I posted that I found an old Canon film camera at the flea market so I had to shoot off a role of film to see if actually worked. It seemed to be working fine but I needed to be sure before I took a bunch of pictures that I really cared about only to find they were all ruined. I was really pleased with the results! It's tough to get use because it is completely manual. I'll admit that even though most professional photographers are encouraged to shot in manual I rely pretty much on my camera's metering system. The first few photos I took I actually shot with my digital camera at the same settings to be sure I wasn't wasting film. But yeah the camera actually seems to work perfect. Though after spending 7 dollars on one roll of film and 10 to process all so I could have about 10 good pictures out of a 24 roll; I realized that even though I do love the novelty of film I will be eternally grateful for digital photography.

Picked this up at a local flea market for $20. It seems to be in working order I can't wait to try it.

Just finished a new hat

On our most recent whirlwind vacation we had exactly one day to take in as much as we could of Philadelphia. Personally I love Philly but you do get a lot of mixed reviews from people who have either visited or live there. I guess it's tough to judge a city from a couple short visits, everyplace seems awesome when you're on vacation. There is still just something about the energy of Philadelphia that appeals to me. On this trip I had to miss my two favorite tourist destinations. The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Mutter Museum. The art museum was closed and we just didn't have time for the Mutter. This time around I made it on the Eastern State Penitentiary tour. Though to be honest I only about half listened to my audio tour because I was too distracted taking pictures. Well the official website says it better than I could:

"The Vineyard" as it's called by locals and seasoned visitors, is a small island off the cost of Massachusetts with a full time population of 15,000 jumping to about 75,000 in the summer (according to Wikipedia for what ever that is worth) This is where I spent my summer vacation. Theisland has several major beaches each with a little something different to offer. My favorite is Aquinnah (Gay Head). It features beautiful multicolored clay cliffs, plenty of rocks both big and small to break up the monotony of the shore, and all the ugly naked people you would never want to see. It's also a Native American reservation for the Wampanoag tribe. I've never swam in the water mainly because all the rocks in the surf kind of freak me out a little. But it a perfect place to walk and my favorite place on the island to take pictures. There is a section of the beach that is reserved for the nudist (aka obese people over 40 who like to take their clothes off). I can scarcely make a stroll along the cliffs without a naked man striking up some casual conversation, while I try to ignore the fact that he isn't wearing pants. Well it is a fantastic place to see and photograph if you don't mind a little "shrinkage."

A good pair of tennis shoes is something I only treat myself to once every 2 or 3 years it seems. Normally I'm very compulsive when it comes to purchases but for some reason a quest for the perfect shoe became a two day process. I wanted to order from Zappos because they have fast, free shipping. They also have an enormous selection which is both good and bad as it led to my indecisiveness. I did finally go with a new balance which I have been very pleased with. Also impressive was the fact that I ordered them at 10:00pm and they arrived the next day at about 3:00. I don't even know how that is possible. At any rate this is my first pair of New Balance shoes and I am completely satisfied with my choice. I've been walking about 2 miles in the evening and these shoes didn't even need any break in time. They were comfortable and fit perfectly right out of the box. Just felt like passing along a good experience.

Raven using his Christmas gift