Nestor Repairs Our Chicken Coop

We've had a tough run lately with our chickens. I built the original coop about 12 years ago, and the fencing we had had been patched over the years, but was not too secure. Three times over the last few years, we've gotten new chickens, raised them until they began laying eggs, only to have something get into the coop and kill them all.

I'd tried to use an electric fence to keep the animals away, but it was too easy for it to short out due to weeds or grass laying on the wire. Also, I didn't have the proper attachments to ensure that the animal couldn't get close to the fence in the first place. But the real issue is, when I built the original coop, I never buried the wire. What you're supposed to do is dig a trench about 6-8" down and a foot wide. This allows you the bury the wire underground and at least a foot away from the fence ensuring that if an animal tried to dig, it's going to end up hitting a hire fence underground as well.

Since I have no intention of allowing raccoons, weasels, foxes or coyotes eat any more of our chickens (the Goshen buffet is closed), I decided to build the enclosure with a heavier gauge wire, hearty fence post staples, AND dig the trench. But I wasn't going to try to do it by myself.

Nestor is single ladies.

Nestor came to my rescue. Not only is Nestor an extremely hard worker, he can do just about anything, I think. He showed up on a Saturday morning (after already putting in a few hours with another friend) and I took him out to survey the project. We determined what materials we needed, and went off to get them. He was going to stay and start tearing down the old stuff, but I insisted he come and make sure I got what I needed. It was a good plan.

Nestor ran the job and for the most part, I assisted him. Mostly holding things, or handing him things. Just an extra set of hands I guess. He did all the work. Except when it came to digging the trench. This is an area surrounded by trees and the ground was completely filled with roots of all shapes and sizes. It was backbreaking work. Again, I did what I could, but Nestor did all the hard work.

We removed all the hold posts (which were mostly rotten), ripped away all the old chicken wire, strung a line to make sure we stayed square, dug post holes keeping everything square and level, and built the frame to hold the top wire as well as keep everything strong. This thing isn't going anywhere.

I may not have done much, but I was hungover, worked 10 hours, and four days later, I'm still sore. But at least we're ready for the chicks.

After we'd ripped out the old posts and wire and replaced with a whole new frame.

Nestor

The hardest work might have been digging the trench around the outside.

Heavier gauge wire and fence stables to ensure nothing gets in.

Putting a lid on it.

The finished coop....ready for chicks.

Save The Date

My daughter Julia and her fiance Mike are getting married October 15, 2011. This is their Save The Date artwork.

A Little Child Of The Lord

Jane sings a little song about baptism. She's done it since her kids were little. She sings, "You're going to become a little child of the Lord." Well Sunday it happened to our grandson Paxton.

Paxton in his little Italian Catholic Monkey Suit, even though he was baptized in a Methodist church.

Other than a short outburst during the scripture reading, he was a Prince.

At the after party, Paxton got loose in his Grunge outfit.

He and his Great Grandfather, Papa hamming it up.

His Great Grandmother Mimi giving him love.

He may have been sneaking a little wine at this point.

Cape May County Animal Shelter

A friend of my wife's asked if I would come and take some pictures at the Cape May County Animal Shelter where she is a volunteer. Seemed like a cool and worthy project, so I said yes. A few weeks ago, I went to scouted the facility to try and decide what I might like to do. Frankly, I wasn't overly fond of the type of "isn't this horrible" promotions I'd seen from other organizations online. I'm not saying it's not effective, but I'd like to take a different approach. Was thinking of doing a video, but it might just end up being photography. I still haven't decided. I will say that I was surprised by all the reaction I got from posting the images on Facebook.

Anyway, here are few shots from my scout.

Taking Street Portraits

I've had a bunch of people ask me about taking portraits of strangers. They want to know, do I ask first, or just take the picture? It depends.

Rastafarian smoking ganja. You can tell he's not worried about me taking his picture.

When I'm in a place where I feel safe (North America or Europe for instance) I often just shoot first and ask later. Even in Russia, I often just took the shot (until the Secret Police in Red Square told me not to). If I want a direct to camera portrait, then I'll ask. Some say no, but often they say yes.

I shot in Venice Beach, CA on the boardwalk all day once, and mostly I asked. It also depends on if I'm just taking a quick shot of an interesting looking person, or if I want to stand in front of them and take a bunch of pictures. Obviously if you stand in front of someone and want to take 15-20 pictures, and you don't ask, you're going to get smacked. If I'm shooting with a telephoto lens, I'll often just steal shots. I take the picture and then look at something else immediately so that they're not really sure I was even looking at them.

In a place like Jamaica, I find someone who will take me around. A local that won't draw suspicion and who speaks the language. In Jamaica this means Patois, the unofficial language. They act as guide, interpreter, and bodyguard. They can get you into places you couldn't or wouldn't go, and can get people to open up to you. They also keep the beggars from harassing you too much.

Me having a beer with a subject. He sold beer and sodas on the beach.

Usually I give the subjects a "tip". Sometimes it's a little cash (equivalent of a buck or two), sometimes you just need to buy what they're selling, and sometimes it's a beer. As long as they don't feel like you're taking advantage of them, then they become very friendly and usually enjoy it. It takes a little teasing, a little flirting and a little conversation. A good guide also knows what's reasonable. Who you can get away with just asking, and who you need to pay.

This shot was taken before I showed her what I was doing.

After she saw her pictures, she started flirting and posing.

After I've taken a couple of pictures, I usually show them some of the pictures I've taken on the back of the camera. Then they're usually ready for me to take more.

Often the first 5, 10 or even 15 shots aren't much good. You're warming them up, not yourself. Sometimes, you take only a few. It's just a gut thing.

There are tour guides you can hire almost anywhere, but they cost a fortune (The Ritz had people on hand for $90/hour) and they want to take you to the places where all the tourists go and where they can get kick-backs. I usually find a waiter or bartender at the hotel I'm staying and convince them to take me out on their day off. I pay for their beers and lunch and then give them anywhere from $60-100 for their time.

My guide/driver/consultant/interpreter Sean. A good man.

Typically, I get to see things and hang out in places I would never go by myself, certainly not with $10k worth of camera equipment hanging around my neck. And I learn a lot.

In my opinion, you can't look at this as the cost of doing photography. I probably spent $150 the day I went out in Jamaica. Maybe only $80 in Mexico. But I look at it like an invaluable part of my vacation, and in many cases, the only authentic experience I have with the local culture. Especially when you're staying at a resort.

One last thing. It makes a big difference if you have a professional looking camera, as opposed to a $150 point and shoot. If you look like a photographer, they are more likely to feel flattered. If you pull a camera out of our back pocket and want to take their picture, it's like you're saying, "Look honey, it's one of them, take my picture with him."

Sean yucking it up with the cop writing him the ticket.

Being a photographer can come in handy though. We got pulled over in this speed trap and the camera helped lighten the mood. He ended up getting a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. Good deal.

April 8, 2011 | Montego Bay

April 7, 2011 | Montego Bay

April 6, 2011 | Montego Bay, Jamaica

Ritz Carlton Rose Hall | Montego Bay, Jamaica

It's official. My wife, Jane and I are headed to Jamaica next Wednesday. To be honest Jamaica is not my favorite place, but I've had some good times there.

The first time we went, we went to an all-inclusive. I thought, what the hell, let's see what all the fuss is about.

I hated it.

The day we were to leave, we packed, got the shuttle to the little airport in Ocho Rios, and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, they told us there was a big weather system moving across the island and the plane couldn't make it. They would put us in a cab. It didn't look promising that we would make the flight.

But not because the taxi driver wasn't intent on us doing so. He drove like a bat out of hell. Jane was nauseous and I had white knuckles the whole ride. It was raining and we were flying around blind curves the whole way. I wasn't sure if we'd make the flight or not, but I was pretty sure we were going to die.

We finally made it to the airport, and the only hope I had was that the flight had been delayed. It hadn't. I walked back to the taxi, where Jane was waiting with the driver. I got back in the cab, informed them that we'd missed our flight, and then I asked the driver the one thing I know to ask when I'm stranded somewhere.

"Is there a Ritz Carlton near here?"

In fact, there was. Less than 10 minutes back the way we'd come.

"Take us there."

We pulled up and I told the driver, and Jane, to wait. I wanted to make sure there was an available room, and also to make sure it wouldn't be $1500/night.

The hotel was everything I expect a Ritz to be, and nothing like the place where we'd just spent a week. I approached the desk, wet, frazzled, and irritated. The woman informed me that there were rooms available, and the rate was reasonable.

I went back to the cab, thanked the driver, grabbed Jane and our luggage, and entered the hotel. Since the airline had said it would take care of the taxi, I didn't feel compelled to pay anything. And I didn't.

We checked in and found our room. We all but flopped on the bed and sighed. After a bit, we went to dinner and had the first good meal we'd had in a week. We slept in 400 count sheets in blissfully chilly air. The next morning, we had breakfast, then lounged by the pool.

Meanwhile, the evening before, I'd called the airline to change our flight. They informed me, that because of the class of airfare we had, the earliest they could get us a flight, was Thursday. This was Sunday. I was expected back to work the next day. I told them I thought this was bullshit. This is when I found out that USAir Vacations has nothing to do with USAir, the airline. In the end, it cost me an additional $1200 to get home. The entire vacation probably only cost $3000.

A few years ago, we went back to Jamaica. It was wonderful. We were on the other side of the island in Negril at a wonderful place called The Rock House. It's actually the perfect mix of island culture and resort atmosphere. We had a good time and would definitely recommend it. But it's no Ritz.

So, we're going back to Jamaica, Mon.

Jane and I haven't gotten away anywhere this year. We usually do, but for some reason we just didn't. Business was a bit down. We had a wedding to pay for. Life.

Finally, I decided, we just needed to get away. Yesterday, I decided we needed just do it. I started looking online and realized I could pay for the airfare with miles, and the hotel with AMEX points.

So, we're flying First Class, direct from Philly to Montego Bay. It's only about a 3 1/2 hour flight. We're staying in an Ocean View room at the Rose Hall Ritz Carlton, which is only about ten minutes from the airport. And we'll be gone for seven days.

Julia is taking us to the airport and picking us up, so I don't have to worry about that, and Julia's friend Amanda is housesitting for us, so we don't have to worry about the animals.

I'm seriously thinking about just leaving the hotel number in case of emergency and locking my phone in the safe the whole time.

Wish us luck. Check back and I'll post how it's going.