Grandpa's Toys...

Atop the audio rack is an old fashioned amplifier/receiver.  I fished it out from the electronic junk heap  of GW ( short for Goodwill stores ) sometime ago. At first glance, I was reminded of the same audio model prevalent during the '70s. It is a big motherf..., measuring 21" width, 7" high and 11" deep..Nobody seemed to like it, thinking it is a worthless piece of you-know-what. But my experience with the store ( and an innate curiosity for electronic gadgets ) I had a feeling it IS still working. Two days later after I saw it, it was still there. Then one day, the store had a half price sale and the THINGY  WAS still there! I guess it is just waiting for me to pick it up. And so I did!

Once it was in my den I hooked it up to a pair of good speakers which I bought from a garage sale 2 springs ago. I connected a turntable, an open reel tape player ( see the 2nd photo )  and into a pair of auxiliary inputs I connected a Sony Walkman ( which is now displaced by the Ipod.)

The best test for a sound system is not the brand or specs . You must have a good hearing, especially to sound. And listen for the bass, mid sounds and the treble and be able to compare it with previous systems you have heard before.

I tell you, the sound is fantastic, different from the digital, Dolby, digital mish mash offered by modern day amps..Modern amplifiers are made for MOVIES, DVD's  and TV programs..I have 2 digi amps upstairs, each with 6 speakers ( 6th one is a sub ) .  I do not listen to music with these babies. I prefer the 2 channel amplifier. Especially this one that I got for a song from GW..

The turntable has good sound, but scratchy, especially the last band of the record. But there are  many vinyls that were never released in CD. And they do won't digitize these LPs  anymore because there is a waning market for these stuff. The potential customers are already in Senior Homes, convalescent hospitals or maybe 6 feet under..There are just a handful of us still walking about, looking harmless but still endowed with complete senses..

 

The Akai open reel tape recoder/tape deck. I bought this unit not from GW but from a second hand audio store along Queen street in Toronto..

I still love playing with my open reel tape player/recorder. When I was still in Asingan, I spent several hours copying music with a good buddy, Mr. Mike Acosta, another Asingan audiophile. He was married to Mrs. Fe Acosta, the late sister of the late Atty. Rustico Diaz. Yes, digital copying, downloading, digitizing burning CDs, etc. were still light years away..I am so happy I was able to fulfill this lifetime hobby when the age of computer arrived ( and my senses are still intact..) Like the machine, the human body must be constantly used and exercised to be assured of a longer life tenure. I run the  open reel tape machine at least once a week.

The best sound still comes from the Sony Walkman, of course. When I am writing my Blog,  those '50 CDs played on it keeps my mind in place while trying to compose a piece or just merely day dreaming.---#

by Victorio Costes

Easter is for Grandmas,,

 

..and grandkids!

 

..of all ages ..

 

..and skills..:)

 

Let us not forget the pets..

 

and their loved ones..:)

 

Here is to Boppy..a nice turkey wing!!

 

more ( and I hope

the last ) snow pictures...

 

Guess what this is..a hat?..an upside down cake?..

 

Nope, our summer picnic table covered with snow..

 

The snow covered deck...

 

The partially cleaned deck..check how much

( in cm ) is the amount of snow that covered it..

 

The crab apple tree..The snow around it is knee high...

 

No one can open the tool shade now..even if we need the shovels inside...

 

Snow are far as the eyes can see..And this is just the

backyard..Wait til you see the front yard!! It is so bad that

I did not take photos of it any more!!...:(

 

 

Line from an article published this am :

 

The weekend storm stems from several meteorological phenomena,

Environment Canada's Mitch Meredith said:

* It originated in Texas and had a lot of time to 

gather moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
* It is tracking northeastward, and "with 

a lot of cold air in the north, it will draw 

in a lot of moisture from the East Coast."
* It is deepening to a very low pressure, 

which causes high winds.

Jeez, I wish I could send the storm back to Texas ( with all its snow and hassles)

Just joking guys..:D

Hey Arsenia! Felt cold last night? You should get an idea on 

what these 2 green pythons are doing to have warmth..

Male & female..nakapulupot sa isat isa!

Male and a female green tree 
pythons are seen as they lay 
wrapped around each other on 
a perch in their enclosure in 
Signal Mountain, March 7, 2008. 

..the morning after

After waking up this morning, the first thing I did was to open the front door..It did open, but a few more inches were added to the space which I cleared last night. The whole night, sometimes the wind would howl bitterly as if Old Man Winter is lamenting that his time is getting so short snd he has to go back to the polar cap to which he belongs. The place where the snow falls and the -30  winds blow constantly. Miss Spring has been preparing to show her new collection of flowers, shrubs and other greeneries. Yes, she could not wait to show her spring line up, but Old Man Winter is still hogging the spot light on the stage..Please, we beg him, no more storm like this recent one. Toronto's winter cleaning budget ( something like 67 million $ ) is almost going, going, gone and the snow plows never rested last night )..

I went to the kitchen and I saw this pretty sight: a big icicle trying to block the kitchen door. I know this shiny bunch of drips ( ha-ha ) would not last very long . When the sun comes out soon, it will focus its warming rays to melt it. So I took the camera and click, click click. With flash, without flash, close up, long shot.  Taking a shot at an extraordinary subject can be as exciting as..well, select a good subject with which to compare it with..:)

Anyways, thanks God for the dawn of another day. And let us hope all the homeless people in Toronto were able to find a warm bed last night in the free hostels which the Social Services had provided.---#

 

The icicle that started to cover up the house (!) once the new Ice Age starts to commence.

 

The chair outside is already half buried in snow. I have to clear the snow in the deck because once it becomes ice ( after 2 or 3 days of sub zero temperature ) the deck might collapse under its weight..

 

Isn't she a beauty, especially against a dark sky? I am sure there will be more of its kind outside, especially along the eavesthroughs...

 

Another look at the paraphernalia ( recycle bins,  kitchen refuse containers, etc ) left out last night. At least Rocky the Racoon was sensible not to visit us last night for his regular nocturnal sprees with our garbage can...

 

Same shot with a flash..The flash made a moire pattern with the screen door..Looks nice but it is not really THAT nice. Lots of work for me!

 

One last look, then good bye! I would hate to remove this "beauty". I really want my grandkids Mia and Emma to see it, but they are so far and all the roads are snowy. Emma I am sure would snap a piece of it and eat it like a popsicle. Saves her money from going to the Korean store across the street to buy frozen goodies..:)

 

..got the winter blues?

Old Man Winter does not like to go away..even if  spring is officially here in 2 weeks ..These photos were taken just a while ago, today Saturday...

This is our house, nobody can come in or get out either..The snow flakes are real, not special effects...

 

A further view of our house's facade..This is no longer funny, but Mother Nature is not  helping any of us at all...:(

 

The driveway..the street is covered with snow..There is an ice pyramid beside the sidewalk...

 

The street going to the Airport..Snow plows just gave up..for now..Waiting for the snow to stop fallin'.. For sure, some of Miggie's plants won't come out anymore when Spring 2008 shows up..Killed  by frostbite..:D

 

 

continuation of my '88 Holiday photo essay

A few days after, we returned to Dinong's house to attend the picnic  planned . It would take place at the riverside  which was just a walking distance away.

 

Miguelita ( lady in green ) waiting for the trek going down the river...

 

... some ladies in waiting...

 

..and a lady and gentlemen of Asingan. L-R: Josie C. Velasco, Dr. Teofilo Bugayong, Rudy Manuel...

 

This is Gregorio Velasco Jr. Josie's better half..He  was a retired policeman from the Asingan Police Force.His nickname is..mmm, I forgot!

 

The trip going down the river started..We used two jeeps: Johnny Sindayen's and Ruben Bugayong's. I was with Ruben taking these shots...

 

Our kids from Toronto saw these women washing clothes in the river bank...

 

"Is everything here, especially the food?.." Nice place wehre we could shack for a few hours..

 

Doc is making sure our drinks would be cold as ice..

 

Gorio is also doing his bit in preparing the grub...

 

Lady in pink is Editha Chua Sindayen, Juan's better half. My son Oliver is looking down from the balcony of the nipa shack..

 

Mess call!!!! Shrimps, barbeque at iba pa...

 

"Oh yes, we do have bananas, we do have bananas today.."

 

Yummy, the table is really inviting..We were right in a spot of Eden..The trees provided us the beautiful privacy we needed..

 

I seem to know this elderly lady from my childhood days..

 

Decisions, decisions..!

 

Now, the after lunch chat. Remy Manuel is discussing something with Miguelita..

 

Miguelita is driving home a point...

 

( more photos next time )

In 1960, I did not like to go back to College..First, I did not know what course to take..Second, I enjoyed staying in Asingan because every Sunday morning, we got to sing during the Sunday Masses at the choir loft. The place looked like the balcony of an auditorium or a movie house.

The choir loft of the  old Asingan church dissapeared after the big quake in the 90s shook it down like a pack of cards..

IN short I was having a good time in Asingan at the expense of forsaking my College studies.)..

I was the organist/song leader of that group then. One of them was Freda Romero and her best buddy then was Julie Delmendo who is now in LA..I saw Julie for the first time last July 2007. This is the first time for me to see Freda on a photograph..

In 1961, I went back to College. It was then I realized that if I stay in Asingan without finishing a University degree, I would be left out of the "race of life.."

Freda and her husband..Nana Perla and Amading beside her. Her best friend, my Auntie Minay are still alive..Both are now having  memory difficulties. Both are miles apart. I wonder if they would recognize each other if they come face to face...

 

The rest of the photograph...

oldest Asinganian photo in the Internet..

This is a 70 year old photo submitted to me by Florendo ( Amading ) Romero. It shows his parents on their wedding day. What is amazing is that 1) The original photo is still in good condition. This is attributed to the fact that those old time photo paper used silver compounds in its emulsion ( printing ) sides . Silver, as a metal lasts forever ( or a very very long time )..

2) The lady at the back is my own aunt, the sister of my dad..Her name then was Filomena Costes. This is Stauro's maternal grandma ( an only photo in existence in the net)..Might as well send this link to your uncles and aunties, Stauro. Show this also to my sis Ester...

Florendo's Mom is one of the pioneers of photography in Asingan. She owned Perla's studio. 

And it is only now that I learned my aunt is her best friend..Only a good friend could be invited to be the sponsor of one's wedding day, a life's milestone..!

The bride ( Nana Perla ) is the dead ringer of her daughter, Esmeralda Romero who was my classmate in Dupac years ago ( 1952 ). Esmer died of cancer according to Amading..

 

My aunt, Filomena Costes ..

 

Looking at the BIG ( whole ) picture...I am now wondering who is the gentleman standing on one side? ( see an enlargement below )...