A New Year, Another Ride, and Another 3 Prints Project Meeting

Downtown State College, Pennsylvania on New Year's Day.  The ice sculpture remnants from First Night glistening in the morning sun. The first day of the year was mild for the beginning of January.  Almost no snow so far this winter.  A nice way to begin 2012.  Riding, I was thinking about resolutions. About not making any.

Leica M6 in tow and a box of black & white prints on hand Gordon and I started the year with new prints.  Our 3 Prints Project agreement is to show up each week having exposed two rolls of film and three new prints.  It's a tough assignment amidst a busy life.

As part of my avoidance of making resolutions I was reading those of others.  Joe Crivelli, author of No Baffles motorcycle blog, had a good set of resolutions for riders titled New Year's Resolutions -- Motorcycle Related.  Good reminders for the road.

Mandoo is a regular at Starbucks.  He and Junior have met on several occasions and have a genial relationship.  Junior could learn a lot from Mandoo.  On command he will sing, or more specifically, utter a long lonely howl.  Seems like an important part of growing up canine.

On the subject of learning I can across a list of lessons learned during the past year written by Bobbi Newman, author of Librarian by Day.  Her list is a good reminder of some of the important things in life and is titled "Looking Back: The 5 Most Valuable Lessons I Learned (or Re-Learned) in 2011".

3 Prints Project: January 1, 2012

Last week on a morning walk through town.  Shadows and road markings always catch my attention.

Kim makes a lot of photographs with her digital camera with an intensity that I admire and wish I had.  She sees things I miss because I am hurrying on to the next subject.

The front window at Saint's.  People seem to get lost in things within those walls.

I'm carrying the Leica M6, there's a roll of film in my pocket, and have a few project ideas in my head.  A good start to a new year.  

Happy New Year!

The Aging Rider

My father used to tell me “It’s hell to get old”. I’m beginning to understand and move that comment from the joke category in my brain to the section reserved for current events. My friend Gordon recently made this picture of me at one of our Sunday morning print meetings and I see my father. And I’m saying to myself “It’s hell to get old”.

Standing at the kitchen sink last night with a handful of Methotrexate I realized something had changed. Almost overnight I’ve traveled from oblivious through denial and on into acceptance that I’ve become an aging rider and with it all the rights and responsibilities attendant to a change in physical ability.

A week ago I was standing in a hospital gown with my back to a wall while two rheumatologists at Johns Hopkins Medical Center recorded measurements of joint flexibility, pain and range of motion, and finally confirming the diagnosis of my family doctor -- “You have psoriatic arthritis Mr. Williams.”

Great.

Aging is a natural, nearly invisible process until it isn’t. And one day a light is turned on and you realize some new limitation has formed, some new element to be managed. And it reaches out to every detail and aspect of living and informs a new life. It branded me an aging rider.

Men live in denial though.  I can't speak for women.

Two months ago I was deep in it, telling myself that my arthritis would have no effect on my riding. Sitting astride the Vespa was easy and I could ride all day but stopping was another story. The joints in my toes were on fire and walking was a problem. Pushing the scooter onto the centerstand was a challenge. And walking to make a photograph along this winding gravel road in Rothrock State Forest was near torture.

But I ignored it and pushed onwards in the rain.

I see pictures when I ride and especially ones where the scooter plays a role. Standing some distance away from the Vespa, thinking about this shot, I was regretting wandering so far from the seated comfort of my ride. Not yet thinking of myself as an aging rider I rode on.

Fear of aging generates denial. It takes time to acknowledge the fear and more time to understand what the march of time means. Personal dishonesty in this area can lead to bad decisions. An acquaintance comes to mind -- a fellow in his early 70’s who purchased his first motorcycle two years ago -- a Harley Davidson Ultra Glide. He had never ridden before but was persuaded by a friend that he would love riding.

Whenever I run into him I ask if he still has the Harley. His face lights up and he responds with a bright “Sure do!”. What I’m careful not to ask is if he rides it (which I’m sure he doesn’t) Not long after his purchase he discovered that riding a big motorcycle is not an innate skill and after a few scary moments on the road he parked it in the garage for good.

Denial is a wonderful thing and is helpful in making irrational decisions. I’m not saying a 70 year old can’t ride but I might suggest a different path to the road for a first time rider of any age. The accumulation of years (and wisdom) will quickly raise its case in these kinds of situations.

Back on the road I continued to ride and find opportunities for more pictures. Picking my way through the rocks on sore feet finally illuminated my limitations. I was going to have to change the way I think about my capabilities.

The Death Equation.

I like to think that I’m not the only one doing death mathmatics in their head -- calculating the difference in years between your current age and the age of your father or grandfather when they died. I can’t remember when I started doing this but it’s definitely related to aging and a growing awareness of the finite number of days at my disposal. I should add that it’s not depressing or obsessive but a result of an awareness and acceptance of my mortality. And fueled by my latest medical adventure.

Right now the only thing keeping me from riding to work is the fact that the Vespa is in for service. I postponed the work until a time I can meet with the technician to photograph him for a blog post. But soon the scooter will be parked again outside my office like it is in this picture expect the sportbikes will cease to appear as winter descends.

In the meantime Junior continues to keep me busy though our walks have diminished in favor of drives to the part where I can stand in one place and heave the ball across the field for him. He’s a potent reminder of the mobility that I have lost for now. He’s always in motion. I’m always.... not.

The change is something new to manage. Like rain or snow or darkness. As I assess routes and weather I now have to assess my physical state. Reading the current issue of the BMW Owners News I’m impressed by the number of aged riders piling up tens of thousands of miles every year. During murky thoughts it helps remind me that the passing of years doesn’t have to relegate me to the rocking chair, or worse, a trike. Actually, I’ve never ridden a trike. Experience has shown me that I really need to try something before judging it harshly.

A shiver of excitement swept over me as I stood in the road with the Leica. Despite any current physical ailments the road still rolled on ahead. There are more rides to make and things to see. And I'll view these rides through a new filter...

...as an aging rider.

3 Prints Project: September 16, 2011

After months of neglect I returned to the darkroom.  Ritual film development, printing and processing were an unexpected high in an otherwise hectic life.  I'm not certain what changed but I found myself carrying the Leica M6 again, one lens, and an extra roll of film in my pocket.  The familiar actions related to using that camera surged into an excitement that bordered on giddy.  Thankfully I didn't question my sanity or state of mind and just went with the flow, a re-acquaintance with the 3 Prints Project.

That's my friend Paul Ruby floating in the tray.  I made a picture of a piece he had in a local exhibit, a large self portrait made while he was in India.  He works and prints digitally since he no longer has a darkroom.  

Anyone who's spent intermittant periods in a darkroom knows the early frustration of finding chemicals out of date, materials expired and other victims of neglect.  A ride into town to visit the local camera shop solved the problem and I was soon ready to go.  Camera stores are fast disappearing from the landscape.  My sentimental feelings for them run deep and I never pass up an opportunity to visit one.  I suspect in another five to ten years they'll all be gone.

I still remember the first can of Dektol developer I purchased in the 1960s at a small drugstore.  Photographic supplies were far more common then.  Nearly 50 years later I am still a faithful user of Kodak's stalwart paper developer.  At least until the big yellow box makes it all go away.

 

The ride into town last Sunday morning to meet my 3 Prints Project partner Gordon Harkins offered the first fall-like weather of the season complete with just a bit of fog on the hillsides.  Mornings like these have me thinking of riding more than photography.

State College is quiet in the morning.  The streets are usually empty and I don't mind being in town.  Making this photograph I am reminded of how many years I have been using these parking spaces.  Time is flying by.

Here are the prints I made this past week.  Proof prints, nothing special, just a quick enlargement on an 11x14 sheet of Ilford Multigrade IV fiber paper.

Mr. Ruby as seen at the Art Alliance Gallery in Lemont, Pennsylvania.  How would you like that image staring at you from your living room wall?

Junior and I at home. In low light I decided I had to see how slow I could shoot with the Leica. This one was made at 1/4 of a second. I'm not as steady as I used to be, at least not crouched down like that.

Kim flying out of the car, camera in hand.  She tells me she doesn't get excited about much.  I know different and witness her focus and energy on a daily basis.  I try not to lead on how much I envy her energy and concentration. 

  

A portrait of Gordon Harkins at Saint's Cafe, frequent site of our 3 Prints Project meetings.  Captured here listening to some inane chatter pouring forth from my mouth.

Junior watching over his domain which includes Kim pulling weeds.  Gordon and I discussed conversations about this image that might have ensued when we were in graduate school.  Politics is everywhere.

I finished two more rolls about an hour ago and after dinner may head again to the darkroom to work under the amber lights...

Roll 522

Like clockwork I parked my Vespa last Sunday morning across from the library and walked over to Saint's Cafe to show Gordon my three prints of this week.  The trip to the ER didn't dissuade me from the darkroom though more than a few inquiries about stress have me wondering if the self-induced pressure of shooting, processing and printing isn't just another straw on my back.

The prints fit nicely into the Givi topcase.  Glad I got it.

Another Saint's regular, violinist Carl Ector, sits outside Saint's with his coffee enjoying the fine spring morning.  Looks like I might be photographing his musical group at some point in the future.  I'm with the band!

Gordon examines me for signs of imminent collapse.  Feeling well enough to ride the Vespa into town and brave the rising heat I assured him I was ok.  For now.  And added that I had prints and an ER visit.  Where were his?

I've been suggesting for awhile now that Gordon get a motorcycle or scooter and have quietly shared how amazing it is to ride.  Last week sent me an email saying he found the registration papers for a Harley Davidson that he didn't know his father owned before he was born.  Over the past few months he's talked about riding and I almost thought I had him until he shared this comment from his daughter:

"You already look like a biker dad.  You don't need a motorcycle."

Oh well, looks like photography will continue.

Here's the take from last week.  Rushed as usual.  Process late Saturday afternoon, print Saturday evening, wonder why the prints are damp on Sunday morning.

Shot one roll of Ilford HP5+ and processed it in TMAX developer. [YOU ALL KNOW YOU CAN CLICK ON THESE IMAGES TO SEE THE BIG VERSIONS RIGHT?]

 

Junior during a Saturday morning walk through Boalsburg.  He's getting to the point when he sees me raise the camera he sits down.  It's a problem sometimes when I want him standing.  We're working on it.

Shot this same thing with the iPhone earlier in the week. I think I like the black and white image better.  Wish I wasn't so rushed to print so I could get a little more from the negative.  Rushing.  I have to look at the stress component some more.

 Shooting with the iPhone is so easy and engaging in a way that's hard to describe.  I've been shooting a lot with it but have failed to post much here.  This quasi-riding/dog picture was made last week with the iPhone using the Camera+ app.

Haven't ridden the Vespa since Sunday evening.  Have an appointment with the doctor in the morning and am uncertain if I should show up riding or in the truck.  Don't want to tempt him to say, "Don't ride for awhile."

I suppose I'm open to whatever is going to happen...

Sunday Morning Ride: Roll 521

I meet Gordon almost every Sunday morning at Saint’s Café to review our respective photographic lives for the week, to cajole or shame each other into further work, and to keep alive the dream of a creative life we heard rumored in graduate school. The 3 Prints Project (two rolls of film and three prints every week) began almost three years ago and has continued ever since with a few detours into digital and plenty of excuses for showing up without work.

On Friday I got an iPad2. Minutes after turning it on a strong desire to shoot film washed over me. The iPad may have been the digital straw that broke my analog back.

To be fair I like he iPad and acquired it to evaluate, test and monitor the release of the magazine I edit as an iPad edition. The measure of digital continues to grow in my life.

Friday afternoon the Leica is hanging around my neck, an extra roll of film in my pocket, and the world is revolving at a bit slower pace. Such seems to be the effect of shooting film.

Roll 521. I have to thank Matt Alofs of the 1PT4 photography blog for the idea of numbering by rolls. I have a mess of negatives and I have gone through many schemes of keeping track of them. Following his Flickr site I saw that he assigns roll numbers to sets of pictures. While I have no idea the meaning behind his numbers I thought it was a marvelously simple way for me to have a system that I could track.

The number 521 comes from the month and day I started using it. After that everything will just be sequential. I’m working on 522 now.

Matt has an amazing volume of black and white work that I have no idea how he finds time to produce. He documents the things he sees in life including ongoing portraits Kate (wife, partner, girlfriend, significant other?) in a manner that most partners would find withering. To shoot so much film is pretty amazing.  If I find out he is not scanning negatives I'll be really depressed.

Gordon arrived with digital prints of images made with his camera phone and a couple others made with a digital SLR during his drive to work. I’d arrived with a single print and contact sheet from the one roll of film I managed to shoot.

We’ve sustained a level of output over the years generating a steady stream of personal work, questioning process and intent, criticizing, supporting and tending the fragile flame of creative expression amidst the daily grind of earning a living.

 
Morning. Mount Nittany in the fog. My camera has pointed this way many times. Photographing the same subject over and over reveals something about the subject and the photographer. For me, this is home.

The iPhone and Camera+ app continues to impress me. This shot was made using the Clarity effect.

Last night I developed a single roll of black and white film. A familiar ritual repeated thousands of times over the last 20 years in this particular darkroom. The iPhone is always handy and this time makes a recording of the path less traveled in photography.

Looking at the contact sheet I realize I see the world differently with the Leica. Different than I do using a digital camera. Not better or worse, just different.

The ride into town was quiet with almost no traffic on US 322. Sporadic fog continually changed the landscape allowing me to ride from magical place to illusion and beyond.

I have a great capacity to be sloppy, something that does not incur many benefits in a darkroom. Rushed to make this proof print of Junior so I would have something to show at Saint’s Café. Flat, lifeless, drab. No digital effects to save me, mask the deficiencies of the image. And strangely, I am enjoying the process.

Again.

My printing skills and general late night sloth betray the magic a silver print can possess. Maybe next time I’ll work harder.

 On towards town and a brief stop to exchange stories with a small herd of Penn State quarter horses.

On through the fields, fog beginning to lift and reveal a gray day with threats of rain. The Vespa is indifferent and moves on and on and on.

After Gordon and I exhausted comments and ideas we parted company and I headed home on a slightly longer route. Climbing to the top of a hill along the road I was offered the opportunity to photograph these two motorcycles speeding in the opposite direction. Everything looks insignificant from this altitude. A reminder of how careful I need to be on the road.

At Café Lemont, a spur of the moment stop for tea and a Neiman Marcus cookie (love these things), I pull up next to a 2002 BMW R1200 GS. If the Vespa is ready to riding in and around town the BMW looks ready to ride in and around North America. Inside the owner pretty much confirms that assessment.

His name is Mark and he tells me he’s getting ready to ride to Nova Scotia and then on to Labrador. I ask if he’s ridden in Alaska (he has) and he tells me that he and his wife have ridden in Europe a couple times through Edelweiss Tours.

I mask any jealously and envy.

We talk for awhile, shake hands and go our separate ways. On the way home I think about what it might be like to ride for weeks on end or travel to some exotic location. Rounding a bend covered with gravel my attention returns to the road and I grow satisfied with the adventures I create within a 200-mile radius of State College. It’s what I can manage now with work and family. And I love the riding.

Not far from home I pass a barn with a horse gazing out the window. I went past and continued on for several hundred yards before I couldn’t get the image out of my head and made a quick U-turn to make a picture. Would never have done it on that big BMW K1600 GTL. Just saying.

And I’m still working on those reviews.

For now I’m just glad to get out and ride a little, make a few pictures, and spend some more time in the darkroom.

Business: Riding, Writing, Photography and Explaining

Let’s get down to business. So there’s no confusion.

This is Scooter in the Sticks. The main blog. The only blog.

Some might be confused because I have been posting all these daily images and changed the Blogger template yesterday. Say goodbye to the original blue version. I’ve moved on to my favorite color – gray. Other than the design change everything else is the same. I think.

Change is our friend.

First, I’ve decided not to post the #DailyRider and #MyDogJunior pictures everyday. I’ll consolidate them once a week in a post. The nearly 1500 people who subscribed to Scooter in the Sticks via Feedburner will continue to receive text and pictures as usual in an email. Everyone should be happy. I’ll be happy. That guy in Key West might even be happy. If you want to see them right away subscribe to my Twitter feed or view them on Flickr. I put them there as I go.

Since I have those pictures ready I will post them as sort of a change gift.

The Daily Rider: February 23, 2011.

Made this image with the iPhone this morning. I neglected to shovel the wet snow and slush a couple days ago in the morning and upon returning after work everything was frozen. So I will have to brave the snow covered driveway until the weather warms a bit.

My Dog Junior.

This morning at the vet. Junior had to get his first round of the Lyme Disease vaccine. He was bored. Made this image with the iPhone and the Lo-Mob app.

It’s been good to be on the road again despite the salt, cold, and occasional ice and snow. The motorcycle parking spaces at my office have been slowly disappearing with the recent snow. Thankfully there was a space I could hide the Vespa in. In a few weeks there will be flowers and warm air. I do remember one mid-March around 1995 that we had 28 inches of snow. I probably shouldn’t get too attached to the idea of spring just yet.

Kissell Motorsports and I have some plans for spring. The first being to do some riding on the Ducati Diavel and the new Triumph Tigers. Craig Kissell and I have talked about riding together and comparing notes on the bikes. Look for those after the roads are clear and the salt has been washed away. Until then I will look over the books Craig gave me. I can see myself on the Tigers. The Ducati is a bit harder to picture.

Last Friday night I attended Midnight Madness at Kissell Motorsports. A big sale from 10pm to midnight. Lots of people turned out and found some great prices on helmets, gear, gloves, motorcycles, and such. I almost bought a new pair of Rev It pants but decided all I really needed was a new Triumph sweatshirt.

It was getting close to midnight when I got back on the Vespa for the 12-mile ride home. It was cold (around 35F) with wind gusts hitting 45mph. Interesting night ride. I couldn’t figure out why no one else rode to the event.

Not everything is fun and games though. I still have to find time for the 3 Prints Project. Time is less of an issue. Motivation is my problem. Gordon and I show up faithfully at a local coffee shop on Sunday morning to share work. Being a regular now you begin to notice the other regulars.

And coffee shops seem to be one of the last bastions of unfettered photography (except for those corporate ones with rule books). I figure the day will come that someone will complain and we will be politely asked to put our cameras away lest we be branded as terrorists.

Photography is not a crime.

Not yet.

This past Sunday Gordon had some nice digital prints. Both of us have recently agreed to abandon film and the darkroom for a while. I already miss it. This image is of his wife.

Gordon has a dog named Laika. I think my Junior photography was inspired by his pictures of his dogs. I’m a follower. Except when it comes to riding. Then I’m a loner.

Riding buddy Paul Ruby made an appearance. I'm not sure if he wanted to see us or just needed a muffin. He recently purchased a Ducati 1198 to share space in the garage with his Kawasaki Concurs, Harley Davidson something or other, and a nice, 1964 Vespa. And his 1962 (?) Mercedes and 1976 Ferrari. He thinks they are all chick magnets.

He needs to talk with Dr. Riepe. Besides, that sweater demagnetizes pretty much anything.

Made this picture on the way home from work this evening. Despite the cold and snow I’m glad to be out. Some days when I walk into the house Kim remarks on the smile. Riding has a way of doing that. Even on cold days like today, riding to work without my ski mask and the cold cut into my throat like a knife, I was smiling and happy when I arrived.

Go figure. Things like that don’t happen in warm climates like you might find in Key West.

I do have some good news to report. A while back Jack Riepe of Twisted Roads posted some good information on how to handle Valentine’s Day. He made a recommendation for Big Jim’s Cookies. I bought two-dozen immediately. And Jim called the house because of a snowstorm seeking permission to ship the cookies a couple days later so they would not get hung up somewhere in shipping. He bakes these things fresh and they are GOOD. Yum. I wish I had some right now.

Jack Riepe may not know much about motorcycles or women but he does know chocolate chip cookies.

Since I can’t have a constant supply of Big Jim’s Cookies I can always stop at the candy store down the street for my beloved Figaros.

So I think I am all caught up with the news from the sticks. It's good to have friends, interests, a loving wife, kids, family, a dog, camera and Vespa. Can't ask for much more. Well I can but I won't right now.

As the weather warms and I cast off the weight of winter I hope to provide a little more interesting fare.