Ernest Nitka Photography

B and W saved my butt again

Once again I got the exposure wrong on slide film - not hard to do but I really ended up missing it by a lot.  I wasn’t paying attention to the over-exposure ( using too fast of a shutter speed) warnings.  But taking the image into BW helped as I didn’t have to worry about hard to correct color shifts.

Other images from the roll that didn’t need much adjusting




Copper Dog

Spent tonite at School House Kitchen in Arvada sponsored by Copper Dog Whisky.  The history and technique of Scotch distilling was explained.  We sampled CD straight, as a mixer and it was quite a great experience.






STEM Gala

2018 Gala for the Wheat Ridge High School STEM program ( Science, technology, engineering and math).  Held at the Forney Transportation Museum. These kids are doing amazing things with hydrogen fuel cells.  These pictures are of items at the museum .  Need to get some photos of THEIR cars.

They had a huge collection of MG cars for their current show.  The airplane is a Fornaire F-1 . A plane that is said to be impossible to stall or spin!


Cadillac Family

My Grandfather was enamored with the Cadillac brand of cars.  Part of it may also have been that his wife was into ostentatious displays of wealth.  

This is Jesse Nitka,grandpa, with his Cadillac.  This was taken in Chicago.  I’m not sure of the year but I want to say it was 1950.  Then at some point the grandparents moved to Colorado to be closer to their only son, my father.  The picture here is not his actual 1956 Caddy but illustrates the brand

The following generation of Nitkas knew Cadillac as well.  Dad bought a 1963 Sedan deVille used.  It was a behemoth of a car.  The only options for engines was a “puny” 390 cu in V8 or the larger 420 cu. in. V8.  The car had everything.  Electric windows, A/C and the ability to pull a full sized Airstream ( those trailers were lighter but still….)

Fast forward to 2018 and I am now a proud owner of a Cadillac ATS-V which is most decidedly NOT your father or grandfather’s Caddy.  This car is track ready with 454 HP, Head up Display, Recaro race seats,  Performance Data Recorder.


Cars and Coffee, March 2018

Lafayette, CO. Early AM 3/3/2018 - There is a C & C every weekend somewhere in metro Denver.  The Lafayette gathering is by far the best.  Every time I go I see something that I’ve never seen before.  It’s organized with the police dept. helping keep things civil which has not always been the case with some of the C &. C events - burnouts, fights.  That doesn’t happen here.  Fun to just talk to other gear heads regardless of the marque they are driving.



109 Palace

109 Palace is the Santa Fe location of the Manhattan Project.  It is also a book about the Manhattan Project from the standpoint of the people who participated in this massive undertaking.  I highly recommend this read to anyone interested in modern history, things nuclear.









Ghost Chickens in the Sky

A take off on the Ghost Riders of the Sky which will be in the next blog post.  Here are the lyrics:


 A chicken farmer went out one dark and dreary day,
He stopped to sit beside the coup to break along his way,
When all at once a rotten egg hit him in the eye,
It was a sight he dreaded…Ghost Chickens in the sky.

(Chorus)
Bawk, bawk bawk bawwwwwkk,
Bawk, bawk bawk bawwwwwkk,
Ghost Chickens in the sky

The farmer had raised chickens since he was twenty-four
Been workin’ for the Colonel some thirty years or more
Raisin’ all thise chickens then sending them to fry
Now they want revenge… Those chickens in the sky.  
(Chorus)

Their beaks were black and shiny, their eyes a burnin’ red,
They had no meat or feathers, these chickens all were dead.
They picked the farmer up and he died by the claw.
They cooked him extra crispy…and ate him with coleslaw.
(Chorus - repeat last line)





Hey Nineteen

Steely Dan - a great tune - listen to the words:



“Hey Nineteen”


Way back when
In Sixty-seven
I was the dandy
Of Gamma Chi
Sweet things from Boston
So young and willing
Moved down to Scarsdale
Where the hell am I
Hey Nineteen
No we can’t dance together
No we can’t talk at all
Please take me along
When you slide on down

Hey Nineteen
That’s ‘Retha Franklin
She don’t remember
The Queen of Soul
It’s hard times befallen
The Soul Survivors
She thinks I’m crazy
But I’m just growing old

Hey Nineteen
No we got nothing in common
No we can’t talk at all
Please take me along
When you slide on down

Nice
Sure looks good
Mmm-mmm-mmm
Skate a little lower now

The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

No we can’t dance together
No we can’t talk at all

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