RSS feedDigitial Rebel XTi
Some ask…
By Silver Blue
…what the “F.” in F. John Barker III stands for. Here’s a hint:
I just get tired of people misspelling it. If I tell them “Forester, like the bourbon,” they STILL don’t get it.
I don’t drink Bourbon, but I do cook with it. When I do, I always use my namesake.
Makes a great Bourbon Chocolate Almond cake, I might add…
Silver Blue…who needs to make another one of these…REAL SOON!
Shake….
By Silver Blue
Camera Shake, that is.
There are times that not even Image Stabilization (IS) can help you out.
Then again, there are times when you really don’t want it to.
Take this photo, from October 21, 2006. I’d gone to a Halloween party. The lights were low, and there was a prop “rigged” to the stairs. A shot taken from a tripod, or with IS, wouldn’t have been as effective as this shot, affected by camera shake:
Silver Blue… who is looking forward to joining one, or possibly two of the local photo clubs.
Look behind the facade….
By Silver Blue
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/jh-f.mp3]A series of shots of harlequin masks shot over the past 5 years.
Masquerade noun \ˌmas-kə-ˈrād\: a social gathering of persons wearing masks and often fantastic costumes (Merriam-Webster Definition)
Facade noun \fə-ˈsäd\: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect (Merriam-Webster definition)
Harlequin noun \ˈhär-li-k(w)ən\: a character in comedy and pantomime with a shaved head, masked face, variegated tights, and wooden sword (Merriam-Webster Definition)
These “masks”, designed for decorative purposes only, run from $19.99 for the very small, basically unadorned, to well over $250 for the feathered and hand painted/glittered. While I don’t own any of these (I much prefer the one here from my great friend $ally and James, which adorns my mantle), I am taken in with their beauty when I visit.
Silver Blue… who has far too many “Masquerade” songs in his archives for his own good. 🙂
If music be the food of love, play on.
By Silver Blue
I at one time was given a piano. The downside is that I don’t play.
It was almost 100 years old, and I loved the columns. Moving it to the house almost broke two fingers of the roommate when it fell on his hand. (The church that gave me the piano is no more.)
When the roommate moved out, I traded him the piano for a 1984 Chevy Blazer, which was Roxette Bunny™’s vehicle (or at least it had her plates on it):
Still, the piano had some beautiful woodwork, and lives on in my heart through photographs:
Silver Blue, who knows that things aren’t made the way they used to be….
Bringing back the Past
By Silver Blue | 1 comment
1In the town of Kenton, Ohio, where my grandmother lived, there was a beautiful building that had fallen on hard times.
The Hardin County Armory, circa 1998.
The Hardin Country Armory is the 3rd oldest and most unique Armory in Ohio. Its architecture finely represents the Late Victorian, Richardsonian Romanesque Style. Construction began in 1893. The corner stone was laid with an imposing parade on August 2, 1894. Governor William McKinley, soon to be President, and his staff were all in attendance as were many other prominent officials. The corner stone ceremony had an estimated attendance of over 25,000 people. The new Armory was formally dedicated on April 15, 1895 with a grandiose military ball. Some of its interior attributes included a shooting range, plunge and steam baths, hardwood auditorium floor, and a balcony which encircled the auditorium.
Massive, two story towers combined with the sharp shooter’s ports are locked in time by the inviting yet foreboding sandstone front facade. The life of this building has witnessed Ohio’s greatest dances, social, political, and military events. The structure had the ability to seat and serve dinner to over 2,000 people which caused the building to lay host to the most prominent of gatherings. One being the national Presidential campaign of 1912 when capacity audiences listened to addresses from President William H. Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt. The Armory has also served the United States and Ohio in every military action since its completion and up until it was vacated by the National Guard in 1991.
Locally, the Armory has served the county of Hardin as the location of community events including graduation ceremonies, school dances, political dinners, professional wrestling, and golden glove boxing matches. The list goes on and on. The Armory even housed one of the very first professional women’s basketball teams in the 1920’s. Prior to and up until the completion of the present court house being erected, the Armory contained an assortment of governmental agencies and services for the county.
In 1947, the Armory was totally gutted by a fire started by two individuals from Company E who were cleaning rifles in the basement. The beloved building was reopened in 1948 after extensive reconstruction was made to the interior. All of the wood in the building was replaced with block and concrete construction (which makes total restoration impossible).
The Amory sat idle for six years and in that time was neglected. The Hardin County Armory Restoration Foundation was formed in 1997 to insure that the people of Ohio can continue to use and enjoy this wonderful facility.
The Hardin County Armory, Restored, circa 2008.
I am proud to have been a part of the restoration process for the Armory, having run a web page on my site to promote the efforts of the citizens of Kenton, Ohio, and of Hardin County to restore this grand building.
The Hardin County Armory Restoration Foundation is currently taking Donations for the continued restoration of the Armory. The foundation is a non-profit organization and has a 501 C3 rating, so all donations are tax deductible. All donations may be submitted to the address below. Make checks payable to:
Armory Foundation
P.O. Box 594
Kenton, OH 43326-0594
419-673-1599
“We like to think of the Armory,
not as a building in need of repair,
but as an elegant lady with a tattered dress,
who can still smile despite her appearance.”
[audio:https://www.eyesofsilverblue.com/lwhdna.mp3]
Silver Blue, who remembers Doris Williams (Blum) as the person who first let me into the Armory to photograph it in the state of decay it had fallen into, and Ed Rogers, who has always kept me informed through newsletters as to the restoration process.
Through The Eyes Of Silver Blue
By Silver Blue
“Through The Eyes Of Silver Blue”
F. John Barker III
October 21, 2006
All aboard for a journey
Through the Eyes of Silver Blue
we’re tripping through my timespace
and the guest of honour is you.
We’ll go half-way ‘round the world,
and go hopping from state to state,
we’ll visit old friends and family,
and the occasional twist of fate.
Vacations and party spots,
locations far and near.
life experiences big and small,
and photos that I hold dear.
Music will be our companion,
there are poems never read,
we’ll laugh with those of the living,
and celebrate with those who are dead.
A small blue bunny will join us,
home renovations will take place,
Mother Nature will blow all around us,
and Father Time will show us his grace.
So join me for some memories,
thoroughly researched, I know they’re true –
step inside and see my life,
Through the Eyes of Silver Blue.
(When I worked at WPEX, AM1490 in November 1986, I used an old analogue mixing board and threw this song out of phase through feedback and unintentional reverb. The result, IMHO, ended up more accurately expressing (to me) the feeling of the song.)
RSS