Tampa Taxi Shots

They called it "The eclipse of the century." The anticipation leading up to it was immense. The east coast of the United States was going to go under totality from this solar eclipse. I remember as a kid how excited I was to be able to see and photography, a total eclipse of the sun. At that age, I really did not know how fortunate I was. I would learn that in life, we are almost always more fortunate than we think. Not something my 13 year old brain could fathom at that time. It was a Saturday and the family gathered in the front yard to watch the event. I also noticed most of the neighbors were out in their front yards as well. How can you beat an eclipse going right over your own neighborhood? Plus, I was young, strong, and thought life would last forever. Now I'm an old man on heart medicine. If there's a lesson in all of this...don't live life vicariously. Live in the moment. Take advantage of what you have today. Like eclipses, there may not be a next ti...

The newspaper the next day There will be a total eclipse of the sun on Monday which will be visible by most of North America. In Tampa, the totality will be about 91% which ain't bad. This eclipse has sentimental value for me for I once witnessed and filmed a total solar eclipse when I was 13 years old in Newport News Virginia on March 7, 1970. I remember it well. What I clearly remember was being able to see the stars in the middle of the day, with the planet Venus being prominent in the "night sky." I remember it well as I was recording it with a rather sophisticated piece of equipment I had made myself. Face it. I got a better shot than the local TV stations did. I had rigged a photography device using a used cereal box and a smoked pane of glass. In the box was a 8mm film camera which I shot incrementally and it worked perfectly. I was able to record the totality of the eclipse and the events leading up to it. 1970 Eclipse - The black dot goes right over N...

Man I love my job. I once read that over %50 of all Americans really don’t like their jobs. They especially dread going in on Monday mornings. I can honestly say I have never had a day when I dreaded going to work. In fact, I really like it. I’m a people person and I enjoy talking to all the interesting people that I pick up in the course of my day. Plus, the $30 an hour I can make ain't bad either. Monday mornings are especially exciting. Monday is like going to a casino and knowing the odds are stacked in your favor! The cash comes quick and it piles up. I usually bound out of bed anticipating the wonderful things that are waiting for me. After the bars close, you get people going to the airport and people coming into the airport. There’s a tremendous amount of activity and it last all morning. I heard some guy on the AM radio this morning, and it seemed ironic because of all the money I was making, that the “average guys” style of living was being eroded by a number of fa...