it's quiet now

It's been a long week of too much noise culminating tonight in seemingly endless small arms fire.

Well actually, it was seemingly endless small fireworks but why worry about details?

I like quiet and find too much noise to be an energy-sucking vampire.

It started last Friday with a big blow up at work, people mad about what they thought other people were saying. This sort of thing happens about anywhere.

I went to the vintage car races last weekend where the noise is pleasant to my ears. Shot a number of pictures but have not posted them to my other blog yet. Noise was not the problem. Lots of sun and temperatures in the 90's was more the issue.

Back to work on Monday and my schedule was joggled a bit as I covered for someone who was off. The noise from the blow up continued, all through the week. I took Friday off.

Ran some errands, needed some fresh black and white film and I was looking for a good flash bracket. Camera stores have fallen on hard times. I never found the bracket, my favorite store was closed and a store that once always had a crowd was now empty of customers. I bought the film (Plus X and T Max) at the fifth store.

I gathered my camera bags, kill and overkill, and left Saturday morning for my nephew’s apartment. He was getting married and I was shooting black and whites for him. The plan was for me to go to his apartment and shoot some photos of him and his friends getting dressed in their tuxedos, after that I would drive him to the event. There was just one glitch when I got there; the streets all around were closed for a parade. I couldn't get in and no one there could get out!

He had gone out for a haircut and we hooked up at a nearby shopping center to wait out the parade. The noise ended and off we went. It was a long day. I shot 4 or 5 rolls of 35mm and another 4 or 5 of 120. I could have used an assistant.

Sunday at the lake, 4th of July weekend, an endless stream of parties, an endless succession of fireworks. It is particularly annoying at my house, the spillway next door is an attractive echo chamber and every little boy with a match and a firecracker has to test it a dozen times. Then there are the spectators coming out to enjoy the show over the water, problem is you can't see it from here but that doesn't prevent them from setting up camp. We tell them but they don't always believe us.

Now everyone is gone and quiet has returned. Just the way I like it.