The Jetty

All right folks, here's a real post.  I know, I know.  I've been taking a shortcut lately by posting a couple of really cool videos from You Tube.  Hey, now admit it, they were cool weren't they?  I have a few more backlogged which I will post in the future.

But for now, here is a real posting.  Yesterday I took the ten mile ride down from Casa Tipton-Kelly to Rehoboth Beach to meet up with a woman who saw a blog posting of mine in July of 2010.  She saw a picture of a jetty that I took and wanted to know where I took it.  I checked back and saw that I took it at the North Shores, Cape Henlopen.  I e-mailed that information back to her.

North Shores jetty, Cape Henlopen

She said that actually that wasn't the jetty she was looking for.  She said she's been looking this jetty for six months in Ocean City, Maryland.  Now anyone who has been to Ocean City knows that they have a LONG beach.  Forty blocks long to be exact.  Here is the e-mail that I received from her:

My original view of the jetty early in the morning with a kayaker in the distance

I just stumbled on a photo in your blog, a jetty posted July 31, 2010 (I think that’s the right date).  I’ve been looking for this jetty for about six months now – spent the last two days wandering Ocean City, MD, all 140 blocks of it.  Could you tell me where it’s located?  I’m a photographer and would love to shoot some long exposures there.

Thanks much,

MariAnne M...

So...I put on my thinking cap and racked my brain and thought of another jetty that I have seen on my wanderings.  This one is in front of the Victoria Hotel at the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, just down the boardwalk a bit from the Sands Hotel.  In the summer of 2010 I used to sit on the bench on front of the hotel and watch folks frolic around that jetty.  On good days a wave would wash in and inundate of the frolickers, thus giving me great joy in seeing them scramble to dry land.  As a fellow blogger friend of mine often says "Jolly good fun!"

Me on my bench in front of the hotel watching the action - Jetty Watching

I sent a new e-mail back to her earlier this week identifying the Mysterious Jetty.  She sent me an e-mail back an e-mail thanking me and telling me that she would be at that jetty on Friday, early in the morning, taking pictures.  She suggested that if would like to stop down and say "Hi!", she would be glad to meet me.  I thought that was a good idea.  So far I've only met one fellow blogger and that turned out to be really good.  He is Mark H. of "Two Papas and their four darlings" (or something like that, I can never get the title of his blog correct but he you all know who I'm talking about).  Mark takes wonderful photos and is very generous with sharing his talent on his blog for all of us out her in Bloggerland to view.

MariAnn (her name) said I could identify her on the beach because she would have the tripod.  So, sure enough as I was striding along the boardwalk I saw someone on the beach by the jetty with a tripod set up. There was also another photographer standing on the wet sand with her.

MariAnn - the photographer who contacted me by my blog posting

I left the boardwalk and ambled onto the footprint ladened sand toward the two photographers who were standing near the jetty, their cameras at the ready, and the sound of the waves washing over the jetty providing background ambiance.  As I got closer she looked at me and said "You must be Ron."  I fessed up that "Yes" I was Ron.  She told me that she originally thought the man standing next to her was me at first (he didn't look anything me plus he was short).  She took a closer look at my face and said "Yes, I can see that it is YOU now.  I looked at your pictures on your blog and I can see the resemblance. "  Phew!  Thank goodness she didn't say "You don't look anything at all like your pictures in your blog."  

We conversed a bit, I asked to take her picture for my blog and then I excused myself to visit a friend who was in town for the weekend.  

Yesterday MariAnn sent me this picture she took of the jetty.  Pretty cool huh?

MariAnne's photo of the Rehoboth jetty

Now this little experience is a perfect example of why I blog.  I have had friends ask me "Why do you blog?"  Here you go guys!  It is interesting.  I get to talk about myself and meet new people and who knows, I might even make a few new friends!  And we all know, one can never have enough friends!

Thanks MariAnne for contacting me.  It was a very enjoyable experience and your photo is fabulous!

Time For a New Camera?

A more accurate question might be "Time for an additional camera?"

As anyone who knows me, knows that I like to take a lot of pictures.  A LOT.

I've been taking pictures since I received my first Kodak Brownie camera as a Christmas present in 1953.  Back then, like a lot of other people, we didn't have a lot of money.  I especially didn't have any money except what I earned on my paper route.  I delivered about eighty papers daily and twenty five on Sunday (the big ones.)  After I paid the "paper lady" for my papers, I had about $5.00 left over.  Usually when it came time to pay the paper lady I just made it because I had already spent my money on candy and comic books.  Oh yes, I was a typical pre-teen kid of the Fifties.

Well, when I got my camera I would occasionally take a roll of black and white film and drop it off at the Sam Charles newsstand in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.  The Charles newsstand was also conveniently the same location where I picked up my daily  supply of papers and bought my comic books.  The candy I bought at Zittles down the street.

Me with my cat Bobby about the time I got my first camera.  This may have been the first picture -1951 - I'm ten years old

Remember back in the black and white days when we put our film in the store?  We would have to wait at least a week until they "came back."  It was always exciting to see "what came out."  Oh how I wish I had spent less on comic books and candy and more on those glorious old black and white photos.

A picture I took of my two younger brothers John and Isaac.  I had an eye for composition even then - 1953

A picture I took of my Mom who cleaned the offices at Gindys (she was on break) - 1955

When I grew up I bought a Mamiya-Sekor SLR camera.  I had that camera for about twenty years.  Again I took many rolls of film, now color.  I also had a telephoto lens on my Mamiya-Sekor and took many wonderful focused pictures of individuals.  Unfortunately I dropped that camera one day on a concrete block which damaged the camera.

A picture I took with my Mamiya-Sekor camera of Bill and my nieces Christmas 1971

The cameras I bought to replace that camera were point and shoot camera.  No more focused head shots with the blurred background.  In recent years I have purchased several digital cameras.  I love the digital cameras because I can take thousands of pictures and see immediately what I have taken.  However, I am still missing those wonderful head shots of people that capture their personality.

Personalities captured on film -me and my co-worker Sue at FFB - 2006

Mark, a new friend who reads this blog, has sent me several pictures of his children that have that focused head shot with the blurred background.  I love those pictures.  I think Mark will the the catalyst that causes me to spring for one of those $500 SLR digital cameras.  I've just about taken all the point and shoot pictures that I want to of the scenes here in southern Delaware.  Now it is time for me to capture personalities.  Mark brought up a very good point about using a telephoto lens.  He says you can take a picture of a person without getting in their face.  Good point Mark.  As my friends here in Delaware know, I rarely  never go anywhere without my camera.  Now it looks like I'm going to be one of those photographers who intimidates everybody with a big camera hanging around my neck.

I do love taking pictures.  I love capturing "the moment in time."  I know that sometime in the future, after I'm long gone, someone will look at my pictures and appreciate this little mini legacy I have left behind.  I also want to write a book as a legacy but I can't seem to get started on that project. Pictures I can do.

So my friends when you see me now be sure to say (quoting Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard"), "Alright Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup."

Norma Desmond ready for her close up - 1951 (the year I got my first camera)