So we drove to Platt High School where the Oregon Rd. entrance had remained unchanged despite the remainder of the exterior seeing substantial additions over recent years. This was basically a back entrance that brought you into the area of the gymnasium and swimming pool. From there you would weave your way over to the classroom portion of the building. I then took a photograph of this entrance area.
I took both shots into photoshop and merged the motor scooter into the image of the entrance making one composite image. This brings back good memories for me because for some time I was driving my motorscooter to high school and parking it every day at this very spot. However, back then I would have parked it on the asphalt as there were painted on parking lines which no longer are there. In fact I don’t recall the sidewalk even being there back in the early 70’s. I had attended this school from 1971-1975. Later on my youngest daughter Kelsey graduated from this very same school and many a day I would wait for her parked near this exit, (in my car of course), and give her a ride home.
My Motorscooter was from the mid 1960’s. It looked identical to a 1965 Vespa 150 cc. The 2nd image in this blog post is of two Vespa motorscooters I photographed at the New England Motorcycle Museum in Rockville CT. The scooter on the right side is the 150 cc Vespa. It is identical to the one I owned. Dad bought it from a guy who lived down the street that owned two of them. Once he got it he tweaked the motor and sent it off to Mr. Lavin who spray painted it a crisp bright white. Mom made new seat covers and my only contribution was I rode the heck out of it. I’ve owned a number of motorcycles over the years including a 2003 Full dress Harley Electraglide but that little motorscooter was one of the most comfortable, easiest two wheel rides you could ever have. Due to it’s small wheel size and lightweight it was extremely nimble. It also had plenty of pep from take off and had no problem doing 65 mph on the highway. Despite the fact that it wasn’t very macho to own it was a lot of fun to ride. Eventually, in my senior year, I bought a used 1966 Suzuki 150 motorcycle in which the engine was bored out to a 185 cc. Mom ended up stictching a new seat for that one too (smile). Dad used to carpool when he was on first shift at the Steel Mill but when he was on 2nd shift he eventually starting riding the scooter to work and back.
I worked weekends at my Great Grandmothers house saving my money to buy it. Truth be told she fronted me the money so I could get it and I worked Saturday after Saturday until I couldn’t take it any more working down the debt. Back then I think she gave me $00.50 or $1.00/hour. It was 1973 however.
Well, that was a flash from the past and it will mean nothing to the random reader but I enjoyed re-visiting those years.
Photographed with:
Motorscooter photographed in a light tent with (3) studio lights on a table top using a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon Macro 40 mm macro lens. 1/80th, ISO 100, Manual mode, tripod mount.
School entrance photographed with a Sony A7RII camera and a Sony 24-105 lens at 51 mm.
1/125th f11, ISO 100 Aperture priority.
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