturbed a coachroach on the counter which the barman expertly squashed with my empty glass as it tried to scuttle away. Without batting an eyelid, he smiled and wished us a good evening and we left thankful that a menu had not been available. We may not have had a gastronomically delightful day, but at least our explorations had been successful!