Niagara Falls

A couple of weeks ago I got in my car and drove seven hours to Ontario, Canada. It wasn't the first time I made the trip but the first time it was business; this time I was going on a weekend vacation.

I drove non-stop save for getting something to eat and use the restroom and although I go t there tired, the drive was exciting and fun.

I drove up there with three of my friends and shared the expenses to make it easier to afford. We parked the car on the New York side and crossed the Rainbow Bridge walking into Canada. The immigration officers in Canada were very friendly and welcomed us well. It was a hot summer day and since we didn't bring the car into Canada we walked for hours on end. My feet begged rest and my back a nice and comfortable bed. Ontario is a clean city with a Times Square flair. There are plenty of lights, music, booze, and food. I even had a Cuban cigar.

The falls are magnificent. Just to think that the water has flowed for thousands of years shaping what today we enjoy as a tourist attraction. The park around the falls in New York is beautiful; everything else outside the park is not so pleasant to look at. Hopefully the government allocates some money to the city because it could offer much more than what is offering now.

The drive back was OK. It took longer because we were tired. We also stopped to shop at one of the outlets in Pennsylvania. I hope to make it up there again, even to venture deeper into Canada. I think the people and the country are friendly, and the drinks are much less expensive than in our bars. Another advantage is that you can enjoy a nice Cuban cigar whenever you'd want to; they are not illegal in Canada.

Beach

We have five weeks of summer left and I haven't gone to the beach just yet. There are many reasons why I haven't ventured out to the sea this year, having way too much work being one of them.

The best time to hit the beach is early in the morning or in the evening but I especially enjoy the beach at night. Go to Coney Island at two or three in the morning and you may see me swimmming or floating observing the moon or the stars. It is very peaceful.

This picture was taken some two years back in Clearwater, Florida. This is another beach I like to visit at night every time I visit the Gator State.

Tequila

Tequila is fast becoming the drink of choice for party goers. The think with tequila is that it gets you there fast. Have two or three shots before you hit the club and all you need is a couple of beers to keep the buzz going.

Tequila is also getting expensive. This bottle of 1800 Reposado is $50 and this one was the third we opened that day. Drinking tequila is like a ritual; you need more than just the tequila to conduct the ritual as required. First get the lemon wedges and salt and of course the shot glasses. We have a big collection of them. Every town, city, country we visit adds to our collection. Some have lights, others give you a graphic representation of drunken nights in a foreign country. Oh the memories.

Once you have all the tools and ingredients prepared you need to find a quite place where the music doesn't overpower your conversation. At first there will not be much to say. Every one will say "Salud", lick the salt off their hands, tilt their heads back and drink the agave product; and to top it off drop a lime wedge in your mouth to mask the after taste. It is worth noting here that 1800 doesn't carry that bad of an after taste. It is rather smooth and easy to drink.

The one reason you want to hear your drinking buddies conversations is because tequila is like a truth serum; the truths I've found about people thanks to tequila.

Well, it is time to go and tell a couple of truths.

Coney Island

I have always loved Coney Island. From the early days when I first came to this country to the later years when I was in High School and used to cut class to hit the beach during the summer months.

The most I love out Coney Island is that for the first time in my life I found a place where I could be myself. I used to take the F train out of Park Slope and ride with anticipation all the way to the ocean.

It was during those times that I discovered wine coolers and cigarettes; and of course there were the girls.

I also enjoyed the games. To be honest I always knew I could have bought a better or bigger stuffed animal somewhere else, but that wasn't the point; I wanted to win t in front of everyone. I liked the horse races the most.

More than anything else I enjoyed Coney Island because the time I spent with my friends. I haven't seen most of them since then but the memories always remain.

Around the house

Early this spring I looked out the kitchen window into the backyard. There was quite a raucous from all the birds welcoming the first signs of warm weather. The weeds were celebrating as well growing unchecked; possessing every inch of dirt in the small yard.

My eyes landed on a bike; it leaned against the back fence. All sorts of weeds grew out of it like not wanting to let go. The bike doesn't belong to me. It belongs to my tenants. How many times have I told them to keep all their garbage out of the backyard? Many to count.

Did they even remember leaving it out there at the end of last summer? I bet not. That reminds me that asked them to fix the door which they broke.

The door is pretty old; one of those locks that still use the old L-shaped keys. It has so many coats of paint on it that I can't tell the original color. Sometimes I think about stripping all the paint off but the last time I tried that it turned out to be a disaster. Should I buy a new door instead?
I do like its charm and old world feel. I was told those doors are original to the house. If that is true then they are over 100 years old. To me discarding those doors would be like erasing years of memories, even if they are not mine.

It could be that I'm cheap and I don't like to spend money; I don't know, but I do like how the picture turned out.

Sometimes I take pictures of things I find around the house. I tried to extract their stories and bring them back to the present. I think it is fair to them. I don't like that somethings sometimes get forgotten.

Planning my yard

I've been collecting ideas on how to turn my back yard into a decent place for me to rest, play, dance, and drink. The place is not that big but it has enough space for sitting, dancing, a fire pit, and of course, the barbecue grill.

I visited this Mexican restaurant over the weekend. It is located on Myrtle Ave. in Bushwick, a couple of blocks away from DeKalb Ave. Inside the place is clean and well designed but what I liked the most was its back patio. The fountain in the middle could use some water and electricity for lights but the concept was what I liked. I could lay out a small plaza in the middle with the fountain as the focal point. I would also allow for some grass and planting space.

I'm continuing to look for ideas but this place really got me thinking Spanish or Mexican plaza kind of thing. Now let's hope this blog makes me some money so I can pay for it.

Flowers

I like to photograph flowers and small objects or insects. The key to photograph small objects is to have a very study tripod to help reduce shaking and blurring. I took this picture of a bee standing on a flower at the Prospect Park zoo in Brooklyn. It was a very fun day spent with my mother that came to visit from Florida, my sister-in-law and my nephew and two nieces.

I find it very cool that I was able to capture this bee doing what bees do best: gathering the nectar from flowers. If you look closely you can see the bee "licking" its legs. Yummy!

I got really close here so I could capture the worm hidden among the beautiful tentacles in this flower. The worm was actually very small but thanks to the macro function in my camera I did get a nice shot of it.

My mom loves flowers as well. Contrary to me she has a very green thumb and can make any plant grow strong and even give fruit. I stick to photographing flowers; nothing I try to grow makes it past a month. No even weeds.

I do have an avocado tree; it is now about two feet tall and seems to be doing pretty well. I threw the avocado pit into a pot full of dirt I had in the kitchen and to my surprise a small avocado tree started growing. Now I am talking to it, watering every other day, and checking for bugs and stuff that can kill it. Sooner or later I'll have to transplant it because it's getting too big for the planter. Let's hope it makes it.

This is another flower from the zoo. I never know the plants or flower's names; I only care about their color and details. Once I download my photos to the computer I zoom in on them until the details start to show the pixels. The closer you get to a flower the more alien it becomes. It also becomes more beautiful because you see how the parts make the whole. It is just like people; we sometimes look at the person from outside but if you really get to know them you'll find their true beauty.

Kids

I am tempted to say that kids are a pain in the ass. They scream, think they deserve everything, cry for irrational reasons; kids are a bunch mess.

But I did say tempted. I took my nieces and nephew out to the park and although they managed to do all of the above, I did have a good time with them. Kids remind you of where you came from and they are Life's way of allowing you an opportunity to redeem yourself. We made tons of mistakes and here we are in a situation where we can guide them to do better.


What I love the most about kids is their imagination. They see the world through different eyes; almost without limits on what you can do. They are also funny in that see my siblings through them; and not just physically. I am the oldest of four brothers and sisters and my nephews and nieces are a carbon copy of their parents. They were also a pain in the ass.

Cousin Weldon

My cousin Weldon came to visit from Puerto Rico. He's going to be around for about three weeks and New York is only one stop in a multi-city journey he's doing this summer.

I decided to show him a bit about New York and New Jersey and took him to Southern New Jersey for a boat riding day. My friend Joe owns a small boat and he agreed to take us out for the day. We even went swimming on a eleven feet deep pool of water by the ocean; I don't think I've ever been in waters deeper than seven feet. I put on one of those floating jackets and jumped in the waters; I admit I looked ridiculous but it was very fun.

The next day I took my cuz to Times Square. You can't just go back to wherever you came from without visiting Times Square. This guy loved the whole thing. The lights, the colors, the people. He fell in love with New York. I really enjoy showing this city to newcomers. I came to New York when 42nd street was a sex mecca, with all the drugs, shady figures, and questionable characters. Those were the good old days. But showing this version is OK.

I Love New York

I am not a native New Yorker. I came here when I was seventeen years old and have called New York home since day one. I have lived in other States and traveled to other countries and have found that there is no place like the big NY.

If I need beautiful sunsets I can walk over to the Riverside Park on the upper West side and point my camera towards New Jersey. I took this picture about two years ago and always find pleasure when I look at it.

If I want to photograph monuments and things big... we have that. The picture of the Statute of Liberty I took while riding the Staten Island Ferry. The boat ride is free and you get views of the city and the Statute that are breath taking.

One of the most important aspects of living in this city is that whatever you want or desire you can find it here. Want ice cream at 2 am? There's a place for that. Need medicine for a tooth ache? You guessed right; there's a place for that. The magic of the whole thing is that there is a store or place open at any time of say or night where you can go to get what you need or want. To me that is priceless.

Prospect Park Zoo

It had been years since I last visited the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn. I remember going there as a young man and get lost amid all the animals and exhibitions; I could spend an entire day there and not notice the time pass by. It was kind of a refuge.

I remember there used to be bears and such in that zoo, but now goats and llamas seem to be the preferred residents. The seals still put on a great show. On my last visit however I met an animal I didn't know existed: the red panda. It looks more like a fox but it sure is a beautiful animal. Its fur is more like ochre and has a beautiful face. It has a face more like teddy bear and an elongated body, that on the day I saw, rested calmly on a
branch.


I really like visiting the zoo but I found Prospect Park zoo to be clean but lacking in exotic animals and exhibitions like the ones I saw as a kid. I noticed how the lack of money has impacted the city's parks. I hope that the economy recovers enough to once again allocated money to those places that bring us back to our childhood the way we knew it; or remember it.

Ride to heaven

I'm not sure who came up with the idea, or how long it has been practiced, but I've seen many bicycles chained to posts painted all white. They stand there day and night, no one daring cut the chain and ride to ride into the night.

People look at them and wonder; not why the bike ha been painted white but for whom. These bicycles represent someone that roe into the afterlife while riding them.

I have seen at least three of them in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. Most of them carried young ones by the inscriptions you find written on the fuselage. I wonder how the families of these kids cope with the ever present reminder, perhaps doors from the house. I for one think of the precious times that person spent riding that bicycle; of the first time she saw it, of the first time she pedaled as fast as she could and the wind made all problems disappear. I think of how much I loved riding my bikes as a kid and I too try to forget the reality of how one of those days ended for the owner of the white bike.

Crossing the Williamsburg

I cross the Williamsburg bridge into and from Manhattan at least once every week. To get to it I have to cross Bushwick and for the last couple of years I've seen the neighborhood change right in front of my eyes.

For once, the bridge itself has changed. After almost thirteen years of improvements it looks like it's finally done. The walkway accommodates both bicyclists and pedestrians and the views of the East River are inspiring.

A couple of Saturdays ago I decided to cross the Williamsburg by foot. I grabbed my camera and started navigating my way through the cyclists and joggers. The walkway is now a tunnel of red iron. It looks, from the start, that you are walking into a time bending tunnel, just like in the movies. If you are coming from Brooklyn you will walk past old factories now converted to lofts. The broken and dirty windows still a reminder of years past. Just before you start walking above the water you meet an old friend of Brooklyn: the Domino's Sugar factory. It's sign still stands tall reminding us all that many years back it gave jobs to thousands of New Yorkers.

As I continued on my journey to the city I noticed that the walkway was covered by fencing, perhaps to protect the vehicles from any pranksters up above but it also covered most of the views. I did manage to put my lens through one of the fence links and snap a shot of the Empire State building. It stood majestic taking its place as the tallest building in New York.

I found many other views and took hundreds of pictures that day. The one thing I realized is that my neighborhood has the same structures from many years past but its spirit has changed. Factories gave way to artist lofts and low income housing is now a phrase of the past. There are lots ore businesses and we now even have yellow cabs.

Introduction

I am a very private person hence a very great listener. This first post will only say enough about me to meet this class requirements but I will promptly move on to talk about one of my passions: photography. I am not worried about someone stealing my identity, sometimes I wish someone would. My privacy is more related to the fact that I don't want to be bothered. That's all.

My name is Jose. My family calls me Juni and at work they call Louie. I do have other names but they are voiced by my direct reports. I think we should leave that alone. I am a field manager for the Nielsen Company; we are mostly known for measuring television viewership, we do the so called TV Ratings. Every commercial you watch on TV is there for a reason: the time, the day, the product all come together because we know who is watching. It is very interesting stuff.

I am working towards the completion of a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration on, guess... Sales and Marketing. What I like the most about marketing is understanding why we, as consumers, behave the way we do. Have you ever thought of why you came back from the store with a magazine when all you went to get was milk? Have you noticed that pharmacies are always at the back of the store? Why? Do you usually bend down to grab a Coke or Pepsi from the grocery's refrigerator? No, they are always within easy reach. Marketing is a fascinating science.

I am originally from Puerto Rico and speak English with a slight Spanish accent which it's seen differently depending on what part of the country you are. New yorkers have grown indifferent to it, but I found out it is still sexy in the Midwest; being that this is a family oriented blog I'll just say that the ladies do love a man with an accent in the Midwest. And of course, we have places like Arizona where bad pronunciation can get you jailed.

I think that's enough about me. Tomorrow I'll start writing about some of my pictures and I'll try to take you back to when I took the photograph. I'll try to explain the circumstances or why I took the picture. All pictures in this blog are mine; some are good others not so much. I always have a camera handy and can take pictures or sunsets, birthday parties, garbage; and have a few of monkey poop. It is a hobby so I can snap to my heart's content.

The picture I a using today is of the J train crossing the Williamsburg Bridge towards Brooklyn.

Well, see you tomorrow.