Dolly Grip | the moto crew organizer Patrick kindly sent me this photograph yesterday that he captured as I was heading up the off ramp onto Lake Shore Drive with Ali the photographer aboard. Tomorrow I’ll upload a couple of the images Ali captured from the pillion stance.
Triathlon Triumph | What better steed to be on to offer vehicular support for the 36th Chicago Triathlon than a triple cylindered Tiger. Ten volunteer riders showed up under Lake Shore Drive at a coffee and donut fed 5am to give facility for race officials and photographers during the cycling portion of the iconic swim-bike-run endeavor. I had Ali, a Turkish photographer, as my pillion taking him around the course to memorialize the huge effort put in by the entrants. The weather was perfect (though the swim was cancelled due to unsafe lake conditions) and we all had a great time.
Jenny Wren | A group of smiling lasses serving as Royal Navy despatch riders in WW2.
Mans Best Friend | what other color should a chimney sweeps hound be that white?
Out ‘n’ About | A good black and white photo reminds me of countless hours in chemical scented dark rooms trying to get the optimum negative exposure from the enlarger. Developer : Stop-Bath : Fix
“Do not enter” light on the door.
Coffee Stop | between the summer storms we managed a brief trip north for an iced java in Highwood. An occasional fresh breeze wafted up the lakefront ravines from Lake Michigan. Very pleasant.
Grunge Band HQ | just signed a lease for a garage space for the bikes. Instead of the subterranean offering which sometimes gets a tad dank I will now have an above ground secure space off an alley. It’s securely tucked away from prying eyes.
Signs | It’s good to know where you’re going; especially when the signage depicts an interesting journey ahead. My favorite is the Pacific Coast Highway with an added plaque stating “74 Miles ahead”.
Vintage Spin | the heated Dog Days aren’t my favorite but a little roadward breeze can help cool proceedings. I took the old Bonnie out to ruffle its feathers. She can certainly put a smile on your face.
Six by Nine | I managed to get a spin on the Tiger yesterday going between project locations. Weather was perfect and a quiet backroad empty of traffic.
Bayou Biker | CCR frontman John Fogarty hoofing around on a Honda Scrambler – Creedence Clearwater Revival were a mainstay of late sixties music with their early progressive swamp rock sound.
Ruddy ‘Ard | That there’s versatile actor Tom Hardy sat on a Triumph Thruxton on some city street corner. Effortless cool.
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.
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…
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.
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