South Beach Adventure

Waiting For The Coffee, Conferring With The State Department

At a recent homeowners association meeting North Miami City Councilman Michael Blynn, in his desperate attempt to secure enough votes in the upcoming run-off election to keep his council seat, was talking about how he was entitled to the recent humongous raise plus the obscene benefits package the council recently gave themselves in flagrant violation of the city charter. He thought that it was well deserved because of all the time he puts into city business and all the trips to Washington, D.C. he's made at city expense trying to secure grants for the city. It's called lobbying.

I tend to do things differently. James and I have become close friends over the years as his State Department job brings him to the Miami area several times a year for various international conferences. A time or two he's crashed at my house but since marrying Liz they tend to stay at fancy art deco South Beach hotels, and they dine on gourmet fare at trendy sidewalk cafes and posh gourmet restaurants. We discuss cameras and film and how immigrant influxes affect cities like North Miami. He's gone all around North Miami with me, visited stores and eaten at restaurants like Jimmy's Place, met the residents rich and poor alike, knows the problems of the city and its residents, and he has friends in other government agencies that he talks with on a regular basis. It's called neworking

James and I spent the afternoon eating and talking and watching the scantily clad girls wander by. James grabbed the check and put it on HIS expenses account for the trip. Michael, now that's the way to lobby Washington. Let them come to you.

The Last Of The Al Kaplan T-shirts?

Amazing. James Mitchell gets the idea of sticking my ugly face on a T-shirt, complete with a cigarette dangling from my lips, posts the thing on an internet Leica Photography forum, and suddenly orders are coming from as far away as Australia! Next thing I know I'm having coffee at a sidewalk cafe on South Beach, another photo of me, this time with Leicas draped across my chest. by a top advertising photographer, and James decides another T-shirt is called for. In the meantime I've discovered that a market has developed for the few T-shirts out there, used I'm assuming, and I suggested to James that maybe he should make up some more, or better yet, a coffee mug! He just emailed me this link. Seems he has a few of the first batch of both editions still available and right now he's listing them on ebay. Put one on, grab a cuppa java, and you can pretend that you're having Coffee With Al

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300280263884

"Al,Can you put a link to the auction in your blog. This is on Ebay for the remaining 7 Large size shirts. I have a couple of odd sizes, but these are the last. I have two more of the newer shirt too. But let's see how this goes. Here is a link"

Enjoying The Sights On South Beach

I met James Mitchell at least five years ago through the photo.net Leica Forum. He's in the Miami area every few months on business and we always get together for lunch, or at least a drink. It's coffee for me and beer for James, so we have to find a place with a decent selection of imported beer and really good coffee, or try to at least. This was back in 2003 and a sidewalk cafe in South Beach was the location.

He had a "new" vintage Leica M3 in a fancy custom leather "half case" with matching strap. I like the Leica M3 myself ~ I have one ~ and it's probably a good idea to buy one that saw light use or maybe just sat under somebody's socks for the past fifty years. Get it cleaned of the dried out old lube, re-lubed, and it'll be good for half a century of actual use. What I don't understand is the concept of a fancy expensive half case. Yes, it protects the camera from dings and dents, but you have to remove it to stick a fresh roll of film in the camera.

I think that I was using my little Leica CL that day. It had looked pristine when I bought it a few years before but I don't make the effort to keep it that way. To me it's a tool I use to make photographs. It has a great lens and it's the kind of light weight/small size camera that makes me not mind schlepping it around all day. It's probably half the weight of the M3, and about one third smaller in size. It's not as well built either, but life is full of trade-offs.

What I really like about this picture, though, is the typical South Beach scenery walking by in the background. Noplace else around here seems to have as many cute chicks.