Things You Find In Boxes

(St. Louis, MO) The Presidential Limousine carrying US President Ronald Reagan streaks toward  downtown St. Louis via Lindell Blvd. near the intersection of Grand.  Photo was taken with Polaroid SX-70.  © Michael Weaver

While in the basement last night I saw an old pink shoebox with some 5x7 sheet film holders and other assorted odd items including my Boy Scout "Totin' Chip" that allowed me unsupervised use of an axe while camping and the instruction book for my first SLR, a Ricoh TLS 401 that now sits in a cabinet as a reminder of what I used in high school to make money with.

This Polaroid image was in the box and I remembered that I had not been able to leave St. Louis Photo because the streets were blocked off for the Presidential motorcade that was going to be coming through.  I asked someone if I could use the display SX-70 and panned the camera as the limousine sped by at a really high rate of speed.

Not that you can see it in the photo, but President Reagan did wave as he passed by.

Life before Instagram and Twitpic!  No connection required, just point and shoot with a picture being spit out the front.  Still pretty cool when you think about it.

About Feeling Grateful

(Fieldon, IL) Mark Angel holds the only thing he found that was usable the morning after his home burned on November 13, 2012 in rural Jersey county Illinois.  The CD with kindergarten images of his son who is now in fifth grade was found in a case and covered with water and debris.  The gloves and jacket he is wearing are borrowed as everything the family owned was destroyed in the fire that kept restarting and kept the local volunteer fire department busy most of the night.

I live in a very rural part of southern Illinois.  It's a great place to live in many ways except that some of the things many take for granted by living in a metropolitan area are lacking in the rural parts of this country.  Fire protection is an issue.  Not only is fire protection an issue, but access to water so that a fire can be extinguished is an issue as well.

While out shopping for new basketball shoes for his son, Mark Angel received a call that his house was fully engulfed in flames.  Someone driving by the house saw the fire and called it in to the authorities, but the result was a total loss of everything the family owned.  If you have never seen what a house fire is capable of, no words, photos or videos can fully describe the aftermath.

It's really no different that what hurricane Sandy did to many along the eastern US coast several weeks ago except that everything is either melted or burned beyond recognition, not washed away.

(Fieldon, IL)  Homeowner Mark Angel talks to an Illinois State Fire Marshal investigator as two of the volunteer firefighters that responded the the fire that destroyed his home the evening before look on. 

With Thanksgiving upon us, we all need to be grateful.  Mark was grateful to at least have one CD of photos of his son. Considering he lives less than one mile from me, I know I have many reasons to feel grateful.

Game Face of the Week (4)

It was a hot day and evening.  Someone wanted to be in charge.  I have images of calls gone bad, but these sum it up!  I won't name names or locations.  If they stumble on this, they know who they are.

The baseball game was put on hold for lightning way off in the distance.  A phone call was made to see about possibly resuming the game at a later day and time.  The answer was that the game needed to be continued after the threat of lightning had passed and this was communicated to the person above.  When told this, he immediately said to get that person on the phone because he wanted to talk to them.  He wasn't even the home plate umpire!

Needless to say the game continued late into the night and more than a few people thought many of the calls made by officials were just plain wrong.  The umpire above even had a fan removed for expressing displeasure at his officiating.

Trying to Beat the Heat!

(Alton, IL) A young boy stands under a cool mist of water as other children run and play around him.  The afternoon temperature was in excess of 100 degrees F and everyone was waiting for a concert and fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July. 

The weather has been brutally hot for the last several weeks here in the Midwestern US.  The image of this boy was taken on a day when afternoon temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees F.  An Alton firefighter placed a firehose with a nozzle set to spray in an open area next the Riverfront Amphitheater.  As the sun started to set there was a concert and fireworks in celebration of the 4th of July.

Once Every 100 Years or so...

(Elsah, IL) A view of Venus as it starts to transit across the space between the Earth and the Sun.  Venus is the larger dark circle at approximately 8:00 on the image of the Sun.  You can also see sunspots on the face of the sun.  They are the smaller dark spots visible across the face of the Sun.

Venus just crossed the face of the Sun.. that is if your vantage point is someplace on Earth.  Won't happen here in the Midwestern US again until 2117.  Thought I really should try to see it this time rather than next.

(Elsah, IL) Dr. Thomas Fuller, the man in charge of the telescope at the Principia College observatory, adjusts the focus of the telescope that was used to provide the image above.

(Elsah, IL) The Principia College observatory sits atop a high concrete and steel platform so that it has an unobstructed view of the sky.

Images were shot with Leica digital rangefinder with Leica and Voigtlander lenses.  The Leica lens was used to place up against the telescope eyepiece to capture the Sun and Venus image.  The Summicron lens dates from 1958.  The other two images were shot with a Voigtlander 12mm Ultra-Wide Heliar.  Great lens for tight spaces.

More pics at: http://www.michaelrweaver.com/p663271124

Opening Day at the Stadium!

The much anticipated opening of the Stadium Theater in Jerseyville Illinois has finally taken place.  The Theater was closed by AMC in 2011 and now has been renovated and reopened.  New screens, new sound and digital projection create a much better viewing experience than the previous film based system.

Link to Stadium Theatre website

(Jerseyville, IL) Patrons line up for opening night at the newly renovated Stadium Theater.

(Jerseyville, IL) Two young boys reach up to the counter with money in hand to pay for their tickets.  The new cash register had failed and transactions were kept track of by a tally sheet.

(Jerseyville, IL) Patrons jam the lobby of the newly renovated Stadium Theater on opening night waiting for the early showing of "The Hunger Games" to conclude.

(Jerseyville, IL) Three friends ready for a movie on opening night.

(Jerseyville, IL) The newly renovated Stadium Theater has new technology installed to created a better viewing experience for the audience.  The orange case to the left s delivered by a courier service as the features change at the theater.  The case holds a hard drive containing the digital movie files that are then installed into the server that is directly below the projector.  The server housing has a slide out keyboard unit that is used to program the digital projector.  This particular system uses Dolby software to manage the files and the LCD display attached to the server giver the operator a visual representation of what has the system has been programmed to do.  Attached to the front of the projector is a special polarizing screen that makes 3-D movies possible.  The 3-D system slides back and forth on a rail so it can be moved into place when showing 3-D movies.

(Jerseyville, IL) A view out of one of the windows in the projection booth of the Stadium Theater.  In the center of the image is a view of what is on the theater screen.  To the left is a rack holding the multichannel sound system components.  To the right you can see part of the digital projector.

(Jerseyville, IL) Theater patrons with 3-D glasses watch "The Lorax" on opening night at the newly renovated Stadium Theater.

Last Picture Show - The Sequel

What once wasn't.. now is again!

The Stadium Theater in Jerseyville IL is reopening after being closed by AMC.  After a huge public outcry, AMC negotiated a reasonable sale price to the new owner and after many renovations is open for business again.

(Jerseyville, IL) The once shuttered Stadium Theater is now reopen after extensive renovations.  The theater was closed by AMC last year and after a huge public outcry and show of commnuity support it was purchased and renovated by a local independent theater chain operator.

(Jerseyville, IL) Stadium Theater owner Steve Dougherty stands in the doorway of his newly renovated facility during an open house held to show off the renovations the night be fore the theater officially opens.  The theater has been upgraded to digital projection, surround sound and 3-D capability.

Opening night photos coming soon.

http://www.thestadiumtheatre.com/