Iksodas

time off work means I can catch up on film…..

Lela, helping me burn a roll of Neopan on a Weds. night..

Not sure if this is my last shoot of the year or not..

but, if it is. what a way to end on an up note.. Thanks Amanda.

1700 your grain, had us puzzled for a moment, and my only thought was my grain starts at 1600, not 1700. After reading it all the way thru in the dimly lit overhang, the shorthand of farmers dawned on me. All of us, in the matters near and dear to us, often talk in shorthand, abreviated script, and assume those around us know the rest of the story.

Sycamore, Ohio. I’ve tried before to shoot the square white grain elevator at the other side of the intersection, but never before wandered around the sem-abandoned offices.

This is one of the areas longest running and most fun costume parties..

and for 10 bucks at the door. . open bar. .not a bad deal at all!

hope to see you there

I love it.. I really do..

but sometimes.. It’s hard. to sit on a bunch of digitals, waiting for the time I can look at some film prints.

The contacts are made, a couple of finished prints are drying on the racks as I type.

Heres one I didnt get on film, or get right. not sure which.. but been sitting on this for about 3-4 weeks, waiting for the day I can see if the film print exists, and if so, is it better?

Brooke Lynne, from her recent travels thru the area..

We can see the big white houses, yeah, and the docks
And we can jump in the lake, don’t know if the water or sky is clearer
But I know that I love the rain the most when it stops

No more grey today, we gonna celebrate
You know Miss Sunshine, she starts to paint a perfect picture of this parade
And I know that I love the rain the most when it stops

The dark waves, they start singing together
I can’t believe this change in the weather
I start to hum a child’s rhyme
And all these boats, they start rocking in time
And I love the rain the most when it stops

The summer is coming to an end
We ain’t gonna let that slow us down one bit
Til that sunset will start to fade
They’re gonna drag us screaming from these old banks

I think you’ve had a little too much too drink
Let me help with that
Don’t forget to tie the boat up
Not that way, no it’s a bowline, like that….

Paraphrased from Joe Purdy, and about how the last weekend went (If you care to listen below it’s embedded).. Last Races of the year, and as soon as we set foot on the island, it started raining, and didnt stop for almost 36 hours straight.

Once again fall bay afirms my love of the sport, and know, those memories will have to tide me thru the winter. It’s the only sport I know where you go out.. Race hard, challenge the other crews, trash talk a bit, and then. .when it’s over.. Go on and party with them. That’s pretty typical, and this time, we pretty muched lived together for three days with our main competition.. Damn it. wanted to beat him, and his boat load of rockstars just once this year.. Almost did.. but, I got greedy, and cut too close to an island with tall trees blocking the wind, watching them sail just outside the windshadow, and past us.. Ah well, always next year… right?

right.. Except. a new outboard motor is in store for me.. The old one.. decided to get cantankerous on the 20+ mile ride home.. the wind died (shortly after you called David), the motor ran fine, for 5 miles or so, then dead.. Overheat (water pump again)? bad gas? bad fuel line (again)? cracked power pack (again)? don’t know for sure, but I’m tired of it. Johnson/Evinrude, you suck, and I will never buy one of your hodge podge motors again. you need both metric AND U.S. Wrenches for the thing. Use to be a darn good brand, quality gutted in the name of increased profits. I truly hope the shareholders enjoyed the increased profit margin of THAT motor, because, they get zero from the next motor I buy. Let the free market reward their inferior products, and search for short term profits accordingly.

Sidenote, I am not the only one that use to go with only Johnson, or even Mercury, but are now looking at Suzuki, Yamaha, or Tohatsu/Nissan outboards. Spotting a trend here?

Basically the same thing that happened four seasons ago, and I’ve had enough. Time to go buy new. That bundle of trouble strapped to the back of the boat turned a 4 hour slightly chilly (but fun) last cruise of the year into a hypothermic 10 hour hell. As the sun went down, we were left with the reallization.. No wind, it’s warmer, but we dont move. Enough wind to go anywhere, and it just tore thru all the layers of sweaters, coats and foul weather gear. It’s amazing how cold 35 degrees F feels when you’re 5 miles from shore..

That last 20 miles of the year.. I’m sure St Lawrence was spitting at almost the whole way..Listen to that too if you like, below.

So, all that’s left is to pull the boat, store the old gal for winter, and spend some of the dark months in my studio, and my darkroom…

I know. this seems like an odd one, but to me it is..

This is the Toledo Water Intake, also called the Crib, where Toledo pulls its drinking water from Lake Erie.. From the lighthouse picture below, this structure is about 6 miles behind the viewer. .and it’s over a mile offshore. Both my grandfather, and my Great Uncle Played instrumental roles in the construction of this facility, a long time ago..

And now. I go around it at least once a week, all summer long. it is often a mark of the race course.. there’s not a time that I go around this, that I do not think of those icons of my childhood: Grandpa, Uncle George, and the intake.

This time of year. .I even get to come to terms with not visiting this one, the one of the three that remains. the season winds down, and the race days grow few.. only a few weeks left.

If you are a Mike Rowe/Dirty Jobs fan, the speck of land to the left, off in the horizon is the one and only bird vomit island. We prefer to call it West Sister Island though. It was my intended destination yesterday, camera in hand. It too, was critical in my formative years.

But this, the intake is as far as the fickle wind took me that day. It seemed, that the wind did know better then I, and kept me close to shore. Kept me, close enough to deal with what others, thought they wanted to know, but can never answer “why” to. Not the first time I had to deal with this kind of stuff. doubt, it will be the last.. and I know.. I would deal with it quite differently if it ever happened on my doorstep, or anywhere else for that matter.

So nice sail good day on the water. .

and know the days until the snow hits are numbered.

oh. and 300 feet? not sure. the bouys around it move around a bit.. yeap. pretty sure I was inside the bouys!

the contrast of white

This is me, and my boat.. Racing.. in the Solo Challenge. Most Races, are done with crew, often lots of crew, except on mine 2-3 on the boat is good… In this particular race, it’s just you, and your boat.

I enjoyed this particular race, It was the first Solo I’ve done, and only 11 miles. .
And now, it seems, I may have to get use to it.. along with many other changes in my life.

I see a lot of landscapes in my future.

without at last attempting to do it right..

so.. had to carry the big guns.. down there..

A couple of FYI..s bring a tripod, and every last cop will ask if it is for commerical purposes, and if you have a permit. then. .tell them no.. .commercial quality gear.. but not for sale.

Euros, seem respectful, and complimentary.. kids are curious. and get close.. (I’ll bust out the black sack for them, and let them look thru the back of the camera so they can see what it really looks like)

Asians. won’t say shit, just all try crowding in at once to look.. even if they are crowding me out, and risking knocking the damn thing over the edge.. kick the tripod, step on the camera bag.. (with blad and dig in it).. I really lost much respect for their society, due to my 3 crappy (and one semi nice) encounter with them today.

and the biggest Fucking idiots of of the day?
Gun Toting Hip Gangtsa wanna be’s ( that I really wanted to scream at one of them.. learn to swim.. after I helped him with a high dive.. sans barrel)
what.. hoodlums? at the falls? No.. Some dipshit toting a a new Canon Dig, with 300mm lense.. coming up to the right of the camera.. and shooting left!!! I mean.. camera on tripod, and this dipshit keeps leaning into my frame.. getting his lense in my shot! Jesus Fucking Christ people.. there’s plenty of room here.. .SPREAD OUT.

Instead.. I said.. excuse me.. I’llbe outta here in 5 minutes..

and the reply… “Oh, you should be able to photoshop that out, right?”

Fucking idiot.

thats it.. I’m done. snapshots and thats it from now on!