Speaking of flashback. or simply Google the old address.

On to Good Things

Happy Father's Day Dads - you are so lucky!

Father's Day weekend. The weekend I spend hours away from my family, in the woods, with the other fathers. This year's version seemed to have a few more arrow-destroying tree branch shoot-though's, but I didn't break any more than usual.

It was a year ago this week that I got laid off (having started this blog, only days before). This weekend was also an emotional roller coaster that didn't leave me much time to reflect on the distance and change of the past twelve months much though.

It started on Friday going out with my coworkers, always a fun time - and they are officially my coworkers now as of about three weeks ago - congratulations to me. I've gone out with them maybe 5, 6 times and it's always fun. It's too fun in fact, and I stayed out much too late for an early morning archery shoot. No doubt, impressed them by driving home too. The shoot was fun though and my slowed mind was just about right for casually walking though the woods and concentrating without over-thinking the shots. Driving home after I felt relaxed and tired, looking forward to a shower and possibly a quick nap. Just about home, highway traffic is stopping suddenly, looks like an accident just ahead, kind of looks like our... phone rings, kathleen's shaky voice says "I was just in an accident". Oh my god.

Race around the stopped cars and up to the van. Jump out. Just seconds after. Everyone is ok. Scared, crying, bruised, burned from the seat belt straps. Stunned and sore from the airbags. - but ok. The window is broken, the engine is crushed back, the van is totalled. The quick-stopping Hummer in front of it is mostly fine. 25 minutes later we drive home to our house and go inside. I'm feeling lucky and thankful, the van doesn't matter at all.

Later, Kathleen and I tuck the kids into bed and retire early. Wake up to home-made gifts and morning ride freedom while the rest walk off to the park. Standing in the garage putting my helmet on, phone rings. It's Katie. "Maeve's hurt, we have to go to the hospital". "Where's mom? - let me talk to her", "She can't she's carying Maeve". Running to the house, running to the car. Maeve crashed off of the equipment and split her chin. Driving to the ER. Bleeding has stopped now. Checking, reassessing. We know there's nothing they will do that we can't do. Divert to Wallgreens for supplies, and home.

In the big picture these things are small; I feel tired, but everyone is ok, and that's all that matters. We'll all be starting a new week together, tomorrow ...in just a few, short, hours.

New and Green: Hiawatha Public Works Facility

They're tearing down most of the Hiawatha public works buildings in the compound behind the old Longfellow house. In their place they're building what will be the "greenest" government buildings in Minnesota. Read more here. Even cooler though, is the high-quality web-cam they have set up to watch the action - choose fullscreen and click the double arrow to scroll back a day at a time. Cool!

Nature Valley Gran Prix Uptown Minneapolis

Work sucked today. A surprise deadline planted my ass firmly in the chair for most of my eleven hour stretch. No Hacky-sack, no workout. Welcome to the machine. On my way home Sean called me to say that he was in uptown at that National road race that I had heard about on TV. Floyd was there. I sped home and loaded up my new camera (Canon SX10) and ipod for a ride to uptown. Met Sean two blocks South of Lake Street on Hennepin, at the south-east corner of the two-mile lap. A good vantage point.

After crossing to the inside of the curve, and hearing the lead-car coming I hunkered down on the edge of the sidewalk closest to the street for some cool shots as the riders arched around me. The young Marshall says "you may want to move back", Ok I said and did about 6 inches. He was totally right, when the riders came they seemed so close, I hadn't accounted for how much they lean. Sean and I noted the carbon frame reverb of a close-proximity pedal-strike, a good two or three seconds after it happened. The atmosphere was electric when the peleton passed by.

After, I walked Sean to his car though the beautifully restored houses and lingering residents, then rolled back through the aftermath, and along the course towards the podium till the thickening crowd pushed me out and around to the Greenway, and home.

Jason (left), John (top), Brian (right). I know that's me on top because the other two aren't holding the camera, then it's down to posture and haircuts. - and I remember Brian's high-toppers...

Must have been funny. Eric, Brian, Sean.

CreepyHead and the Glimmer of Hope

I've had a set of negatives packed away in a box for years, since a mid-late 80's college class when I shot and developed several black and white rolls with a borrowed camera. This weekend, Eugene who has a negative scanner, generously converted them to digital. Let the flashbacks begin.

This was an interesting time in my life, probably the time I look most fondly back on in many ways. A time of experimentation of every kind; sexual, social, mental, musical. Minimal responsibility and no concerns about the future. I felt truly free for the first time.

I lived a number of places over those years, but the place I have the most memories attached to was the 4th street house. An up/down duplex conversion with a cool older stoner upstairs, and full use of the basement for us downstairs. There in the subterranean dark, with squinty red eyes and flickering Christmas lights across the ceiling, we'd crank the amps and freak out on the stereo-delay freight train of sound crashing again and again against our heads.

Many of the pictures are out of focus, too dark or just plain bad. There are a few good ones that I'll share. The best stories from that time may not be so tellable here though. Like this one. One night at the end of a party, I'm sitting on the front porch with a girl friend in my lap. That upstairs neighbor comes down and in the dim light he stands and we sit and gaze off down the street. We're chatting on for a minute or so before he glances down and notices that we don't have any pants on. He says goodnight and goes back inside leaving us to the warm summer air.