Long Beach

Monday 16 May 2011

Up early to go down to the harbour and get a few pics of The Queen Mary. She could do with a lick of paint.
I took this as I came out of the hotel. It's slightly soft as I snatched the shot but I like it.
Time to get the paperwork done, round up suitcases and people and head for the airport.

By the way - my nose ran the whole length of Route 66 - is this a record?

Ragged Glory

Sunday 8 May 2011

Faded, peeling, but still there - like many things on Route 66.
We stopped in Erick, Oklahoma, to visit Annabelle & Harley, aka The Mediocre Music Makers, something of a Route 66 institution. I found out earlier in the week that Annabelle is being treated for cancer and thankfully is doing well. I knew they wouldn't be at home but we stopped for pics anyway. This is on the wall across the lot from their place.
If you want to see them in action, just look for them on Youtube. You may never be the same again.
Erick also produced Roger Miller (King of the Road) and Sheb Wooley (Purple People Eater). He also acted in Rawhide but he's better known for the song. Not bad for a town that is basically a crossroads and a couple of blocks. Nowadays, it's a fairly typical Route 66 town - a near ghost town.

Go West Young Man

Wednesday 4 May 2011

I'm leading a tour of Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica. We are in St Louis, about five days into the trip. This is the Old Courthouse and Gateway Arch in Saint Louis. The arch really is an awesome sight to behold.

Feels Like Summer

Friday 22 April 2011: Feels Like Summer

I took a drive through the countryside today; everything seems to be in full bloom. It's very pretty, but has nature been fooled into blooming early?

I took this close to Oundle.

Lincoln Cathedral

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Great Britain may be going to hell in a hand cart but broke or not, we have some beautiful places.
I spent today running around Rutland & Lincolnshire doing a reccy (I can't spell reconnaissance) for a tour I'm doing later in the year. I visited Grantham for the first time ever - despite being Margaret Thatcher's birthplace, it's actually very nice. On the road from Grantham to Lincoln I passed through lots of beautiful villages, and goodness knows how many country estates. There was a lot of wealth sloshing around here once.

I'm a sucker for cathedral ceiling pics so I had to take another one in Lincoln. It's an HD made up of three shots and I brightened the central part of the tower.

Valletta: Football Crazy

Monday 11 April 2011: Football Crazy

I arrived in Malta today half dead after almost no sleep last night. I've reccy'd Valletta, and had a good wander around the town all afternoon.
I came across this establishment down a side street, done up in the Spurs colours and with a big Spurs flag outside. Our agent told me that all Maltese are football mad, supporting English or Scottish Premier League teams or Italian Serie A teams. He's a Chelsea F.C. season ticket holder himself, so he flies to England every couple of weeks to see his beloved team.
Chelsea? There's obviously something wrong with the man!

St Mary's

Wednesday 23 March 2011

I finally got around to photographing the inside of our local church . I picked up the key and had the place to myself - it was wonderful. Next time, I'll take a tripod.
The church was designed by Ninian Comper

Mont Saint Michel

Thursday 17 March 2011

The day that couldn't be done - and wasn't. Continuing adventures on tour with the Laurentian Singers.
We got back from last night's concert and reception 30 minutes late which meant starting thirty minutes late as the coach driver had to have his minimum break. No problem but unfortunately, one of the faculty overslept, making us an hour late. Then the one of the coach's tyres blew as we drove on the autoroute..
We got to the American Military Cemetary 2 1/2 hours late, just in time for the choir to sing to a group which included quite a few veterans. Tears all round. We then had a really interesting tour with a charming and very knowledgable Welshman called Anthony who showed us the graves of the two brothers who were the inspiration for Saving Private Ryan.
No time to hang around and reflect as we had to sprint to Mont Saint Michel for a visit, if humanly possible. We got there fifteen minutes after the abbey had closed. Even without the problems we encountered, we would have had trouble fitting everything in. It's a crying shame as I know what they missed but there you go. I'm going to come back and do it justice one of these days. At least I got pictures.
Off to bed again - last night I got four hours sleep and the pace of the tour is about to get really hectic!

Caught Short

Wednesday 16 March 2011
Etretat, Normandy. It was freezing, but not cold enough to prevent some of the choir from dipping their feet in the Channel.
We came across this urinal, once common in France but fairly rare nowadays. The boys made use of it but there were more of them than there were places to pee - a bit like musical chairs but with an added sense of urgency. If you pee in public, someone is going to take your picture, or in this case, lots of people will take your picture.
It's gone 1am here. time for bed, another hectic day ahead, and another, and another...

Park Royal Tube Station

Friday 11 March 2011: Underground Art Deco - Park Royal
A snapshot today - a view I've seen many times but never really looked at from this perspective as I've normally got other things on my mind when I come here.
One of the many iconic stations on the Underground. I went to the office to pick up the paperwork for my next tour (The Laurentian Singers tour of Normandy & Paris, since you ask). This is the view from the car park. I love it because it is Art Deco but at the same time no-nonsense - not many fine details. It's functional, sturdy and conveys a sense of reliability, which probably reflected the way the Tube was in the 1930's.

Red-Eyed Tree Frog, Costa Rica

19th February 2011
Staying in Toruguero National Park on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. There's wildlife everywhere, including this little tree frog, if you know where to look.

Life's For Sharing

Friday 25 February 2011
Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal. Normally this terrace is packed with people watching the progress of shipping through the canal. Today, the rain drove everyone but the most hardy under cover.

These strangers got to know each other a little under the umbrella.

Tomorrow, we go through the locks.

Hummingbird, Costa Rica

Tuesday 22 February 2011: Hummingbird

Hi from a very sunny Monteverde. I've taken lots of pics today and I haven't time to go through them. This one jumped out at me so here it is.

I got some nice Howler Monkey pics and some shots of a spectacular Mont Arenal, the volcano we didn't see when we were staying acoss the road from it. From 50 kilometres away, it is an impressive sight.

Tyre-less Workers

Wednesday 2 February 2011

Sorry for the pun - I couldn't resist it.
The tyre company of W T Woolford & Son. They have been keeping the wheels of Wellingborough turning since the dawn of time - at least thirty years.
As I waited, I looked around at the buildings. It dawned on me that I was looking at an old farm; there were barns or sheds, a farmhouse and an old stone cottage. I asked the tyre men about it and was indeed a farm.
The chap on the left of the pic lives in the old farmhouse and is probably the "& Son" in the company name. He told me that he'd seen an old plan which showed several other outbuildings and cottages. The farm went when a new road was put in which was probably late 19th or early 20th century.
He has looked for pictures of the farm but hasn't turned anything up yet.
By the farmhouse was another reminder of times past - a laundry wringer. Made locally in Rushden (This area of Northamptonshire was known for shoemaking and ironwork).
I asked if I could snap it and no sooner had I started when a lady came out and asked me if I had permission to photograph it. She wasn't entirely happy until I told her that the main man had given his consent.
The business doesn't have email or a website - they get all the business they can handle without it, mainly because their prices a much better than the competition.
I'll be taking three copies of the picture to them as a thanks for letting me snap away and for the chat.

Seville: Sunny Day Women

Thursday 20 January 2011

A wonderful day in Seville, wandering around, taking pictures. enjoying the sunshine. What could be nicer?

We started off by watching a film crew in a little tapas bar just down the street, which we'd photographed yesterday evening. It looked interesting and we couldn't help but take pictures through the windows, outside looking in. As the film folk were there, we looked it up in our guide book - turns out it's the oldest bar in Seville.