Camping at the Flat Track Races

We're hitting the road tomorrow, spending the weekend at the vintage dirt track races in Waco. The Vintage Dirt Track Racing Association (VDTRA) is a group of old guys, riding old bikes, living in the past and feeling young again. I'm an old motojournalist who feels right at home amongst them. :-) I submitted a race report from this event last year. This year, it will be a feature article in a major publication. I'm tickled pink.

My lovely bride, who has endured nearly 50 years with this old eccentric, will humor me by hanging out at a loud, dusty race track and caring for Oscar the dog (and me) just because ??? :-) She plays along with my excitement. It is great to have a partner who is so understanding ... and allows me to have expensive toys (camera equipment). ;-)

I'm hoping this opportunity will finance that new lens that I so dearly desire. It has already led to another article. In addition to the VDTRA feature, I will be putting a piece together on one of my race heroes, Terry Poovey (18).

When I was covering these races in the early 80's, I didn't realize what historic events I was witnessing. Harley-Davidson had dominated flat track racing since the 50's; Honda wanted their piece of the pie. They hired Mike Kidd, reigning Grand National Champion, and Terry Poovey to help develop a competitive mile and half mile flat track racer. Bubba Shobert (67) and Ricky Graham (3)were the beneficiaries, stringing together four consecutive Grand National Championships for Honda. There are many articles on the internet that document that success. I won't duplicate them. I'm just basking in the glow of times gone bye. I'm thrilled to realize how intimately close I was to this historic happening.

Terry Poovey was badly injured last year when he crashed hard at the Springfield Mile. He was in a coma for a long time and is still in rehab. Bubba Shobert, who retired from racing after being seriously injured in a crash, will play Master of Ceremonies at the VDTRA's Terry Poovey Day on June 9, in Sherman, TX. It is heart-warming to see how close these guys are after being such arch enemies on the track.

I've been browsing my photo archives, wallowing in nostalgia. What fun I did have, hanging with my heroes and taking some pretty decent pics in the process. I even made a few bucks. :-) Here is a picture of Hank Scott on a Honda. This picture ran for three consecutive years as an ad for the DuQuoin Mile. Black and White was the norm in those days. I shot a little color (Kodachrome 64) but that was mostly during practice. Most of the racing was at night, under the lights (not very bright lights).

I had a picture of Scott Parker published but it was a special deal and maybe my best flat track picture ever. Scott Parker was the Harley guy who kept the Honda hordes worried. He is the winningest rider in flat track history. This shot is from the Harrington Halfmile; a race that was won by Terry Poovey on a Harley. :-)

I look at these photos and say to myself, "Wow, I was taking those with a manual focus, manual exposure, manual everything camera. Why is it so hard to duplicate my results with auto-focus, auto-exposure, auto-everything on today's digital everything? Am I just old?" :-)

I'm looking forward to a good weekend of vintage racing, hanging with my honey, trying to keep my auto-focus lenses pointed in the right direction, and dreaming up a story line that will endear me to my editor. :-)

l8r

Fossil Fuels, Trust and Karl Rove

I haven't been out lately. The weather, mostly the wind, has hampered "safari" conditions. The wildflowers are fantastic but difficult to photograph in such strong winds. I've wandered thru Jane's gardens taking flower photos but haven't taken the cameras on a trip. I snapped this photo between wind gusts. Jane's Amaryllis are in their full glory and more are blooming each day.

The uncooperative weather has left me with too much time to watch the news and browse the internet. Scott Adams wrote about "fossil fuels" in today's Dilbert blog. This guy can get really, really way out there. After reading this you may be seriously concerned when someone calls you "an old fossil." :-)

I am so fed up with news programs that require screaming. I think it was Cross Fire that started the yelling. I refuse to watch shows like Hannity and Combs, Bill O'Reilly, and, even thou I agree with most of what he says, Lou Dobbs is really reporting his opinion instead of the news. My most trusted reporter is Bob Sheiffer. He sometimes closes his Face the Nation show with an editorial opinion. I can handle that. What I can't condone is an entertainment show disguised as news. They are too Maury Povich for me.

Karl Rove and Sheryl Crow made the news this morning. That was entertaining. I dislike Karl Rove a lot. I think he may be the most distrusted person I know. I looked him up in an encyclopedia. The truth does little to change my distrust for this man. Take a few minutes to read the link. Do you realize this man is George Bush's chief advisor?

Don't eat Solyent Green. :-)

l8r

Lost...

A four letter word. I think Harry Reid's statement was taken out of context. I'm not surprised. Attacking the messenger is modus operandi for the Bush administration. I saw a statement from Joe Lieberman continuing to support the Republican cause.

I wonder if Harry will stand his ground. If others will speak their true thoughts, thoughts that will cause them to be called "defeatists?" Since Bush states that "you're either for us or against us" will patriotic Americans who dare to disagree with him be labeled "terrorists?"

I'm obviously offering my support for Harry Reids "misinterpreted" statement. A military solution is not possible. The situation in Iraq is a political situation, requiring a diplomatic solution. Will we lose that effort as well? Refusing to meet with "the against us" folks can't be the fastest way to settle a dispute, can it? Maybe the President should listen to Harry ... and to the American people. We need to get to the source of the problem. Isn't "define the problem" the first step in problem solving?

More lives are at stake here Mr. President. Please accept some help in getting out of Iraq. Or, is getting out of Iraq what keeps you from accepting the truth?
l8r

French Press Coffee and Yellow Roses

A month ago I had no idea what French press was; now I'm slurping some of the best coffee I ever tasted. I saw a TV special on coffee. It suggested that the best coffee was made in a French press. Last weekend, on our way home from the airport, Jane asked me to stop at Garden Ridge Pottery. What the heck; it was Sunday and we were in no hurry. And, she really loves shopping there. It was me who made the best purchase. I bought a $15 French press and can't get enough of this fantastic coffee. :-)

I would be on another photo safari but the weather sucks. It is cold and very windy. I've been putting together a collection of pictures to publish as "Texas, a whole 'nother country." I suppose I could take pictures of structures or animals. They aren't critically affected by the wind. But, it is the peak of wildflower season. I'm in flower mode and taking a flower photo in this wind is totally frustrating. I tried cranking the ISO up to 800 and even 1600 with little success -- keeper success, that is. It did produce some test results. I'll post one with the setting at ISO 1600. The picture is soft but a rose is supposed to be soft. :-)

I am also putting together a picture collection of Jane's gardens. I will have the pictures published as a calendar for Christmas presents. I had taken a few pictures of Jane's yellow roses that run across a series of trellises. I used a closeup, wide angle perspective with high ISO to compensate for the wind. Interesting but not great. I lost some quality in uploading these images. From previous posts, I learned that my images are much larger than necessary for internet viewing. These are seriously downsized. The effect of wide angle closeups is evident but comparing ISO grain or noise isn't realistic.

During the snow and ice, a branch of the roses broke. Jane removed the branch and the cut flowers made a beautiful vase for the coffee table. I took a couple of pictures then started to get serious. A friend had mentioned a need for a product photographer. It is a speciality for which I am too scatter-brained and detail disoriented. The setup would be good practice.

This image is being uploaded full-size to display the quality or lack of quality shooting at ISO 1600. The noise is very obvious in the shadow area to the right. However, the softening of the petals is not objectionable. I kinda like it. :-)

Click on this or any of the images to see a larger version.

I had time to get another cup of French press while that was uploading. Guess I'm a wuss. I had to add some water. :-)

I don't have macro capability with this lens and camera combination. This is as close as I could focus with the 18-135 lens at 135. This image won't make the calendar but not bad.

As you can probably discern, Jane is at work. Drinking coffee, taking pictures and playing on the computer is my entertainment when I'm lacking adult supervision. :-)

After remembering to adjust the ISO ( :-) ) I took this picture with the camera on a tripod and a smaller aperture (f11) to add focal depth. It is more of what a product photographer should be producing. But the hard, dark green leaf in the lower left is ugly. That is what I mean by detail disoriented. Not sure how I should have fixed that. I suppose it could be remedied in Photoshop but the image should never have been taken. This one won't make the calendar. I need more practice.

This is probably the best of the set. It too has the ugly dark green leaves. They might be removed by cropping. That, however, would likely remove the surrounding yellow petals that are needed to complete the impression of softness. It is also a downsized version of the original. Nothing for the calendar in this set. At least I have my French press to enjoy. :-)

Note: after posting I see that the images still are too large. Rather than edit the entire post, I'll remind myself to do better next time. :-(

l8r

Writing...

How vain it is to sit down to write

when you have not stood up to live.

Henry David Thoreau

That grabbed my attention. I hope I have lived. If not, I've wasted a heck of a lot of time ... mine and many other peoples. I'll need to do some thinking on this one. And quit wasting time reading Thoreau quotes. :-)

l8r

Photo Safari

I finally got bored enough to load my equipment and the dog into my truck and venture into the great outdoors of Central Texas. Recent rains gave the wildflowers a needed boost. Snap-happy shutter bugs litter the roads with parked cars and tripods. I jumped right amongst them.

My first stop was a place I had spotted previously, bluebonnets blooming in a seldom used railroad bed. Too Late! They had peaked and faded. I then drove along Park Road 4. One dealer incentive for buying our new RV was an annual pass to Texas State Parks. I decided to stop by Inks Lake State Park to activate my pass. And, while there, take a few pictures.

Deer in a park are boring. I tried to add interest in this photo by inserting an element of intrigue. The foliage slightly conceals the deer, making it seem that it is being stalked. Still boring but I'm trying. :-)

I cruised the park several times, stopped to let Oscar, my dog, relieve himself, and sat for sometime at a picnic area just enjoying the day. It was on my third or fourth pass that I spotted this deer bedded under a mesquite bush. I probably would have missed it again except for the movement of her head. A viewer might be convinced that it was taken in the wild. Still, not something that would grab anyone's attention. A very disappointing safari to this point.

I left the park and headed for another photogenic spot; a lighthouse on Lake Buchanan, right on Highway 29, and a spot where I suspected wildflowers were abundant. On the way, I noticed this patch of bluebonnets interspersed with indian blanket. Interesting. And the shadows are getting softer as the sun drops. I pulled over and let Oscar take a break. There was a breeze moving the flowers but nothing a fast shutter speed could not stop. I took this and several others but wasn't feeling excited about any of them. We piled back into the truck and drove on to the lake.

It must have been 6:30 or so? The light was nice and there was a lot of vegetation and terrain features as foreground for another lighthouse picture. I startled a deer bedded down in the growth to the right of this photo. She jumped into the open, snorted loudly, and bounded toward the lake. That and this scene stirred a little excitement. Though not great, this is my best image of the safari. The lighthouse isn't the subject. It's more about the foreground than the lighthouse. When I add tags to my images, the lighthouse would probably not get mentioned?

So, the safari wasn't a total bust. I got my park pass activated. :-) I have printed road maps for several trips. Oscar and I will be on the road again, soon. Unfortunately, today is a day of honeydos. Jane is working in the yard already and needs help. There'll be other days; better days I hope.

l8r

Poorism Tourism

International guided tours of the poorest communities in the world. I was at first appalled; making money from the more fortunate gawking at the personal tragedy of the world's most impoverished. But, I can see an upside. Perhaps word of this shameful disgrace will spread, effecting a sincere concern for making things right. Ecotourism's popularity seems to have enlightened an outpouring of support for rain forests and endangered wildlife. Perhaps the group at Reality Tours & Travel is on to something? But it is still hard to imagine wandering thru such filth and indignity in a way that would not make me cringe in embarrassment. I don't like feeling ashamed of what I have. :-(

I won't be taking the tour but thought I would help spread the word. I was doing some research for a planned post on poverty when I stumbled across this information. I will save my post for later. I can't compete with what I have read in the referenced link.

l8r

Truth and Scientific Fact

Is there a difference? I'm continuously amazed that cartoonists and comedians seem so much more practical than the people who run the government; not just our government, any government. I think the same thought applies to religious leadership as well. Compromise must be as offensive as liberal in both languages. :-)

I listened to what Ron Paul, a Texas politician, had to say on the Bill Maher show. Paul is a Republican but his roots are more Libertarian. He is portrayed as a kook by many Texans; but he got elected. :-) His argument for eliminating the CIA made sense to me.

I wish I was as smart as Scott Adams, or Bill Maher, or Bill Moyers of NOW on PBS. I really admire them and people of the past like Will Rogers or Mark Twain. They find it so easy to ridicule the ridiculous. :-) Maybe they wish there were more people like me ... easily convinced?

That's not totally true. I've not been convinced by the likes of Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, Dick Cheney or George W. Bush. Hmmm... Maybe I am smart? :-) It's just that reading what my idols have to say makes me wish I had said it. I feel like it is what I would have said, if I were only a little quicker.

Scott Adams wrote about government in this article. It made me wonder if my representatives read his blog. They should. So, I'm sending this link to my Senators and Congressman. Maybe it will make them feel obligated to do something smart. Maybe! I posted my letter several blog posts ago suggesting that Congressman Conaway (my representative) give serious consideration to Congressman Rangel's (not my representative, but more representative of my concerns) thoughts on considering a draft to staff our seriously strapped military services. Congressman Conaway blew me off with much aplomb. He's an arrogant ass, closely related to the Bush menagerie.

I'll also have to send Mr. Conaway a link to Scott Adams take on the "surge." Maybe Mr. Conaway will recommend it to George W. as a "new direction." There is a really good idea there about shooting muslims with "pork flavored bullets." :-)

Gonna go study now. I'm old. Not many years left to "get smart." LOL

l8r

Becoming a Saint

I get a large charge out of the Dilbert Blog. I really cracked up yesterday when Scott Adams described his plan for achieving sainthood. I find the Dilbert Blog so entertaining that it is on my list of favorites. I usually check it even before looking at my horoscope. :-)

You've probably deduced that I am hard pressed for subject matter. I considered writing about my grandson. He arrived Saturday and we spent all day Sunday at a motocross track. It was muddy but fun. I just enjoyed watching him ride rather than take pictures. We've spent most of this day cleaning mud off motorcycles, boots, truck, clothes, etc. Tomorrow will bring another trip to a different motocross track. We'll take the RV out of storage this afternoon and load up for an extended stay at the Waco track. Dillon's local friends have some time off from school on Friday. He'll hang with them and sleepover Friday night. Saturday is Easter Party and he flies home on Sunday.

I'll try to make the next blog entry more interesting. I'm working on some ideas for combining Global Warming, Poverty and the search for renewable energy. Move over George Orwell; the oldest of the Price kids is on a tear. :-)

l8r