Before there was Mario Andretti. Before there was Danica Patrick.
There was… Speed Racer. You Go Speed Racer. And so he went.
I told Donna that I was a Speed Racer fan as a kid. Next thing you know, for my birthday a few years ago, I became the proud owner of my own “Mach 5.” It’s almost as cool as my 09′ Corolla…almost.
….an abbreviation for “Go fast and keep turning left.”
“One of these days, Alice Donna, STRAIGHT TO THE MOON.”
I walk by the kids’ bikes every day in the garage, and every day I feel like I should get a photo of them. I guess I thought there might be some serendipitous, artistic quality in the way I put them on the bench. And then again, maybe not.
A nice day today, nearly at the end of a wintry winter. Today we were off to Colt State Park to check out the bike park. The kids got new bikes for Christmas, and this would be their first opportunity to test them out at a “real” bike park, ramps and all.
The first obstacle was a raised cement slab, maybe eight inches in height, an excellent confidence builder. Eric approached it at a pretty good clip, and as I waited for him to pull up and raise his front tire onto the slab, I watched in horror as he got the jolt of his life. Bike hits obstacle, bike stops, boy keeps going. His pride was hurt more than his groin, and so he got back in the saddle and tried it again, and again…. It didn’t take long for his timing and lift to be in sync, and so it was then just a matter of pumping the pedals to get his back tire to follow onto the slab. Once he mastered the “simulated curb,” he was then onto the ramp (shown below). He had a great time, and apparently we’re going back again next week, so I’m told.
Christy was more content with riding around the parking lot, because the gathering teenagers at the bike park was a bit daunting for an 11-year-old. The frequent and unsettling F bombs coming from these delinquents didn’t help matters for Christy. They weren’t all punks though. Some offered words of encouragement for her brother.
After 45 minutes of shredding, whatever the fu_ _ that means, we headed to the nearby beach. The kids’ assignment was to find me something small and interesting, something I could shoot with the new macro lens. Christy scored first with Mr Crabs. *Tragically, a curious Nigel accidentally inhaled Mr Crabs. All in all, a decent weekend, with better weather coming.
*A bold-faced lie meant to add interest to a seemingly tedious blog post.
Eric created the set by himself and then called me over to take the shot. I applied some filters to the photo so we could add a gritty look. A little cheesy, yes, but a lot of fun.
A macro lens is still in order, but that will have to wait.
If only they could concentrate like this in school. If only I could concentrate like this at work. If only…. <uh, where was I?>
I woke up yesterday morning wanting to take some photos. The sky was bleak and gray, so I knew whatever I found would be turned into black and white photos. The pros call black and white “split tone.” Spencer will continue to call them black and white. Spencer will also stop referring to himself in the third person. So after a half hour of driving around aimlessly, I came up with the photos below. They have substance, nostalgia, grandeur, and…..I’ll try again tomorrow.
For what it’s worth, Donna remembers seeing this quarry tower from her window seat in French class, so many (many) years ago. Nostalgia.
Long Days and Nights 