No photo today as I’m down in Phoenix to celebrate my mothers 78th birthday. Good times as I relax and eat way too much food. We will head over to Casa Grande today and eat, yet again, with my sister and brother-in-law. Hope everyone enjoys their day!
-
-
Tootling in Manchester
So, what do you do when you have a Saturday overnight in Manchester, NH? Well, you tootle to old-town scouting for restaurants, shops and anything else you could discover for the first time.
The van driver dropped my c-worker, Jeff, and I off along Elm street and we walked the streets from there. I was in awe of the massive brick cotton and wool mills along the Merrimack River. If you walk up the hill you will encounter brick row houses used to board the immigrants working in the mills. The Amoskeag Mill companies were instrumental to the growth of Manchester, not only acting as a magnet to its growth, but also providing the early services, such as stores, fire and police to the early city. It is reasonable to state that without the mills, Manchester would not have grown to be as large and prominent as it is today. There’s a lot of history and stories in those buildings.
Victoria and Laura For the evening meal we settled on a restaurant called Jillian’s, found here. They had a nice patio area along the river and the day was gorgeous. As soon as we walked in we discovered things were a bit different. The waiters and waitresses were dressed in costumes and outfits from another time. Our lovely waitress, Victoria, informed us they were to dress in a disco theme. Well, some did and some didn’t but it was sure fun. I took a few images, met some really neat people, had a good meal and would most likely go back. When I asked Victoria if I could take her photo she hesitated then agreed when one of her co-worker joined in on the fun. I immediately noticed Laura had a professional presence and after talking with her discovered she is a wife, mother of four, and professional model. She works hard to stay in good shape and health.
Orange High Heels Nadine was eye candy. There was no way you were going to miss Nadine as she had on some eye catching high heels. First of all they were orange. I mean orange! And, she had a tatoo. Once you refocused your eyes and started working your way up those legs you discovered a very beautiful woman in those orange high heels. So, in between serving beers and burgers to customers, I asked if I could to take a few images of the shoes. Luckily, I got both the shoes and a quick portrait. Did I mention the shoes were orange and matched her top? Sorry if I missed that part.
Nadine 
Brian Brian was the first one we met when arriving at the restaurant. The hat says it all! I really had fun with the shots I took of him and he really got into the role. In fact he was into the his role even as a waiter, strutting around with his cane, playing the role!
The Go-Go Dancer Speaking of playing,they had some live music with a guitarist name Chris Gardiner. Not bad! He played some oldies and brought back a few memories of past days. He played some nice toe tapping music, at least for a man my age but not for this young lady. She bouncing to the music while eating in her high chair next to us. After satisfying mom and dad that she had eaten enough, she hit the dance floor. So I hit the floor also and grabbed a few quick shots. She was having fun and people were sure enjoying the entertainment she provided.
The Bikers It was definitely a beautiful day for motorcycles, you could hear them rumbling in the distance, so it was no surprise to have a few bikers show up? These two ladies came in and joined in on the fun and I was able to get this image just before they left. Heck we all fun! Just tootling in Manchester on a Saturday night.
-
Pick a Chair
Painted Chairs While walking the streets in Westerville, Ohio, I discovered these chairs on a porch at a small shop. Colorful and eye-catching I raised up my camera to capture in pixels what I saw and felt. But what did these eclectic chairs on this porch lead to?
Ironically the shop is called Serendipity. At first I thought it was a coffee shop but they were advertising ice cream sundaes. After walking inside I discovered it’s an older home where they have converted the different rooms into small coves with tables and chairs. People can come in find a table in a corner that suits them for study time, after all it is a college town, or read a book, or write in their journal or share an intimate conversation. For any of you couch potatoes, you could sink into the couch located in a back room and watch CNN on a flat screen TV. Weather permitting you may want to grab one of the tables on the patio or you could pick one of the brightly painted chairs on the front porch and stare at strangers as they walk by.
I met the owners, a husband and wife team, who hire the college students to help in the shop. I would use the words friendly, outgoing, energetic, to describe them. From the description above you may think I’m describing a coffee shop but it is more than that. They served a little bit of everything including sandwiches, fries, soups, salads, ice cream, malts and coffees. Did I mention ice cream? Their ambiance was inviting enough that I’ll go back sometime and try one of their paninis or a sundae or a salad or a bowl of soup or a quesadilla or a cappuccino or a……
-
Rainbow of Hats
Rainbow of Hats New York City offers some wonderful restaurants. While visiting a couple of days ago Kirsten and I discovered this great little Szechwan and Chinese cuisine restaurant called Ginger’s. We ordered two plates, a vegetarian dish of Shiitake Mushroom with Shanghai Bok Choy and the other was Chicken Pad Thai. Both were wonderful but the brown sauce on the mushrooms and Bok Choy was amazing. We found both of us licking the sauce without any embarrassment. I will need to return there for more.
New York City is also a great place for photography as it provides an amazing array of lights and colors vying for your attention. Somewhere near Times Square I found this stack of hats creating a rainbow of colors and patterns. Anyone for a new hat?
-
Shrimp and Craw Fish
When I think of New Orleans I think of Gulf Coast, Lake Pontchartrain, levees, the French Quarter, Mardi Gras and good food. Near our hotel is a restaurant called Johnny Trauths where I have been tempted with both shrimp and crawfish. On my first visit to the restaurant I quickly weakened and ordered a pound of boiled shrimp with no regrets. Now when I think of New Orleans I think of that plate piled high with boiled shrimp and the boiled red potatoes and corn on the cob. Last week during one of our overnights, I walked over to dine again. I noticed these posts with the mooring lines, or mawsers as they are sometimes called, along the outside of the restaurant. I liked the patterns and the late afternoon light, so took I took this shot.