Shaking Rider Indifference
*NOTE* This post has been pressured by rider and hair stylist Billy Blades. I avoid him. He’ll tell me my hairstyle is something out of the 1980s. He rides a Goldwing. Can I really trust him? š *NOTE*
One morning my dog Lily knocked me down some steps in the garden while we were playing with the tennis ball. It hurt but I thought I would walk it off. By dinner time I told my wife I was going to the Emergency Room. X-Rays showed no breaks. The doctor said “severe contusion” and sent me home.
Aside from that sort of diversion, my days begin and end with a sameness that is hard to understand. This must be what prison is like, an interminable counting of days where one day is the same as the next. Itās easy to understand how life could descend into a comfortable indifference fueled by streaming video, music, and books. Despite blue skies and sunshine the world feels empty and alone.
Iāve struggled to find balance between the reality of my day-to-day life and the mental construction of it. The gulf between the two is great. And rather than work toward some construction of a bridge, Iāve fallen into inactivity and indifference. As if Iāve been condemned to live on an island with no prospects or resources. This must be why I’ve been stricken with rider indifference.
Of course this is utter bullshit. A result I can only point to because of the hypervigiliance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are reasonable actions to take. But there is also the false apocalypse built from too much time and too little activity ā physical, mental, or spiritual.
So I think itās time to make an inventory of reality and imagination in hopes that Iāll emerge from the endeavor moving into life again.
Machines and Riding
Yes, winter has been harsher this season. But there were many fine days on which I could have ridden the scooter or motorcycle. But I didnāt. In part due to a lingering concern about the soaring Covid cases in hosptials for a time, but mostly because I didnāt āfeel like riding.ā
Iāve been out a few times on both the Vespa and the BMW K75 to keep them running, clean, and refueled. They are both connected to Battery Tenders and sleep quietly in the garage. As the weather has started to warm, my thoughts and desires to ride are increasing. Perhaps Iām turning into a fair weather rider.
So thereās that.
Photography
Iāve been active with the camera, with sorting, editing, and processing images, and even managed to add a āPhotographyā section to the blog for those who have inquired about that kind of work.
There has also been a photography project that’s almost complete. Last March as the world began to lock down and I quit riding, I decided to try and walk out the door with a camera on a daily basis. Often with a dog, sometimes alone. I found myself walking through the grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum and began a project of photographing that place.
At some point I saw small sculptures placed by some unknown artist along the paths and in the woods of a nearby park. As I thought about how cool it was that someone would generously share their work with the world like that, I began wondering if I could do something similar with my own work. And so began a plan to place a folio of prints in the park for some fellow visitor to find. There are seven ink jet prints on archival paper in the folio, signed and dated, and will be placed in a matte black envelop and left of a bench or some other location at the Military Museum. Iāve decided to make a dozen sets and place them over some period of time with a request that the finder, if theyāre so inclined, to leave a response to the prints on Scooter in the Sticks.
You can see some of that work on my Military Museum page.
Dogs
If nothing else, dogs, like small children, are demanding. They have needs and our two have kept me in motion and out the door on a daily basis. Iām grateful to have them. Iām not sure how they feel about me.
Vaccinations
Kim and I have had both rounds of the vaccine. Mentally it has lifted a weight off of my shoulders. I feel safer, but I donāt plan to change much in the way of daily life yet.
If you have the chance to get the shots ā donāt pass them up. Itās hard to describe the effect theyāve had on my mental state.
Moto Maintenance
Some stuff to do. I plan to take the K75 to a mechanic to have the clutch splines lubed. That should be the last time that needs to be done in my lifetime. And Iām sorting through what needs to be done with the Vespa. Warmer weather will heighten my willingness to do some wrenching myself.
Writing
Iāve been tinkering with a scooter riding book since I retired. Tinkering decidedly different than actually writing.
Iāve outlined 12 chapters in the book that has a working title of āAn Old Manās Guide to Riding.ā It tentatively includes such burning chapter titles as āStepping Into the Abyssā and āEmbracing the Decline.ā Itās sure to sell two or three copies.
If I ever write it. Is this rider indifference?
An Improved Outlook
I have little to fear and much for which to be grateful in life. Iām reasonably healthy, have good friends, am financially comfortable in retirement, have a roof over my head and food in the cupboard. Everything necessary for a good life is at hand. All I need do is stand up and start moving.
So there’s really no reason for continued rider indifference.
This post is like planting a flag in the ground. From this point forward things are going to change.
I hope if youāre reading this you have found your own ways forward during the past winter. And if you have had some insight or revelation feel free to share it.
Iām looking forward to a fine spring riding, writing, and photography season!
As I have done every morning that I have been home in 2021, I set early in the morning dark with my coffee and my meditation fire. (I am not sure of why I am doing the small fire every morning, but it calms me for the day). The few posts from you recently have left me wondering. This one leaves me with my head spinning since it covers so much and now I have to get another cup of coffee and throw another log on to gaze into and try to figure it all out.
What keeps rising to the surface is my “need” to ride. Before my shot there was lots of planning and anxiety over small things like if it rains where to do I hide from the rain and the covid. Now, with the shot, most of the anxiety is gone. Rides have been more interactive with people along the way, still with a mask and distance. I have had two post shot rides and they were freeing. I set here typing and thinking of the next one hopefully next week while the weather is perfect. I intend to just roam southern Georgia alone.
I love the leaving the photo project. I look forward to the results. I just wish I was close enough to go look for one.
The book, we, your reading public, need the book!
Rider indifference?
āNone are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasmā-Thoreau
I sometimes experience rider indifference, just canāt seem to find the enthusiasm to gear up, get on and go. That disappears once the wheels are rolling under me.
Iāll buy the book if you write it.
The photos in the park will be enjoyed if you leave them.
Richard in Blue Ridge
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Richard. I appreciate the support in regard to a book. As far as the folio of photographs goes, I’m hoping whoever picks them up find some value in them.
Your morning ritual sounds great to me Ken but I’m afraid my getting up before the sun comes up is a rarer and rarer event. I’m sorry this post has your head spinning. Mine certainly has been but it was never my intent to cause yours to do the same.
The pandemic has nurtured some irrational responses to a lot of thoughts and actions for me so I have to give myself a break whenever I wonder what I’m doing. Everything will be ok if I just go slow. Once you get out on the road in southern Georgia I bet things will become clearer.
I’ll be posting about the photo project from time to time. And who knows what will happen with a book…
Great to get a post from you Steve….. Well they say getting old ain’t for sissys,glad you didn’t break anything.Hair looks fine to me ROCK ON DUDE!!! l think you could and should write the defining riders book at least speaking for most of us that would be a true gift and treasure…Take care man and great to hear from you and fellow riders .Think spring my friendā
Thanks Don. Long hair is definitely more common now.
I want to write the book. The spirit is willing but the mind and body continue to be lazy!
Spring!
The one thing that did notice from last year as the riding season approaches up here in the Toronto area, is the acceptance on wearing my full face helmet in places where it was taboo before, even the bank. Still waiting for our first shots up here hopefully April, likely May. Fight getting old with every breath, stay immature and curious. Thank you for all your pics and wonderful words.
A full-face helmet makes a great virus shield and like you say I can enter places now that in the past might generate a call to the police. Hiding our faces is no longer a potential crime.
Thank you for your kind words about the words and pictures, and the reminder to stay immature and curious!
That is one of the funniest aspects of the pandemic – putting on a mask before entering a bank.
I guess it’s true that everything changes. Perhaps one day we’ll all be wearing helmets all the time!
Every fall, I look forward to cold weather riding, but the snow and ice intrudes before I get much of a chance. So the scooters hibernate with batteries on tenders.
This year, we are all hibernating on battery tenders waiting for the cold and the Covid to break. This life without restaurants, bars, dinner engagements, parties, theaters, movies, or concerts, without visits to friends and relatives, without traveling or vacationing, has proven to be, for me, a wonderful hermetic year. Only the worry of dying from the ghastly plague or dropping into a financial abyss keeps me from feeling completely free.
With my second inoculation soon, life will slowly open to the outside world. I’m looking forward to riding with our scooter club again, and being less fearful about human contact. I hope to maintain aspects of the hermetic life and its freedom, while saddling up and riding out into the sun and air.
I seem to be hibernating along with the scooter and motorcycle.
Life without the things you outlined is strange. I’ve tried to feel free but some existential “threat” keeps it at arm’s length. Perhaps the warmer weather and more people being vaccinated here with change things a bit.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and be well and safe as you reenter the world!
Hello Steve,
Tout d’abord, le mouvement, c’est la vie et avoir envie de bouger c’est dĆ©jĆ vivre…
Quant Ć devenir un motard par beau temps, c’est logique et normal car quand nous vieillissons, nous recherchons du confort et de la facilitĆ©.
il y a un temp pour tout et il faut l’accepter,
juste l’accepter…
Hello Steve,
First of all, movement is life and wanting to move is already living …
As for becoming a biker in good weather, it is logical and normal because when we get older we look for comfort and ease.
there is a time for everything and you have to accept it,
just accept it …
Laurent from France.
I’ve certainly been looking (and finding) comfort and ease. It’s difficult sometimes to accept the march of time and the changes it brings.
Acceptance. Yes, that’s it.
Ahhh………rider indifference I’m afraid finally got the best of me Steve. I had become a fair weather rider some time back: The insufferable summer humidity in Florida as well as the daily thunderstorms. Frankly too, flat Florida had lost its’ riding appeal. For months if I’d not returned home by 10 a.m. I’d be melting and or soaked with rain.
And so recently, I sold my VTX1300 and mentally have closed out fifty years of riding aboard seventeen different bikes and scooters from an 80cc to the VTX and every size in between. Oh I will dearly miss it but for me at least, mentally it was time. I’ve started a little personal essay “50 Years on Two Wheels” and it’s even a bit emotional to write.
Love your idea of leaving photos at the military memorial and enjoyed your photos. And yes – I would absolutely buy your book. Keep on keeping on buddy – you’ll know when it’s your time. And it’s not yet.
Mike in Florida
Sorry to hear that you’ve given up the motorcycles and scooters. But I understand that the time will arrive for all of us. And I suspect writing about the memories would be emotional. I hope you continue writing.
Thanks for your words of support, about the book, the blog, and life on two wheels. I really do appreciate them.
Hey Steve… next month, along with a birthday, I will get to celebrate my 57th year of riding.
Like most things in my life, my relationship with motorcycles and motorcycling has been somewhat
oscilloscopic in nature. The tide moves in… the tide moves out.
A couple of decades ago, I might have found that somewhat disconcerting. I have, however, come to accept it as naturally rhythmic for me.
You and I are likely surfing the same wave in regards to riding, my friend.
In the meantime, you have spawned a truly wonderful idea … photo portfolios in the park.
The idea is so good that I will likely steal it at some point.
All this to say that you might just want to honour that inner bear that has needed the hibernation time to regenerate itself …and be all sorts of kind to yourself.
The passion isnāt dead Steve. Itās just recharging itself.
Best
terry
Terry, whatever wave we’re surfing, I hope it doesn’t swamp us. Or worse.
I feel the up and down wave of interest in riding and at times it’s hard not to view it as a decline. But mostly I try and accept that whatever I do is fine.
I love the notion of hibernation. That may be exactly what I’ve been doing. Instead of seeing it as a problem or worrisome, it’s a normal, healthy state for me to be in right now. And things are recharging.
Regarding the portfolios in the park, I’ll let you know how it goes. I make prints all the time, and rather than having them live their lives in a box in my closet, I figured it would be better to send them out into the world!
Steve, I am honored to be mentioned in this latest addition of Scooter in the Sticks.
Two things of importance that I need to mention. First,I am a product of the 70s and your hair looks awesome. More and more of my customers are growing it longer. Thanks to Covid itās become fashionable again.
Second, the Goldwing does fit into the motorcycle parking but it takes up 4 spots. I get to town early to grab my spot / (Spots).
Once again thanks for the mention. If you get to town let me know. Coffees on me, well itās not on me, it will be in a cup. š
Hey Billy, nice to hear something from you. Ride safe – nice weather coming up.
My hair is getting a bit shaggy. I have resisted putting it in a ponytail but I look sort of wild at times and don’t realize it until I come inside and see myself in a mirror. I guess it keeps people away and right now that’s probably a good thing.
I saw the photo you posted on Facebook of that bright yellow machine in the motorcycle parking area. You’re right — it does take four spaces. You better get there early lest some stupid scooter rider parks in the center space!
If I get to town I’ll darken your doorway!
Two things. We saw those little sculptures too! I’m assuming at the little park in Boalsburg. Very nice, we thought.
Second. Well, you’re the third couple I know of that traveled to Lewisburg for the vaccinations, assuming the location from your photo. I won’t mention hospital names, but it doesn’t say much for the local hospital where we tried to schedule several times. The local volunteer group CVIM did call and would have provided the vaccine just a week after we were successful in Lewisburg. Anyway, feels good to have that done.
Scheduling vaccine times is just a mess. The country should have started planning and building out those systems last summer rather than wait until a couple months ago. But it is the reality before us and we’ll have to remain patient. Or get stupid. Not sure which will come to pass.
We went to Lewistown. The scheduling was easy for us — first time I attempted I got scheduled. Not the case for many others though.
Hope to see you somewhere in the world Robert. Until then, be well and be safe!
I always beep when I drive or ride past your home.
Darn! I always mix up Lewisburg with Lewistown.
Don’t let people from either place catch you doing that!
I am anxiously awaiting both mine and the princess second shot. I am looking forward to things like breakfast out seeing older friends. There is a light, let’s hope it’s not a train. We have been out looking a bikes once I can ride again. So far the princess likes the BV350 and the Triumph 1200X. I thought I would be retired by now but my boss keeps dangling a carrot.
I’ll slowly make my way back into life. I’m not ready to sit down to breakfast in a crowded restaurant yet but I suspect it won’t be far off.
Retirement has been a gift for me. I was uncertain about it and my boss didn’t want me to go, but it has turned out to be fantastic. Even with the pandemic!
Good morning Steve. Good to hear from you again.
My wife and I have both received our second Pfizer shot and feel safer than before. As for getting out for a ride on my 2010 Vespa 300 GTS, I am only waiting for warmer weather. I don’t ride much when it is cold.
I know the reality of feeling free when I am on two wheels especially when I am riding on a road where there are not many other vehicles. Love it. Just me and the Vespa and surrounding scenery.
Stay warm and well. Really enjoy reading your blogs and the comments of your faithful followers.
Karl Stumpf
Glad you and your wife were able to be vaccinated. It definitely makes me feel safer now that ours have been pushed in our arms.
It remains cold here but the next week will be fine riding weather. I plan to hit the road.
Thanks for your kind words about the posts and the people who follow here. Be well on the road!
Ahem. Write the damn book š I’m turning 63 this year and am helping with a start up chapter of an multicultural SC. I intend to ride til I can’t…at that point, my club president and I agree there’s always trikes. No quitting in scooting!
That’s the spirit — ride until you can’t. I hope that will come to pass for me as well.
Remind me from time to time to work on the damn book!
You have a unique ability to put into words what so many of us are thinking! It’s amazing how, having all the time in the world, we seem to do less. Spring is coming to change all that! So glad your vaccines are done. We are awaiting our second rounds, with Moderna being 4 weeks later, but will both be done by April 1st.
Your photo idea is wonderful. Can’t wait to hear the feedback you receive!
Thanks for you words of support. I appreciate them. Having the vaccines has calmed things down a bit but I’ve not yet found my way in the world. Normal remains over the horizon for me.
I’m anxious to set the photographs free in the world and to see what happens. I’ll share the responses.
And I’m sorry to see that you’re selling your motorcycle. For a moment I said to myself, “I want that bike.” The F650GS was perhaps my favorite BMW to ride.
I can certainly understand the sentiment, but I shared the selling post for Toadmama, who I believe is a mutual blog friend. I am not yet willing to give up my 1200GS, despite not riding as much as I had previously. š
How did I mess that up… sloppy memory on my part. Ugh.
It seems no one is riding as much these days.
Please, she and I have multiple similar aspects of our lives, so no sweat! And yes, it does seem to be a trend…as long as we still enjoy it when we do it, all is well!
Hi, it would be refreshing to read a book with an aged perspective.
“Indifference”, “need to ride”: it is a constant tug of war. Do you really want to go ride, does the bike need to go for a spin ( like a dog for a walk). We can justify both feelings but really it’s all about finding a head space where there is no guilt either way. Maybe today you don’t want to ride and maybe tomorrow you want to ride. Who cares? Does it matter? This year, I bought an e assist bike. I can see the see saw thoughts coming.. This one or this that one. How do I justify one over the other. Who cares, maybe Ill just go for a walk and be satisfied with that. I did take my scooter out this week but there is still a fair bit of snow and it was cold, -16 or so. Brrr to damn cold to ride..at my age.
Thank you for your posts, they always make me think and muse a bit.
I want to write that book. I really do. While I am no expert, it is my personal experience so something I can honestly share. We’ll see if I get to it.
A tug of war — that sums up things well. My head just gets pulled back and forth, but as you say, who cares. Does it really matter?
My riding at -16 days have passed. I used to get excited by that challenge. Now I just turn up the heat.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. They give me something to think about as well.
I have been itching to ride for weeks, even if just to the grocery store. I’m feeling kind of cocky since I got my second dose the first week of February. Being old has its advantages at least until I try to do something strenuous. There is a local group here that has grown geometrically in the last couple of years and many scheduled rides are on their website. I’m even going to do some thing ill advised and buy a new Chinese scooter soon to challenge my tool collection and a possible trip to Americade in September is in the offing. This season should be busy
It sounds as if you’ll have plenty to keep you busy Jim despite the reminders from strenuous activity. I take more naps now.
Good luck with the Chinese scooter. I hope you find a good one.
Yahoo,finally some dog pics.Peace and Safety from nh.
I have plenty of dog pictures but feel guilty sharing them. The is “Scooter” in the Sticks after all!
Be well and safe.
Hello Steve. It’s good to know you’re working on that book, even if the work is in your head. Sometimes that can be the most important work, no?
Reading this post, I began to wonder if the problem is not so much one of indifference as it is one of destination. I am not a winter rider, and for the past 5 months I’ve been temporarily in Chicago attending to some family matters. I have found that, even when I venture out for a walk, the problem becomes one of destination. Where can one actually go in a pandemic? Like you, I always used to like to ride to an unknown restaurant, have a bite, and then return home. But my travel radius is limited in a 5-hour ride. Back home I’ve seen almost every road and sight there is to see over 30+ years of living in the same region. Do I actually have any destinations left anymore? I think in some regard, when I choose not to ride, it’s because I come to the realization that I’ve nowhere to go right now, and that makes riding seem somewhat pointless. Burning fossil fuel for the sake of a ride to nowhere is not appealing to me. This fall/winter, I’ve been seeing new sights, but even in such a short time, destinations are limited: the lake, various parks, a local cemetery. They all become old and familiar too fast, and lead to that sense of indifference.
I think we all need destinations, and if we don’t have that, indifference can creep in. I am hoping that, as the spring comes, I can get a larger sense of destination. I’ve taken to walking as opposed to riding at times simply because it’s easier to step out of the house and move forward. And besides, it’s good for my health and well-being, and the environment. Spring will afford the ability to ride to a destination where I can take a nice walk. Then maybe, in the fall, if the vaccination rate is high and the pandemic muted, I will strap the scooter onto the back of the RV and really hit up some destinations. It’s what I currently look forward to as the riding season approaches. Maybe when you know you can safely stop into Saints Cafe for tea and scones, you’ll feel the same way. Stay well and safe! PS – More riding videos, please!
There’s definitely a lot of work going on in my head with that book. I’m careful to make notes lest ideas evaporate with my memory. But it is time to start writing.
I think you’re right, in part, with the notion of destinations. I miss finding new places or traveling to destinations beyond my experience. The pandemic has removed that for me. I’ve tried to look harder at the familiar places instead and know that despite frequent visits, there is more to see.
I hope we get to that place with vaccinations that will allow for both a muting of the pandemic and a return to adventures. Time will tell.
More videos to come. I have some new video toys!
Oh, the places the mind will go…!
“Rider indifference” hasn’t been my problem of late: rider miscalculation would seem closer to the mark. To that end, I’ve already chronicled, via Modern Vespa, my sad tale of Melody’s drive belt self-destructing on the Staten Island Expressway in mid-February, and the aggravating process of getting her towed back home, as well as the decision to have her refit with upgraded powertrain bits and shocksānot an expense I’d planned for, but since the thing is essential transportation for me, it was worth the effort and cost. (And, wow, she’s even more a dream to ride than when I first got her.)
The timing of getting her back was rather fortuitous as well: a bit over a week ago, my wife’s younger son, who’s been living with us since moving from Richmond, VA last August, came down with a fever; he got tested the following day, got results the following day, and sure enough, was positive for COVID. (Second time for him; he got nailed with it while still in Richmond, which answers the “can you get it more than once?” question.) Wife and me immediately got tested in turn, with her results positive and mine negative. For me, this was both good and bad news: The good part was that at least one of us could go out for curbside pickup of essential stuff; the bad news was that I couldn’t go out for anything else, especially client work. And, of course, I’m getting e-mails and calls from people I haven’t done work for in ages. I did manage one round-trip into Gotham on the revived Melody shortly before all this happened, confirming that all the changes made were the right move. I just need to sit things out through next week. (Irony: we both got our first Moderna shot several days before her kid got the fever; we’re scheduled to get out second shot in early April, but while I’m going ahead with mine, she’s still sorting out if she needs to wait longer on account of testing positive.)
I love your idea of leaving folios of your work on those benches, and will want to hear how that goes for you. Like nothingbeforecoffee replied, I might want to steal that idea as well!
On that front. glad to hear of your ongoing photo work, and writing ideas, including a book, which I would highly encourage – I’m up for a copy if you manage this. I have an idea along these lines as well, but I am struggling a bit with taking the camera out with a tad more mental focus, not so much on what I want to do as much as clearing my mind of all the extraneous junk I’m sure many of us are struggling with now. Photography has, at its best, often been a bit of a zen experience for me, and I want to get back to that. I will.
Meanwhile, I’m sequestered here in ateliĆ©r tiny, with a late-for-the-day cup of tea, spinning a lot of chamber music on the ‘fi, and finishing up writing this. (Wife and son are dining downstairs; it’ll be my turn in about an hour.)
So: great to read more from you again. Stay healthy, easy on that foot, and don’t sweat the COVID-hair (as I keep telling myself, over and over).
I’ve followed your misadventures on ModernVespa.com. Your shredded drivebelt had me reach for my records to see how many miles I have on mine. With 4K miles I have two thousand more before I think about a change. I originally thought 9K would be the target but I’ve changed my thinking.
Funny about the shocks. I had all of mine replaced and didn’t notice any difference. They were OEM parts. Maybe yours were better.
Sorry to hear of your COVID battles at home. So far we’ve dodged that bullet but we have been pretty isolated. My fingers are crossed that once our second Pfizer shot is fully effective our chance of contracting something will be diminished. I suspect we’ll stay rather isolated anyway.
Feel free to steal the folio idea. I feel like the project is some sort of paying forward my good fortune. Not sure how it will all turn out. Photography has become less intentional in terms of idea and more intentional in terms of picking up the camera and walking out the door with no expectations. I’ve been surprised how much work I’ve done. My mind is a terrible place to start!
Atelier tiny… I like that. I’m in mine now writing this comment at 1:19am. The house is quiet save for Junior’s quiet breathing at my feet.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate them. And the boost toward a new drive belt standard!
We are anxiously waiting for our inoculations. Weāre Canadian, so weāre tough and polite to a fault, apparently, and content to have our friends and neighbours go before us (āno, please, by all means, after you my friend, yes, of course, itās no trouble at all…ā)
Once we have them, and they have had had their effect, we will joyfully hop on a flight to Vancouver to see our kids we dearly miss.
What I miss most these days is being indifferent to the air we breathe. The thing that I long to do without is the constant calculus involved in doing anything beyond our front door.
With the Covid variants increasingly present we have taken to double-masking: surgical mask topped with a KN95. We feel like ancient divers in struggling to breathe in those porthole-equipped dive helmets.
I am so sorry that Lily tossed you down the stairs. She seemed so nice when I met her, if a tad exuberant. Itās just more evidence that God has a wicked sense of humour. Here you are foolhardy enough to ride not one, but two deadly motorbikes, one more powerful and lethal than the other, and itās one of your two best friends throwing you mercilessly under the bus.
The part about your misfortune that had me silently and inwardly smirk and chuckle, is that you have one more thing in common with your President. Thereās your remarkable empathy, and now your canine-induced injury. Can a nationally-televised address be that far off?
The pandemic and its effect on daily living and thinking continue to amaze me. I try to be like you and just be polite in the world.
Thinking about the air I breathe is exactly as you describe. I never thought about it unless I was near a fire or some chemical thing. Now it’s anytime I see another person. I will welcome a change on that score.
Lily is a good dog but she is exuberant and plows ahead through whatever obstacle is in her way. Junior and I try and stay out of her way. I’m completely healed from that event but other aches and pains seem to arise from nowhere. I’m grateful that neither the Vespa or the motorcycle have caused any pain.
Presidents and politics. I’ve had enough of both. There is little I need to know about either and I avoid any news or stories that are short. Everything is far more complicated than it seems. I saw Biden’s stumbling on the steps to the plane and just wondered why it was news. Doesn’t everyone stumble from time to time over something? Politics. What a waste. The same went for Trump slowly descending a ramp. So what. Who cares?
Politics. It’s all bad. And seems mostly dishonest. I’ve said more than I should about something I have no control over.
The sun is shining right now. That’s a good thing!
I forgot in my previous comment to leave a gentle reminder to change your banner photo, if you would. I shiver just looking at it. I’ve had quite enough of winter. š
I’ll shoot a new banner the next time I’m out on the scooter, but for now I replaced it with something from a previous spring ride.
Steve, I’m enjoying your new photography section here on the blog very much. There are quite a few images I’ve never seen before.
Three images that particularly caught my eye this morning: 1) the swarm of bees around the beekeepers (wow!) 2) Ruby lying on the dirt road in the fetal position 3) No dogs allowed!
I completely agree with Don’s sentiment on your long hair. I tried something similar and one day just couldn’t take it anymore.
Sign me up for your scooter novel and any coffee table book you may publish. Do you take Bitcoin?
I wanted to create a place to display images, sort of a portfolio approach. I rushed through picking things. Over time I’ll refine things a bit, especially in the landscape section where none of my work using film appears.
That day with the bees was for an article I wrote for Penn State Agriculture magazine. When I arrived at the gate at the site I called the researcher. He told me the bees were “angry” and that I should stay where I was. He would come out and suit me up. It was pretty intense and at times the bees completely covered my facemask. It was hard to hear because of the buzzing.
We used to keep all the past issues on the web as PDF files but they were removed since they did not meet the accessibility requirements. I searched for the article but it’s no longer on the site. I was the editor for several years but my issues are starting to come down. I found a link to one of my Editor’s Notes that reminds me of how much my blog influenced the magazine. I worked hard to bring a more conversational tone for our readers.
Once the hair gets long enough it’s no longer a problem. But I haven’t had it that long since 1973!
No bitcoin. I only take gold bars and coins.
I hadn’t realized your long hair style Steve! (Of course, I wish sometimes for hair)….as to bitcoins, I agree with you.
With each passing year, the hair grows slower and less thick. Normally, at this time of year, I would buzz it all off like a sheep being shorn in the spring. But now I’m just going to let it go. For how long? Who knows.