Archive for July, 2019

July 30, 2019

HB

Unfinished but Complete | Loose sketch study of vintage Triumph by accomplished artist and graphic designer Camille Meehan. Soft pencil lines describe form and volume in simple execution.

July 29, 2019

Motorcycle-land

Black Bike | I managed to buy a fairly genuine Cornish pastie in Mineral Point WI. It was established in the 1830’s by miners from Cornwall looking for galena -lead ore. A grand spot to act as a base for future rides around this area.

July 27, 2019

Driftless

Highway 39 | South West Wisconsin- the rolling green countryside and swooping roads that meander amongst gently hilly farm and wood land. *mental note: must come back on motorcycle

July 26, 2019

The Avengers

Kinky Boots | As Patrick Macnee (John Steed) & Honor Blackman (Cathy Gale) sang back in 1964:

Full length, half length,
Fully fashion calf length,
Brown boots, black boots,
Patent leather jackboots,
Low boots, high boots,
Lovely lanky thigh boot,
We all dig those boots..”

Nice Trident & Commando too!

July 25, 2019

Tote

Box | the new panniers which were part of a special deal from Triumph are arriving soon. Just waiting for the mounting rails. Then we’ll be rolling like a mule!

July 24, 2019

Down in the Meadow

Grow Grow The Lightning Tree | early seventies teenage drama about an entitled girl Dora who gets relocated to her uncles horse farm. Rural characters abound including local rogue Ron Stryker who tears about the countryside on his customized Triumph Tiger Cub.

July 23, 2019

Bane

Ruddy ‘Ard | That there’s versatile actor Tom Hardy sat on a Triumph Thruxton on some city street corner. Effortless cool.

July 22, 2019

Ornament

Birds of a Feather | interesting colonial imagery of some tribal leader with his feathered headdress astride the diminutive but useful 125cc BSA Bantam. Not quite in the vein of an Edward Curtis portrait but early National Geographic nonetheless.

July 20, 2019

Intrepid

50 Years Ago | We ventured, only a small step in the vastness of the Universe, beyond our earthly home. A journey of 3 days over a quarter million miles to our neighbor the Moon. A scheme so daring and difficult it gave us a glimpse of what was possible as a race when minds and courage come together. This iconic photograph taken by Neil Armstrong of Buzz Aldrin shows a man standing on a grey dusty plain under a black sky lit by a bright sun. We really are amazing… it’s just a shame a a civilization we’re quite dumb some of the time too…

July 20, 2019

Heading to the surface

The Eagle has wings | So said Neil Armstrong as the LM separates from the CM on its way to the lunar surface fifty years ago today. Its spidery and seemed ungainly form was spare and ideally suited to the vacuum of space.

July 18, 2019

I feel the need…

He’s Dangerous | The official trailer for the sequel to Top Gun was released today. Called Top Gun Maverick it stars Tom Cruise as the titular character – this time an aged fighter pilot rather than a brash young jock. Kawasaki motorcycles feature again. A brief sighting of the original Ninja 900 as well as a speeding Ninja H2. The Need for Speed.

July 17, 2019

Mirrored Moon

On Reflection | all photography releases by NASA shows how beautiful the ventures into space truly are. The LM Eagle reflecting the cratered surface is like a delicate Faberge egg balanced over a rugged plain.

July 16, 2019

Nosecone

Moonship Cutaway | beautiful technical illustration of the Command Module. The three astronauts traveled to the moon and back in the claustrophobic confines of this vessel. Though in zero-g it became very slightly more voluminous. They also had the Lunar Module which was docked to the nose of the LM for more elbow room. The CM is the only piece of hardware that made it back to earth.

July 15, 2019

Standing Room Only

LEM | Lunar (Excursion) Module. Three days after embarking on the Trans Lunar Injection the Apollo spacecraft entered orbit around the Moon. Separating from the Command Service Module the LM descended to the surface with the Commander and Pilot standing at these controls in their full spacesuits. The descent and landing is well documented as one of the coolest pieces of flying by anyone anywhere. Like landing a telephone box, using the computing power of a Casio scientific calculator, onto a grey dust surface under a black sky…. with diminishing fuel and alarms going off.

July 14, 2019

Field and Sky

Besting the Summer Heat | A sharp start this morning whilst the cool air was still around. A low light angle picks out the rural landscape in stark contrasting shadows. A hayfield has been harvested and baled for fodder. The khaki hue of the Tiger sits comfortably in the countryside scene.