are really noisy
big-ass tail-pipes
waking the dead
boom boxes blaring
gettin’ in my head
Harleys thunderin’
see the devils red
really noisy
streetcars whisperin’ on
ribbons of steel
dividing the roadway
hear the wheels squeal
light trails surreal
brings to mind ’67
ridin’ the lakeshore
on small mc’s
felt like heaven
Toronto chics
rum and cola
from a milk carton
gettin’ our licks
really tough
really messy
really noisy
oh boy, really sick!
Lakeshore Drive, between Port Credit and the Humber river.    [Click on any photo for the slideshow. Please leave comments at the bottom of the page]
June 29, 2020 at 9:16 pm
Ribbons of steel
Starsky and Hutch…
June 29, 2020 at 9:47 pm
Yes, I remember that TV show. And their car is in one of my panning shots. Ford Grand Torino, right?
June 29, 2020 at 9:37 pm
Len, when in the evening were the photos taken, and were you travelling by bike?
Photo 25, was that Sweet Olenka’s Ice Cream shop?
It is interesting that the section of Lakeshore west of the Humber and East of 41’st street always seems to have so little activity after dark.
I’m surprised you found a pay phone!!!!
I always find your photos so interesting. How did you take photo 7?
Your poem would have made your high school English teachers proud!.
June 29, 2020 at 9:54 pm
Lots of questions here, Len…
1. usually between 10 and 11pm
2. never with bike. Too much to worry about. To get photography, you have to on your feet.
3. The only busy night scene on Lakeshore seems to be Port Credit.
4. Actually, quite a few pay phones around. I seem to see them all. Those and fire hydrants!
5. photo 7 was a panning shot, as were most of the moving vehicles.
and 6… as you know, I was a math and science student, and didn’t like English Lit at all, but the one teacher I remember, Mr. Cole, was my grade 12 English teach. And I really liked his classes.
Thanks for that fabulous compliment.
June 29, 2020 at 10:14 pm
Len, some of your photos remind of American Grafitti and the cruising. I recognize almost all the places as we drive or ride our bikes along there all the time but not at night. Great poem and shots.
George Lorenz
June 29, 2020 at 10:23 pm
Yes, George, Lakeshore is and always has been a cruising kind of street.
June 30, 2020 at 12:48 am
Len, thanks for taking me along Lakeshore Rd. at night. It was possible to remember many spots from day time travel on 2 wheels.
Your descriptive poetry is spot on and I really enjoyed every word.
June 30, 2020 at 2:54 am
Glad you enjoyed, Daphne. Enjoy your 2-wheel travel to your favourite bake shop on Lakeshore!
June 30, 2020 at 11:48 am
Len is there a poet in our midst?
Did you get chucked out that night and so had to go and take photos – after all its very late for an old man to be out on his own!
The photos are very reminiscent of the artist Edward Hopper – things look lonely at night.
A mighty fine set of photos and difficult to choose a winner but I go for the bar scene.
And did you buy cigars?
Peter
June 30, 2020 at 12:06 pm
It’s funny that you should mention Edward Hopper. I didn’t know the name, but there’s a famous paining by him that I knew about – “Nighthawks”, of which style I was trying to emulate with the Tim Hortons shot. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, there were no lonely people in Tim’s. I worked quite a bit to get the colour cast close to the painting, at least what I had in my mind. Then I used similar settings for the other shots. Peter, you have an amazing eye for art. Thanks for seeing that.
Working a lot on poetry and prose. No, not too old yet. But at my age, I’m almost invisible, which is good for a photographer. And no… no cigars. I actually know one of the guys smoking from Starbucks, but he didn’t see me… I was invisible.
June 30, 2020 at 6:59 pm
Len
It’s nice to know that your true talent was recognized – and Nighthawks was the painting and I think you nailed it wth the Tim Hortons shot.
And don’t worry about becoming invisible, that’s a requirement to get good shots.
Keep up the good work and we really should continue writing nice words about each other so that the rest of the world will realize what fine fellows we are! Peter