Blog
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Crater Lake and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
I just finished “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” – probably the only person to have never read this book. Â The characters follow almost the exact same route through Oregon and northern California as we did on our very own “Chautauqua” last summer. Â I have always been drawn to Crater Lake – I’m not…
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Found Film: 110 “Pocket Instamatic”
One of those small 110 cartridges people used to put in “pocket instamatic” and other miniature cameras in the 1970s and 1980s came into my possession the other day. Â All twelve pictures had been taken. Â No idea whose it was originally – it was probably found in an old camera picked up at a garage…
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The International Coastal Cleanup: Chennai, India
Today we joined thousands of Chennaiites in taking part in the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup. Regular readers in this blog will recognize that Chennai struggles to maintain clean beaches and waterways, like many large urban areas on the coast.  It was impressive to see the number of people involved and active in this annual event.…
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Vintage Photos with the Agfa Billy Record I
Here’s another post about vintage cameras from this blog that doesn’t know what it wants to be. Agfa’s Billy Record I was produced from 1950 to 1952 in the U.S. Zone of post-World War II Germany. The export model (to the U.S.) was known as the Ventura 69. It shoots at 3 speeds (1/25, 1/50,…
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Passing Out in India (It’s Not What You Think)
I had the honor and pleasure of attending the Passing Out Parade at Chennai’s Officers’ Training Academy (OTA). Â To “pass out” of a military academy means, in a number of countries, to graduate, or move on. Â In the case of this particular passing out parade, 350 graduates went from being cadets, to being junior officers…