Next Steps in the Evolution of Tommy's Universe

Over the past few months this Blog has turned from a place to just post my riding adventures into sort of a extension of my desire to be a person who participates in the Arts. The Arts to me have a special meaning. It is for me a way to get closer to something cosmic. What that is is really not all that important to me as the quest to strive and touch it. 

As I evolve my storytelling/photographic medium further, I please share this site with anyone you think might enjoy it. It would mean a lot to me to have some folks enjoy and even critique my little corner of the Arts. I am also going to start taking my pictures and stories from the net and trying to see if anyone likes them in real life and wants to purchase a print or publish them in the real world. 

 
I hung up the bag for the most part this weekend. 

 
The Epson 3800 is a great printer for my next steps. It can print large sized pictures at a professional quality level. It weighs 43lbs.

 
The images are worthy to say the least and with some help from my pals, I get the settings down to print the big prints. 

So next up was a great adventure to learn how to matte pictures and frame them. I have been toying with doing this for some prints around the house. But now, I want to get some of my prints out and about here in town so I need to get serious about learning the do's and don'ts. 

Talking to other Artists is both fun and a bit of a challenge for me right now.  I know my pictures are good.  But other then here, few have seen them.  Will they look good framed and matted?  So off I go to Arizona Art Supply and within a few minutes Lindsay the girl in the shop is teaching me all sorts of great things about framing and matting.  This once again proves the theory if you aren't in the pool you can't swim.  I come home with materials to last me a few weeks and start to get ready.  

First off the frames I am using are ones that have images in them.  They just aren't my images.  Fixing that is going to be step one.  Then I need to tell myself.  Measure 200 times then cut.  Twice never works for me.  

First out of the gate is the Wagon Wheel from last weekends printing workshop. Thanks again Scott!  It is not a great matte job but I know I can do this.

 
This shot from the Ouray trip looks great printed though this picture doesn't do it justice

 
Each frame is about 17x22 and so far each one is getting better. But let me tell you, cutting with hand cutter is not easy!!

 
As the day progresses, I am working on more dramatic colors. Most of the prints though will have a traditional white matte for now.

 
A better shot of the deer and shows how two look together

Anyway, I think the next few weeks will have a few more worthy tales to share. In the works are some trips around Arizona, and maybe even beyond a little bit.

Thanks again for all the great feedback. It means a lot to me.

The Ouray III Experience Tour Part 3, Clouds and Armstrong Wannabes

Clouds:

From Wikipedia:
“A cloud is a visible mass of droplets or frozen crystals floating in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. A cloud is also a visible mass attracted by gravity (clouds can also occur as masses of material in interstellar space, where they are called interstellar clouds and nebulae.)”

Ok so that meaning isn't what I see when I look up and see clouds. I see shapes, mythical creatures, condo's for Angels, and even sometimes the weather. In my mind the greatest clouds anywhere are in New Mexico. Second to NM is Southern Colorado. I am not talking about the feathery kind, but the cotton ball pasted on a blue sky that takes your breath kind. Nothing like seeing a summer storm come together in the San Juan Mountains.

Today we still have the jeeps and are planning on taking them out the other direction up to Yankee Basin and maybe even Telluride if we have the time. It is Sunday and the traffic is light but there is a rumor that we will see about 1600 bicycle riders in the part later today.


We will see some weather today. The story is in the clouds. They seem to just need some Bach, or maybe Guns and Roses piped in to make the mood seem even more dramatic. Unfortunately Monty the Tyrannical Jeep Driver refuses to allow music in his Jeep. In the name of team unity I don't turn the Ipod on. I do start humming as a form of protest though he doesn't seem to notice.


The peaks to the East are clear for the moment


This area looks like it is straight out of a Coors Commercial.


From the Rockies to your Fridge....Code Blue. I marvel as I look about as to how effective Marketing can be on the consumer. I mean I should be thinking of Ansel Adams, John Muir, even Heidi Klum(hey, its my blog), but instead I am thinking of that old dude named Coors.


Nothing is more annoying to a 4x4 Driver then to think you have managed to man handle your vehicle in places where no sane man has gone before. Worse we are all off road motorcyclists who just stare when we come upon this guy at the END of the trail. At least it wasn't a Prius or I would know it is the work of the Devil


You know if I didn't know better I would tell you that the clouds coming in from the other side of the valley look a lot like snow. It is June though so I know that it is just probably some rain.


I should have paid more attention in Meteorology class.


No fear, we are in a Jeep!!


This is why I am an Armed Socialist. You never know when you will come upon yokels who only see things in Black and White, riding around in Yellow Jeeps. Using diminutive linguistic communication techniques, I convince him that I am harmless and not a threat to his world. He moves along none the wiser. They really are quite harmless if you keep a safe separation distance and never get in between them and an AM radio.


This ladder on the wall caught my eye. Amazing the extremes that people go to in the name of prospecting.


There is so much beauty in Colorado. The views around every corner holds wonderful sights. I have to spend more time here next summer exploring the area. Monty speaks of a winter expedition to the region. This may be a great place to explore around Christmas.


Wow a glacier!


The smallest things have beauty as well


This seems to capture the cycle of life to me. The forest never stops.


Ok this road has some interesting topography to get through. Monty does a wondrous job getting us back down with only minimul loss of life


We do have the occasional guest on the road to look out for as we get closer into town.

We get to the main road and have to wait as about 30 bicyclists come down the hill having just ridden from Durango.


They took over the local park with their tents.

Now I am a big guy. I can get along with almost anyone but for some reason bike riders always have this peleton mentality and refuse to converse with those who are not part of the race. I have noticed this several times but as we go to the restaurant they are not the most friendliest people. Oh well their loss.


It was right about here that I became convinced that Bullet fit in with our merry band of Loonies


The next morning comes to quickly and as usual I am the first one up and make a dash out of Ouray before first light. I get to Telluride as the sun is rising over the hills. I take a few pictures including this one of a herd of Elk near Mt Wilson. It is cold, I get snowed on, and yet as I pull into Cortez an hour later it is already 75 degrees. Before I pull into the garage at home this afternoon, I will see 114 degrees making this the biggest temperature change I will experience on the motorcycle to date.


The Final Tale of the Tape. 1438 miles of wonderful experiences. Not sure where I am off to next but stay tuned!

Printing Pictures in California with the Master

Ok, so I am behind on getting the last of the Colorado pictures up. I will do that tomorrow once I get some things done here at the house. Over the past two days I have been in California learning how to take the next step in my personal journey of writing and photographing the worthy universe. My pal and over all great photographer, zen master, and number one husband to a wonderful artist Scott Adams allowed me the chance to go print some of my work on good printers.

What I learned in this short time was not just about making a print that will sell, be seen in a gallery, or be worthy, but that without friends who care about what you do as much as Scott and Patricia showed me, you might as well find a fast train to sit in front of.

This is his post which shows what we were up to that he has allowed me to paste here. .

"My Uber-worthy-friend arrived yesterday, gifts in hand, and loaded to the gills with computers, cameras, and most important -- image files!

We spent the afternoon discussing the relative merits of various image processing software, talking about style, photographic instincts, and how to get a mental picture into a camera and then out of a printer looking like our "vision" of the scene before us. I don't have to tell you peoples who frequent this place that Tommy has great instincts for photography, and his passion about it has accelerated his learning and experience curve so quickly that a lot of us are jealous.....

Well, in person, it quickly became apparent to me that he's on the road to real artistry, and that those "apparent" good instincts really are fabulous and natural, and almost unconscious in his way of seeing. You can't teach someone to see... teaching them not to let the equipment get in the way is easy!

So... up early this morning.... infused with our drug of choice....




Two-shocks begins the process of selecting, editing....




Decisions, decisions....



Meanwhile... from the bowels of the giant machine... LARGE prints begin to emerge....



When I told him that only "perfect" prints get to leave "Studio-de-Couch" facilities, he seemed a bit perplexed... especially when I made him rip the offending "non-perfect" print to shreads... but just look at the one in his right hand!



Someone looks happy with his work!





The kid is a natural...

Now we readily admit that none of this is as much fun as, say, a 12k service on a K1200GT... but we'll just have to suffer.

_________________________

Twas a good day's work....

Worthy, Tom, worthy....

_________________________

Our last print of the day, and a fitting "parting shot," is this glorious panorama. This photo proves the maxim that good photos are often, "F/8 and be there!"



Tom, thanks for spending time with us, sharing your photography and life with us...."

Scott and Patricia, I really wish that we lived closer as I do with most of my good friends. The ride home last night got me into a pretty good storm.

This was just outside of Tonopah around midnight last night. Best kind of 4th of July you could ask for.

The Ouray III Experience Tour Part 2, The English Sherpa

Riding into Colorado from Utah with Bob, I reflect on the fact that the motorcycle is one of the best ways to travel. It is warm today, but the freedom of being on a bike is magical as in every direction lies a wonder to behold with no encumbrance of having blocked views from being in a car.

We pull into Ouray earlier then the rest and it takes only a little schmoozing to get the lady at the Rental Agency to give me the key to the condo. Another quick detour to the liquor store and the grocery and we settle in to await the others


The view from the balcony is as spectacular as I remember it to be. The weather is in the eighties and the beer is about 40 degrees cooler then that so I am happy. We discuss doing something productive but Bob and I agree that doing anything of that nature with the others out there riding would threaten the universal balance so we just go into our normal lazy state.


The Whips arrive with Toby and Edd soon enough. For a small monthly fee you can join Whip's Bike of the month club. Whip will send you what motorcycle he is officially tired of riding and a hint to what motorcycle he has just purchased. This is this month's model but we have seat issues. stay tuned!!

Chris Olson beats them as do Twisties and Bullet from Salt Lake. It always feels good when all the birds are in the roost. There is not an easy way to communicate on the road. Some folks put in cell phone connections, but out here there are still very big stretches where you can't talk to each other because there is no service. We have a nice dinner at the Outlaw with much fun to be had. We have a bit of a walk down the hill back to the condo, and the weather is perfect to walk off the Scotch and food eaten. As I settle into bed, I reflect on the fact that I am in a grand place with the friends I love to be with and that the next morning will have us setting off on a grand adventure into the backcountry


Dawn breaks and the view is still as spectacular as the afternoon before

I am not the least bit hungary but the rest of the clan sets off to have a bite to eat. While they do that I decide to see what tourists are in the area and maybe look at the fish in the nearby park.


The flowers are in bloom and catch my eye right away


Even the mundane sort of flowers catch my eye up here.


Ouray and the area was founded on mining and this area still has working gold and silver mines.


I love these old carts


As I keep wandering waiting for the kids to get the jeeps, I come upon a couple of locals sunning themselves. Must be nice to have a life of luxury.


But we have things to see today! I leave the fish and look for my English driver to take me into the bush. As some of you know, Whip made a horrible mistake in reviewing history and gave Killer the nickname Monty(I know how can you give a guy nicknamed Killer another nickname?). Well I figured the best way to handle this as a German, is to just treat him, like my personal valet and hope he doesn't drive us off a cliff recounting his exploits in Tobruk or outside Caen back in 44.


Now I love the Mr. G. He is without the best $3000 4WD (minus the $3000 Transmission) I have ever owned. Growing up, I went on a lot of adventures in troopers but these new jeeps are pretty amazing beasts.

We are in the Red Menace and soon find ourselves in the lead of the column with out any real idea of what lays ahead other then the fact we wish to get to Engineers pass if it is reachable. Monty sets us off and the road is rough.


The road lets up some as we climb but it is not for the feint of heart. Monty does a very adequate job of maneuvering us through the rough spots and I busy myself taking photo's


Chris Olson has the smallest jeep and along with the Whips is our rear guard. Here he is with Whip in the front approaching a rest spot for the column.


The road up is still challenging but not as crazy as the first 2 miles


Monty and Edd surveying our surrondings as we ponder pressing on. Doesn't Monty just look English in that bush hat. And you wonder why the Australians and South Africans hated serving under the British. Also please note the mine in the picture




However the scenery just gets better around each bend. This area is just below tree line with some really majestic valleys with run off fed streams. There has to be a lot of wildlife in the area. There are too many folks on this road but we do see a lone doe coming around a corner.


Water is everywhere here and most of it is stunning! As we get further and further up the trail, It is quiet, too quiet....I have the feeling we are.....


...being watched! I spy the varmit up the hill. I am sure he has a cell phone to warn HQ further up the trail. So much for the element of surprise.


The ruins of old claims are everywhere. I wonder if there is any ore in there still? I am sure there are a million stories out there lost in the annals of history about this place.


We climb up out of the tree line and start to see a lot of snow and loose rocks. The trail calls for us to stay alert all the time. Whip calls from back down a ways to say he has a possible issue. It appears that the little jeep has slipped off the road a small ways and needs assistance in getting out. Before we can turn around they are back on the road and we continue to climb even more vigilant of the fact that up here a mistake can have serious consequences.


You can see here the danger as we pass through a tricky spot.


The road below looks like it could be going to the Kyber Pass instead of Ouray


Victory!!!! We make our goal and decide to head down to Silverton instead of heading to Lake City. It is just too far to get there and back in one day, but we all agree it is a great achievement in the annals of Hoondom and we are happy


We stop for lunch at a great spot and take a well deserved break. The ladies are having as much fun as we are


Whip and I agree we have a rough life and need to stop getting so caught up in the hustle and bustle.


We come upon a ghost town on the way down the hill and take some time to explore the hopes and dreams of those no longer with us. I have mixed emotions about ghost towns. They are fun to photograph but they also are often historical markers showing what happens when things go wrong somehow.










We see a chance to have what I call the ultimate "album cover" shot. I would like to think we would be a cross between "The Outlaws and Fleetwood Mac"

The sun is getting lower now and we need to make tracks. I never understand where time goes as we are on the road. It never stands still or shifts speed, but it sure does seem to get by quicker on the road for me.


Water is still there and the falls are wonderful this year


We saddle on into Silverton

I have no idea how they know I am going to be there but there is a band waiting to greet me! Actually they claimed that they do this every year, but I understand that they were trying to put me at ease. We enjoy a lovely dinner in town laughing about the adventures we have had today. It warms me to no end and I make the decision to extend my trip a day to enjoy one more day in the back country. It is too wonderful to miss.


Life sure is good out here