2.27.2011 Ride: Funky Fayetteville

There is something fascinating to me when the temperature is warmer in the morning than it was when going to bed.  Last night, it was 53 and this morning it was 61.  It goes against the normal grain, as if the Earth decided to change rotational direction during the night and the sun suddenly was rising in the west.  I caught this red sunrise on my morning walk and I thought it might be the only sign of the sun I would see all day.  The air felt charged as it does when thunderstorms are in our future.  And the wind was already howling in the early AM.

By the end of my walk, there was enough light to capture these horses.  It would have been a perfect balance if the horse on the left was facing the other direction.  Still, I like the threesome against the backdrop of the trees.

I wasn't able to get on the bike until about 3:00 and the wind had really picked up by then as evidenced by the flag.  I don a small flag in my CamelBak as I find I get a bit more respect on the road. Carrying the flag has ended up having the side benefit of me feeling a connection more with drivers on the road. 
Being Sunday, I like to ride on the bike trail as they are lots of folks to encounter.

When I first spotted this jogger from a distance, he appeared as if he was jogging in the nude.  I think I first saw him against a back drop of trees so the yellow shorts blended in even more. 

There's something about this rain gutter to nowhere that I really like.  It looks as if it could be a big lever that raises the roof or opens the small door at the bottom.  Or a pipe that runs inside the house from which the occupant drops secret messages to the outside world.  The curious thing is that the missing drain pipe would run across the window.

Mitch Terry

I'm never quite sure what possess me to stop someone and ask if I may take his/her picture.  I passed Mitch and I guess his cheerful hello, inspired me to stop him.  I'm glad I did as he turned out to be Western novel writer with the books set here in the Fayetteville/Ft. Smith/Eastern Oklahoma area.  He has a book available on yahoo.com and, if interested, his website is mitchterry.com

I passed another individual who was walking.  I turned around and asked if I could take his picture.  When I first passed him he looked up at me rather suspiciously.  His demeanor attracted me and his dress: black leather jacket and a black leather hat that had a round flat top and a large round brim.  He said that he didn't allow people to take his picture.  He spoke rather quietly and looked toward the ground when he spoke, his voice sounding familiar.  I told him I understood and he thanked me for being respectful of his request.  When I rode away I was trying to figure out who he sounded like and I realized he not only sounded but looked like a young Nicholas Cage.  I think twice about approaching someone who may be homeless or seem to have emotional problems.  I don't want to feel as if I want to take their picture as if they are some oddity.  In the case of this man, he just seemed to have so much history in his face and the clothes he wore and that is what I wanted to capture.  Later, I wondered what he would have thought if I asked if I could take his picture from behind, which still seemed to emit so much character and history.
I got another rejection later on down the trail.  I passed a woman who was very good on roller blades and who was also taking pictures.  I thought she would be a good addition to the blog today, the skating photographer.  I turned around and asked her if I could take her picture.  She hesitated and looked toward the other woman she was with.  I was confused at first and then looked at the other woman who I thought was her friend.  Suddenly, I felt as if I stepped into a hornet's nest as I realized the other woman was her mother and the first woman was not as old as I originally thought.  There was an awkward moment and then the mother said that they had issues with an earlier photograph request.  I said I fully understood.  The young woman thanked me for asking and I left feeling as if I was some kind of creep trying to finagle pictures of young women. 

Alan & Karen

I got a half rejection on the last couple.  Actually, I know them very well and Carol and I are somewhat responsible for them moving here.  I passed them the last time I did the trail on a Sunday.  Karen didn't want me to take her picture so I said just pull your hat down over your head.  Close. 

After a brief spell of very light rain where the skies looked very threatening, the clouds cleared and the sun came out for the last part of the ride.  Since I captured the sunrise this morning, I wanted to capture the evening sun.  This picture turned out much more interesting than I expected.  The sun with the moon?  The power lines exploding?  UFOs?  This was taken looking into the window of the van.  What created the second higher image was the fact that I had the sliding door open overlapping the back window so that the sun was being reflected in two windows. 


And, finally...

It is always amazing to discover the secret talents of people we have known for a long time. 
When I got home, I took some salmon I had smoked this morning over to our neighbor, Gary Renegar, in payment for plowing our road and driveway during the snowstorm.  Gary was putting the finishing touches on a clay sculpture of Frank Broyles.  The one in the picture is about two feet high.  The final bronzed statue will be seven feet high.  I would love to be able to create something like that.






Today's Ride:  2 hrs. 11 mins.  Miles: 25.04.  68 degrees.  20-25mph winds.  Miles YTD:  1041.55
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