Imperial Crown

I was on my way to one of many BBQ evenings at Villa Blåmes in Norrby this Summer when I noticed this 1962 Imperial Crown at the Port 73 mall so I stopped for a few photos.

The IT Manager

So I spot this guy from a distance. Figure him as an old hippie. Or maybe a retired sailor who will tell me that "I have sailed the seven seas, and here's my story". Not at all. This is Oscar Ian Borgström. He was waiting for his bus at Port 73 in Handen yesterday when I asked him if I could snap a few portraits with my new 35mm lens. I told him that it was the combination of a few things that made me want to take his photo. The big white beard, the deep tan, the sunglasses and of course the Hawaiian shirt. Turns out Oscar wasn't the old hippie I took him for. And he didn't sail the seven seas, and he never visited Hawaii. He is a former IT manager! And the closest thing to a hippie life in California was a trip to Nevada for a computer and electronics fair in Las Vegas back in the day. I'm sure Oscar could have told me a few interesting stories from his life, but just as I took up my notebook his bus home to Jordbro arrived.

How many men...

...does it take to do whatever these guys are doing up on the scissor lift at the Port 73 mall in Handen? And the answer is two. So now you know that, although I have no idea what they were doing up there.

Warehouse 157 at Port 73

The mall Port 73 (named after Väg 73), opened for business a couple of years ago. I have written a few posts about it. Feels like they are always expanding. And at the moment that is true. When I took this snap I was out shooting with a friend and we made a short stop at the mall. I needed to use the restroom but it was gone! All I could find was a big sign saying something about a modernized shopping experience in the near future. Whatever that means.

Airstream4u

German food truck serving American food outside a Swedish mall in Handen. And no, I didn't try it out. Maybe next time. But they are out on a road-trip so I might have missed my chance.

Stone Wall

Funny how the mind works. As soon as I noticed the stone wall in Handen I thought about The Music of Chance. If you haven't already done so, read the novel by Paul Auster. Or if you are lazy, buy the DVD. When this work is finished there will be two stone walls here. One hundred meters long on both sides of the new walkway that will take you to and from the Port 73 mall. I tried my best to talk with the wall builder, but we couldn't understand each other I think he was from Eastern Europe somewhere.

New Mall

The latest addition to the Port 73 mall in Handen will open for business in August. This is how it looks today. Use the Time Machine to see the same place four months ago. Both scenes are four photos shot in the portrait mode and then stitched together, I did that so that you could get a better view.

Lets build a mall

If you ever decide to build a shopping centre you might need one of these. It is a Scissor Lift, although the construction workers at the Port 73 mall in Handen might call it a Saxlift as they probably speak Swedish.

4 Cranes at Port 73

It is tricky to get to and from the Port 73 shopping centre in Handen at the moment. The area is one big construction site. New roads are being constructed. A new filling station is opening. A new car wash is also being built. And if you arrive via bicycle like me, you have to go through a fenced-in part of a former parking lot where they are constructing a new mall building on one side and a roundabout on the other.

Buy Your Coke Here

Buy your locally made Coca-Cola directly from the truck. Spotted this girl selling the soft drink "at a very good price" at the Port 73 mall in Handen a few days ago. Coca-Cola Sweden is based in Jordbro (That's where Mick was working for a few weeks). The water used in soft drinks made in Jordbro comes from a well only two kilometres from the plant. The reason for this drive was of course the Euro 2012.

Demolishing a building

Last year the new shopping mall Port 73 opened next to the Cop Forum supermarket in Handen. I think business have been slow in the new mall, at least it looks empty every time I am there. Coop Forum used to sell pretty much everything, but when all the new boutiques moved in and started selling electronics,clothing, bicycles, flowers and what have you, Coop had to focus on food. In this part of the building they used to sell major appliances, outdoor furniture, paint and other DIY stuff. But in the last week the building have been demolished. I don't know what they will do with this space, but I have a feeling there will be a few new stores here in a not too distant future.

Kribbe

When I take someones portrait these days I will often explain what it was about that person that made react. This is Kribbe.It was his jeans (and boots), that I noticed first. He told me that that he spends much of his money on clothing, so it wasn't all that surprising that I met him outside a shopping mall. Kribbe works at Sundab, his area is quality control. Many of their clients are pharmaceutical companies. His job also includes talking to international clients, so he is fluent in English, which apparently wasn't the case with all the clients, I'm not naming names (the French). On his free time Kribbe likes to party with his friends. He listens quite a lot to Djs. One of his favorites is deadmau5, who will be playing in Stockholm this summer.

Firework Rocket

A new law will go into effect in Haninge tomorrow. If you want to have a firework display, you must now have a permission from the police. There are two exceptions. On New Years Eve, and on Walpurgis Night you don't need the permit. If you break the law you could be fined.

The girl with the summer hat

This is Emma. I noticed her outside the Port 73 shopping centre in Handen. I thought she looked like a real summer girl in her white dress, black (cloche?), hat and funky sunglasses so I decided to ask her for a portrait. She's from Tungelsta. Emma works at the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm, so if you are lucky she might sell you an ice cream. On her free time she enjoys watercolour painting. Earlier this summer Emma visited the music festival Peace and Love in Borlänge. I asked her if she had seen any great bands there and she told me to check out the English indie rock band The Vaccines that sounds a bit like Interpol I think. Oh and just because Julie Down Under wants to see people with tattoos I asked Emma to pose so we could see her anchor tattoo.

Segwaying through the cones

It was her first time on the Segway. I heard one or two screams of fear, joy but she didn't have any real problem staying upright.