Photo of the Day — Day 266

The indicators of Spring are everywhere: rainy days, flowers blooming, warmer temperatures, and so on.  In the spirit of rebirth and growth, I’ve decided to make a resolution of sorts.  S. and I have been working at establishing a physical fitness routine, which wasn’t that difficult for her, since she had already been pretty good about hitting the gym.  For me, it’s been harder, since I work some pretty long days and commute back and forth over the mountain.  If I don’t make it to the gym in the morning before work, it’s not likely to happen.  And I am not a morning person, not by a long shot.  My resolution is to be better about getting to bed early, so that when I drag my sorry butt out of bed to go to the gym and lift weights or out for a walk around the neighborhood, I won’t end up yawning all afternoon and evening.  I may never be a lark, but I am going to do my best not to be a night owl.  Wish me luck!   

Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 265

I’ve been at the photo a day thing for a while now — I’m over 2/3 of the way through — and as I look back over my photos, I can group the majority of them into one of three categories: street photography (often architectural, doors, walls, etc.), food photography (typically something I ate that day), and people photography (more often candid than posed).  Although I do enjoy a good food photo, those are usually targets of opportunity that end up on the photoblog because I need to post something, and I always eat at least a couple of times a day.  Street photography and people photography are more my passions, and if I ever won the lottery and could stop working full-time to pay the bills, I could happily spend my days wandering around taking photos of people and interesting street scenes.

The only thing better than making portraits is making portraits of people who are important to me, so today’s photo of the day is a two-fer.  M. is not only a beautiful young lady, but she’s fun and smart.  Since I moved away from Farmville, I don’t get to see her as often as I’d like, so when I was able to spend an afternoon with her and her mother, I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos of her.

Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 264

At the community mental health clinic where I work, we used to have a basket of free condoms in the restrooms on the adult outpatient side.  We tried to encourage clients to practice safe sex, and once every other month, one of the case managers used to give an HIV presentation to the clients in our substance abuse groups.  The highlight of the show was when the presenter pulled out a cucumber and demonstrated the proper way of putting on a condom.  We also offered free HIV testing to anyone who wanted it. 

Unfortunately, one of the things that went away with recent budget cuts was the basket of free condoms.  We still do the presentations and the testing, though, and when the case manager shows up, he brings with him a bunch of condoms to hand out.  Instead of the boring packaging that most condom manufacturers use, these have provocative expressions and colorful pictures.  I guess that the idea is to be eye-catching enough and cool enough that folks will be encouraged to use them.  As for me, it’s just another photo of the day opportunity.  

Valley Community Services Board in Staunton, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 263

Students of the University of Virginia are known colloquially as Wahoos, and you’ll hear various version of the history and meaning of the term, but common to all are the sense that the wahoo is a fish that drinks, and by drinks, they mean that it consumes large quantities.  Recently I’ve noticed a couple of colorful taxis around town that must cater to UVa students, or at least make a pun on the term Wahoo, one here in the parking lot near my townhouse and the other up on West Main Street.  I went to Google and found that they have a webpage (http://www.wahooptie.com/) on which they proudly proclaim that “We ain’t your mama’s taxi!”  I can’t argue with that.

Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 262

Followers of my photoblog have seen mention of one of my favorite places in Staunton, the Pompeii Lounge  (http://www.thepompeilounge.com/).  When I was getting ready to move away from Staunton last November, I decided that I would make a point of spending one evenings each week hanging out with my friends in Staunton.  Every Tuesday night, I meet up with my Staunton crew at Pompeii.  We have a couple of drinks, smoke a cigar or two, and come up with inventive solutions to the world’s most pressing problems; then, I climb into my car and head back over the mountain to my home with S. in Charlottesville. 

The staff at Pompeii are all great people, but A. is one of my favorites.  She’s smart, personable, and kind.  She works hard helping to manage the bar and serving up drinks, and in her free time, she is making good progress on establishing her modeling career, too.  In other words, A. has a lot going for her: she’s a woman of many talents, and the Pompeii regulars are all grateful for her.       

Pompeii Lounge in Staunton, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 261

Every once in a while, I’ll be out walking and see something that I’ve walked by a number of times and never noticed before.  As I was walking by the building that houses Random Row Books, Sweet Haus, and a couple of other businesses, I noticed a driveway leading around back to a combination U-Haul rental location and auto repair center.  I strolled on back and saw a brightly colored wall that had an arrow on it to direct people which direction to go in order to find the lot where they can park their U-Haul.  Or, as I like to think of it, a photo of the day.

West Main Street in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 260

I tend to avoid talking about politics on the photoblog, but today will be an exception.  I moved to Charlottesville back in November, and with the next presidential elections coming up this fall, it was time to register to vote in my new locale.  I was strolling along the Downtown Mall today and stopped by the newly-opened Obama campaign headquarters to fill out the paperwork.  A quite friendly volunteer helped me with the process, and while I was there, of course I took a couple of photos.  During the last presidentials, I volunteered at the Obama campaign headquarters in Farmville, and although I probably won’t have the time to volunteer this time, you can bet that I’ll be voting for the candidate who believes, as I do, that health care is important and that those among us who are struggling deserve some help in order to survive.  I can’t say that I have been 100% satisfied with Obama, or the Democrats in general, but to my mind, they beat the heck out of the Republicans, who seem to think that it’s perfectly acceptable for the mega-rich, like Mitt Romney, to pay lower taxes than I do.

Obama campaign headquarters on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 259

Today I had the chance to wander around a part of Charlottesville that I rarely frequent: the area bounded by Main Street, and Grady and Preston Avenues, beginning at the Corner (the small commercial district at the edge of campus) and ending at the Downtown Mall.  I barely scratched the surface, and there’s a lot more exploring left to do, but I was able to come away with this photo of the day.  

12th Street Northwest in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 258

One thing that my friends all know about me is that I am a pizza lover.  I love, love, love a good pizza, and since I come from Central Illinois, my ideal pizza tends more toward the Chicago-style deep dish school of pizza making.  Lou Malnati is a saint, if you ask me, and his pizzas are good enough to make you shout.  The very best pizza on the planet, a veritable pizza of the gods, used to be made by a place called Michaeleo’s in Normal, Illinois; tragically, they went out of business — due to some foolish business decisions, not to the quality of their pizza — a couple of years ago.  I can honestly say that learning about the demise of Michaeleo’s almost brought a tear to my eyes.  But I digress…

When I arrived in Virginia back in 1994, I was surprised that such a serious foodie town had such poor pizza offerings.  I didn’t expect to find the deep dish pizza of the gods that I had left behind in Normal, mind you, but I couldn’t even find a good thin crust pizza here.  It was kind of depressing, to tell the truth, for such a pizza lover like me.  But then I heard about this place in the tiny town of Crozet, located about twenty minutes away from Charlottesville.  Everyone raved about Crozet Pizza!  It’s the best pizza in the world, they said!  You simply must drive out to Crozet and try this pizza; your soul will sing with joy!

So, with an open mind and an empty stomach, I went to Crozet Pizza (http://www.crozetpizza.net/) with a couple of friends.  And I was disappointed.  Terribly disappointed.  It was OK pizza, maybe even fine pizza, but it just didn’t hit the spot.  It couldn’t live up to the great pizza that I was used to getting back in Illinois.  I never went back to Crozet Pizza, and I learned to make do with the so-so pizza I could find in Charlottesville.  I settled. 

Fast forward from 1995 to 2012.  S. and I decided to take a little day trip, to get out of Charlottesville and break out of our usual weekend routine.  I suggested that we go to Crozet, since I had heard that the town was growing.  There’s an outpost of the Mudhouse local cafe chain and a bookstore, and I thought that maybe there would be something worth photographing, either in Crozet itself or on the trip out and back.  We loaded up the car and hit the road, and twenty minutes later, we found ourselves in Crozet.

There isn’t a lot to the town, a small strip of businesses and a whole lot of country, but the bookstore was nice, and the Mudhouse was, too.  We decided to give Crozet Pizza a try, despite my past disappointment, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I guess it’s possible that my standards are falling or that I’m growing more generous in my middle age, or maybe I was so disappointed last time because the taste of the pizza of the gods was still fresh in my memory, if not in my mouth.  Maybe I just had bad luck last time or they outdid themselves this time.  But regardless of the reason, I thought that Crozet Pizza was actually pretty good; it wasn’t as good as Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie (which may turn up in a future post), but it was more than respectable.

While I was wandering around the “downtown” area, I snapped a couple of photos of a rustic mural that was painted on the walls underneath an overpass.  It seemed to have some sort of pioneers of the Wild West sort of theme, and it has obviously suffered some wear and tear, but I still found its quirkiness quite charming.  And, of course, I took a photo of the Crozet Pizza restaurant.

Crozet, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 257

Regular viewers of the photoblog know that I don’t post many landscape or nature photographs here; I tend to be more drawn to street photography and portraiture, and I enjoy dabbling in some food photography, too.  With the pear trees in full bloom, though, I’ve found myself wanting to take photos of them.  After months of bare trees, the white blooms look almost otherworldly, and they are simply gorgeous.  This particular stand of trees is about a block from where I work, situated across the street from Starbucks.  I treated myself to a chai latte today, and I decided that I’d better take a photo of the pear trees before all the blooms started to fall. 

Staunton, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 256

Sometimes the street photography gods smile upon you, and sometimes they turn their backs on your fervent requests and prayers.  Today was an example of both of these.  I’ve been thinking about making a photo of this one particular little market that I like, one of those corner markets that used to exist all over the place but have been replaced by convenient stores and big supermarkets.  I took a number of photos of it, but I just wasn’t able to get one that I found satisfying.  As I was trudging away, I looked over and saw an interesting shadow on a nicely painted blue wall, so I stopped.  I make a couple of images of the wall, but I thought that it needed something more to add some visual interest, so I backed up a bit and made this image, which I like quite a bit.  It’s not the photo I planned on making, but it’ll do just fine.  

Stewart St. in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 255

I’ve been to plenty of Japanese restaurants, but I’ve always eaten sushi, sashimi, or a noodle dish.  Today I went to Massaki, a Japanese restaurant a few blocks from work, with some colleagues.  We decided to opt for hibachi, so we all sat around a grill while the cook made our dinners, and it was great.  Tasty food, enjoyed with friends, and a front-row seat for the show.  Plus, as an added bonus, a couple of photos of the day.  It doesn’t get much better than that!

Massaki restaurant in Staunton, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 250

Today represents one of the most important and one of the most joyous days in my life: S. and I were married today, and although I’m certainly biased, I can honestly say that the wedding went perfectly.  We opted for a very small ceremony, performed by a deputy and attended only by family and a couple of dear friends who count as family, and followed by a lovely cocktail party catered by the Shebeen Catering Outfit (http://www.shebeen.com/catering.php).

S. and I wrote our own vows, which meant that the ceremony was short and sweet but full of sentiment and quite touching — I did say that I’m a little biased, right?  S. was stunning in her spring green dress and pearls, and I even managed to look respectable in a charcoal gray pinstriped suit with a purple polka dot tie.  The Catering Outfit really outdid themselves, preparing and serving some of the finest fare one could hope to serve and doing it all with warmth and professionalism, two words that don’t always go together.

I was too busy getting married and tending to our guests to take any photos once the celebration started, but I did manage to slip downstairs to check on the food in between the ceremony and the party, so I was able to get a quick photo for the photoblog.  If you had been with us, you might have sampled some tasty ceviche, pictured here, or some duck confit egg rolls with a carrot curry sauce, or maybe some pork belly BLTs.  Did I mention that the Shabeen Catering Outfit made some spectacular food?  

The Colonnade Club at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 249

Today is the day before the wedding, and while all the women folk were out getting manicures and pedicures and whatnot, I was back home preparing a post-cure snack of sorts.  I stopped by Albemarle Baking Company (http://albemarlebakingco.com/), known around these parts as ABC, to pick up some treats, and I made a special point of getting some of the sticky buns, which are the best I’ve ever had.  I could write a long post devoted to them, a poetic tribute in which I sang their praises, but since I’m more of a photographer than a poet, I’ll leave you with an image, instead.  And a recommendation: if you live in Charlottesville, close to Charlottesville, or are even just passing through Charlottesville, stop by ABC and get a sticky bun (or two, or three).  I can promise that you won’t be sorry that you did.

Chez nous in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 248

A while after I started this photoblog, I decided to sign up for a Flickr account, since lots of people I know use it to share photos.  All of my 365 photo project photos end up there, but I also post things that don’t turn up on this blog at all.  Today I hit a milestone of sorts on my Flickr: 10,000 views since I put my first photo up there.  I’m sure that there are some photographers who get that many views in a weekend, but I still think that it’s pretty cool to think that my photos have been viewed 10,000 times.  If you’d like to add to my total, or just see some photos that haven’t made their way onto the photoblog, check out my Flickr account here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kasprouse/.

Flickr.com