Beijing: Night Stroll

The night of my first full day, I took a walk from the Fourth Ring Road in Beijing towards the third. The object was to get some pictures of the fireworks. There were not as many fireworks as on the first night that I was there, and while I could see and hear some, I could never get really close enough to the people lighting them off. I saw some people right in front of the building the first night, but I was too tired from 20 hours of traveling to go back down and get any pictures.

...so no firework lighters, but some good pics of people coming and going in the night nonetheless!

Cheap Sunglasses (but a crazy skateboard)!

These images were taken the same Saturday as the Drive Out post, just a little later in the day. Apparently a strict chronology is not all that important to me these days, but that's not really important right now. What is important is how cool that gal's skateboard is. I had to get it on camera! so scroll down and take a look!

My Viola

This is on of my two violas. It has had an interesting life.  I bought a few years ago (less then a decade I'm sure) when I sold my Roman Teller 16.5" Viola because I wanted to still have one to practice on. The Roman Teller was a shop made Viola I bought in Salt Lake City at Paul Prier's, and it was excellent.In fact it was a better viola then I was a player by far, but the bouts were a bit wide and hard to play for extended periods of time. This Viola was a lot more modest in it's origins, it is only 16", it was made in China, it had this stuff called nitro varnish which is cheaper to apply but really deadened the sound, so it was a not a pleasant sounding instrument. But it was cheap, of fairly good construction, and I needed something (in fairness it was not awful sounding, just nowhere near my former one). I had bought a violin in the white and finished it myself, so I decided to remove all the varnish I could and revarnish it myself. After all, It couldn't make it any worse, and it was not of historic or intrinsic value (I bought it for about $250), so what did I have to lose?

I removed all of the varnish and put several coats of new varnish on it. As I had done it before with the violin, and it came out better then expected then, I had high hopes for this project as well. I got it all completed a few weeks later, and it actually looked a lot better then it did originally (in my opinion). It certainly had more character. But it still had some issues, It needed pegwork done, the fingerboard planed and a new Bridge cut. I got the bridge blank from Blaise and the guys at Electric Violin Shop, and the work was done in Durham at High Strung. A week or so later is was done. It did have Dominants on it at the time, but I wanted something a little better stringwise.

I went to John Montgomery's for the strings. Dominants are a fine string, but I wanted something a little warmer. I love strings by Pirastro,  and I tried the synthetic Obligato, and then Eudoxas, Before settling on Olives (I apparently have expensive taste in strings)

I also got them to order the case from Bobelock. They had it on hand in black, but one of my friends had a violin case in brown with the green lining, and I loved it, so I decided  I wanted one like it. Since it was a viola case, I did not feel it was really copying him. ("but John.....it's NOT like yours at all...it's a VIOLA case; completely different!").

I already had gotten from John my bow, years ago, so I was all set. It came from Brazil and the wood is amazing. I got a few Violin bows from the same people around the same time including a gold mounted one that is just gorgeous! Anyway, that is the story of my viola, It plays wonderfully now. Not like my old Roman Teller, but sweeter and warmer and certainly more open, but not quite as bright and focused. On the positive side, I am not sure it has much monetary value, so I am probably never going to be tempted to sell it.  I think I only put in about $125 into getting it in shape, not counting  the strings(which, being consumable,  I would eventually buy anyway) and the case, and I love it to death.  Right now it's jealous of my cameras and is mad at me (because I need to practice more), but I love it anyway, and probably always will!

The Drive Out

These are a few images of a trip out to run errands last Saturday, I first had to get Tucker Situated with some water in the backyard so he could chill out and enjoy the day.

Then I went out towards Smithfield. This house I always pass on the way out, and never get any pictures of (until today). I like the look of the building. It looks kinda run down, but it used to be a lot worse. I think they are restoring it!

 This is some of the farmland that I pass on the drive out. Not much going on cropwise, but I think it still looks pretty.

Of course I love old buildings tucked away amongst the new, so here is another one!

I think this is a debris pile from some residential construction. Well one man's trash is another man's treasure, but this is the only way I want to take these home with me! I hope you enjoyed my morning drive! see you next time!

Kodachrome (4 of 4)

This is the end of the line (although actually, the first roll of the four taken) I took these at JC's house and I am sure you recognize Cash! I used flash on most of the indoor shots , so the 25 ISO did not really hamper anything. Kodachrome 25, I'll miss you!

 CASH!

 JC, the man himself!

Kodachrome (3 of 4)

This is actually the second of the four roll I took.  I took it as I was leaving the house. I thought it fortunate to have snow during the week I needed to shoot the last of my Kodachrome, especially since it does not snow that much very often; we mostly get a dusting or an inch or so.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did making them.