Pardon the recent relative silence.......But it's about to get noisy. My "Busy Season" is about to kick into high gear.
Later today I'll likely be hitting up Vulcan Events to end off my weekend.
M-F every week will be work, obviously, hopefully with the return of my truck any damned day now. So, here are my next few weekends in a nutshell:
March 5-6: Next weekend I have "Festivals of Speed" up in Howey in the Hills on Sunday and a date with a redhead (Ferrari F40) on Saturday.
March 12-13: Airshow season kicks off with a bang! On Saturday I'll be in Ft Myers for Red Sox v Marlins with my dad and possibly a special guest ;)
Sunday I'll be out shooting the TICO Warbirds airshow out in Titusville.
March 19-20: Muscle Car City auto show in Punta Gorda
March 26-27: Grand Prix of St Pete!!
April 2-3: the Mustang Meet AND Sun n Fun Fly in
April 9-10: All Chevy Show in Plant City and Exotic Car Festival in Celebration
April 16: Mustang Birthday Bash in Ft Myers.
Somewhere in there I'm also plotting with a friend to squeeze in my first shoot for a human, not for machinery. That one will take priority, because, as you know, favors for friends do!
So expect LOOOOTS of updates, a few photos, and an exhausted Bri, lol
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
C'mon, Hit me with your best shot....fire away.
Well, My Friday was.....exciting I suppose is the word.
As many of you know I drive 26 miles one way through the heart of Tampa every day to and from work in rush hour. There are always near misses, since, as I have expounded upon here ad nauseum, Florida has possibly the worst and definitely the stupidest drivers in America.
Today was more than a near miss.
I was minding my own business, rolling north in the left lane on HWY 41 (also known as 50th street, a six lane highway frequented by semis), singing along to John Mellencamp, when some dousche in a Chrysler minivan started to merge over.
I went to hit the horn when he hit me.
I had a dump truck right behind me and was probably travelling at close to fifty miles an hour (traffic was heavy), and the van was going a bit faster.
When he hit me the S10 started to turn left, so I kept on the gas and turned the wheel enough to stay straight.
If you know what a PITT (Precision Immobilization Technique - Truck) maneuver is, then you basically understand I did a dirty version of one.
The van hit me right about the passenger front wheel and door, placing my tire right in front of his rear tire. He spun across my nose at high speed and did a full 360 into the oncoming three lanes of traffic, slapping head on into an oncoming Chevrolet Silverado, who had nowhere to go, and no chance to avoid the idiot.
My thoughts in the S10 through the whole half second this spectacular wreck took place was along the lines of "Fuck, straight, straight, gas, don't slam the breaks, now pull over".
I assume the Silverado driver's thoughts to have been no longer than "Oh,..."
Noone involved has any doubt that the van driver never thought at all. Once I had the S10 fully stopped, and knew the dump truck behind me was stopped too (ever seen one of them try to slow from 50??), I dialed up 911. Then work. Then mom.
By the time I was done doing that, a member of the Florida Highway Patrol was there, and, since he came from the north, stopped by me first. He looked at me, then the wrecked van and truck, and said "Guess I don't need to ask you how your day is going."
Some days you've gotta love a smartass with timing.
He then looked at the damage to my little pickup, then at the minivan's side, nodded to himself, and asked me what had happened. He already knew just from looking at the two cars, of course.
After I told him, he asked if I had tried to break to avoid the van, I told him truthfully I did not have time to brake and would not have been able to stop had I tried, pointing behind me at the dump truck, the driver of which walked over to us.
The dump truck driver verified everything I said, and the cop asked me why i hadn't gotten out of the truck.
I told him I didn't need to go to jail. He and the dump truck driver both chuckled at that, and decided it was probably a good idea I stay put where I was.
Soon a Fire truck, two Tampa Police cruisers, an ambulance, and two tow trucks arrived and started trying to clear up the mess.
The ambulance wasn't needed, as no one was hurt, which I honestly told the female TPD officer I was glad the Silverado driver was ok.
She kind of gave me a look and asked if I was worried about the van occupants. I asked if there was anyone else besides the driver, she said no, and I told her in all honesty I didn't care about him one way or the other. She didn't seem surprised.
I would have LOVED to hear what his dumb ass said to the police, especially since both the dump truck driver and I both said the same thing.
Come to find out from the female cop, guy wasn't even driving his own car, was down from Michigan and had just totaled his friend's van.
Poor bastard in the Silverado, like me, was just trying to get to work.
All summed up, though, I'm fine, the truck has a few scars, mostly cosmetic as you can see from the photos, bu I will need to get the suspension and alignment looked at, a new tire and wheel (you'll notice the rubber is abraded and the wheel scarred up), and my rear view mirror is AWOL.
Still, luck, reflexes, knowledge of my truck's ins and outs (been driving the same S10 for the last 7 years) and younger years full of of doing stupid shit likely made it possible that I am around to type this out.
If I had slammed on the breaks, that dump truck would have nailed me and the story....well....
Oh, and to the driver of that Chrysler van..........I hope they take your damned license and never give you a chance to get it back.
The REAL version of a PIT maneuver:
As many of you know I drive 26 miles one way through the heart of Tampa every day to and from work in rush hour. There are always near misses, since, as I have expounded upon here ad nauseum, Florida has possibly the worst and definitely the stupidest drivers in America.
Today was more than a near miss.
I was minding my own business, rolling north in the left lane on HWY 41 (also known as 50th street, a six lane highway frequented by semis), singing along to John Mellencamp, when some dousche in a Chrysler minivan started to merge over.
I went to hit the horn when he hit me.
I had a dump truck right behind me and was probably travelling at close to fifty miles an hour (traffic was heavy), and the van was going a bit faster.
When he hit me the S10 started to turn left, so I kept on the gas and turned the wheel enough to stay straight.
If you know what a PITT (Precision Immobilization Technique - Truck) maneuver is, then you basically understand I did a dirty version of one.
The van hit me right about the passenger front wheel and door, placing my tire right in front of his rear tire. He spun across my nose at high speed and did a full 360 into the oncoming three lanes of traffic, slapping head on into an oncoming Chevrolet Silverado, who had nowhere to go, and no chance to avoid the idiot.
My thoughts in the S10 through the whole half second this spectacular wreck took place was along the lines of "Fuck, straight, straight, gas, don't slam the breaks, now pull over".
I assume the Silverado driver's thoughts to have been no longer than "Oh,..."
Noone involved has any doubt that the van driver never thought at all. Once I had the S10 fully stopped, and knew the dump truck behind me was stopped too (ever seen one of them try to slow from 50??), I dialed up 911. Then work. Then mom.
By the time I was done doing that, a member of the Florida Highway Patrol was there, and, since he came from the north, stopped by me first. He looked at me, then the wrecked van and truck, and said "Guess I don't need to ask you how your day is going."
Some days you've gotta love a smartass with timing.
He then looked at the damage to my little pickup, then at the minivan's side, nodded to himself, and asked me what had happened. He already knew just from looking at the two cars, of course.
After I told him, he asked if I had tried to break to avoid the van, I told him truthfully I did not have time to brake and would not have been able to stop had I tried, pointing behind me at the dump truck, the driver of which walked over to us.
The dump truck driver verified everything I said, and the cop asked me why i hadn't gotten out of the truck.
I told him I didn't need to go to jail. He and the dump truck driver both chuckled at that, and decided it was probably a good idea I stay put where I was.
Soon a Fire truck, two Tampa Police cruisers, an ambulance, and two tow trucks arrived and started trying to clear up the mess.
The ambulance wasn't needed, as no one was hurt, which I honestly told the female TPD officer I was glad the Silverado driver was ok.
She kind of gave me a look and asked if I was worried about the van occupants. I asked if there was anyone else besides the driver, she said no, and I told her in all honesty I didn't care about him one way or the other. She didn't seem surprised.
I would have LOVED to hear what his dumb ass said to the police, especially since both the dump truck driver and I both said the same thing.
Come to find out from the female cop, guy wasn't even driving his own car, was down from Michigan and had just totaled his friend's van.
Poor bastard in the Silverado, like me, was just trying to get to work.
All summed up, though, I'm fine, the truck has a few scars, mostly cosmetic as you can see from the photos, bu I will need to get the suspension and alignment looked at, a new tire and wheel (you'll notice the rubber is abraded and the wheel scarred up), and my rear view mirror is AWOL.
Still, luck, reflexes, knowledge of my truck's ins and outs (been driving the same S10 for the last 7 years) and younger years full of of doing stupid shit likely made it possible that I am around to type this out.
If I had slammed on the breaks, that dump truck would have nailed me and the story....well....
Oh, and to the driver of that Chrysler van..........I hope they take your damned license and never give you a chance to get it back.
The REAL version of a PIT maneuver:
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Living History
Recently, I had the chance to meet up once again with the awesome men and women from The Collings Foundation as they did their annual Wings of Freedom tour.
When I arrived at the Kissimmiee Air Museum, the sun was out and the day was warming up nicely, with almost no clouds to speak of. The Collings Foundation stores their B-25J Mitchell medium bomber there, since she has had a persistent oil leak problem. If she looks familiar, I've shot her before, and others like her. Or, you're a history buff, and know that the B-25 Mitchell, though the "B" version instead of the "J" here, was the aircraft Jimmy Doolittle used to strike Tokyo flying off the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Here we have a couple shots of "Tondelayo".
No Autographs, please........I'm shy!
Nestled under her wing.
Looking ready to launch. I liked the fact that she was parked at an angle to the taxiway center-line
So, of course, I dropped to my stomach and shot down the line towards her.
The First of the Heavies to arrive was the gorgeous Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, stalwart of WWII in Europe. The Foundation's aircraft is painted as "Nine O Nine", and th sound of the four-engined heavy bomber was immestakable as she came in over the tree line to do a pass before landing. If you have seen the movies "The Memphis Belle" or "Twelve O'Clock High" this is the kind of bomber that was the star of those films.
Graceful lines
Coming in to land
Nine-O-Nine taxis toward me
I love the symmetry
After she had gotten all parked and set up, we heard over the tower radio that "Witchcraft", the Consolidated B-24J Liberator, was in the approach pattern. The B-24 was the most mass-produced American bomber of the war, and she fought in all the theatres, with the USAAF and the USN. Sadly, today, there are only three airworthy examples left in the world, (I have shot all three) and only two that regularly fly (and I now have airborne shots of both). From your left.........a little Witchcraft!
She kind of looks like a flying pig from this angle....
Y'know, no matter where I go, there's always some yabo that thinks it's ok to walk in front of me when I'm shooting. Not the guy in Blue, he's staff.....but the other two.....actually, the guy on the right was pretty cool, he was a mechanic on Liberators in the war. I let him stand in front of me assuming I could shoot over him. Never saw him in the viewfinder, but....lol. Dude on the left, however......jumped in front of me more than once.
bomb bay doors snap open as she is marshaled into position
Well, hello gorgeous!
Finally, while "Witchcraft" was still shutting down, the Foundation's North American TP-51C Mustang, "Betty Jane" roared by overhead and set up for landing.
Note the elongated cockpit. This is a modified P-51C that has two fully functional sets of controls.
No one in front of me THIS time!!
and into the shelter.
Shiny
After all the birds were safely down, they were opened up for tours (for a small fee, of course) and you could even get rides in them (for a much larger fee). Of course, I did the former, but would have had to sell an arm for the latter. Interior shots can be found on my Picasa site here, which also has more of these beautiful ladies, and some of the RA-5C over in Sanford. For video of the Foundation arrivals, go to my YouTube channel.
As many of you know, I don't shoot people much, but I have always wanted to do a pin-up or period style shoot with vintage Warbirds. As the photographer, TYVM. So if anyone wants to be my subject, let me know. I already know the fine folks at Fantasy of Flight would accommodate me by moving birds into the open, so.......
When I arrived at the Kissimmiee Air Museum, the sun was out and the day was warming up nicely, with almost no clouds to speak of. The Collings Foundation stores their B-25J Mitchell medium bomber there, since she has had a persistent oil leak problem. If she looks familiar, I've shot her before, and others like her. Or, you're a history buff, and know that the B-25 Mitchell, though the "B" version instead of the "J" here, was the aircraft Jimmy Doolittle used to strike Tokyo flying off the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Here we have a couple shots of "Tondelayo".
No Autographs, please........I'm shy!
Nestled under her wing.
Looking ready to launch. I liked the fact that she was parked at an angle to the taxiway center-line
So, of course, I dropped to my stomach and shot down the line towards her.
The First of the Heavies to arrive was the gorgeous Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, stalwart of WWII in Europe. The Foundation's aircraft is painted as "Nine O Nine", and th sound of the four-engined heavy bomber was immestakable as she came in over the tree line to do a pass before landing. If you have seen the movies "The Memphis Belle" or "Twelve O'Clock High" this is the kind of bomber that was the star of those films.
Graceful lines
Coming in to land
Nine-O-Nine taxis toward me
I love the symmetry
After she had gotten all parked and set up, we heard over the tower radio that "Witchcraft", the Consolidated B-24J Liberator, was in the approach pattern. The B-24 was the most mass-produced American bomber of the war, and she fought in all the theatres, with the USAAF and the USN. Sadly, today, there are only three airworthy examples left in the world, (I have shot all three) and only two that regularly fly (and I now have airborne shots of both). From your left.........a little Witchcraft!
She kind of looks like a flying pig from this angle....
Y'know, no matter where I go, there's always some yabo that thinks it's ok to walk in front of me when I'm shooting. Not the guy in Blue, he's staff.....but the other two.....actually, the guy on the right was pretty cool, he was a mechanic on Liberators in the war. I let him stand in front of me assuming I could shoot over him. Never saw him in the viewfinder, but....lol. Dude on the left, however......jumped in front of me more than once.
bomb bay doors snap open as she is marshaled into position
Well, hello gorgeous!
Finally, while "Witchcraft" was still shutting down, the Foundation's North American TP-51C Mustang, "Betty Jane" roared by overhead and set up for landing.
Note the elongated cockpit. This is a modified P-51C that has two fully functional sets of controls.
No one in front of me THIS time!!
and into the shelter.
Shiny
After all the birds were safely down, they were opened up for tours (for a small fee, of course) and you could even get rides in them (for a much larger fee). Of course, I did the former, but would have had to sell an arm for the latter. Interior shots can be found on my Picasa site here, which also has more of these beautiful ladies, and some of the RA-5C over in Sanford. For video of the Foundation arrivals, go to my YouTube channel.
As many of you know, I don't shoot people much, but I have always wanted to do a pin-up or period style shoot with vintage Warbirds. As the photographer, TYVM. So if anyone wants to be my subject, let me know. I already know the fine folks at Fantasy of Flight would accommodate me by moving birds into the open, so.......
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Heroes aren't just in Comic Books.
At the risk of sounding ass-kissy here, I am posting yet ANOTHER blog that deals with my friend Carie. I know, I know. Bite me.
The more I get to know Carie, the more amazed I am that people like her truly exist outside novels and movies.
I mean, I KNOW there are good people out there, I should, as some of the best on this earth have been my friends for the past twenty years or so, but we had no choice in the matter.
Military life made us Über-chameleons (or nuts…or both), so we’re able to be extremely adaptive to many situations and can get along (or act like it), with all kinds of people.
BUT, and it’s a big but, (add jokes here), my friends and I have the hardest time liking or caring about typical civilians.
Small makes that easy. Not only is she a geek, an athlete, AND funny, but she truly does have a huge heart, and directs that compassion towards something near and dear to MY heart, the United States Armed Forces.
You see, Carie is a backer of a program called RWTT, or Rehabbing with the troops.
Rehabbing with The Troops is a nonprofit organization that helps wounded warriors not just physically but mentally readjust to life back in the USA and cope with their injuries by connecting with their favorite pro athletes.
Coming back from single or multiple tours of duty over in, as those in the Military call it, “The Sandbox”, is never easy at the best of times, fully healthy and surrounded by family and friends. Add the complication of being injured into the mix and it can be extremely daunting.
And that’s where Carie, and people like her, come in.
Carie, as you may or may not know, shattered her ankle and leg in an LFL practice, so, not only is she a pro athlete mentor to the troops she does RWTT with, she is also a fellow rehabber, as she is recovering from a bad injury as well.
Carie has been doing RWTT for about the last month or so, and, even though we are only just getting to know each other, even I can tell that the experience is having its impact on her. She has always thought of these men and women that protect our rights and persons as heroes, and rightly so, but I think she is actually starting to see the human and not just the hero sides of these brave souls, which, unless I completely miss my guess, makes them even more admirable as people than just as ideals.
I think the help might be going both ways.
I know getting the chance to realize people like Carie Small exist, and not just exist but actually care about them as a person, is a huge mental reinforcement and a great lift for those troops recovering from their injuries.
I can tell that it goes both ways though, and that, when she gets depressed about how much her injury has changed her life, all she has to do is talk to one of “Her” troops and it set things in a completely different perspective for her.
Rehabbing with the Troops is a great program to help those true heroes injured in the line of duty get back on their feet, not just physically, but emotionally as well. The men and women that serve our country are true heroes, and I know that I, for one, often take their being there for granted, even though, as having them in my nuclear and extended family,
I am too painfully aware of the problems faced with coming home from fighting an unpopular war to defend people who neither know nor care anything about their plight or the sacrifices they make for us every day.
And then, there are people like Carie, who, through programs like RWTT, renew my faith in people and give me hope for tomorrow.
For more info about RWTT, go to their facebook page here: RWTT
Saturday, February 5, 2011
What Dreams May Come
Yes I stole the title from a 90s movie and a Mattheson novel. Deal with it.
Normally, I don't dream, or, if I do, I never remember it upon waking.
In the last week, however, I have had two especially vivid and realistic dreams that not only do I know I had them, I recall the majority of th dream itself, even now, when one of them was back on Monday. Both involved friends of mine. And no, thy were not THAT kind of dreams.
I know it just means that those people are on my mind a lot lately, but still........
Normally, I don't dream, or, if I do, I never remember it upon waking.
In the last week, however, I have had two especially vivid and realistic dreams that not only do I know I had them, I recall the majority of th dream itself, even now, when one of them was back on Monday. Both involved friends of mine. And no, thy were not THAT kind of dreams.
I know it just means that those people are on my mind a lot lately, but still........
Common Courtesy
If you're going to pop by my blog....at least leave a comment, mmmmkay? I get 4-5 dozen hits a day and....no comments.
So let me know why you dropped by, what you thought, whatever.
Or I might have to take this bad biyotch private again.....
So let me know why you dropped by, what you thought, whatever.
Or I might have to take this bad biyotch private again.....
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