Today’s set-ups and photos from the American Museum of Natural History 
are dedicated to science. I’m trying to get better at photographing this subject because I would like to do it professionally. Tomorrow I will be heading back to the museum to capture some of what I missed the first time. It’s always a challenge there due to the number of people, the plastic that surrounds all the exhibits and the spotlight that hang from the ceiling giving all sorts of weird light. The photo of the blue whale had to be a 4 second shot with an aperature of 7.1. The cool thing is that people seem to disappear when there are long exposures so there are many less people in the photo than were there in real life The other interesting subjects are the frontal and occipital portions of human skulls. They are part of the lab work that I take in osteology and they are the models we work with.
Restarting the Blog with more photos on the way
I’ve been tremendously busy with work and didn’t have any time to do photography, and so this blog sort of crashed, But I’m taking a break from work for the next 6 months and I started taking a studio art class among others. It’s forced me to get out and start shooting again. The Weekly assignments include the topics Red, Time, Something and It’s Opposite, Splash and Freeze Frame. The topic for my term presentation will be science. I’ll be writing more as I create new projects. Some will be good, some not so good. Let me know what you think.
Peru, Ballestas Islands, Ccaccaccollo and Machu Picchu
The Ballestas Islands were called the poor man’s Galapagos. It really isn’t the Galapagos but its a cool place to see penguins, boobies, cormorants, and seals. Boats take you out to the islands and their is plenty opportunities for photographs. Ccaccaccollo is a town in the mountains where we spent two days living as a native. We stayed with a lovely lady named Theadora and her grandchild, Diana. We learned to shuck corn and be somewhat native. Machu Picchu is considered one of the modern wonders of the world for a reason. It is spectacular! In the morning, it is covered by mist and in the afternoon, the absolute spender of the architecture of Machu Picchu stands as a monument to the Incan. Enjoy the photos. Many photos of the animals that we saw at Ballestas Islands are located on Flickr, along with some awesome aerials as we took off from LaGuardia Airport. Photographs taken at Ccaccaccollo are here
100th Anniversary of Machu Picchu and a trip to Peru
I’ve taken time off from going around NYC to spending two weeks traveling around Peru. The highlights were Cuzco, Machu Picchu and the small town of Ccaccacollo. We went through a non-profit organization named GEEO (geeo.org) which specializes in teacher-based tours of various countries. It was run through a tour group out of Canada called GAP Adventures. We traveled with 12 other people, mostly teachers, through this fascinating region in Peru, and we benefited by having a wonderful tour guide named Rudy who kept everything running smoothly. This year was special for Machu Piccu because it celebrates its hundredth year since being rediscovered by Hiram Bingham. Ccaccaccollo is a small town where we adjusted to life in an indigenous village, llamas, chickens, outhouses and all for three days. But today, I will start with Cuzco. Cuzco can be overwhelming as a city, dangerous for the uninitiated regarding traffic and crime, and a constant crowded party town. But it is very much the pulse of the people in this region. The architecture of the area is stunning. And the love that these people have for their culture is evident everywhere. What are the sure fire tips that I can give you regarding Cuzco? Act as if you are in a major city and don’t leave your common sense at home. Stay away from drama, as it is usually a ploy to separate you from your money. Eat in the plaza, or at the very least, make sure your utensils are boiled. No one will be offended. They are used to our “delicate” systems and they want the business. And don’t go out alone after 9 PM at night, particularly if you are female. It may be sexist, but it is reality. Other than that, enjoy yourself. It is a magical area of the world. Next: The Sacred Valley and the Incas. See other photos of Machu Picchu at Flickr
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“Official” Star Trek Convention in Parsippany, NJ
I was given tickets to the Official Star Trek Convention by my son, as he know of my secret “Trekkie” alter ego. So off we went to Parsippany. At first, I was honestly disappointed. If there were twelve vendors, that was alot. Some of the merchandise was nice. One table had absolutely awful quality T-shirts. They had Gene Roddenberry’s personal assistant giving a slide show. It was really poor. After downing a $3.00 cup of coffee, we went back in one last time. They were giving another awful video, set to music. But then we hung around long enough to hear that Michael Dorn was the next guest. Getting to hear “Worf” give a speech and answer questions seemed worthwhile. Worf, for the uninitiated is a Klingon character that was in two Star Trek series, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Boy, am I glad we stayed. Dorn was intelligent, witty, honest with a wry sense of humor. He handled the audience with aplomb. It was standing room only when he spoke and as he took questions from the audience. And it was worth standing for the entire hour. There’s nothing like listening to a good speaker, on any topic, and Dorn certainly fit the bill. For us, he made the entire convention worthwhile. However, for Creative Entertainment, the people who run these conventions, a few words of advice for the future. I realize that it was Sunday when I came, and things were winding down. However, don’t call 12 tables a convention; perhaps a show, but not a convention. And try to make the Sunday show as interesting as the Saturday show. Being able to come for only one day shouldn’t penalize the fans. On the good note, keep finding great speakers like Dorn. He made the entire experience worthwhile to us. Tickets were $20 with discounts available on Goldstar.com
The Mermaid Parade
Once every couple of years, I have to go down to the Mermaid Parade on the Coney Island boardwalk and Surf Ave, It’s given at the end of June. Anything that has to do with the sea, or anything that doesn’t have to deal with the sea, is out in full regalia. Some of it can be quite raunchy. Most of it is just good, old fashioned fun. The parade starts at 2 PM, but if you arrive earlier, you can pay $5.00 to enter the staging area and watch people get ready for the parade, applying makeup, etc. This year, they moved the staging area from 12th Street to 21st street, which in my opinion, was not a good move. First of all, there was no prior information that the staging area had been changed to a new location. And I couldn’t even get into the staging area this year because there was a line of parade participants waiting to sign in, which blocked the way. No problem taking photos on the outside though. And everybody gives their best pose when you ask them for a photo. It was alot of fun. the costumes were varied, but often well planned. And the audience got into the act and fun was had by all. Highly recommended for a nice June afternoon. Just remember that it can be a little raunchy, so you might not want to bring your children there. However, there were many children as part of the parade. It’s one of those things that is purely New York, and one should see it at least once.
Captain Nemo
Crowd of spectators waiting for the parade to begin
The 17 month old mermaid
Twirling and dancing
Uncle Sam on stilts
NY Aquarium at City Island
Since I was going to the Mermaid parade later in the day, I decided to spend my morning at the aquarium. I hadn’t been there since I was a child. Unfortunately, it appeared that every parent in Brooklyn had the same idea, so it was noisy. But the exhibits are nice. The large salt water tank is impressive, as are the sting rays. I also liked the tiny, delicate seahorses. The information on the exhibits are clear and concise. I don’t remember the aquarium being this nice when I was a kid. I’ll definitely have to stop by there again, perhaps on a day when it won’t be so crowded. Cost inluding parking was $23.95. However, it is close to the mass transit, since it is on the boardwalk of Coney Island. Enjoy the photos below.
Clown fish near coral (the Nemo fish)
Salt water coral and anemone
Sting ray in large salt water tank
Birds eye view of the salt water fish tank
National Puerto Rican Parade
Now here is a parade that is upbeat with lots of enthusiasm. The staging area began to fill up 2 hours before the parade. The participants prepared their floats, costumes and dance steps. The participants were excited, from the young to the old. It really was a fun happening for all. I was impressed with the number of participants that were directly from Puerto Rico. The parade was from 11AM to 5 PM , and had so much energy. A nice show all around. Is there any way to minimize the politicians, or at least to spread them out? There was a half hour of nothing but mayors, governors, council members and the neighborhood district attorney etc. I was ready to fall asleep when the actual participants provided a lot of music and excitement. Then the parade really started.
High Line
Even though the weather was terrible today, we took an impromptu trip to the High Line her for the first time. The High Line is an elevated greenway constructed from the remains of an elevated rail that serviced factories and the meat market in Manhattan. We only went from 18th Street and 10th Avenue to the southern terminus near 12th Street due to the weather. Another trip there in nicer weather is definitely on our agenda. It goes all the way up to 30th St. We were blown away by the wonderful job that’s been done in making this a wonderful pedestrian area. The gardens are beautiful. The architecture blends in beautifully. The man-made urban stream near the Chelsea Market was delightful. And there are many events held there. I’m looking forward to going to the stargazing that they have on Tuesday nights with telescopes. This park is open until 11PM at night and is free to all. It’s a really nice place to stroll and get a different view of Manhattan.
Redhawk Native American Powwow at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn New York
A high energy pow wow with lots of Native American dancers from this continent and Central and South America was a great way to spend a weekend. Many different tribes were represented with spectacular costumes, energetic dance presentations and contests, and many vendors with hand-crafted goods. I particularly enjoyed the scissor dance done by Peruvian native dancers. The dance presentations were well explained to the novice (me) and experienced so that we could understand what we were looking at. Redhawk will be hosting other pow wows in the NY area, and if this Brooklyn pow wow was any indicator, they are well worth your time The cost was $12 to enter the pow wow.
