28 May 2012

Beast Of Burden


Roy's Motel & Cafe. 
Amboy, California.
June 2009.




Blog post title taken from the song by Bette Midler, who - along with Amy MacDonald, Blondie, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Kim Carnes, Tracy Chapman, and since of late Adele - is one of my favourite female singers. 

I'm leaving for Berlin tomorrow after work. I'll return on Friday. I've got tickets for Bruce Springsteen's concert at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday. I'm planning to rent an Aprilia motor scooter on Thursday. Hopefully, the weather will be as awesome as it has been in Hamburg for about ten days now.

Have a nice week, and talk to you soon!

- Dom

All I Want


I am on a lonely road and I am traveling
Traveling, traveling, traveling
Looking for something, what can it be
Oh I hate you some, I hate you some, I love you some
Oh I love you when you forget about me

Oh the jealousy, the greed is the unraveling
It's the unraveling
And it undoes all the joy that could be
I want to have fun, I want to shine like the sun
I want to be the one that you want to see

(Joni Mitchell - All I Want)



Salvation Mountain, California.
June 2009.




I had a conversation with an American customer at the coffee shop earlier today. We talked about road trips. Back home, I browsed through my archives and found these pictures of Salvation Mountain. Click here to see another photograph taken by yours truly. Click here to read a recent article.

24 May 2012

There's A Reason


Hamburg, Germany.
May 2012.


When the moon follows you where you go
And you cannot hide
And when voices of doom ring your ears
And horsemen do ride

May tomorrow the land be anew
May every bird sing unto you
That's the reason
That's the reason

That the love that's tearing you down
Is the love that will turn you around

(A.A. Bondy - There's A Reason)


23 May 2012

Workingman's Blues


Well, I'm sailin' on back, ready for the long haul
Tossed by the winds and the seas
I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall
I'll sell 'em to their enemies

Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret
They waste your nights and days
Them I will forget
But you I'll remember always

(Bob Dylan - Workingman's Blues)




Hamburg, Germany.
May 2012.



This morning I had to start work at half past eight, but I already woke up shortly after four o'clock... too late to fall asleep again... so I decided to take the first harbour ferry, read a book, and take pictures from aboard the ferry.


Click here to see similar pictures taken in February. Click here for more information.

21 May 2012

Spirit On The Water


Life without you
Doesn't mean a thing to me
If I can't have you
I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea

(Bob Dylan - Spirit On The Water)




Houseboat at low tide.
Hamburg, Germany.
May 2012.




This strange houseboat reminded me of the ones in Sausalito. I would love to know what kind of person lives there, and why he or she chose to live in such an isolated place.

Have a great week.

- Dom

20 May 2012

Better Together


Hamburg, Germany.
May 2012.
F/8, ISO 50, 300 seconds.


And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight
But I know that they'll be gone
When the morning light sings
And brings new things
For tomorrow night you see
That they'll be gone too
Too many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams might find their way
Into my day to day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somewhere in between
With only two
Just me and you

(Jack Johnson - Better Together)


Another photo from my photo walk with my friends Michal and Michelle... 

One of my colleagues recently asked me, "Why are you always taking pictures of that river? There's so much more to take pictures of in Hamburg."
I replied, "What I love most about being down on the river bank is that you can actually see the horizon. In the city, the farthest you can see is the end of the street."

19 May 2012

F-Stop Blues


Driftwood floats after years of erosion
Incoming tide touches roots to expose them
Quicksand steals my shoe
Clouds bring the f-stop blues

Look who's laughing now that you've wasted
How many years and you've barely even tasted
Anything remotely close to
Everything you've boasted about
Look who's crying now

(Jack Johnson - F-Stop Blues)




Shipwrecks.
Hamburg-Blankenese, Germany.
May 2012.
Long exposures of 200 and
300 seconds, respectively.




After a few rainy days, Thursday was a beautiful day. I came home from work, grabbed a quick bite, packed my photography equipment, and left again to pick up two friends with whom I drove to Hamburg-Blankenese. We downed a few Heinekens while we enjoyed the fresh air before we set up our tripods and took long exposures. It was a very enjoyable evening.


"F-Stop Blues" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard...

Have a nice weekend!

- Dom

16 May 2012

Book Of Golden Stories


But as long as I can see the morning
In miracles, much more than I can say
It's enough to keep me still believing
In drifting hearts so far away

Yes, as long as I can see the morning
And blossom comes to bud again in spring
It's enough to keep me still believing
Your memory is everything

(Bruce Guthro - Book Of Golden Stories)


Imam Ali Mosque, Hamburg, Germany.
May 2012.


This mosque is one of the most beautiful mosques I've seen outside the Muslim world. Click here to see an older picture of the mosque. The whole place is really peaceful and quiet at night.

Tomorrow is going to be my first day off this week. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to take some more new pictures. The last few days have been mostly rainy. That's why I had some time before and after work to catch up with some of the blogs that I follow.
Here's a selection of links... Festival of Colours in India; a video clip about the work of George Lawrence; vintage photographs; and a video clip showing different beer bottles.

Goodnight.

- Dom

11 May 2012

And It Stoned Me


A while ago, I mentioned that I'd like to publish a few posts about cocktails and long drinks that I love.

Today I'm going to introduce the first one to you. The bartender was kind enough to reveal the recipe to me. I was smart enough to write it down... but I was drunk enough to forget what the cocktail was called.





Simple syrup, Jim Beam straight bourbon whiskey, apple juice, and Schweppes ginger ale. Click here to learn how to make simple syrup.




You'll need a jigger, a muddler, and a shaker. The one I use most of the time is a Boston Shaker, consisting of this orange, vinyl-coated tin and the mixing glass next to it. Last but not least, there's a tall glass with four ice cubes in it.




You'll also need a lime, eight leaves of lemon balm, and a twig to garnish your cocktail.


Cut the lime in half, then cut one half into bits. Put those in the shaker tin. Add the leaves. Now add 1 cl (= 1/3 oz.) of simple syrup. If you'd like to convert cl to oz., this website might be a very helpful tool. Anyway, use the muddler to crush those leaves and the tiny bits of lime until there's no more juice left in them. 

Add 4 cl (= 1 1/3 oz.) of Jim Beam and 4 cl (= 1 1/3 oz.) of apple juice.

Add four ice cubes, put the mixing glass on top, and shake for about half a minute.




Now you don't want those tiny bits of lime in your cocktail, do you? That's why you use a strainer to strain only the liquid into your glass. Last but not least, pour ginger ale on the cocktail, and you're ready to enjoy a fine southern cocktail.




Let me know what you think about this one... it's one of my favourites - it's delicious and easy to make.


What I like about this cocktail, which has its origins in the Deep South of the United States, is that - contrary to another southern cocktail, the famous Mint Julep - it's more fruity. I've only been to the Deep South once, in 2007, but that part of the U.S. has inspired me just as much as the American Southwest. 


Click here if you'd like to find out more about Southern cocktails. Other Southern cocktails I've made at home and enjoyed are the following ones: Bufala Negra, Jimmy Dean, and Whiskey Tea Highball. This website has a lot of useful information about garnishing a cocktail. You'll find many more recipes on this site. Last but not least, click here if you'd like to learn more about mixing cocktails.


Blog post title taken from this song by Van Morrison.


Have a nice weekend!

- Dom

03 May 2012

Nineteen Eighty-Four


The former Deutsche Post - office block.
Hamburg, Germany.
May 2012.




I guess there's no one in England who wasn't assigned to read George Orwell's dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" in school. Truth be told, I didn't get anything out of it, and neither did the film appeal to me. There's no writer whose novels or short stories have impressed me as much as those penned by Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, and Cormac McCarthy.
Anyway, in "1984", there are these four ministries that govern Oceania and which rise above the London skyline. Oceania is composed of Great Britain and Ireland, Iceland and Greenland, the Americas, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as the majority of the Pacific Islands. 
Even though the building in the above picture isn't nearly as high as the ministries, it looks very much like I pictured them.