Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Channeling My Father

by 10 Comments

Pile of old copper water pipes.
Some of the old copper supply lines that I removed to fix “a few pinhole leaks.”

Thank You Father

When I was five-years-old I watched my father and a couple of his friends rip half the roof off the house and add an addition that would double the size of the house. In high school, I helped him renovate a house and in college we build a house together followed by a 24′ by 24′ workshop.

My father had a great influence on me and provided a solid foundation in the DIY world even though I’ve slowly moved away from them over the past 20 years. With those experiences stored away in my brain, I figured I could channel my father to repair a few pinhole leaks that appeared in the 78-year-old copper pipes in the basement of our house.

Continue Reading

Photography Project

by 14 Comments

Shadow of man on snow covered parking lotWandering to Saint’s Cafe

On my way to Saint’s Cafe with a new inkjet print in hand — a gesture toward beginning a new photography project.  Cold and snow have the Vespa scooter at home in the garage sipping electrons from a Battery Tender.

Paul Ruby pondering life at Saint's Cafe in State College, PennsylvaniaLooking at Stuff

Paul Ruby appears with a new print and an old Bausch and Lomb Tessar view camera lens mounted in an old Alphax self cocking shutter.  I’m fascinated by the engineering and mechanical manipulations surrounding old shutters and lenses for view cameras.

Our photo meetings take place in hopes we cajole, pressure or shame each other into creative motion.  Discussion usually revolves around shows, paper, books and other issues that can clog a photographers mind.

Steve Williams with new digital printInkjet Prints

My first 13×19 inch print on Epson Exhibition Fiber paper made with an Epson P800 printer.  After preparing the printing file in Photoshop CC (from a RAW image made with my Canon G15 (Now available as the Canon PowerShot G16 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera) I clicked the print button and a few minutes later was holding a dazzling inkjet print.

The image itself was a sleeper for me, a quick snapshot while walking out of a parking garage.  Much later while perusing images in Lightroom did I recognize the strange view as a unique part of State College, Pennsylvania.

Not sure what will come of any photography projects but at least I’m in motion.  That’s a start.