The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

It's always nice to visit Hong Kong.  My wife's sister lives there, so we always get the royal treatment. This is the view from the Hong Kong side looking to the Kowloon side.

My Hong Kong brother-in-law,Johnson Li, and I like to go on little photographic expeditions.  Stanley Peak is always good for some moody shots.

Hong Kong is so developed and redeveloped, so over built, and so modernised that when one sees a vestige of the old days, an infrastructure relic, you are taken aback.

Of course the eating never stops: delicious suckling pig anyone?  Yes, those ARE little red light bulbs in the eye sockets and, yes, they did blink on and off.  A macabre touch, to say the least.

In addition to eating, there is the Hong Kong national pastime, shopping.  The same luxury global brands are for sale in each and every mall . . . a kind of Shopping Hell!

But not everything is crass commercialism.  Some tiny bits of "Old Hong Kong" can be seen here and there . . . like these old fishermen's houses at Stanley Market.

The old Stanley Market, near Repulse Bay, though touristy, is a nice change of pace from the Mega Malls.

Stanley Market is a real, working local markeet in addition to a tourist destination.

Many South Asian tourists find their way to Hong Kong, no doubt a holdover from British colonial days.  The shops reflect the tastes of the visitors.

Beautiful and colorful Sari accouterments . . .

. . . and baubbles . . .

. . . and knock-off bags.

Around the back of Stanley Market one could purchase exact replicas of the famous Chinese terra-cotta warriors . . .

. . . already crated and ready for shipment, at a cost below what you could imagine.  The proprietor said that the shipping would cost more than the warrior. I really wanted one for our garden. However, my nephew J Harper warned me, "Yeah, but I saw in a movie where they can come to life and cause all sorts of mayhem." I am forewarned.

I see these personal chops every time I go to Hong Kong but have yet to buy one.

We had booked a golf tee time for Sunday afternoon, but the weather was threatening  . . . . so we decided to drive the 30 miles to Nakhon Chai Si for lunch and a little shopping for the local small town delicacies my wife and I both like.

The old section of Nakhon Chai Si is a typical Thai market town.  Its close proximity to Bangkok brings out the Sunday drivers in search of the rare taste treat - a favorite Thai pastime.

We had lunch at a floating restaurent specializing in sea food . . . and aesthetically pleasing presentation.

We had beautiful fish simmering in a spicy sour sauce.  Yum-yum.

After we engorged ourselves on the fantastic lunch, we headed to the old market.  Lots of sea food there, and many other amazing little bundles of good-tasting Thai food-to-die-for.

We brought back our favorite salted sea bass for dinner this week.

There was much fruit to be had.

This "organic packaging" is stuffed with gooey coconut delight.The local way of cooking spiced rice is steaming inside bamboo tubes.

Thai chilis, known as prick in Thai, are hot.  Period.

These are delicious steamed with olive oil and lots of salt.

The market was framed by old shop houses smudged with the patina of age.

The light was incredible as it fell on the old shop doors.

I estimate that this part of Old Nakhon Chai Si is more than 100 years old.

The old wooden Thai towns are relics of a bygone era.

It is nice to see young people taking over these old shops and adding a modern touch, yet retaining the old charm.  Coffee time?

Some of the shops, like this old pharmacy, have been kept in their 1950s state.

The old town of Nakhn Chai Si is under royal patronage. The ailing King of Thailand is much revered.

We had some car trouble (shift linkage) while parked at a Wat that led to an adventure in getting home.  Part of the adventure landed us at this small suburban shop; so forlorn in its commercial nakedness.

The shopkeeper's pretty young daughter perched among the array of goods, sad and shy.

The shop was in a neighborhood peopled by motorized food vendors.

It is always a good day when I can hang around a holy tree and contemplate The Buddha, The Teachings of The Buddha, and The Followers of The Buddha.

My beloved drag race car and shop equipment have been sold, and paddock lease given back.  I saved a few tools and a lot of good memories.  It was a major lifelong dream of mine, from early childhood, to drag race with a 'real race car' one day. It is almost the only constant in my life of constant change.  I spent countless hours imagining every detail of the car I would build and drive one day.  I spent countless money on drag racing related books and magazines to educate myself before I eventually fulfilled the dream with this race car.  It was very, very difficult to make this dream come true in Thailand and required all my perseverance and patience in the face of not enough quality, timely, or reliable mechanical help available.  But still, it was always an adventure to find myself in strange environments while trying to complete race car construction tasks in Bangkok and surrounds. I met a lot of good people and made a lot of good friends through my racing -- but also some cheaters and many posers. Drag racing for me was a very simple thing: the phenomena itself was captivating -- I didn't analyze it, I just enjoyed it as a crazy desire.  The noise and the cars are, somehow, Beauty to me.  The best compliment I ever received was an American hot rodder who said, when I asked him if he liked my race car, "You built it, you didn't just talk about it."  Yes I did. It is by no means my only accomplishment in life, it is only a small accomplishment, but it carried so much meaning to me because, I now believe, it was a positively affirmative answer to the doubts of a youthful self about my own efficacy in the big world.  I often said that drag racing was the only high risk behavior that a 60 year old man should be involved in Bangkok. I have many more dreams yet to fulfill, but my "race car attachment" -- what has kept me from being a Once Returner (Sakadagami) this time -- has been satisfied. Thanks for the memories.  I happily move on toward my eventual death: the tank shows only 1/4 remains.

Ocean City Boardwalk, New Jersey Shore, 4th of July.

Shayne Rockey, reflective beach boy, Ocean City Beach, NJ fireworks, July 4, 2011.

Another version of fireworks on the beach at Ocean City, New Jersey . . .  notice the embracing couple in the gloom.  Beautiful

Chinese Lunar Half New Year Ceremony at my wife's family home.

Sending sustenance to the ancestors for protection in the present.

(Photos from my iPhone, remotely uploaded with the very cool Squarespace iPhone app!)