The Baby Room Pics

The Mirror and the Chesterfield Shims
This piece took an hour for Casey to figure out...it fit beautifully.
Drive That Nail
Taking measurements for the trimmers.
The beginning 

The Baby Room.

French Doors, trimmed out, ready for mud and tape.

Casey was very proud of his sheet rock work.  
Framed up

    Doing construction in a big city is a bit different then the burbs.  Everything takes longer and just getting supplies to the job is a painstaking ordeal.  Casey and I unloaded The Cocoon and headed to Lowes.  The plan was to throw a wall up which would divide the room and create a little nest for Benji and Kristin's baby.  Eighteen 2 by 6, eight sheets of half inch rock, screws, nails and all those tools I lugged from CA.  We carried it up two flights of stairs and made a couple of piles in the large room which would soon be split in two.  

    Casey and I both met Katies father a couple of years ago when I shot her wedding in PA.  We showed up a day early and drank beer with The General and his buddies as he has come to be known.  He has four stars  from the Vietnam War.  A quite man who has seen more then you or I.  His daughters wedding opened something up in him.  It was truly a magical day (I have shot plenty of weddings, trust me this one was special) everything from her brothers rendition of Bonnie Prince Billy's May It Always Be to the roasted pig which graced our plates.  I could go on and on but that is another post.  Regardless, The General heard we were in town so he sent a case of Lord Chesterfields down with Katie for us.  Builders have been known to put things is walls for people to find years later.  I continued this tradition by cutting up the Chesterfields box and shimming out the wall so the drywall wouldn't crack.   It seemed fitting since the Chesterfields certainly made the task of insulation and drywall much more bearable.  

     Writing about building can be a bit dry so I am going to let the photos do the talking.

ciao

  

Bikes, Girls, and Prospect Park.

The Goat is gone.
His and Hers..
Packing up
Army Square with my sweet ride.
B and her window.

   Yesterday was one of those epic days were everything just works beautifully.  Well, it didn't start out that way.  I spent the first few hours of the day doing laundry and waiting for a call from a girl that had already flaked on me once before.  I received a text at 12:41

 

"What's up? do you want to go for a bike ride?

"Fuck Yeah"

  I was still waiting for the other girl but it was too nice outside to pass up the opportunity.  An hour later B. showed up in short shorts and a tank top.  She came up for some water and I gave her a tour of Casa De Levine.  I started giving her a hard time for shoeing me out of her house without even a make out session a couple nights before.

"What's up with that"?

"I have rules...No goatees...I can't do it"

"But beards are OK though"?

"Yeah...It's just that little patch of skin in between that kills it for me."

 Then she went on to say.

"Let me shave that thing."

    Now before you start calling me a pushover understand that it is in the upper eighties in NYC right now.  Besides, I like her and if it is going to help my chances...why not?   Ten minutes later I was deprived of my goatee and one kiss richer.  We left the house and headed up Union st. about twenty five blocks until we hit Prospect Park.  We rode our bikes around the park and ended up on a slight incline over looking the grassy field below.  There was a game of Cricket, soccer, sunbathers, and countless other people to look at.  B put out her sarong and we took our socks and shoes off and melted into the hillside.  It was nice, we had a good talk over some horrible epinadas.  

       B and I used to date around 98 or so...She was working for Cisco and I was deep in the art scene.  She used to tell me about her review meetings etc which was all very foreign to me.  Still is, but at the time this seemed like trying to comprehend Russian subtitles while listening to Chinese commercials.  

"Why do you want to be with me"?  I asked her one day.

She took a moment before she answered

"I don't want ugly kids"

Wow! I was completely floored.  This is by far the most honest answer I have ever received to any question.  After a few hours of bliss fullness in the park we mounted up and rolled through Park Slope looking for a place to grab a beer.  We ended up at Union Jacks and ordered a couple of Hoegardens.  This is a light belgium beer that tastes really good on a hot day.  A short time later we cruised all the way back to Casa De Levines so I could get my ID.  

         The sun had set as we headed over the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan.  There is a big white line dividing the path all the way across the bridge.  One side is for pedestrians the other for bikes.  This concept is especially hard for the walkers to grasp.  They always seem to end up in the bike lane with their cameras pressed against their face.  It became a really fun game.  Whenever we saw one drifting, B would hit her bell on her handle bars.  This seemed to work at first but then I started to follow the bell with my own version which sounded like a whoop, whistle bell.  They would get startled as we whizzed past with giant grins on our mugs.  B lead us  through all these little back streets in Chinatown until we made it to her Place on Allen.  

   Sidenote:  B lives next door to skateboarding legend Mark Gonzales.  I turned into a total fan boy and shot photos of his front door (complete with pink stroller) and a pair of his shoes which he drew his name on.  I prayed he didn't open the door...I would of felt like suck a dork.  

    We took a quick shower and B put on a sweet, little, black dress that she had picked up earlier in the day.  She wore it very well.  I borrowed a shirt that was two sizes two small and felt like I belonged in a boy band.  We headed into the East Village and got some sushi on Clinton St.    The Dragon Roll ruled.  We were both full and feeling good.  I got out of the bathroom and B was doing a little dance to Al Greene's Let's Get It On...Life is sweet. 

FDR

I like this one.
Screw it down boys


kieth pop shoveWilly boneless

          Yes, I am still alive, I just got caught up in the Big Apple.  I will try and get everyone up to date. I just processed a bunch of film and added photos to some previous posts so have a look.  Ok, I got on to the freeway and looked for signs for Philly.  I passed a huge Westing House Plant on my right.  My Grandfather worked at this plant for thirty years, I felt a little twinge of pride.  Times have certainly changed.  I drove on the toll road for about six hours and hit traffic a few miles outside the city.  There was a white Range Rover pulled over with it's hazardous flashing.  The driver was pushing someone in the passenger seat who did not want to be there.  All I could see were feet kicking him in the chest while he did his best to slam the door.  Someone must of called 911 because he was pulled over a few miles later.  
        I bypassed downtown and headed straight for South Philly.  I was on a mission to skate the legendary park called FDR.  This park came about because the city was trying to find a way to keep skaters out of Love Park in downtown.  Love was the equivalent of the embarcadero in SF both attracted skaters from all over to skate on the ledges and stairs.  Skaters and businessmen have never co mingled that well so after years of the cat and mouse game with the cops the city made a change.  They built one small pyramid under the I-95 and waited to see what would happen.  The skaters came and started to build their own park how they wanted it without all the red tape.  Fourteen years later the city has a ruling skatepark that was built and funded by skaters.  I was taking it all in, the sheer size is incredible.  I took a few runs and found a bunch of speed lines.  There are lot's of cement bumps that you can carve over to keep your momentum which you need because  all the obstacles are fairly far apart.  Within five minutes this guy skated up to me and said.
"They are dropping off some steel in a few minutes...can you help us unload"?
Shit I had been here five minutes and already being put to work.  
"Sure"
He told me his name was Willy and he was a photographer as well.  Willy was really nice he offered me a place to stay.  A truck showed up at the vert ramp and I meet some of the other guys and helped them with the 4 by 8 sheets of quarter inch steel.  They were resurfacing the vert ramp with steel which is really fast and will weather better then wood.  I shot photos with Willy and another kid named Kieth.  I went back over to the ramp and offered my help with screwing the sheets down.  It was really cool to be there with some of the guys who have been there from the beginning.  Carlos flashed a toothless grin and ordered pizza for everyone.  He was running the show which was good because he new what he was doing.   More skaters showed up with screw guns and pitched in.  We worked until 11:30 and Carlos pulled the plug on his generator.  I was beat so I drove a couple blocks away and crawled into the Cocoon with a smile on my face.  

Montauk

Easter Morning breakfast
couch time
Casey

American Dudes
     Coming to New York and seeing Bret and Benjie before their wives popped out a couple of pups was the genesis of this entire trip.  Katie and Kristin are both due in the next two months.  Casey flew in from California, Niels  and Adam who I met at Benjies wedding all made it.  We packed up the Subaru and the Cocoon with a bunch of doggy boards and headed to JFK to pick up Tor.  I was following Adam, he was flying, abrupt lane changes, no signals, Benjie, needed gas and I had no idea where the hell I was going.  We got to the airport and Tor was freezing his ass off at 7am.  Then the rains came full on.   A couple hours later we were suited up and paddled out in serious weather.  The wind was howling, the rain was throwing, the waves were super choppy and the water was freezing.  (how's that for a run on sentence)? I would of never paddled out at home but but this was Montauk.  I felt like I was surfing in Alaska, some crazy wierd beard couldn't control his board a 9'6" came shooting at me.  Even though the surf was really crappy I somehow felt really good after getting out of the water.  You make the best of what you got.  I think that little saying runs deep for East Coast surfers so I quit bitching and joined in.  

     Dudes weekend consisted of well...dude stuff.  One truly dude moment was in the minivan cab on the way home from the bar.  7 wasted dudes talking about the one hot girl in the bar with her loser boyfriend.  

  "That Asian girl was super hot"  came my voice from the back.

laughter..."What ?  She wasn't Asian"

"Well...Mexican then"

more laughter 

"If she looked Asian and Mexican she must of been Phillipino"  The driver chimed in.

more laughter

We passed some pretty big puddles due to the storm all day.  

"I'll give you twenty bucks if you turn around and hit those puddles"  Casey 

"Put it on the dash" driver

Casey took the money from his pocket and slapped it on the dashboard.  The driver pulled into a driveway and flipped directions.  His foot hit the pedal and the minivan shot towards the water.  He hit it with authority to the delight of the group. 

     The next day the ocean looked like Lake Tahoe.  Six inch ankle slappers came limping in.  Ok I know the writing is pretty bad but I had to throw you guys a bone to get off my back.  Enjoy the video.

Pittsburgh

Empty electrical panel with a cool sticker on top, Braddock PA
Braddock Jr High out my window.
Mary and Liz hanging tough with their shades, 3am PA.
Mary sits for her portrait in Liz's living room.
Pittusburgh at night shot from MT. Washington.

         I left skatopia and headed through West Virginia. The landscape is truly beautiful, rolling hills with blossoming trees along the snaking river. The people on the other hand...what can I say? If you have heard stereotypes about this state believe it, from what I saw they are all based in some truths. I crossed the state line into Pennsylvania and was greeted with a light dusting of rain? No it's a bit heavier, hail? No, shit it's april 6th and it's snowing in Pittsburgh. Apparently, I was conceived in this state, thanks dad I didn't need to know that. I pulled into town and headed straight for Mt. Washington which overlooks the city. It was freezing I pulled out my tripod and shot a few frames of the city from the high vantage. I got off the Mt. and headed down in the city looking for some place to eat and have a beer. Google directed me to the top ten nightspots in this city. I settled on a place called The Squirrel Cage which claimed that it drew college students and locals as well. I was greeted by a friendly bar tender named Bill with a tweed cap and a rolled cigarette hanging from his lip.

"Tonight is Micro night"

"What's that"

"All micro brews are a dollar off"

" I'll have a Guinness" I said with a slight grin. I am a fan of the price slash but I needed something substantial to warm me from the cold.

I put down two beers and a bowl of Beef Vegetable soup. When I looked up there was a interesting looking girl taking a seat a few stools away. The guy next to me immediately started to chat her up. She was not biting. We had already exchanged a look, this guy didn't stand a chance. He finally got the hint and closed out his tab. I took a seat next to her and we had a good time. Turns out Liz is a glassblower and teaches some classes at the glass center in town. I knew this was a pretty small community so I started to drop some names from the glass department at SJSU where I went to college. Turns out she used to live in Aptos (just outside Santa Cruz) and we knew some of the same people. Small world. Liz offered me a place to crash on her floor which was really nice especially since The Cocoon would of been freezing. Frankie, her boyfriend was in Switzerland at a comic book convention. Long story short, we ran into one of her Students, Mary and convinced her to come over as well. Mary provided some good laughs and made the situation less awkward. Apparently, her brothers are in a "sword reenactment club" which was hilarious to hear her talk about at the time.

In the morning Liz put out of good spread consisting of coffee, OJ and a mushroom quiche which was really good. Then she took Mary and I down to the Glass center and gave us a tour of the facility. We meet some of the regulars and watched Liz get ready for a day full of cold work. She used the belt sander to smooth out a piece of glass which she gave to me. It looks like a bulls eye about 2.5 inch diameter. It is along for the ride now with a front row seat in The Cocoon. Mary and I left and headed to the Heinz Chapel. This place is non-denominational with really tall stained glass windows. On one side there is Thomas Jefferson, Newton, etc while the other is filled with prominent women such as Joan of Arc. Having a entire window(80 feet tall) celebrating women in the 1920's was quite progressive for the time. Then we headed over to the Cathedral for Learning which is owned by the university. The building is 42 stories high and houses the international rooms where students take classes. Each room is decorated in the style of the country which it represents. We rode the elevator to the 36Th floor and looked out over the city. The students lounged around the building glued to their laptops. I was a bit jealous, my campus looked nothing like this. I dropped Mary off at her house and thanked her for the tour.

I drove to the Homewood Cemetery and found the Patterson plot. My great grandparents William and Ossie are buried here. I made lunch and hung out with the kin for a bit. Then I drove to Wilkensburg where my father grew up and checked out the neighborhood. It is really run down now. I tried to find another cemetery where the other side of my family is buried. It was snowing really hard, I was driving around in circles and got really frustrated. I headed to Braddock which is a old steel town. This town used to be full of people and energy. The steel mills closed and most of the people moved. The mayor is trying to get the city going again by offering free where houses to artists. Yes, that is free dollars. So all you west coast artists who need space to work Braddock is your friend. It stopped snowing and I got out and walked around and shot some photos of all the abandoned buildings.

That night I went back to the Cage and meet Liz there. She felt like she should go back and let Bill know that the wandering traveler guy didn't slice her up. I meet some of her other friends and then I headed back to her floor. The following morning's breakfast was so damn good. Liz made some fried egg sandwiches with facon bacon, avocado, the works. It felt good to be spoiled I was stoked.

Pittsburgh is a really cool city which surprised me. There are lot's of artists and really cheap rent. This city really took care of me many thanks to Liz and Mary. Next stop FDR.

INSIDE THE COMPOUND

"Creepy" Joe nursing a beer at 9am after his big night of skating and a fight.
Nick is a good guitarist and skater.  I had him pose in the soft light.
Clay the resident filthy guy.  He liked to call oil stains "Country Camo"
Brewce having fun with his rented dozer.  I shot this two hours after I arrived.
I can't remember his name but he really tried to throw the punker guy in this bowl.

      This segment of my journey really begins when I pulled off Highway 64 at a small town named Grayson. I was beat from a long drive through two storms with tornado warnings. I drove down main street and saw all the usual chain stores including Grayson's own taqueria, Taco Bell.

I opened the double doors and saw about 12 women occupying the center tables. Colorful paper bags with handles, wrapping paper, and a large cake were all there. A birthday? No, what I witnessed was a baby shower at Taco Bell, welcome to Eastern Kentucky.

I awoke in the morning and crossed the border into West Virginia for a brief stint. 35 lead me to Point Pleasant which is on the Ohio side of the River. Ohio and West Virgina are divided by the Ohio or Ohia River depending on who you ask. I merged onto 7 and headed North along the river. I was blown away by the old farmhouses, grain silos, and churches. These differed greatly from the ones in Texas because there is water here; therefore, everything is green. It was raining very slightly while the clouds moved in and out. I was really enjoying this experience when I looked in my rear view and saw the local sheriff...great. This guy tailed me for the next ten miles which greatly altered my mood. He finally pulled off and I continued up 7 passing two huge smoke stacks along the way.  I am not sure if they were nuclear plants but it sure looked like it.  

       I finally made it to Rutland, Ohio the home of Skatopia.  Brewce Martin and the CIA (citizens instigating anarchy) bought 88 acres in this town for $45,000 fourteen years ago.  The idea was simple, they wanted a place where he could build without permits and not be bothered by neighbors.  His dream has come to fruition there is a 13 foot wooden bowl called The Punisher housed in a hundred year old barn, the Lula bowl (outdoor cement skate park) which is named after his dog, a vert ramp, wooden full pipe, and a indoor cement kidney pool.  I drove up the dirt driveway which was covered in thick mud due the the recent rains and parked The Cocoon .  I got out and immediately noticed the old barn which is home to The Punisher and the Full pipe; it's hard to miss with it's bright pink paint job.  I didn't see anyone around so I started walking up mud soaked hill to see what lay at the top.  Upon arrival I noticed a full sized excavator moving dirt around, a tall, wiry, bespectacled dude with Carhartt overalls and heavy duty work boots stared at me.  

"Hi" I said.

"Why are you here"? he growled.

"Check it out, skate...I heard you guys were having a work party, do you need help"?

"Yeah you can help take down the bowl...but first help me get this truck out of the mud.  My names Chris."

His tone changed once I said the magic words  "skate and work".  I guess they have had a lot of problems with non skaters stealing tools etc.

We walked over to a red F-150 and I watched another guy crawl under the truck and wrap a chain around the frame.  He came up covered in mud and connected the other end to the bucket of the excavator.  

"Get in that bitch and gun it." said the guy in the excavator.

The tires started spinning and the bucket swung to the left and pulled the truck out of the ditch.  Chris and I walked down the hill toward the barn while the excavator followed.  The guy in the heavy machine got out.

"Who are you"?

"I'm Matt from California"

"You drove all the way here for a work party"?

"Well I am headed cross country and the dates worked out."

"Well, cool I'm Brewce.  You got tools"?

"Yup"

"Well head on back to the bowl and start demoing her out."

      And with that I crawled into the Cocoon and got out a hammer, crowbar, drill and saw zaw.  After a couple hours of work I walked to the front of the barn and watched Brewce smash a car with the excavator.  Wow, I have been here two hours and already the carnage has begun.  It looked like a cat playing with a mouse, he would pick it up drop it, bat it with the bucket and then drive over it.  He was having a ball.  There was another photographer there documenting the whole thing.  Brewce picked up a white minivan and started in again.  This time he started driving towards the barn with the minivan 10 feet in the air.  This was too good, I went to the Cocoon and grabbed my camera.  The excavator/minivan filled the frame beautifully I was stoked.  

        That night a few more people showed up, mainly from Ohio, New Jersey, West Virgina and New York.  There is a bunch of people who live there full time in little shacks or sleep in the barn etc.  Hillbilly skaters?  Yes it is a really strange combo.  Besides the skaters there were a bunch of hillbillies that just came to drink, and be complete imbeciles.  The level of stupidity was unbeliavable.  I am talking about full grown men talking about nothing but fighting, fucking, shitting, and getting wasted.  

   There was a pool table in the "Slackers Lounge" which had a band room, couches and pool table.  All the walls were covered in Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cases.  Traveling street kids, hillbillies, skaters, punks, and yours truly all hung out.  Brewce was talking and people listened.  He is the king of his castle, their is no questioning that.  He is extremely extroverted and needs an audience.  I did not find my people in this room so I quickly got a game on the pool table.  Brewce may be the king but I was defiently holding court on the table.  House rules you have to bank the eight ball for the win.  This adds time and a little spice to the game.  Every fifteen minutes a Roman Candle would go shooting through the room followed by yells and whoops.  This antic soon grew old, so half drunk beers became the new choice of flight.  A middle aged, malnurished woman started to play.  She had a solid bridge and was a pretty good player.  She told me she was the "House Mother" or something like that.  I had already won six straight games and was felling it.

"That's my Mom and if you beat her, I 'm a gona  Kick Your Ass."

 I turned to see where this lovely threat was coming from.  There was a large hillbilly with a full leg brace, and a long small braid coming out of the back of his baseball cap.  I just smiled.

"Well she's not really my Mom...but fucken crazy too."  

"My names Matt".  I stuck out my hand.

"I'm Konvict."  We shook hands.  And I continued to kick his Moms ass on the table.  I am not making this up, yes his name was Konvict with a K.  

I had enough so I crawled into the back of the Cocoon and settled in for the evening.  People were still partying but it wasn't to loud.  Ten minutes later they started blaring Iron Maiden and everyone let out a roar of approval.  A fight broke out over a sleeping bag I guess Chris tackled some hillbilly  from behind and they got into it.  Brewce broke it up and sent the other guy away to sleep it off.  Then Iron Maidens classic 666 is the number of the beast came on and the crowd continued to set off Roman Candles and drink.    

   I awoke to the sound of fireworks and giddy laughter.  Some of these douche bags had been up all night drinking Evan Williams (a cheap knock off of Jack Daniels).  I had a cup of coffee and headed back to work.  It felt good to work and not be bothered by anyone.  I put in 4 hours and headed up to the truck.  Brewce had me move it up by the Lulu bowl which sits on top of the hill overlooking the barn and the stage which they are building so Slayer (hardcore, metal band) will play this summer.  I ate and noticed that a session was starting to happen at the bowl.  I grabbed my skate and headed over.  I got in a few grinds and had some old man speed lines; regardless of my diminishing abilities the Lula Bowl is really fun.  

    A tall, lanky, shaggy redhead with bandages on both hands walked up to the bowl.  Somebody asked if he cut his hands.  He pulled off the bandages to reveal SKATOPIA in red and black freshly tattooed on his knuckles.  His name was Brandon and he is Brewce's son.  He ripped that bowl apart and I set up all my flashes and shot a bunch of photos.  He is totally the opposite of Brewce, really mellow and quiet.   I was surprised at his choice of placement for the tattoo.  I guess he wanted to make the old man proud.  I meet this guy named Joe from Washington.  He has been living at Skatopia for three years at Camp Sleezy.  This is next to the Lula bowl where a bunch of skaters live in ramshackle buildings.  Joe or "Creepy" which he had been coined had a tattoo going down his nose and around his eye.  I offered him a beer and we had a good chat.  He works for Grindline (a company that builds skate parks) on and off.  He introduced me to his friend Scott who also lives there.  Scoot told me that in winter the Skatopia really slows down due to all the snow.  Spring and Summer it comes alive again and people from all over the world show up.  

After cooking some Annie's Mac 'n' cheese on the tailgate of the Cocoon I headed down to the barn to check out the nights festivities.  They booked a bunch of bands to play.  There is a little stage to the left of the Punisher.  So the bands play and people skate the bowl and mayhem ensues.  I set up my flashes while the first band played and started to shoot the skaters in the bowl.  The Punisher is 13 feet deep with 3 feet of vert...ie really gnarly.  Brewce is 40 something yet he still rips that thing.  Creppy dropped in did a couple of grinds and then things went bad; he wheels slipped out, causing him to face plant into the wall.  His eye swelled up and old  Creepy was done skating for the night.  

    Creepy may have been done skating but that didn't stop him from joining the mosh pit which had started  in front of the band.  Creepy didn't like the band so he started doing this weird little dance in front of singer and generally acting really strange.  I noticed a clean cut looking kid with a Mohawk (strange mix) sitting on a large amp.  He would run into the crowd a hit people really hard when they weren't expecting it.  Scott started spitting beer on him when he would come around.  Mohawk kid had Creepy in his sights and hit him in the ribs.  Boom it was on.  What this kid didn't know was that Old Creepy lived there and had Lot's of friends.  Mohawk got swarmed on by a furry of kicks and punches from all directions.  The crowd finally settled and there he was in a fetal position covering his head.  He hobbled outside and took a rest.  Now most people would of got the hint and got the hell out of there.  Not our boy Mohawk, ten minutes later he is back in the mosh pit and it starts all over again.   This time I see Zach run over there and grab him by the feet and drag him to the bowl with the intention of throwing him in.   If he landed wrong it could of broken his neck, luckily Mohawk's friend stopped him.   I hate to see this fights and this one got to me, my stomach felt ill,I was done.  I packed up my gear and headed back up the hill and got in the Cocoon.  I was awoken at 4 in the morning by Brewce and a truck full of wasted hillbillies.  

"This is a beer raid.  All we want is your beer."  

 They cleaned me out of a 18 pack of Budweiser.  With each arm full of beer they dropped in the back of the truck the hillbillies let out cries of joy.  I figured hey I got off easy, take it.  In the morning Camp Sleezy was drinking whiskey and falling over each other.  I walked over to the bowl and saw Creepy drinking a beer.  His eye was all swollen with dried blood down his nose.  I asked him how he felt...he was still drunk.  I took his photo and talked to another young kid.

"Man this place is like Heaven." he said.

"Yeah, a twisted one." I replied.

my response freed him up.

"Yeah, it's like Heaven with a little bit of Hell in there.."

   With that I was out of there to go and clean my soul.  

ps when I get to New York I am processing a bunch of film from Skatopia.

       

     

Skatopia

Ok,

it's 2:15 I am stocking up on supplies before I hit the hillbilly highway.  408 miles to Rutland Ohio which is the home of Skatopia.  I will be off the grid for a few days so you guys will have to find other sorts of entertainment.  I can guarantee there will be an exciting report when I return.

ciao

Hattiesburg to Memphis

Morning light on Beale ST. Memphis.
The Black Diamond was the least touristy spot on the strip...the patrons were really nice.
I don't normally take photos of statues but hey it's "The King"
This is the man know as Gino, the king of Beale St.
Nick, his lady and their dog which got sick that morning.

Hola earthlings,

I spent a few hours in Javawerks yesterday catching up on the blog etc.  I hit the road towards Memphis.  I really enjoyed the drive especially after hitting Jackson.  Two lane highway divided by lush greenery.  The setting sun made all the colors extremely vivid.  Little smiles crept from my cheeks with every new impression that was taken in.  You can put the ugliest thing (person, object etc) in soft light and they will transform before your eyes.  It reminds me when I was a senior in college.  My professor was an old cagey guy from New York.  He read us the stats on how many photography graduates still take pictures one year after school.  The data was not encouraging; with every year passed the number dropped considerably.

"No matter if you use photography or not you have all been given a gift...you can see light."

"Think about how many people see the light change...not many."  

    He was right, I spent the night on Beale street in downtown Memphis.  I crawled out of the cocoon at 6:15 am.  The sun had not crept above the building yet.  I grabbed my tripod , cable release and Hasselblad.  The neon lights on Beale St blinked while the ambient was cool.  I composed through the ground glass and shot away.  

"Hey Man.  What you maken? A documentary about Beale St?"  I looked and saw a homeless man resting on his elbows in a doorway.  

"No...I 'm on a road trip" I replied

"Oh, your just taken all kinds a stuff."

"Yeah"  I was on a mission and didn't have time for small talk.  I kept moving down the street.

     After shooting a couple of rolls I headed back up Beale and saw a statue of Elvis.  The light was about to rise above the building and shine on the King.  I quickly loaded another roll of Provia NC 160 and continued to press the shutter.  A few minutes later I heard a voice behind me.

"There you are" the man said.

It was the same homeless man from before.  He took a seat and we both faced the King.  He asked me if I knew any thing about Memphis.  Nope not a thing.  He then went on to drop all kinds of knowledge.  For starters that Elvis statue replaced the original because people kept taking the strings off his guitar on the first statue.  He told me about all the greats that have played in Memphis, then mentioned the MLK museum.  His name was Gino and he was pretty sharp.  While he was talking I took his portrait I can't wait to get the film back.  Gino was great we had good time.  I reached into my pocket and gave him $7 bucks.  Not much but it's what I had.  It felt good.

I then headed down to the river for some breakfast.  I pulled out my cooler and ate some Honey Bunches of Oats.  A white, late model, 4 by4 pulled into the spot next to me.  This thing was seriously tricked out and ready for Baja.  A young bearded guy in a stained Carhartt jacket stepped out of the drivers side.  His lady friend headed for the bathroom.  We exchanged knowing glances...they fit the bill of fellow travelers.  His name was Nick and he offered me some coffee...not Folgers but real ground coffee.  I was stoked.  His girl got back from the toilet and we drank out coffee and swapped stories.  They are from North Carolina and heading all the way down to Argentina...think about that for a second.  Damn that is a serious trip.  They were really nice and I think we all had a good time.  Nick handed me a card.  www.ramblewriter.com  check it out for all the details.

       I said my goodbyes and headed off to Graceland.  I begrudgingly handed over the $33 dollars because it just seems like this is one piece of America that you must see while in Memphis.  The house it self was pretty cool all the original furniture is still in there. Lot's of mirrors, TVs, the jungle room which he recorded one of his albums in.   His car collection was pretty sweet too.  So I'm glad I went.  All right it's 7 and I need some food....Memphis nightlife here I come.