KISS in Concert in Hollywood, FL

Happy St. Patrick's Day to me!!! I traveled down to Hollywood, FL, to catch a concert appearance by "The Hottest Band in the World...KISS!!!" The trip was good, the concert was great. And the whole experience was made even better because Mr. Sarcasm tagged along for his first-ever dose of live KISS. 

Did I mention that the concert was great? No matter how many times I see KISS, I always come away impressed with their energy and what appears to be a sincere desire to give the fans their money's worth.  I have seen many other bands in concert, but none of them come close to the experience that is KISS. 

I could ramble on for pages about how great they are in concert, but it comes down to this simple truth: you have to see it for yourself to fully appreciate the overwhelming spectacle that is a KISS concert. Do yourself a favor and go see them in concert.

I also highly recommend you get familiar with their music first so that you can appreciate the jewels of their 35-year catalog when you hear them. Some of my personal favorites include: Detroit Rock City; Shout it Out Loud; Beth; Rock and Roll All Nite; Cold Gin; Firehouse; Hard Luck Woman; Forever; Strutter; 100,000 Years; Rock Bottom; 2,000 Man; Love Gun...okay, I'll stop there because I have a lot more "favorites" by KISS. Buy one of their greatest hits compilations and give it a good listen.

Here are a few shots that I took during the concert:


























Okay, I'm sure you get the point by now: This is one AWESOME show!!! I am already looking forward to the next time I get to see KISS in concert!!!

Click here to see a short video clip from the concert!

2011 Strawberry Festival - Special Effects Photos

I went to the annual Florida Strawberry Festival the other night and took a bunch of photos. Here are a handful of shots that I subsequently processed on my iPad to produce different effects.

For this one I used "Color Splash" to take out all of the color and then I added back color to just the areas I wanted to highlight:



I rode the giant Ferris Wheel and shot photos of the midway from the top. I then processed those photos using "Tilt Shift Generator" to produce these nifty views:









I'll post more of my Strawberry Festival photos in another update this week.

"Let's air 'em out a bit" - Polk County Loop of March 5, 2011

This club outing was a bit different as we were left leaderless by the absence of El Presidente Gunny, who had other pressing business to attend.  So, rudderless and adrift, we did the only reasonable thing one can do in the face of such adversity: we elected Eddie to take all responsibility for leading the ride this fateful day!  And so it was that it was decreed that we would pay a quick visit to Fun Bike Center in Lakeland, FL, before making a loop of Polk County via Highways 92, 27, and 60, to "air 'em out a bit".

As stated, our first stop was Fun Bike Center where Eddie proceeded to cajole and berate the parts counter staff until they stripped an internal visor out of a brand new helmet to make it available for him right then and there rather than them daring to make him wait for one to be shipped in for that same purpose:



Our business finished, we mounted up and headed east to complete our goal of looping a portion of Imperial Polk County. Here's Bob K. and Preacher all mounted up and waiting for Eddie to finish putting on all his riding gear:



Somewhere in the wilds of SR 60, we stopped for a little break and Eddie proceeded to explain motorcycle physics and mechanics to us. Note the high tech use of his boot toe as a pointing device:



Rolling along the highway, I got a few shots of the guys in action. Here's Eddie saying "hello" to the camera:



And here's one more shot of Eddie rolling along, enjoying the ride:



And here's Preacher rolling along with Bob K. in close proximity:



And, finally, Bob K. on his "Motorcycle of the Week":



It was an enjoyable and quick 100-mile ride that saw all of us home before noon.  Not a bad way to spend the morning!

Mermaids on the Horizon - February 19, 2011

Our weekly club outing took us north and west toward to lovely community of Weeki Wachee, site of the eponymous river whose crystal clear waters emanate from deep within the subterranean passageways of the Florida aquifer before flowing down to the Gulf of Mexico.  Naturally, we took the most indirect route possible to get to Weeki Wachee, but that's okay since it's all about the ride.

South of Weeki Wachee, we stopped in Aripeka, FL, for photos of the Hammock Creek environs.  I decided to play with the great Hipstamatic iPhone app to get some photos with a vintage flavor.  This view across Hammock Creek lent itself nicely to my experiments:



Walking back to the group, I captured this image of irony in action:



Here's another shot of the very scenic Hammock Creek:



Rolling on into Weechi Wachee Gardens, it was time for lunch. We stopped at a restaurant called "The Upper Deck" for that purpose. The best thing about this restaurant is that it is located right on the banks of the Weeki Wachee River and offers great views from its copious upper level deck:



"Preacher" looked like an old west gunfighter walking up this long, narrow hallway located beneath the restaurant:



Gunny & Bob K. were too busy taking in the river sights to notice Preacher's impression of "The Man With No Name":



Those river sights included this view of the public park located on the opposite bank...:



...and several passing wave runners:



Finally making our way topside for lunch, Gunny was all smiles and grins...:



...while Bob K. just couldn't take his eyes off the river:



After lunch we made for home via more scenic back roads:



I was wearing my new high visibility touring jacket; boy did that thing glow! Just look at the reflected sheen all over the cockpit of my gorgeous ST1300:



We ended a great day of riding with 150 miles rolled up on the odometer and plenty of good memories in our logbooks.

Club Ride - January 8, 2011 - Webster via the Most Indirect Route Possible!!!

Another Saturday, another club ride. After the usual breakfast we headed out for a ride to Webster, FL, home of the famous and much ballyhooed flea market.  Little did we know that El Presidente Gunny had anything but a direct route in mind for us. In fact, our route to Webster ended up being a circuitous tour of central Florida towns and back roads that served up a diverse and enjoyable slice of off-the-beaten-path scenery and curvaceous roadways. Good job, Gunny!

Just how indirect was the route to Webster, you ask? According to Google Maps, it is about 50 miles from Plant City to Webster; so, a round-trip of 100 miles. Well, by the time I parked my bike for the day, I had clocked nearly 200 miles. Gunny managed to double the driving distance! To see how he did it and to better understand the diversity of our travels, check out Gunny's trip map below. The right half of the blue lines is the route up to Webster, and the left side line is the route home:



As you can see on the map, we traversed Green Pond Road, which is one of our local favorites. Of course we made the requisite stop at the one-lane wooden bridge where I got my first photo opportunity of the day. Robert got busy almost immediately mugging for the camera:



Kent and the "Red Velvet" joined us for this ride and it was great to have him along:



Somebody left a perfectly good crane parked alongside the bridge:



Of course, I had to explore the crane a little bit and get some detail shots:



Oh, yeah, I could so drive this thing thing! Just your standard multi-lever, cross-flux confabrulation lever arrangement of controls:



I liked the various perspective shots that could be framed using this boom:



Hey! Is that lime-green-suited fellow on the right peeing on the bushes? And why is that lime-green-suited fellow on the left watching him do it???:



Eddie posed for a shot along side the crane's boom. Is that a lime-green-colored suit he's wearing? Hmmmmm:



Back on the road and after quite a bit of riding, our travels took us through the tiny town of Center Hill, FL, which is located just a few miles northeast of Webster. The remarkable thing about Center Hill is that it has a completely dead and abandoned downtown area.  I couldn't resist the temptation to stop and get some photos of this scene of urban decay.  I passed this way back in 2002 and things were just the same then, so this place has been devoid of activity for nearly a decade that I am aware of. And, yes, I did a bit of post-processing to these photos to fit the eerie sense that such desolation evokes:




I like that my motorcycle's reflection was caught in the window; strikes me as a juxtaposition of old and modern, as well as abandonment and decay of a fixed point versus the freedom of mobility:



Most of the abandoned storefronts are locked like this; just to keep out the curious or the dispossessed, I suppose:




Here's the reverse angle on the abandoned row of storefronts:



Across the street sits this abandoned gas station:



I liked some of the details of the abandoned gas station, like this vehicle lift:



This old kerosene pump was a particularly nice find:



These old gas station restrooms provide interesting lines and a bit of commentary:



Finally, this staircase on the back of the storefronts was also interesting to me:



Finished with my photo exploration of Center Hill's desolate downtown, I made my way to Webster, where the other fellas were enjoying a hearty buffet lunch at Hayseeds Cafe.  Not being much of one for heavy, buffet lunches, I did a little bit of exploration around the restaurant, the exterior facade of which appears below:



You may recall, dear readers, from a previous blog post, that we have been here in the past.  And while I took photos of the exterior back then, I never bothered to look around and missed out on the very interesting construction features of this building. Walking around the right-hand corner of the building, I discovered that it is not a building at all. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word, anyway. You see, the restaurant is actually nothing more than a collection of shipping containers mated together and trimmed with a folksy facade and interior:



This discovery served to explain the architectural oddity of the interior, which is marked by an archway every ten feet. That's where they cut openings between the shipping containers.  Here's a closer look at the uncovered side for you skeptics:



After lunch, Robert and Kent beat feet for home (via a direct route), while Gunny, Eddie, and I headed west for a little bit more riding in the San Antonio area.  By the time I got home and parked my bike I had logged over 190 miles of good riding with good friends. All in all, a great day.