Both dogs are doing well. Lily was patient with her recovery time and will be all clear to resume her wild antics tomorrow.

Something has remained magical for me in regard to the darkroom. It’s a unique little world that few encounter anymore. All that aside, I am still impressed by the presentation of a contact print on gelatin silver paper. In a world of monumental sized prints I wonder if there’s a place for little prints anymore.

Wish your wife well for me regarding the upcoming surgery. Being unable to be as mobile as normal is always a challenge. And for you a lot more effort than you might expect. Take care of yourself too.

All is well here aside from some predictable resistance on my part to the beginning of cold weather. I’ll get past it eventually.

The scooter is okay too. Went for a ride yesterday in a cool rain…

The whole film versus digital approach to image making still twists my brain. There are pros and cons to each. I just have decided to stop the debate and work with film until it doesn’t make sense.

The slowness of the large format process is one of the main attractions for me but I keep thinking I should be able to slow down with a digital camera as well. After all, I can ride a Ducati slow…

I’m sorry Richard. I have no idea what you’re referring to…

The view camera, and film: Oh, I know this (and those pics of hanging negatives)…as mentioned before, I’m itching to get back to proper b/w developing – and maybe small-scale printing – ASAP. Le Wife wants to as well, but she’ll be dealing having her last non-replaced joint (left knee) operated on in less than two weeks, followed by roughly two weeks mostly off her feet, during which time I’ll be point-person for errands/cooking/Et Cetera (Which, curiously enough, means a good deal of time on the Vespa). The Darkroom Project requires clearing out the basement, which likely means it won’t really be in shape till mid-to-late December. The Vespa, in turn, will need some tending to as well: a new set of tires are about due, and, thanks to fortuitous timing via eBay, I scored a like-new stock exhaust from a barely-ridden 2016 GTS which I’ll want the shop to swap out at the same time, so I can have the original either repainted or ceramic coated.

So, yeah…competing matters. Some obviously more important than others. But none totally blotting out everything else indefinitely, which I need to remember. Melody (and even my bicycles, which have been neglected somewhat more) are always there, mostly at the ready. Overall, it’s all good. Sounds like it’s the same there, too.

(P.S. The photo of your Vespa against the guardrail made me gasp just a bit. Glad to hear you’re okay; please tell me the bike sustained little to no damage, especially since you had her spruced up not so long ago.)

I’ll leave the full story to a future post where I can write more drama into it. But basically, careful when you park on a steep incline…

Parking. It’s a bureaucracy at Penn State. I don’t try to understand or make sense of anything. I just do what I’m told. Rage is toxic you know…

Lily is doing fine. On Sunday she’ll be back to no restrictions on movement. She’s ready. I’m ready!

The dogs don’t react to anything coming from the darkroom. And I’m a careful worker in the darkroom. Don’t splash around like I did in my youth.

They’re not banned for faculty, staff and students. And not visitors either. It’s just the designated parking for visiting motorcycles is on the fringe areas of campus. You used to be able to park in the garages on campus but they felt the automated gates were a danger to the riders. Before automation there were half gates that you could ride around if the detection system failed. But I guess they were worried that too many biker outlaws were going to enter and exit without paying.

Not sure what Penn State’s logic is. All I know is to get to the designated parking — a lot with a pay station and you use a full space — it’s a LONG walk to central campus. I’m old you know!