peering

I am being watched. 

sometimes when I fly, sitting in the seat next to the little window.  I look out. At night, lots of little dots of light.         In the day light, I make out waterways, cities, and as the plane descends, cars, building, the empty areas zoom by and the plane frictions skids and rolls to a stop.

there is not much useful information in watching me, or anyone, but I can't help but peer on you.

If I'm on my bike, I'll glance up at the sky, and many times a plane is there in the sky.   "hey peeps, flying in that plane, I'm looking up at you, and wondering whats going through you mind"  I think to myself.

Technology has changed, and now, the cameras, they look like old film cameras, but they shoot incredible images and video in High Definition with very little light.   I really enjoyed working on the two music videos I worked on last week. 

Both of them were for people I really enjoy working for.  I got to shoot, be it on the Canon t3i,.... and I hope there are a few seconds of images I captured that can be used in an artsy way.   and since the cameras don't need so much light, I was not quite so busy and I had time to shoot stills.   In this line of work, the focus, its on  what is in front of the lens.   You stare at the performance or the monitor.

me I look down at the floor. early on in my career I learned to not look at the set, at the actors acting, they have a tendency to catch you in the eye, and it distracts them.

my story is a bit funny, I was working on a  feature, my first, 2000,...  Fallen.  It was a night scene.  The crew we work long hours, with short turn around, like 12-16 hrs on then report back 10hrs later.   Day after day.   so I was beat and they were shooting the night scene, I found a seat,... on the dolly left on the track from an old set-up.  Not lit, I sat, In the dark, with the light from the set just giving me a glint of a glow.   I spun around to look at the set, to peer in on the shooting.

Donald Sutherland is a bees line in front of me, a bit of a distance, maybe 20 yards, doing the acting.  His eye lock on mine, shit I'm done, he's a bad ass.  He didn't kill me, sorta a smallish wave, that's it.  From then on, my eyes just look at the floor, or I'll turn my back to the set.

I could not find a still from that scene, its the one coming where they are coming out of the prison, but I got this one, taken from out in the pine barrens.  



... so where does that leave me?  I like taking pictures on the set.  Everybodies attention is to the scene being shot, staring at the actors,  and most, need to want to be looked at anyway, they envy those in the focus, in front of the lens.


I had a good time today racing a crit.   Felt good, weak finish, I didn't place high, but rode well. I'm there.

cheers, d.

Creshiem Creek

I have not ridden up the Creshiem creek since, I think 2004.  Its now, more of a thin strip of hiking trail, now, that the bridges been washed out.  It used to be a good trail to throw into the Wissahickon loop, a there an back one, just to mix it up once in a while.

it was a good choice to throw in today.

my mind is a bit crisp, went pretty good the first half of Wiss, but then

start making errors.  So when I was dropping to the hill to Creshiem creek I took the left and followed it up.

I took all the spurs.

I followed a man walking playing a violin, I stopped and listen as he walked away, the music grew soft in the air, till it also vanished.

I sat on some rocks and just listened to the water.

I worked on a music video yesterday, was cool.  Really cool, in a freezer.  For some reason, while setting up the thermostat was at 2 degrees and the fan was pumping that cold air out into the room.

I tried to be tough, work through it, then I just couldn't take it.

"Yo, its blowing cold air in..."  oh..." were warming up the room",....  what?

no "I'm getting frozen"

..."oh it'll warm up"

a bit funny

It was cool, I got to shoot C-camera, cool look...

I have not worked a music video in years,

I've got another one tomorrow.

Loving the bikes.  road, cross, mt.  they are good. 

Cheers, dlowe.

brussels

the other night I cooked brussel sprouts. Roasted beets.  Made beet greens.  Pasta.
pried a few caps off the bottles and could not help but take photos too.

I wanted to race this weekend, in the chill, and the rain,... I like.  Its not hard, its not like Beacon, where I had cubes of Ice for feet by the time I was done, having fun racing cross.

I've spent my time with this contraption.   Pushing it back and forth. Making it go up and down.

I like the dolly, and it really beats the new small track thing-a-ma-jigs that peeps are shooting with.  No stutter, and non-smooth pans, just butter.

good.   some good times in at the Wissahickon, a lap and a half.  I wannad to move fast,... and did.

 I really miss Georgia Gould writing about cooking on her blog.

Not that I'm a cook,... and sure as not quite as fast as her, or... even tempered,...  I feel shabby compared to Georgia.

but she's made me want to cook.

and my mind, it is jumbled.   so just one more image. from my bed on the floor at the Raw Talent Ranch in WVa.  "The Horse".  so be the proud horse.

cheers, d.

ride

I'm sorta like an ant when it comes to exploring the world.   Retracing the same path, this time a step here to the left, a turn to the right, retrace.  I'm lucky that I don't have the best short term memory, that a lot of my retracing, I've forgotten the original trek and this one seems oddly new to me.

I returned to the crypt to take photos, I have a feeling it will soon be sealed up, a new multi-use trail now has it in eye sight.     

I am not so good when it comes to faces and names,.... not good....  It just doesn't gel for me, I know you,...?  Through work, riding,.... and I know its taken as a slight insult, not to know a name, that I lose a bit of respect, starting a bit blank eyed at you waiting to see if the mind can pull it together, but... that's me.

I like how the world grows, clings to, that invasive new stronger plants crush and dominate the delicate,  that I pull weeds from the garden so the tomatoes grow stronger.   What is this need to dominate, to control, cut, prune, box, keep nature under the thumb?

I am starting to see Democracy as not the voice of the majority, but the voice that gives freedoms to the few, the different opinioned.  That protects the rights of the minority.  My power and strength is not in how we are alike, but how we are different.  And are free, encouraged, Courage,..... to not be scared of what is not like myself.

ride on, Cheers, dlowe

Navy

a bit off the last couple of days, and was dropped early on in the Navy yard crit.   I had choices, mtb relay, long dirt road ride, crit.   Should of stayed in bed, but I thought once the whistle blew I'd get going.  Well the whistle went to the officials lips, she did not blow, we rolled forward and stopped, back pedaled into place and had to wait again, she slowly lifted it to her lips, pursed and blew. 

that was the highlight.

The navy yard is still full of old buildings, most are being redone, or torn down.   Small landscaping trees dot the grass strips between the sidewalks and pavement.  

not really interesting anymore, the inbetween stage of stripped and rebuild.

the boats docked there look more like a lot full of old U-hauls.

Might be full of interesting good stories, but,.... more just beat and used up.

some of the racing.

got a new lens a Manual focus 85mm 1.4 ( that's a 125mm on my crop sensor).

found that it was not to hard to get a photo, and with some practice, without auto focus,  I should be able to pop off some good shots during cross.

the 1,2,3 men's race.  started out in a strung out line, and soon the bits and chunks were coming off the back.

one dude just showed them all, riding off the front, and staying off the front, I don't know if he won, I left for home befor the race was finished.

then

 and repeat for a lot of laps

popping off the whip.... 

the guy in the break, liked the camera, always rode over and give a bit of a peak and grin,

a tough day on the bike is a good day in life.  cheers!  dlowe

big wheel

sometimes I need something to steady me,  A cold beer, a hug, a good steady wheel.  Tonight at Great Valley, I need the good wheel.  In the pack of dervish peddlers, getting their training in. 
I found a steady wheel,  always, 33% towards the front.  The ebb would shoot up the sides, and we'd, I follow the wheel steady through the meek, blown, riders. To the constant 33% spot.    A larger bloke, in classic looking colors, and black, plain black shorts.  Strong and smooth, I'd taken him to be a track rider, steady when pushing the bars into the gaps.



I like open windows.



tonight was a good legs ride, felt good, and now thinking back I don't remember much, other than shooting off the front  a few times, blowing myself up....   Perfect!

I did a warm down circuit, and coming back around the last sweeping corner, there the bloke rode.   I said "thanks for the steady wheel, you pulled me through",  he said he was getting back into riding, family, life....  

this guy, just riding steady, made my night.  that,... and having some spirit in my legs for the sprint.



cheers, d.