Listening to the Voices in My Head

Went out for a planned photoshoot with Wing today. Slight hiccup in our communication, as I had said I wanted to go into Perth to get some city street photography, and he forgot.

Well, it was a lemons/lemonade situation, so I made the best of it. Met up with a fellow photog, and had a nice meander through Fremantle. I wanted to take my 100-400 lens out and give it a good try. Not just photographing the moon/Jupiter, or just the birds visiting the trees and birdbath (although I did work to make them get a bit used to my presence)

Todays "Keeper to delete" ratio: Took 27 photos. So far 12 are good. Almost 50%

Aikidomayland wanted to so some photography in Fremantle. He has this idea about the cranes and derricks and wants to get a specific photograph. As luck would have it we found the perfect place for him to take the photo, but it started raining. I did, however, manage to get a snap of a dolphin in the harbor.



Probably would have gotten a better one if the cabin cruiser hadn't come barreling through, causing the critter to sound. Since it was raining, we didn't wait around for another try.

Doesn't make it right. Fremantle has always been "Parking fee/fine" mad, IMO they have gone just a bit too far now.

In Fremantle, there was a small 'shopping center' where many people went for their grocery shopping because of not having to pay for parking, as it was free parking for 2 hrs. True, a few people abused it by just plunking their cars there (I know one person who is/was so stupid she parked her car there and forgot it. Then the dozy cow thought it had been stolen until the police called her.) for a gad about Fremantle. But there were parking inspectors who would log the cars, the time they got there. And 2 hrs later, if your car was still there, you got a parking ticket, or your car got the boot. Trust me, if you were 10 mins over the 2 hrs you got yourself a hefty parking fine.

I guess that wasn't revenue raising enough, because now you have to pay to park there. Sure you get the fee back if you spend over $10 at any of the refund participating stores!

Case in point: you pay and drop off your prescription at pharmacy. If they won't be able to fill in in the alloted time, you have to come back, pay another $2. And if for whatever reason that place isn't participating in the 'refund', tough kahoogies.

One persons' hubris really rankled me. "If you can't afford the $2 to park, you don't deserve to be driving a car." *WTF??!!* "It's Fremantle, and if you want to be here you have to pay." Thereby speaks someone who has never been on an extremely tight budget. I hope she is never a senior citizen on a small pension... then again, maybe if she is those words might come back to haunt her.

True, it's only $2, but in the past I have been on so tight a budget that there were times I didn't have the spare $2. Try having to shell that out 10 time or more times a month. It adds up.

Yesterday, _meegan_ and I had some business at the bank, and decided to wander around. We decided to pop into La Tropicana for lunch. We ordered our 'usual' Monday performance lunch. It was highly gratifying and heartwarming the reception we got when one of the gals there had said "Wait, haven't have that order combination in months!" turned and there we were grinning at her. Peter was his typical wiseass self. :)

Stopped at OXFAM to see what was new there. Got some nifties there, in optimistic preparation of my return to dancing. :)

But instead of lj cuts, I decided to just set up links to galleries.

Did another walk about in Fremantle today, and managed to be there during a village artists market. Some beautiful hand crafted, locally made items.

Fremantle Village Artists market gallery

Another one of the places I visited was the Ark of Joan. Michelle was happy to see me, as I have been out of commission for a while.

Ark of Joan gallery

Also pit stopped at "Into Camelot" again. I managed to haul myself upstairs were all the gowns were.

Into Camelot Gallery

On the way back, I took a picture of the fuggliest parking structure I have ever seen. It's as if someone went nuts with all the colors from the Dr Suess books.
Then I went stopped by the Beads and Pearls Craft Store.

Bead and Pearls Craft Store gallery