Oklahoma

Some scenes from Texas and southern Oklahoma. Found my 1600, but it's still early in the day, so I'm hanging tight, waiting for the light. Clouds are rolling in, so hopefully it will be clear enough for pictures. The front of the house faces due West, which is just perfect for the end of the day.

By the way, gas here is $3.39! Too bad I filled up for $3.59 along the way.

Mississippi Part Two

Some pictures and thoughts from driving through Mississippi. I love back roads. And when I say back, I basically mean anything that's not an interstate, those blue highways on the atlas. You can almost as fast in them, the speed limit in Florida, Mississippi and Texas for the most part is either 64 or 70. 70 mph on a single land country road! It's fun. The scenery is soo much better, or rather, there actually is scenery. Beautiful rolling landscapes, lake, seas, rivers. Every once a and a while you slow through some small town and see life that's just hanging on with vacant store fronts, couple of gas stations and maybe a Wal-Mart. It's the way to see the road, the country, through some winding US highway or a county road away from the overly commercialized interstate corridors. You can sort of squint and see how this country once looked like, not the marred landscape of strip malls and fast food.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast was just fascinating. Beautiful for all the wrong reasons. Hurricane Katrina just obliterated the place. It's hard now to say how much damage was from "The Storm" as the motel clerk called it, or how much has now just been demolished and cleared away. Casinos dot the coast and just about every vacant lot is up for sale. Not long before it's Atlantic City.

Mississippi Part 1

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Dallas, TX

And just like that, Texas is done. Spent the morning and early afternoon wandering through Texas' back roads en route to Austin, a city I was sort of excited to visit since Rob spoke so highly of it. Followed gps to 1600 and didn't see it at first. So I parked, checked the addresses of few houses along the block, 1612, 1608, 1512. Hmm. A woman was out with her sons, picking up stray litter and chatting, I asked them where 1600 was and they were a little unsure. Apparently there used to be a vacant lot that the woman would tend to, but a few years back a distant relative of the original owner showed up and built a house on it. So according to mom, 1512 should have technically been 1600, but the new homeowners chose 1512 so keep the sequence with there neighbors. So no 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Austin, TX, despite my great web source. Not big deal for me since I had to go through Dallas.



Arrived in Dallas at about 4pm and unloaded then reloaded my film holders in the bathroom. I was starving, but decided I should t least make sure 1600 was here in Texas. After landing in a decidedly dicey part of town, I found it. The sun was getting nice and low, and despite the property facing thee sides of open street, two sides would work for a picture, and this one I think is the most interesting. Not the most interesting picture so far on this trip or prior ones, but after a long day through Texas and a few days since my address in Florida, it was good to get back under the view camera.

Somewhere, Florida

US 19 Florida

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NE, Saint Petersburg, FL

Where am I?

US 19, Florida. Wild, right?

Just a quick one

I could have spent several days meandering along US 19 north through Florida. All sorts of interesting buildings along the way through the swamp, but alas, no, onward. I have a bunch more pictures to share, but I spent the morning swimming, first in the Gulf of Mexico, then a little dip in the motel pool. More pictures later when I land in Texas.

Yes!

Well don't let the big door of Florida hit you on the ass on the way out. I'm out! Finally. After a questionable weather day, the clouds cleared enough for on and off light that worked. I got the front of the house with the 1600 sign and a nice American flag. I even got the original composition without a car in the driveway, but I think the front view will be my picture. I'll post the Polaroid tomorrow, I left them in my trunk. So I'm on the road again. I felt like I was collecting dust here in scenic St. Pete. Now the only thing that stands between me and my next 1600 is 1200 miles. Brutal, right? That's at least two days, but there are four pretty close together so a few days of hard travel will be followed up with a few short days. And I'm looking forward to moving on.

Stuck in Florida

I'm still here. And it looks like thunderstorms and dense clouds will keep me here until at least Monday. What to do? The light is just so blah. Here is a Polaroid from yesterday's abbreviated shoot.




In hindsight, maybe yesterday's light wasn't that bad. I only got off eight exposures, which when you're doing a little bracketing, eight's not that many. Plus, I didn't feel like I got it. I certainly didn't figure on an extra two days, provided tomorrow works out, but I guess if I'm in, then I'm in.

Still here

Well, I had to put my money where my mouth was yesterday. Going into this trip it was intention to way until I felt I got the picture I was truly happy with before leaving. Until St. Pete, I was 3 for 3. But yesterday at my 1600, where I met the homeowner and had a very chat, storm clouds rolled in and poof, there goes my light. I waited, hoping that cloud would just blow on by, not alas, with thunder and lightning in the distance over Tampa Bay, I packed it in to photograph another day. So that means an extra day here and hopefully this evening will be clear.

"Florida is a long state."

Spending two nights in St. Petersburg. Had a long day yesterday, waiting, driving, spending half an hour looking for my wedding ring that flew off at an Indian reservation rest stop ( great, right?).

The 1600 here looks like it will work later in the day and I just arrived too late last night to get it. The house sits on a corner, like several of the addresses, and one side faces west, which will yield good evening light, and the other side faces south. Ugh, south. This is three in a row that has a southern facing side and you just never get light from the south. The sun comes up in the east and moves across the sky west and except for maybe a few times a year, as a rule, you never get direct light from the south. Which is a bummer for me, but something you obviously just have to deal with. I took this picture of gps showing that sweet little flag of destination. Nothing better than hearing that "bong, turn right onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Arriving at address 1600 on left." Just beautiful.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida

I like this one. I think it came out nice. In the color Polaroid, I love that line of shadow cutting across the building. Coming down to Florida was a good call. I dropped off a couple sheets of film at a lab just to check in with the work, make sure everything is on the up and up. The owner of the lab really liked the project idea, even questioning if was my idea. Now I’m sitting tight in Miami Beach until 3pm.

I love those looks from people as they see me working. They see me with the goofy camera, then they look across the way to what my camera is pointed at, then back at me with a bit of that “What the hell are doing?” look. One girl driving by asked if she could have my camera. I told her I’d trade it for her car. No deal.

It was nice seeing David and Gretchen. They have a really nice little home in Miami. Of was pleasantly surprised with Miami and Miami Beach. Much nicer than the TV show.

Welcome to Miami

Miami. Some serious rain down here, like India monsoon rain. Didn't do more pictures at 1600 in Winter Park. When I got there I noticed on the gps that the front of the house faced south and with the way sun travels would probably never hit the front of the house. Plus it was raining and is supposed to be raining for the next few days, so I feel confident that I got something good yesterday and moved on to Miami. Thank you David and Gretchen for the hospitality. Such a nice sanctuary here. I'm hoping to get some film processed just to check on myself and make sure I'm using the crazy camera correctly. Fingers crossed. Ah, the magic of film. That small 1% chance that you might have totally screwed it up, and that feeling of total relief when you spread out your success across the light table.

1600 S Pennsylvania Avenue, Winter Park, FL

My light cleared for a moment, so I headed back out. Here's the Ploaroid. The house sits on the corner and it looks like morning light will work for the front of the house.

Waiting

Landed in Winter Park, FL. Found my 1600, but the light is terrible, raining on and off. These are some random pics from the car. I feel like I have a little too much floating in my head photographically. The most important pictures to make are obviously of the 1600's. Most important. But after that my mind gets a little muddled. I like posting pics here to show people my way, little things that catch my eye, but mostly, what's a blog without pictures after all, especially from a photographer. So I take these. They don't take a lot of time, just leave the digital next to me on full auto. But then I have this other set of pictures I feel I should be making, those of the road, more deliberate and thought out, not just random things from the car window at 70 mph, but the ones where I stop, get out, look. I've done a few like that, but juggling all three sets in my head feels like a lot. Maybe I'm just asking too much on day 3.

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, McDonough, GA

Does it ruin it for you if I post a quick digital pic of the 1600? I was going to photograph the Polaroid, but they're in my glove compartment 4 floors down. I think this one will come out well. A little different looking building from the rest. Working with the view camera is a totally experience. I got up at 7am and just hit it. Got to the address and the light wasn't quite up yet, but with the view camera I could set up and get ready, unlike the Hasselblad where you're pretty much ready to go at all times. Did some tests and felt good. Then the light just dramatically changed. I quickly exposed a piece of film then the light went back to the way it was. You have to more fast to capture fleeting light with the view camera. By the time you expose a Polaroid and process it everything could be different. Still feeling like a fish out of the water with the Toyo, but it will come. Popped off a few with Hasselblad just in case.

I want to write a little bit about the feeling when I get close to the address. I'm using a GPS navigation thing, without it I'm not sure how the project could be done, and when I get close and can see the final destination on the screen of the GPS I get that pang in my stomach. It's so exciting making that final turn onto Pennsylvania Avenue, not knowing what I'll find, that small possibility that it won't be there at all. It's just so exhilarating once I finally come upon it.

On the road

Kept heading south today, from North Carolina, through South Carolina and into Georgia, a little south of Atlanta. Found a "cozy" motel for just $39 and had a brief but interesting conversation with the inn keeper who is from India. Told him Jill was there and rattled off our two different adventures. Not impressed. Tomorrow I'll be in Florida, leaving the original 13 colonies, which feels significant somehow.

I found my 1600 here in McDonough, GA, but the light is pretty brutal. I'll check back in a few hours, but it looks like the sun is setting right behind the building. Hopefully tomorrow morning will work.

Stopped in Athens, GA for lunch. Tried to find a spot per Joy's recommendation, but it was closed. Found a nice little sandwich shop where I got this tasty chicken sandwich with cashews and provolone, chips and a homemade cookie for just $5.75. Nice. But the parking meter made me laugh, $.25 for an hour, $3 for an expired meter? Really? For $3 seems you should just take your chances.

New Route!

View Larger Map

So I'm adding Florida to the trip. There are three 1600's down there and I'm not sure when I could make it back down here, so what the heck. Plus, thanks to David, I have a place to stay in Miami. I hear it's just like the TV show.

It Begins

Hit the road today. Covered about 550 miles before stopping just outside of Charlotte, NC, where I'm having dinner with my good friend Pat. Feels good to be going. So I took the picture of the odometer reading 110,143, which is the number of miles on Corolla, but I can't help but miss the old analog odometers where 0-9 numbers would tumble higher and higher as you went. Something about the digital display doesn't feel earned like getting those old number wheels to spin around. Maybe that's why I bought a 4x5 view camera, film is still better, in my opinion.

The Route

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Getting Ready

So, as some of you know, I've been photographing the address 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue throughout the Northeast. Now I'm hitting the road to see the eight more, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texan, California and Colorado. Jill is leaving for India for two months and I didn't get my grant so I'm trying to make lemonade here. I got a new camera, a Toyo 4x5, which is a pretty big change for me format wise. I actually bought a Speed Graphic initially, but quickly realised it wasn't up for the job, so if anyone needs one, please let me know.

8 definite locations, about 7200 miles, 4 weeks, give or take. Then on the way home I can start over on the locations I've already photographed with the Hasselblad. You can see those here:

http://www.mimages.com/1600

Loser

What a loser, I have a blog.