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 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 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 254

After a couple of days of public art, I thought that it might be time for a palate cleanser, and with the weather being so spring-like, I figured that a photo of a flower might be appropriate.  Those who follow my photoblog know that I’m not the biggest nature photographer, but I do take a shot of the occasional flower or landscape from time to time.  Here, then, is my ode to Spring, even if it isn’t officially Spring yet!

High Street in Charlottesville, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 253

While S. and I were wandering around the streets of Richmond on our mini-honeymoon, we saw an artist working on a mural on one of the buildings in the Art District.  He goes by the name Pixel Pancho, and he’s an Italian artist who is participating in the G40 Art Summit in Richmond (http://artwhino.com/exhibitions-1/2012-g40-richmond), an event in which a number of muralists from all over the world have descended on Richmond to painting murals on a number of walls in the Art District.  We only saw two murals that day, both pictured here (with Pixel Pancho’s being the top one), but by now the rest will have been completed.  It sounds like I may need to take a road trip to Richmond next weekend!

Art District in Richmond, VA

Photo of the Day — Day 252

S. and I. decided that we wouldn’t try to take a long honeymoon right after our wedding; we know plenty of people who go directly on their honeymoon and are so worn out after all the planning, and the festivities themselves, that they spend the first two days crashing in the hotel.  We thought it best to go right to the “crashing in the hotel” phase, so we booked a room in the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, about an hour away from Charlottesville, and spent a couple of days relaxing there and exploring Richmond.  I know Richmond a little bit, and S. knows it hardly at all, but one place that we’ve both enjoyed is a small Cuban restaurant called, appropriately enough, Kuba Kuba (http://www.kubakuba.info/).  They make really tasty authentic Cuban dishes and some that are more pan-Latin or Latin-inspired, and the mere mention of their tres leches cake is enough to send S. off on flights of fancy.

On the wall outside the restaurant they have a quite nice mural, and today’s photos of the day are two detail shots of the larger piece.  Good street art, tasty Cuban food, and a tres leches cake to die for.  What more could you want?   

Kuba Kuba restaurant in Richmond, 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 247

One unexpected benefit of getting married is that I’ve had the chance to meet up with folks that I haven’t seen as often as I’d like, since everyone is coming to town for the big day.  E. took me out to lunch to celebrate my joyous occasion and to share some good news of her own.  She’s not a big fan of having her photo taken, but maybe she got caught up in the spirit because she let me take a portrait of her before she headed back to Farmville.

Cracker Barrel parking lot in Staunton, VA