Sunday, July 19, 2009

Week 12, Day 80, July 19, 2009, "Bodlt Castle, Alexandria Bay" Bench of the Week


This is the second "Bench of the Week" at Bodlt Castle in Alexandria Bay, NY. Alexandria Bay is in the Thousand Islands.

When I was a child my Grandparents had a camp near Alexandria Bay. We would spend a lot of vacations at "The River" as we called it. The first time I went to Bodlt Castle, the place was a mess. There was graffiti all over the inside of the building. They've made a great effort to restore the Castle, or finish it. (The Castle was never finished originally.)

There's a nice park in Alexandria Bay that overlooks the island, and is a great place to sit.

Today we traveled to the Thousand Islands to see some family friends. I haven't seen any of them for about 10 years. We had a lot of memories to share. The oldest friend is who I call Uncle Stanley. He's 97 years old, and is sharp as a tack. He recounted the story of how my Grandfather and he first met. Uncle Stanley was looking for a good camping spot at Kring Point State Park. The site that he normally had was occupied. The caretaker told him of another spot that was very good. It was currently occupied, but the people were leaving that day. Those people were my grandparents. Uncle Stanley asked my Grandfather if they were going to leave. My Grandfather's response was, "We'll leave when were damn good and ready to leave." With a statement like that, it's hard to imagine how a friendship would begin, and be with us over 50 years later. They are a great group of people, and I miss them, and miss our summers of years ago.

Lessons Learned:
  • You can't go home again, but you can share a lot of great memories
  • I was asked by my wife why I didn't photograph our friends today. I find that when I get involved with photography, I have to step back from the situation. I become lost in trying to make a great photo, and no longer participate with those around me. I didn't want to loose the moment with these great people, so I didn't photograph. I need to somehow learn to do both, or some way around this.
Photo Details: Exposure time 1/60 sec, Aperture f/16.0, ISO 100 , Focal Length 70 mm, 35 mm equivalent focal length 113mm, Lens Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM, handheld.

3 comments:

Rune Eide said...

Thank you for this very personal contribution! I didn't even know there were castles in the US. You do get the impression that the couple is watching it across the river - in an obviously relaxed manner. Probably sitting well...

It was nice to hear the story about your grandfather. He must have been quite a character.

I can understand your feeling of taking photos in emotional situations - one can easily get lost lose both the situation and the picture.

But I envy you the L USM series lens - too expensive here for a mere amateur. I bought a 70-300 IS USM this winter that I'm using now (I use a 40D).

Gallow said...

The lens was an incredible Christmas gift from my wife. I still cannot believe she bought it for me.

I envy your 40D. I would like a new camera body. My Rebel Xt has served me well for 3 years, but it is getting old. The CCD really needs some professional cleaning.

PERBS said...

Such a beautiful scene deserves a beautiful bench for people to enjoy that view and sit close together and snuggle. Nice composition!