Happy Birthday Daddy
The dogs greeted me with reminders of the big day — geezerdom and eligibility for Social Security all coming together in a cosmic event. There’s a full moon in the sky as I write. I still remember throwing rocks at plastic soldiers dug into a road bank after school. Shooting photo assignments for the Daily Collegian at Penn State seem like they happened yesterday. And now suddenly, without warning or explanation, I’m 62 years old.
The dogs think it’s just another day. You have to love them for that.
There are no Vespa photographs in this post. I rode to work today but didn’t feel the urge to make any photographs of the scooter. It’s a holiday.
It’s Late in the Day
Long shadows indicate the end of the day. I see a metaphor for the position I occupy on the course of my life. A birthday offers an opportunity to think about what’s ahead. Lily and I walk in the park, a chance for me to exercise and her how to walk on a leash. I’m averaging 12 thousand steps a day. She’s not doing so well on the leash.
Progress not perfection.
Watching the Sunset
Late in the day Junior and I take a walk to the top of the hill to watch the sun go down over Mount Nittany. Behind me a full moon rises to later illuminate the night. Kim bought me a Nikon DSLR camera and two lenses for my birthday. After years of lugging big, heavy professional cameras I’m looking forward to a smaller, lighter version — the D3300. I’m excited to entertain the next steps in my photographic journey. Personal and reflective. No art directors or clients.
Just me and the world.
So far, it’s been quite a party.
Happy birthday! I’ll be interested in your thoughts on the D3300. Which lenses?
I still have years to go before reaching that milestone…
I’m excited to see if my plans for a small, lightweight, downsized camera that can meet my image quality expectations actually pan out. The camera arrives before the weekend so you’ll see some work before long.
And thanks for the birthday wishes. It sneaks up on you!
Happy birthday though I don’t think 62 is necessarily late in the day, speaking as one who is approaching 59…though I have yet to have my first heart attack, which could change one’s perspective.
I have been contemplating a telephoto camera to supplement the phone camera. I am reluctant to add complexity to my life and I find myself in the odd position of actually seeking out a camera, probably not a DSLR, with wifi to keep things relatively simple. Digital has changed our lives.
I suppose we all look at time, age and life differently. The heart attack has certainly helped me straighten some of my bad lifestyle choices but not sure what it has done beyond that. More than I realize probably.
Having a telephoto lens is a nice tool to have. I’m mostly looking for something a little faster to handle and hopefully make some interesting images to boot!
You’re right though — digital has changed things.
Shall so mark the date in my daybook, watch out for 2017.
I am 70 so 62 is not that far behind me. Mind like you we’ve bot had our medical scares. ironically was diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis yeaterday, one more ailment in my life.
We can get Canada Pension Plan at age 60 here, that was ten years prior, for me.
Kim is a good person, and now you have a DX frame Nikon to prove it. We are expecting greater things from you, birthday boy!
Do you get a special day off work if your birthday falls on a working week day?
Sorry to hear about the stenosis. Our backs are just miserable beasts when things don’t work right.
Kim is a gift. The camera is gravy. I hope to be putting the camera to work late tomorrow. Thinking about what I should focus on first.
Took some time off today — the day after BDay. Went for a ride with Paul. I’ll post some things about that ride soon.
Does 78 pip them all?
Still riding the GTS Super, still active and looking forward to another decade or more!
78 is a fine age to still be riding. My father-in-law is 79 and still riding his Vespa though recent hip surgery has slowed his returned to the road. I’m hoping though to get another decide at least.
Send my regards to your father in law from a fellow Vespa rider and grumpy old geezer. Good for him!
Will do Mike!
Passed that milestone 19 years ago…..no biggie. Love that you dogs have learned to write. Here’s the deal, make the coming year better than the last. Happy birthday.
Continuous quality improvement — sounds like a plan Frank. Thanks for stopping by to comment. Assume you’re back home and have escaped the firery furnace called Texas!
Happy birthday Steve!
Averaging twelve thousand steps is very good. Gives me something to shoot for.
Thank you David.
It’s getting easier to make the 12K steps but there are days…
Being 62 is just a good start. My 90 year old Dad is still buzzing around on a zr-750 Kawasaki, I’m 64 and have been braving the statistics on their reliability for years and am planning a 300 mile ride tonight on either the China scoot or my 750 Kawasaki.
You’re only as old as you tell yourself to be. Happy Birthday and many more.
Jim — one can only hope to have the same genetic makeup as your dad. Maybe it’s the Kawaski???
You’re right about telling one’s self about being old. It’s probably one of the things I’m most aware of — the ability to convince myself of things — good or bad.
Thanks for the birthday greetings. And for the comments. I do appreciate them.
90? Being that I’m 60, this heartens me. 🙂
Happybirthweek Steve, I think we celebrated one of your B days at Sandy Lake, No?
Like you said seems like yesteryear.
That’s going back Mike. Forgot all about that. Must have been 40 years ago when we were pups.
Have you gotten another motorcycle yet?
No, I would like to have a scooter, it’s the $ thing right now, I haven’t been surching real hard either. I’ve been living through your rides & pics.
Money. I hear you. Someday I’ll see you on the road though. You should stop by the Moto Hang this Wednesday in Boalsburg. See what you’re missing.
Happy birthday, Steve! I’m excited to see what you do with that new camera. The shadow pic of you and Lily is great!
That picture of Lily and I walking was one of those “gifts’ of observation. I’m hoping the new camera reveals more of them!
Happy Birthday Big Boy! You are spending your birthday the way I like to.
Thank you Mr. Davis. It’s been a fine birthday this year.
Good photos. I like the photo with the dog signs. I like War of the Worlds dog photo.
Lily’s legs do look like some alien creature. Makes her look like some quasi dog/spider critter.
Happy Birthday, Steve!
Wishing you many great years to come.
62…my gosh, how young that seems to me!
Thanks Karl. I am young!
Happy Birthday Sir.
Nice camera!
I’m not that far behind you either. We’re all part of the Gray Tsunami I am told….
I figure we readers will get at least 2 more decades of your riding pics….lots of time for me to someday convince you to join us sidecarists on the “tractor side” of motorcycling.
The Gray Tsunami — I think you’ve found a hair style to help confuse that trend!
Two more decades of riding pictures. Imagine that. Wonder what kind of camera I would be using in 2036? Or if I could still have a Vespa then???
URALs will probably have some sort of magnetic drive by then…
Steve: Happy Birthday! And I hope you have many, many more. Life bestows an extra something for those of us who’ve had serious health scares, so I know you relish every year, nay, every day, like I do.
BTW, love the dogs’ pic. What great faces.
A heart attack can have the effect of waking a person up. For me at least it highlighted some of the bad behaviors that threatened my life. It didn’t fix all of them but it’s a start. I suppose a birthday is a celebration of the wonderful nature of human life to be able to change. Not easy but possible.
And like you say, from all of that comes the relish of every day. Thanks for reminding me of it.
Those dogs — what can I saw. They’re great companions and models.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
It’s your SPECIAL day. Enjoy if fully!
I will and I have! Thanks for the good thoughts.
Happy birthday! young rider !!!
Lorenzo from France.
Thanks Lorenzo for the kind words. Young rider. That’s me!
Happy Birthday Steve. Congratulations on 62 trips around the sun.
Love the notes from the dogs!
Kim and the dogs conspired to make sure I was welcomed home from work. It was great to see. They’re my daily gifts…
I loved throwing rocks and dirt clumps at plastic arm men Steve…wonderful memory !!!
I like your follower’s comments ….keep going …make it better …enjoy it…lots of time left!!!
I spent a lot of time as a kid throwing rocks and dirt clumps at things. Wonder how often kids do that today?
I have to say, thinking about all the comments here, and not just today…. I do feel blessed for the connections to people made through this blog. It has been an unexpected gift of connection, even if only in the virtual space of the screen. Thoughts and ideas transcend that filter. Thank you for your thoughts that you’ve shared.
I don’t think that happens now…but I know it was so much fun!!!…it’s a step below target shooting which we never did as we weren’t allowed pellet guns by our Parents…smart move… As a kid you are creating the image of a WW2 Battlefield…and to create the action is exciting and to inspect the damage later was always the best part. Nobody got hurt…and it improved your throwing arm. We would stand back quite a ways like we were artillery fire. COMBAT on t.v. was the inspiration for such games I’m sure…we used to play in the woods WW2 war games all the time. The woods across the street was everything to us.
It was a different time that’s for sure.
I loved watching Combat! It used to be on every night at midnight when I was a kid. Would stay up half the night in the summer. We had a German exchange student once and he had a hard time believing five GI’s could continually defeat the Germans.
We played Army in the woods too. Dug foxholes, ran around shooting at each other with toy guns. I remember having a whole line of Monkey Division weaponry.
Not many kids have the same experience today with “the woods”.
I remember The Monkey Division weaponry…I had the helmet…ha ha. The two part episode Hill’s are for Heros won an Emmy for the show I think…there were some excellent episodes. My Dad bought me a plastic M1 rifle…it was so cool.
Brent
I had the helmet too. And some sort of machine gun/grenade launcher with a little collapsable tripod support on the front. A kid could get some serious firepower back in the 60s and 70s. When I was young — 6 or 7, I got a replica of a tripod mounted, air cooled, 30 caliber machine gun. It ran on batteries and had a red illuminated tube on the front that would go in and out as you fired and some sort of sound effect happened.
As much implicit violence in all that kind of war play I never considered it anything but play. Cowboys and indians was another matter. Go shot in the head by an arrow — went in under my scalp — still have a scar. Cap gun wasn’t as powerful…
Steve,your 62nd,my wife’s 73rd.Hope your day was as Happy and blessed as ours.Peace and many more safe years ahead.
Pass on my best wishes to your wife for her birthday!
Thank you for the kind wishes of more safe years ahead. We’ll see how the road unfurls ahead…
Forgot to wish you a happy birthday, sorry, making up for it now.
Thanks! Grumpy old geezers have a lot on their mind. Easy to forget things.
Happy Birthday.
Thanks!
Belated Happy Birthday, Steve!
Things to ponder, stuff to do. And being able to do any of this, let alone all, is itself a Good Thing. (I’ve been thinking like this since well before turning 60 myself this year.)
Time flies when you’re having fun. And goes even faster when you’re not. Best to make good decisions at our age!