Isolation Photo Project : Day 151

Something has changed over the last few weeks, and I have felt a bit anxious. I think I'm missing some of my typical summer routines.

Many summers ago, my employer at the time offered employees the opportunity to work a compressed workweek. I worked my 40-45 hours in the first four days of the week and ended my Friday workday at noon. I developed a routine with my kids, who were off from school for the summer. I came home, picked them up, and we had lunch at the One53 restaurant in Rocky Hill.

Shaan and Kiran were allowed to order whatever they wanted from the menu. It didn’t matter if they ate the food or not. This routine was an opportunity to spend time with my children and wind down my week. I always ordered a lobster roll and a pint of beer.

My children are older now, and our "tradition" ended long before COVID-19. The employer ended the programafter a few years and Shaan and Kiran aged out of the activity. I developed new routines for Friday lunches, but this week I wanted a Maine lobster roll.

I went online looking for Maine lobster rolls and found several websites where I could order Maine lobster roll kits to be delivered on ice to my door. But the lobster roll kits are $85 to $165. I don't need 1lb-2lbs of lobster. I just wanted a lobster roll. I changed my search to “lobster roll new jersey”, and by the third link, I had found the Cousins Maine Lobster roll food truck. This food truck makes its way around New Jersey, and today it was in Yardville, about a half-hour from my home. On my lunch hour, I bought a lobster roll, a bowl of New England clam chowder, and a bowl of lobster bisque. The lobster roll and New England clam chowder were just what I needed.

On the drive back home, my mind wandered about food trucks, and I remember that in early August, Andy "ATMTX" posted some images from the Rainey Street Food Truck Park in Austin, Texas.

While the food truck is an uncommon sight in Montgomery Township, it is a common sight in New Jersey at breweries around New Jersey. Over the last two decades, many towns have repealed some of their prohibition-era laws and micro-wineries, micro-breweries and micro-distilleries have sprung up around the state. However, due to what I think is restaurant association lobbying, none of them is allowed to serve food.

But people want food when they have a glass of wine or pint or two. Most breweries and wineries encourage people to bring their food, and many patrons do. However, for people who don’t want the hassle, food trucks fill the need.

But my most fun experience with food trucks is with the many Mexican, Indian, and other food trucks that I frequented over the last two years working in the Wall Street Financial District. My client's office was one block from Wall Street, and whenever I worked in Manhattan, I would often walk out the main door and parked on the street was the Saravana Bhavan food truck, selling my favourite, Pav Bhaji. Oh, it's so delicious. It almost made the two-hour commute into Manhattan bearable.

Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.

Isolation Photo Project : Day 150

The first car I have ever owned was a puke green base model 1994 Honda Civic. The attractive saleswoman at the dealership in Ann Arbor "convinced" me it was the best car for a new "cash poor" recent graduate (MSEE). I loved that car and drove it all over Michigan, Ohio and the long trek between Ann Arbor and my mom's home in Queens, NY. A rear-end accident in 1996 wrecked it.

I replaced my Civic with a pre-owned Milano Red 1994 Acura Integra, which, when you think about it, was just a high-performance Civic with Acura badging. I enjoyed driving my Integra up and down the Mid-Atlantic coast. If I did not need a larger family sedan (Honda Accord), I bought a Civic in 2006. If you review Honda's brochures or website, you will notice that the Civic line has more advanced technology than any Honda, including their Acura division. I love the Honda Civic.

My local Honda dealership has had a yellowish beige Honda N600 in the showroom for longer than I have lived in this township (20 years). While my Dad has owned various cars (Volkswagen Beetle, Mini Cooper, Datsun 160J, Toyota Corona) during my youth, all the cars my wife and I have owned since 1994 have been Hondas. I include Acura because the brand does not exist outside of North America.

1994 Acura Integra GS-R
1994 Acura Integra GS-R | Pentax P3 | SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/2

My classic Honda car would be the 1964 Honda S600 roadster, a similar European or Japanese roadster (Triumph Spitfire, Alfa Romeo Spider, or Datsun 1600 Roadster). The S600 sells on auction sites for well over $25,000. I am hoping that Honda brings back the Integra.

I grew up in the British West Indies; tail fins and large gas-guzzling engines were never a thing there. I'm not a big fan of classic American cars. In my opinion, they are large, ugly, poorly built clunkers. You do not see many modern vehicles with the character of a 1963 Porsche 356B 1600S, 1976 Triumph TR6, 1964 Honda S600 Roadster or 1967 Morris Mini Cooper, but they do exist. Good examples, IMO, include the 2020 Acura NSX and 2020 Mercedes-Benz GT.

1964 Honda S600
1964 Honda S600. Image © BaT

Classic cars and classic film cameras. I've got old things on my mind today.

Happy National Photography Day.

Isolation Photo Project : Day 149

If insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result, what is living the same day over and over again called?

I found myself reading about Fujica 35mm film cameras, and a short while later I was on eBay looking for used Fujica ST801. From what I read, my SMC Takumar lenses are compatible with the Fujica ST801. But I don't need another film camera body.

What I can use is a macro lens. I wanted a macro lens back when the lockdown started but the one I wanted, the Fujinon XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro but it's a $1200 lense, so I waited. I may have waited too long. Finding a used XF80mm has been challenging, and the used prices are not much lower than for a new one.


The air was cooler this evening. Our dinner at the Brick Farm Tavern was terrific as usual.

Tuesday 18 August, 2020 | Day 149 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8
Tuesday 18 August, 2020 | Day 149 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8
Tuesday 18 August, 2020 | Day 149 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8
Tuesday 18 August, 2020 | Day 149 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8

Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.