Old cars in Colonia del Sacramento

 In a recent visit to Colonia, there were several old cars parked in the historic district of Colonia del Sacramento.  Sometimes these oldies are more or less restored. This old Ford was painted pink; it is more charitable to render it in black and white.

Sometimes the dear old cars are just left to decay in a friendly old cobbled street, windshield covered by stickers. This Citroen has been in this same place for at least 20 years. Those reeds grow from inside the car, through what used to be a removable roof. Nature takes back its own.

This Vauxhall is used as a prop for the menu board of a popular restaurant. The front still looks proudly toward the customers.

Sometimes the classics are just used by their owners, while waiting for their turn to become an urban ornament.

Taken with a Minolta Autocord TLR.  Film was Tri-X developed in D-76 1:1.

Carnival is near...

 The local Candombe group, "La Gozadera", has started rehearsing. They do it at dusk, when the worst heat is gone. 

Sometimes, when I hear the drums, I zoom to their street with one of my old cameras and try to capture the action. Too often I botch something; this time it was lack of attention while developing film. 

GIMP to the rescue. 

 

 

Now it looks like a watercolor, one which I would never be able to paint.  

 

 Thanks for viewing and a most Happy New Year!

Bouza winery

 Our children gifted us a visit to a winery, and finally we could arrange a date and time. We chose the Bouza site in Melilla, and got there a bit before noon.

There was a nice collection of old cars, mostly Fords, very well kept. This was in the waiting area, while the rest of the scheduled group arrived. 

There was a small patch of grapes, still very small and green this time of the year.

The grapes are kept quite thinned to make sure that they get enough sun. This winery goes for relatively small volumes of high quality product. 

We got a thorough presentation of wine making. For me, the visually interesting feature was the large store of oak barrels where wine waits for the right moment.

I took my trusty Super-Isolette to the winery, loaded with HP5+. The venerable camera became a nice talking point with the young tour guide; film is cool now for the new generation, reared on phones and selfies.

Thanks for looking!

Ariel, master luthier

 Visited my luthier friend, who had the good sense to move close to Piriapolis and set up a cozy atelier, up on a hill with a million dollar view. 

I was privileged to portrait him as he worked to fix a nuance in my instrument.

Thanks for watching these!

Nikon F with 50/1.4 lens, HP5+ in D-76 1:1.

Aeronautical museum

 The aeronautical museum reopened some time ago, in a new location next to Carrasco airport. Outside, a Vickers Viscount is being restored. I was a young passenger in this plane back in 1967.

Inside the main hangar there is a collection of beautiful, old and proud flying machines.

This Pucará may have seen service in the Falklands war, 30 years ago.

Thanks for looking! I used a Contarex, with 35 and 50 mm lenses. Film was FP4+ developed in D-23.

Open again!

 One of my favorite places for photography is the fishing wharf in Buceo harbor. When Covid-19 struck, back in March 2020, some bright mind in our Harbor Administration (or maybe it was in some Ministry) decided to close access to the public, even though it is as open a place as they come, with more than enough wind to clear away any virus aerosol in milliseconds, and many people went there for a walk or to fish with a reel. Or to shoot pictures, with all kind of cameras and smartphones.

 I kept checking the place almost every week and getting more frustrated each time.

Last Sunday, under gray skies, I checked once again and was thrilled to see that common people were allowed into the wharf, as before. Immediately I got inside and started shooting, trying to recover two years of lost subject.

The old boats were still around. The water was dirty, maybe because of those recent floods.

The pilot launch was busy, coming and going, and the ADES rescue boat came from an exercise while I was shooting.

There were some interesting currents and waves in the oily, dirty water close to the stairs. I must come back with a longer telephoto lens and enough film to get a few abstracts. Light on water is a satisfying subject.

All with Nikon F2, 35-105 zoom, FP4+ in D-23. Thanks for looking!

The old Perez watermill

A long time ago, a creek was feeding a grain mill, the old Perez water mill. As the city extended, the old mill became a park. It is located in the Malvin rambla, next to Alejandro Gallinal street. I posted on this mill a couple of years ago; it is a good place to exercise old film cameras.

The interior of the mill was once converted into a museum, and there were some cultural activities from time to time. Now the building is closed, and the old weathered doors are a twin image of neglect among graffiti.

 

The wagon is still outside, with its broken wheel and rusted metal.

During my photo expedition, a tourist tour came into the park. The tour guide told them the (true) story of the place being used for marijuana legalization meetings, before the weed became legalized in 2016.

Technical: Pentax K-1000 with 24-35 zoom and 100 mm lens; FP4+ in Beutler.

2.13.0.0

Punta del Este, again

 A few from a weekend, a rare occasion for me. 

A seawolf owns this area in the harbor, at least when fish are being cleaned.

The gazebo marks the spot where the River Plate ends, or so I was told. 

The fishing boats are candy for the eye.

Fish cleaning area with seabirds

Church interior, with chairs 

The old lighthouse could be visited. We went upstairs, all of 150 steps in the spiral, and the final wood stair to the top. 

View from the top and manufacturer’s proud plate.

Thanks for looking!  All with Nikon F, various lenses, FP4+ in Beutler.

Back in photography

 The pandemic has eased down here, and things are slowly coming into the Tao groove again. 

A few frames for the blog, which is not forgotten.

Holocaust monument stones, near the River Plate.

Reel fishing in Sarandí docks

Sax player in Rodo park.

Shadows on the garden bridge.

Self portrait on kettle. First picture after months of lockdowns.

Thanks for looking! Autocord all, except the last one, taken with old trusty Nikon F. FP4+ in Beutler, as usual.

It feels good to post again.

The harbor of Punta del Este in the low season

I do not go much to Punta del Este, but sometimes I am happy to take a friend to visit. The harbor is a mandatory stop, especially the fishing boats areas,

Fishing goes on all the year round, if weather allows. Some boats look sad, as if they have been put to float while their owners decide what to do with them.

A couple of old girls were chatting and enjoying the view.

The seagulls are always ready to pick up the discards from fish cleaning. They have learned to keep their position in order,

When the food comes out, it is a riot!

Thanks for looking!   Minolta Autocord, TMX 100 in Beutler.