Recently in Zenit ET Category

©Dave Marquis 2004 Zenit ET

 This is another picture from the second Oakland cemetery series that I took over a week ago. I took this photo wondering what memories will be left of us after a generation or two. I have walked through many of the Twin Cities cemeteries and it is a sad sight to see so many long forgotten people buried there. Their grave markers get abused from young kids down to the very lawn mowers that chip and knock them over. Some just sink into the murky realm of forgotten relatives. All hope is not lost though. There are a number of restoration groups around the country trying to restore the dignity of the forgotten souls buried in cemeteries arcoss America. To me, it isn't the question of were we go when we die, but what happens to our memory when we are gone.

Not a lot going on here tonight. I am just playing around with a new server for www.japanish.org. I would like to be able to get Gallery to work like it is supposed to. It looks like I will be switchng to a different web server platform.
Here is a photo that I took at the Oakland Cemetery.

©Dave Marquis 2004 Zenit ET

 I am wondering why people seem to skimp on the flowers that they place at grave sites. I mean that these flowers that I have captured here on film are fake, plasticy things that will probably be on this planet for centuries if not millenniums to come. This is also a sign that we live in a busy world, where people do not have time to make it out to their loved ones even once every two weeks to change the flowers. It is a truly sad thing to see. I am just thinking that if people really wanted to never forget a death of someone they loved, wouldn't they choose the best flowers?  Fake flowers are really just the tip of the iceberg. In that I mean that it is not common to see forgotten people whose markers have been graffitied, knocked over, or have simply have been forgotten and sunk into the ground so little is left to even find these people by if it wasn't for a burial map.  I took this picture while on a walk with my wife, Yuko on May 10, 2004. It was taken with my Zenit ET on Fuji Superia 200 color film.

Dave Marquis Zenit ET

 Today Yuko and finished up our baby class and I have to say that it was very informative even though I did find it annoying to have to get up at 7:00 AM on a Sunday. I didn't think that the videos were that graphic, but I guess some of the men and women thought that they were. One lady started swaying in her seat as soon as the discussion on C-Sections came up. So this swooning pregnant lady stands up to recover and that was the worst thing that she could have done and down she went. Let it be said that we should have taken a break while they got her comfortable and back in the world of the conscious. I believe that Daichi will be here sometime in early June. I guess we will just have to wait and see if my prediction comes true or not.  After Yuko and I got home around 3:00 PM today, we went for a nice long walk. I should have worn my hat as I get a sun burn so easy on my almost bald head. The Oakland Cemetery ( 1, 2, 3 ) is huge, aprox. 12 city blocks long and 2 or 3 blocks across, which makes for long walks and new photographic oppurtunites.  I took this photo in the Oakland Cemetery with my trust Zenit ET that I bought new for $23.00 + shipping on Fuji Superia 200 color film bought on e-bay.com for $.50 a roll.

Dave Marquis Zenit ET

 I found this cool bottle laying in the Oakland Cemetery on Monday May 10, 2004. I just got the pictures back a couple of days ago from Walgreen's and I am just getting aroung to scanning them.  

This weekend has been a busy one for me. Last night I attended a Metro Student Senate meeting that ran from 6:00 Pm until 830 PM. Today Yuko and went to the first day of a two day birthing class to prepare us for the upcoming event. Can anything really prepare me for the "shock and awe" that is about to take place? Yuko and I got to see what it is all about sans the censoring done on TLC (The Learning Cannel). I don't really know if Yuko is ready, but I am! I am growing closer and closer to Daichi everyday.  

This picture was taken with my trusty Zenit ET and Fuji Superia 200 color film.

©Dave Marquis 2004 Zenit ET

Today was a nasty cold wet spring day. We are wishing for the sun, but it has only been a few day. I guess Yuko and I are ready for the summer heat. What a minute, what am I thinking. The sooner that we get into summer, the sooner we will be closer to winter. Silly me! In other news, I made good progress on the revamp of japanish.org. I hope to get it up and out for public consumption in a week or two. I am manually fixing broken links...which sucks!

Dave Marquis Zenit ET

 Yuko and I went out to take a look at a house that is for sale. Unfortunatly it wasn't what we had hopped it would be, but is anything in this world, except maybe love? Well we are going to continue the search for a house that we can afford and Yuko will like. The cold is back here in Minnesota and it looks like we will warm up again in the upcoming days. It is a dangerous time of the year for catching a cold. When it warms up here in the lower 30F range it seems time to break out the shorts and have a beach party. Well I am a big believer that they should close up the state in early November and only reopen in May.

In other news, we are down to two days to go until we go and have the ultrasound at the doctor's office. I am really ecited and I know that Yuko is also. We have waited a long time and we want to know! Yuko and I are hoping the baby will be in the mood to let us tell just what kind of baby we are going to have.

This is a orchid that Yuko and I found when we made a trip to the Minnesota Zoo. It was taken with my trusty Zenit ET and Helios 44-4 58MM lens on expired Kodak 200 color film.

Dave Marquis Zenit ET

 Here is another picture of my cute niece, Jillian. She is so cute, but I am thinking that she is going to have a hard time beating our baby, if it turns out to be a girl. Every day is one closer. Yuko and I have an appointment on the morning of the 17th to see the doctor for our first ultrasound and a check up. The doctor told us that there might be a chance that the baby's legs could be in the way not allowing us to see what kind of baby we are going to have. I have an answer for that. I will spin Yuko above my head, WWF style and then we will try again. In other news, the weather is getting nicer. It was almost above freezing today. I hope the snow will be on the way out for our drive down to Des Moines to see the folks and take care of some business.

Dave Marquis Zenit ET

 Well it has been a tough week for me between the nasty snow storm we got and the daily commute to Eagan to the training center. Last week it was the terriable cold and now snow. I am asking myself, "What was I thinking when I moved to this misserable state?" I really should have moved south to a warm clim... I have really latched on the idea of a co-worker of mine, they should close up this state and not let anyone back in until May or so. I think she is onto something here. Well anyways, here is a picture of my niece, Jillian. I took this shot during our Christmass visit to the folk's house. I can't wait until I can meet our own baby. Yuko is getting bigger and I have felt our baby many times. I think we are going to have a kicker.

Dave Marquis Zenit ET

 It was a little warmer today. When I mean a little warmer, I mean that is wasn't horribly below zero like it has been for about 4 days now. I hope it is a trend that will continue on into Spring. I bet we have a long road ahead if last year is an indicator. It is tending lately to snow a lot in the last months before Spring, whereas 10-15 years ago the major portion of the snow fall was in the earlier months of winter. This is a picture that I took at the Minnesota Zoo's Dolphin Exhibit. Not to bad, I think for a begianer in photography with a all manunal Zenit ET and $.75 rolls of film bought on E-Bay. I used the Helios 44-4 58MM lens set on infinity and I beleive the aperture was set at F4. I don't remeber the speed, maybe 1/125.