The Brick

My family and I were recently in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where my son was taking a class. Just to pass some time, my wife and I decided to walk around the downtown area of Jeffersonville.  We came across an antique store called Sugar Maple Antiques & Gifts.  While we were looking around, my wife called me over and was excited about something she had found.  She had found a vintage camera, complete with a leather case and neck strap.  Although the leather case was in a bit of disrepair, the camera was in really good condition.  I looked the camera over and even tested the shutter and it seemed to work just fine, so I decided to buy it.  I figured for $25, even if it doesn't take pictures, it would make a pretty cool conversation piece!

Leather case 

C-3 with 50mm f3.5 lens
     

Film speed dial
    

C-3 from the top

Inside the C-3

After I got home that evening, I began researching everything I could about the camera.  According to Wikipedia, "The Argus C3 was a low-priced rangefinder camera mass-produced from 1939 to 1966 by Argus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA."  The Wikipedia article also noted that the C-3 is commonly known as "The Brick".  I soon figured out why...it's heavy!  As I kept digging, I found another resource where I was able to identify the specific model of my camera and the year it was most likely manufactured. The website, Argus Collectors Group, is a great repository of information about all things Argus cameras!  Based on the model number, which is found inside the back of the camera, this camera was produced in 1948.  As you can see from the above pictures, it's in really good shape for being 67 years old!

Even though the camera is in pretty good shape, it still needs to be cleaned up a bit on the inside.  I was able to find some YouTube videos that will walk me through how to safely clean the camera and get it working.  I'm excited to try and shoot a couple of rolls of film with it and see how it works!  I'll post some of the pictures (if they turn out!) and share how things went.

Does anybody else like antique stores?  What's your coolest find?  I'd love to hear your feedback, so feel free to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

Independence Day

On this 4th of July weekend, our country celebrates it's independence and freedom. While perusing my social media platforms this morning (Facebook, twitter & instagram), my feeds, friends, and followers were inundating timelines with posts, likes, shares, retweets, and favorites of the typical (and very appropriate) patriotic sentiments. I too, am proud to be an American (insert Lee Greenwood singing into your head here). 

In the last year, I've had the opportunity to travel to two different countries, something I had never done before. As amazing as those opportunities were, there's just something special about America. It is an incredible feeling to be back where things are familiar. It's home. It's my home! America is not perfect. In fact, it's far from it; however, it doesn't change the fact that it's my country and I love it!

Today's photo is not the typical patriotric picture circulating on social media. There's no fireworks, no fanfare. It's just a picture of Americans doing their job. There were no selfies to capture the moment, no tweets to instantly announce their accomplishments, and no Facebook posts to share with their friends. These Americans were doing their job, preserving our freedom and independence on foreign shores.

Thank you to the American soldiers who did their job that day. Thank you to the American Veterans who have served our country. Thank you to the American soldiers who continue to do their job to keep America a free land. Happy Independence Day, America!

Souvenirs

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but today I heard a song that really hit home. Today was a tough day for my family. But it doesn't even begin to compare to the heartbreaking day for some friends who buried their 13-year old daughter today. As someone who has experienced first-hand what it's like to bury a child, there's such a vast emptiness deep inside when child loss occurs. You feel helpless and lost. You never truly understand how much you love that child until they are gone. You're grateful for the time that was spent on this earth with them. You're grateful for the assurance that you know you will see them again in heaven for all of eternity. But while we are left here on earth, you're grateful for the "souvenirs" you have of your child. Physical, digital, and mental pictures. Memories of good times spent together laughing and just being together as a family. These souvenirs are priceless. They will make you laugh. They will make you cry. When the hard days come, My family pulls out these souvenirs and remembers.

The prayer of my family for these friends is that God will give them the grace and strength that they will need in the coming days and weeks to deal with their pain and grief. I pray that they will hold on to God, and those "souvenirs".

I'll end with some of the words to this song that hit me so hard today.

"Here’s to the twilight, here’s to the memories

these are my souvenirs, my mental pictures of everything

Here’s to the late nights, here’s to the firelight

these are my souvenirs, my souvenirs

Here’s to your bright eyes, shining like fireflies

these are my souvenirs, the memory of a lifetime"

 

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