St. Louis St. Patrick's Day Parade

St Patrick's Day Parade in St. Louis, Mo

Model T Ford Club

Irish Pageant Queen

What lawn mowers have to do with St. Patrick I haven't figured out.  But these guys were in the parade.

The USO

These Guys are sitting in motorized movie theater chairs.

These are some of the pictures I took at the parade.  They were all taken with a Minolta Maxxum 3XI  35mm film camera, equipped with a 35-80 auto focus, zoom lens.  The film is Fuji 800 speed film.    

My Minolta Auto-Focus Camera

The picture above (top) of my neighbor's door was taken in the evening.  As you can see by the "decorations" these pictures were taken back in October. (I'm back logged on film developing)   The picture below it of the skeleton positioned in front of the Overland, Mo Fire Department, was taken at night.

This picture has nothing to do with Halloween, but it's one of my favorite places to eat.  They've got super chicken wings.  Their buffet prices are reasonable.  It's a family oriented restaurant (as far as I know they don't serve alcohol).  And, the owners are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  If you're ever in the Overland Missouri area, you'll want to stop by the "CHINA FUN BUFFET" restaurant, located at the corner of Woodson and Midland roads.  


All of the pictures posted here were taken using Fuji 35mm film.  The film speed is 800.  And the camera used was a Minolta Freedom 70 EX with auto focus. 

California Beach

Vietnamese Transportation

Vietnam

Danish Brewery in Vietnam

Platonic Friends

Sunrise

Sunset Lovers

Lake St. Claire Tasmania

May I give you a gold(en) coin like this one?  It's easy to get, and it's real, legal (spendable) U.S. money.  Just go to my blog and post one of your pictures there.  It DOES have to be one that you photographed.  Just tell me what kind of film, and camera you used to take it.  On April 15th, I'll choose the 25 pictures I think are the best, and post a list of the winners, and request address info so I know where to send the coin(s).  That's it!

Please keep the photos "family friendly" (no nudes).  And while baby pictures are encouraged, bare bottoms are not.  By submitting a photo, you are stating that YOU took the picture and have the right to post / publish  it.  Thanks in advance for participating.    

Video 1

 
This video was shot with a Logitech webcam, and Microphone.  The camera was about $25 at Walmart, and the microphone was $15.  The "graininess" of the video could have been avoided by plugging the camera into a high speed port instead of using a full speed port.  Being new to digital video, I'm having to learn as I go along.   I like the camera.  I was surprised by the number of options available to me with it, considering the nominal price for the equipment. I can take still photos, make videos, and even do web cam video phone calls.        

Dog & Sunglasses

  As much as I'd like to credit for taking this picture, I did not.  But I do find the shot interesting.  I can't imagine how the Owner got this pooch to sit with those sunglasses on long enough to snap the picture.

Meagan Fox

Downsized

  This post is a long time overdue.  I had hoped to post it during the 2nd week of January, but a lingering cold virus kept me both off of work, and bed ridden until now.
  On January 2, 2011, I showed you a modest 2 bedroom apartment. The room-mates living there had to (for economic reasons) downsize their living accommodations.  What actually happened was two former friends have since parted company.  He was trying to help his "friend" get back up on her feet financially by splitting the cost an apartment for 6 months.  She promised to pay her fair share of the expenses.  For the sake of  privacy we'll call him Mike, and her Mildred.  In my previous post you saw the apartment.  This post will show you how far down he has downsized.

   This is the hallway of Mike's new living quarters.  It is a room in an older hotel.  There is no central heat because the Owner neglected to pay the gas company, and the gas has been turned off.  Each tenant/guest has an electric space heater for warmth.  There is a "common" restroom and shower that the tenants share.

   Mike discovered that his "friend" was a drug addict.  Originally she claimed that she had no real family living in the area.  She had lived with her brother, but claimed that he was not very responsible financially.  Over a 5 month period Mike learned who the financially irresponsible one really was.  In that time frame, his friend paid rent on time once.  After that she either was late, or didn't have the money at all.  So, in an effort to cut his losses, Mike simply notified the landlord of the situation he was facing and moved out.  Mildred couldn't (or wouldn't) pay the rent even though she was working the entire 5 month period.  He later learned that she was blowing the money away on lottery tickets and marijuana.   Today Mike is much happier even though his living accommodations are not what he's used to.  The rent is just over two hundred dollars per month cheaper, but you get what you pay for.  The obvious reason for the need for cheaper rent is the judgment the previous Landlord acquired against them both for breaching the lease.  Mike is currently paying $50 monthly to satisfy the judgment, and it's rumored that Mildred was fired from her job, and now collects $90 weekly in unemployment benefits.  The previous Landlord (through a collection agency) is seeking to garnish her benefits.   The pictures below are of Mike's room.