unbillable hours

The Hook #2

Canon EOS Rebel 2000, ISO 100, Lens Baby baffle lens
Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook, NJ

I was walking down by the waterline when I saw a bunch of dismembered dolls and action figures arranged in cult-like symmetry around the shy black carapace of a horseshoe crab. I slipped the camera out of the bag and fired off a few shots, playing around with the strange sense of order. These three came over and asked if I liked their art installation. "Absolutely," I replied, "how about you guys behind it." They laughed goofily, probably thinking I wasn't in on the joke, that I took the whole thing seriously. I smiled and pretended I was never an underclassman in high school.

And here they are.

The Hook #1

Canon EOS Rebel 2000, Lens Baby baffle lens, ISO 100
Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook, New Jersey

It Must Be Summer
It must be summer
'Cause the days are long
And I dial your number
But you're gone, gone, gone
I'd set out searching
But the car won't start
And it must be summer
'Cause I'm falling apart

I try your sister
On the Jersey Shore
She said you might be stopping by
But she's just not sure
So I call your mother
On Long Island Sound
She said it must be summer
'Cause you're never around

And the sun is beating me senseless
I feel defenseless like a dying lamb
I don't want to lie by the oceanside
Don't want to play in the sand
Can't you understand?
Can't you understand?

It must be summer
'Cause the streets are bare
And I try your number
But you're just not there
And thesun keeps shining
Til it's dead and gone
And it must be summer
'Cause I can't go on

And the sun is beating me senseless
I feel defenseless like a dying lamb
I don't want to lie by the oceanside
Don't want to play in the sand
Can't you understand?
Can't you understand?

- Fountains of Wayne, Utopia Parkway (1996).

I've been without power for the past two days, basically, so I apologize for the light posting. The town did its version of rolling black outs (the poorer neighborhoods get black outs, the rich ones keep rolling on), so I've spent my days seeking out air conditioning or a cool breeze (I recommend the municipal beach at Sea Bright or scenic overlook on Mount Mitchell).

Anyway....

It must be summer, 'cause I'm posting tons of beach photos. I'm sure I'll ease up on the "under the boardwalk" feel that's going on over here once my favorite seasons, temperate fall and invigorating winter, return.

The Crossroads

Lincroft, NJ
Canon EOS Rebel 2000, f5.6, ISO 1600.

I was down in Burlington County last night (which is not where this picture was taken, but since we're here....). Burlington County, in South Jersey, is the rural, agrarian section of New Jersey. Not many live down there.

Coming off of I-195, onto SR-206, I realized that I need to keep track of places like that, the distant places that, upon seeing them, I realized I needed to come back and photograph. Grain silos and a giant farmer's auction lined the two lane highway. The borders, the richly green fields of corn and what looked like soy, dipped and swelled like waves.

Driving back from my meeting, I missed most of the turns on the rural roads that took me back from towns with names like Jobsville, Tabernacle, Retreat, and Fellowship. There were no streetlights and few signs to guide me.

Swing Away, Merrill

Lincroft, New Jersey
Canon EOS Rebel 2000, Lens Baby f5.6, ISO 1600

At the Fair #8

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (Jul. 2, 2004)
Holga Med. Format, ISO 100

At the Fair #7

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (Jul. 2, 2004)
Holga Med. Format, ISO 100, Fisheye Adaptor.

At the Fair #6

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (Jul. 02, 2004)
Lomo LC-A, ISO 100

At the Fair #5

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (Jul. 2, 2004).
Lomo LC-A, ISO 100, Heavily cropped from the image posted below.

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (Jul. 2, 2004)
Lomo LC-A, ISO 100.

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (Jul. 2, 2004)
Lomo LC-A, ISO 100.

At the Fair #4

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (July 2, 2004).
Lomo LC-A, ISO 100.

At the Fair #3

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey (July 2, 2004).
Lomo LCA, ISO 100.