Scooter in the Sticks

Cool Morning Riding

September 16, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 6 Comments

With one last hot gasp summer surrendered to the crisp air of autumn.

Temperatures in the low 50s makes for some cool morning riding. The chill makes me sit up straight, squeeze the grips a bit harder, relish the dazzling clear air. Together they lead me across still pathways as I make my way to work.

As some riders start to think about winterizing machines I’m doing the same thing — only with a focus on riding rather than storage.

The light is already low in the sky when it’s time to head home. Not long ago the sun would still be beating down on the scooter when I arrived. Now it waits in the remains of the day.

Everything looks strange to me this time of year. Shimmering with life but as it lingers at the edge of decline. I’ve passed this tree many times, a solitary bellwether the persistence of life. There have been other trees, standing as this one, until I pass one day and it’s gone, victim of lightning or chainsaw, fate or whim. Each a reminder of the changing nature of existence.

Riding makes everything ok, or at least feel that way. Wandering on two wheels distills what’s important to a few simple things — the road surface, the road ahead, and the people and things I might encounter. During the time astride the Vespa not much else matters.

Just me and the tree. All part of cool weather riding.

Simplifying Life

September 15, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 12 Comments

Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.
Henry David Thoreau

Since the late 1990s I’ve been carrying a Leica M6 camera. It was the perfect tool for the photographic projects I was working on and together we made thousands and thousands of negatives. I described the camera as “beloved”.

This past weekend I sold it, a gesture toward simplifying life.

The camera is haunted by memories. Those memories trigger a nostalgic reaction that makes decisions to dispose of things difficult. For the past couple of years it sat in it’s Domke satchel waiting for another project to come to life even though I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

I almost kept it. Going through contact sheets and finished prints I was swept up into those moments in silver that I relived in my head. How could I abandon them?

Standing in the darkroom I could see the past; the Leica, the image I made in the early 1970s in my apartment, the Ben Hur book I bought at the Warner Theater in the early 1960s. Details, evidence of my existence are everywhere. They have weight and I feel it.

The Leica couldn’t sit quietly in the cupboard. I thought about it. Felt bad about it. Made plans to use it. It consumed energy. It had to go.

And it has.

When Vespa scooters entered by life the world I was experiencing changed as did the photographic needs that arose. The Leica fell into disuse as digital photography showed its value. And it wasn’t long before Scooter in the Sticks was born, a different project with different needs, that relegated the Leica into memory.

When I sealed the deal to sell it I only felt relief. It was one less thing I whispering in my head.

For me, Thoreau was right, life does get frittered away by the little details. I’m making an effort to simplify life.

Books are next.

Boalsburg MOTO HANG

September 14, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

This coming Wednesday evening at 5pm is the next occurrence of the Boalsburg MOTO HANG. The weather forecast promises a fine ride so there should be lots of riders on hand. If you’re within riding distance stop by. A wide range of machines comprise the collective machine show including Harley, Triumph, BMW, Ducati, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, Kawasaki and of course, Vespa.

It’s not a club — just riders who like to get together to look at machines, share stories, and have a good time.

For a quick look at a past gathering check out the Boalsburg Moto Hang.

The MOTO HANG takes place at the barn behind the log house at:

203 East Main Street
Boalsburg, PA 16827

Scooter Riding Daughter

September 6, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 25 Comments

My scooter riding daughter got her first taste of fog this morning (I think) as we headed south to breakfast. I offered a few tips, watch traffic approaching from behind, clear your visor, and pay attention to everything, but I think she already deduced the risk.

No matter how often I look out across fog shrouded fields there’s a preternatural feeling that creeps into my bones, as if I’m a character in Game of Thrones and a direwolf will emerge from the mist.

I wish I could hold onto those flights of imagination. Maybe I should write a book.

Traffic was light to non-existent, at least until we got to the major east-west artery US Route 22 at Waterstreet. Our scooters, Aleta on her Yamaha Vino and me on the Vespa, wandered along slowly, ready for whatever might emerge.

Deer remain my single biggest concern since the only way to effectively manage that risk is to ride slow enough that if you see one you can evade and if you collide the impact is not catastrophic. Each mile I travel not seeing a deer is one mile closer to seeing one. Or at least that’s how my brain thinks about it.

The same logic applies to lottery tickets — each loser is one closer to a winner. Bullshit with lottery tickets and with deer.

A quick portrait during an early stop. Rider, gear, scooters, fog and a gravel road. What more do you need for a good picture?

The Vino’s 125cc engine is fine for most secondary roads but works hard to maintain 55mph so I try to find alternative routes to destinations. The old Huntingdon, Cambria and Indiana turnpike route still exists though little used now compared to the late 1800s. Another of the fine scenic byways in south central Pennsylvania.

The old turnpike route took us past Pulpit Rocks, a notable geologic feature and now a National Historic Landmark. I had never been through here before and plan to return to explore the rocks with a camera.

By the time we got to the Standing Stone Coffee Company in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania is was ready for something substantial for breakfast. This cafe is a gem in this neck of the woods and the Standing Stone Florentine breakfast sandwich was outstanding.

Everything tastes better after a long ride.

Everyone notices something different on a ride or in life. I saw two motorcycles parked across the street. Aleta noticed free WI-FI. As things wrapped up we had a discussion on the next leg of the ride. She wanted to ride onto Altoona to visit her grandparents but I needed to head home. Riding to Altoona would mean Aleta would have nearly 90 miles of riding ahead — alone on unfamiliar roads.

Ten miles down the road we stopped at a flea market, the last stop before I turned northward toward home with Aleta joining me. Both of us were feeling the pressure of the clock as the day wore on.

The last 30 miles were under a bright sun and blue skies with temperatures rising toward the mid-80s. Summer is fading in the rear view mirror and my preferred riding season is approaching. Passed my oldest daughter on the way into Boalsburg as she was running up the road but my attention was on a passing truck and a line of parked cars. Found out later that she was on her first run since giving birth to granddaughter Emma.

Maybe someday Hannah will give up the running shoes for a Vespa.

Photography Lessons

September 6, 2015 by Scooter in the Sticks 12 Comments

Kim is the creative fire in our home, the one who operates on a different perceptual plane. When it comes to photography she is way out ahead while I just keep doing the same things over and over. Last night she taught me another lesson.

Her pedigree is different than mine. She’s been a professional science writer, published fiction writer and relentless photographer. I remember a phone message on her answering machine from an editor informing her that a short story had been selected for their magazine award (cash) along with “I had to smoke a cigarette after I read your story.”

I don’t get that kind of reaction to anything I write.

After earning a living with a camera since the 1970s you would think I have things covered in that area but I’m still receiving photography lessons from Kim. I should add she’s also responsible for dreaming up the title of this blog — Scooter in the Sticks — and just recently devised the road icon in my logo.

Last night I was looking at a series of images she made using an effects feature on her Canon G16 camera. Being a creature of habit and perhaps a photographic snob I only use manual settings on my own camera — in this case a Canon G15. Real photographers don’t rely on tricks just like real motorcycle and scooter riders never trailer their machines to destinations. It’s that sort of thinking that keeps me trapped rather than free.

Kim set me free (again) last night.

I never knew my camera had effect settings, and if I did I probably wouldn’t have looked at them. But looking at her series of images set fire to my limited photographic imagination. Sitting in the chair I tinkered with the Toy Camera setting to make this self portrait.

It was murky outside this morning as I departed to run a few errands. Experimenting further with the Toy Camera setting I realized it works to deepen the emotional feel of an already emotionally charged weather event. To this point, the only time I saw something like this was with images made using Instagram on my iPhone.

Autumn is not far off now and I can’t recall what happened to summer. Leaves are already changing colors and falling at my feet. The days are moving swiftly and if I blink I fear snow will be falling.

Throughout the morning I continued to play with the Toy Camera setting. It won’t work for every situation but for certain subjects and intentions it is the right tool for the job. That’s a big revelation for someone like me who tends to use the same tool for everything.

A gift from a loving wife for which I’ve not devised the proper thank you.

There are days when the desire to ride far and fast is strong. Especially when the sun is not beating on my back and the world looks strange. Imagination percolates and I wonder about elves and zombies. With either, a Vespa is what you want to be riding.

The view from breakfast on the porch of Cafe Lemont in Lemont, Pennsylvania. Chili and sourdough bread while watching the world go by and a few minutes to do nothing at all. I’m still learning how to let go of everything without feeling guilty or keep busy. Hard to slow down with those thoughts in your head.

When you’re in a hurry you miss the details — of the road and your life. Slowing down seems at odds with everything our culture tells us. More, more, more…

I’ve been reading “The Effortless Life” by Leo Babauta, author of the blog Zen Habits. He suggests it’s helpful if you’ve ever wrestled with:

frustration
struggle
distraction
anger
impatience
unhappiness
relationships
goals
work
being present

This book seems to have been written for me…

Each time I stop to make a picture it’s can seem like a lesson in living. Or changing. If only to practice focusing and being less distracted. Or just being present for a few moments.

I’ve been smitten by the Toy Camera setting for the moment as life takes on a cinematic quality. Not sure where it will go but I know it doesn’t matter. One of the photography lessons I’ve learned from Kim is that there are no rules, no expectations, and I can do whatever I want.