Blog Archives
Contrabassoon Review Videos!
Here’s a playlist with all of the contrabassoon review videos that I’ve produced thus far. You’ll find detailed information about Heckel, Mollenhauer, Amati and Fox contrabassoons plus a few manufacturers that you may not have even known made contras! If you have a request for an instrument to review, please drop a comment and I’ll […]
Restoring a 1928 portable turntable – Columbia Model 161 – 78 RPM
(Updated April 2022) I’ve just posted a video on YouTube so you can see the player in action! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU_twixVhc8 This is the story of one of my latest restoration project – something I’ve wanted to acquire for a long time. While in Newport, Oregon (a recommended destination!) I was in a large antique store and […]
Small runways at BIG airports [STOL in America]
Updated! as of July 2022 SUMMARY There are a few articles and a bunch of blog posts, often full of factual errors, which talk about an interesting phenomenon that happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s at major US Airports. It was an idea put forward as a way to add more takeoffs and […]
Harvard, Massachusetts History: The “Brown Building”
Not alot of dramatic things happened in Harvard when I was growing up. It was a small town so we got used to small things having relatively big importance. So when they decided to raze the grade school I attended for three years, I got out my camera and shot an *entire roll* (12 exposures) […]
Lassen Volcanic Panorama
For the 4th of July I went to Lassen National Park and hiked the Bumpass Hill trail to the remnants of a volcano. What’s left is numerous fumeroles, hot springs and mud pots. A very cool bit of nature, and preparation for my next trip to Yellowstone! Click the picture for a full size panorama.
April Fool = Marketing opportunity!
I combined a team brainstorm with April Fools Day to generate significant exposure for my company. By spending $12 on a domain name, and an hour on some basic photoshop work, I was able to put together a website for a make-believe product that grabbed a few headlines and raised a few eyebrows. The supporting […]
KCSM 91.1 antenna
Here’s a shot I took recently of the KCSM FM antenna tower on the campus of the College of San Mateo. You can see the primary antennas on top (4 bays) and their backup is underneath (5 bays). I think the little guys on the back are just antenna mounts, not actual antennas. It’s a […]
Greek Orthodox Mosaic
One weekend a year, the Greek Orthodox church in Belmont, CA opens its doors for two lucky groups of people to catch a glimpse at its amazing interior. The series of Mosaics have been in progress for decades and are yet to be completed. However the vivid colors and unique designs make it worth putting […]
Frost (in french, givre)
This picture was taken on a windshield in Prescott, Az December 26th. It was bitter cold, but somehow there was enough moisture in the air to create some beautiful ice patterns for those early risers willing to look close enough. This was taken with a simple Canon point and shoot.