Warrior Creek is NOT for the Meek...let the real Story leak

Hello... Yeah Bill, it's me Arleigh. Dicky posted that I, "Took the bait", are you a double agent actually working for him?

No I am not a Team Dicky Double Agent, I just like stirring up what I am not even involved with. You know that I love you Arleigh and would never lure you into a trap. Hold on I have to go, Dave 'Da Man' Elliston is calling in on the other line, he's racing the 6hrs of Warrior Creek too...toodles sweetie, by the way that red jacket is killing me...

Dave, what's up man?
What's up? Bill, I'll tell you what's up. Warrior Creek is this weekend, I am down to 119lbs, my 26" wheels are clean, and I am hungry for a bit of crush your 'Little Buddy'. Really? Dave, what makes you think that you can actually stay ahead of Dicky?

Did you not listen to anything I just said?

I heard you Dave but could you be a little more specific?

LOOK YOU LITTLE SHIT, TEAM DICKY IS MINE. I HAVE BEEN RIDING NO LESS THAN 550MILES A WEEK SINCE CHRISTMAS, I AM 13 YEARS YOUNGER THAN HE IS, I HAVE NOT SLEPT SINCE LAST TUESDAY, I HAVE PAID MY DUES AND HE BETTER GET OUT OF MY WAY ON THE TRAIL OR I WILL RUN HIM OVER WITH MY SMALLER BUT LIGHTER 26" WHEELS.

Okay Dave, I will pass the message. Can we be FaceBook friends?
CLICK.....ELONGATED DIAL TONE AFTER MY LAST COMMENT CAUSED DAVE TO HANG UP ON ME ABRUPTLY

North America's only Marsupial is not Fast at all....

The other morning on my ride out of Dooleyville a possum(opossum) ambled slowly like an elderly person across the road in front of me. Its pace was slower than Hi Doll's but she is like 92 years old. When the hairy creature made it into the grass I laid my bike down and took out the camera to start the document. This fine specimen of North America's only MARSUPIAL slowly climbed up into the crotch of a what was I believe a Dogwood Tree. I was face to face with this black eyed creature as I hurried to set the white balance. My fumbling around gave the possum a chance to climb higher and the great shot I thought I was going to have was gone. Instead I settled for what you are seeing here as the animal climbed on up to get further away from the big mean man.

Then all of a sudden a tidal wave of thought entered my brain housing Group! A virtual light bulb over my head illuminated the collision of clouds in the brain storm centered in my cerebral cortex. Give me fever so I can cure the sick-Fast Marsupial is contradiction! I cannot believe it took this practical application of synchronicity and observation to make me realize the Fast Marsupial Hypocrisy. But wait, as slow as the Marsupial is, it is fast and strong within the context of which it is applied. This post just keeps getting more interesting as it goes. I hope you have been entertained by the way I figured out that a Fast Marsupial really does not exist except for one reported case in Tennessee.

Slow Marsupial in Dooleyville.

MALL MINUTES

"Mall Minutes", you are saying to yourself. What the hell has gotten into him that he spent 14 hours in the South Park Mall this weekend?? Well, it was the last two days of a project that I gladly agreed to be part of a few weeks ago. The other Rich D. in Charlotte hooked me up with the opportunity to shoot some digital film of the marketing(another one of my favorite things) and promotion of a CMT pilot project. It was a very learning experience to work in a Mall environment with the Pro Team that project leader Jae(not to be confused with the J) put together. Besides all of the cool technical stuff that I did with the cameras I was educated in a few things about the normal folk who spend their weekends Mall Jockeying. I couldn't help it, my conscious was immersed in their realm so I was picking up on it.

Here are just a few of my many observations:

-People have condoms and lanyards for their little bottles of Clorox or 3M Hand Sanitizer. Who makes that product and how many of them are there world wide?

-Some parents yell at their children's intuitive response to not wanting to participate in a corporate marketing scheme. After the verbal it goes physical with arm grabs and negative aggressive posturing. Life is great when a child's intuition is squelched by those they trust at an early age. The real American Energy Crisis rears its ugly head yet again.

-On Sunday more people have on New England Patriot hats than on Saturday.

-People exclaim when they make the realization, "IT's FREE!!"

-Some folks thought the Gator in the Mall on the floor in front of the Back Drop was real, until they focused their eyes.

-The Mall crowd ebbs and flows like the tides of the great oceans.

-Little Johnny is gonna go to commercial.


I made this picture of Mall traffic with my 35mm on the end of a monopod that I borrowed from Rich. Soon I would like to get my own. Rich took this picture of me in Action. The crew made fun of my cuffed 2.50$ Good Will non-fashion approved linen pants. I was an easy target for them to mock but I still have good hair.

Here I am playing my role.

Another 35mm monopod view of an excited human and a fiberglass alligator.

The professional diverse crew that kept the CMT project together. Good work folks!

Self portrait near inland ocean and storm transfer.

Mindy caught in the same storm.

The smiling child is wondering why they told her it was the Easter Bunny when it looks more like the Quick Bunny.

Of the hundreds of participants in this weekend's shoot these two appeared to be the most animated of the lot. Check out the grimacing face of the girl trying to knock the gator out with a little flash light.

The man who put this location site together handling the Gator with ease.

Rich D. at the coast line in Charlotte's nicest Mall.

The Contributing Work of Justin Engel

A few days ago Justin Engel sent me this image that he created in Arlington National Cemetery on a recent trip he took to the DC area. When I pulled the picture up in front of me I could see and feel the artistic quality and historical human emotional transfer. Justin gave me permission to post his composition on my blog and as well answered a few questions that I had about its creation:

1. Where & when exactly were you in Arlington National Cemetery? Could you tell us what we are looking at?

I was in Arlington/DC on March 5, 2010. I went with the UNCC School of Architecture on a 5 day trip to view architecture in Charlottesville @ UVA, Arlington, and DC. This particular image is one that captures a few rows of headstones of those who have sacrificed their lives for us with a large tree in the background that to me represents life.

2. Do you have exposure numbers? -Oh wait, I see them in the digital tray...

Nikon D60 1/250th of a second at F8/film speed 100

3. Can you tell me something in regards to any emotional transfer that you were feeling?

When visiting ANC it was a very humbling experience. I felt a deep sense of gratitude towards those that surrounded me. It was amazing to look around me and think that there were generations upon generations upon generations of people that sacrificed their lives for you and I to live freely. When I came to the point where I captured the photograph I found it very moving to see this great strong tree which seemed to portray the spirits of those whom I was surrounded by; strong, valiant, and in a way to me still alive.

Justin has entered this image in an online contest at JPG Magazine in the new "Heroes" photo challenge. If he receives enough votes his picture may go to print. Click here to give him your vote!

Good work Justin, keep it up!

Mexico v. Iceland 'Futbol' Fiesta in Charlotte

They tied with a final score of 0 to 0. Amazing. Yesterday I got the tip in the late afternoon from St. Lissa that something was going down at Bank of America Stadium. I couldn't help it, I had to go. After locking up my bike off of Mint Street I melded into the crowd of thousands of Spanish Mexican Soccer fans there to support their national team in its game against Iceland. That's right, international soccer came to The Jar yesterday and the outcome was undeniable human transfer. I wish I had had a 4 track digital recorder to capture the sounds that I was hearing. Celebratory Street Music created with drums, horns, tambourines, and voice mouth belting out anthems in happy unison. As I worked through the crowd the energy had to be the most real that I had ever witnessed Uptown in relation to spectator sport. No NASCAR, NFL, NBA or Collegiate Games have ever brought such spiritual vitality to the streets. I caught myself thinking at one point when I could not see anything orientating me to Charlotte that I was in Zona Rosa in Mexico City, a familiar memory of travels past. Okay, enough of my banter onto the images witnessing the most authentic national celebration that I can recall in the Jar.

I saw thousands of Spanish Mexicans partying in the streets cheering for their National Team. After hours of searching I finally found the only Iceland fans in North Carolina, they were happy to oblige me by posing for this picture.

This is image is interesting to me.

While I was crouched down making this picture of the on coming procession someone from the side threw cold water on me. I felt it hit my back, head and equipment. Somehow I could only laugh inside of myself with a feeling of release and memories of freezing water over my head from the dripping Cedar boughs in Tlachichuca at midnight Easter Vigil Mass in 2005.

The Bike Duel that I LOST

My view of Bailey's huge bagged back less than two minutes into the chase. Yesterday after work former ex-courier Jason 'The Red' Bailey of Nordic Scandahoovian descent nonchalantly challenged me to impromptu bike duel. The start of our little two person crit began at the South End Cool & Cool and went roughly 3.4miles to the Rue de Grit near the Plaza. We took off down Tryon with Bailey off the front. Through the big buildings of downtown Jason and his youthful exuberance made a crucial error at one of the lights giving me the chance to take the point with the cunning experience of age. Then him and his long legs blew by me again taking control of our off the cuff bike race across town. Down 7th Street he really started hammering fully excited with the taste of blood as he commenced to break me over his knee. The deeper I reached into my man purse of courage the more apparent my internal organs began to feel. Left on Hawthorne, a quick right on 8th and 'The Red' kept pouring it on. He must have had helium in that orange hipster rear wheel of his because that shit was floating as we turned left onto Pecan with me six bike lengths back and not yet across. The last half mile was a blur as I looked ahead and saw him sit up like a modern day Viking completely satisfied with his victory over the old timer. Jason was an honorable winner and proved it by buying me a tall Vegan Approved Sierra Nevada IPA as a consolation prize for being bitch slapped by him. Cheers.

Small Fire Uptoon

On Friday afternoon a welder left his job on the door frame of Madison's Bar & Lounge on 5th Street near the Hearst Tower across the street from the Corporate Center. Within a few minutes billows of smoke could be seen rising into the air from behind the boards above the door. The Charlotte Fire Department arrived and extinguished the smolder going on inside the street front wall.

Talking Trash Cans-Photographically

I recently found six Charlotte City owned Trash cans strewn behind several hummocky dirt mounds at Renaissance Park off of Tyvola. These can covers appeared to be serviceable. Every day I pass no less than six 3,500$ 'artistic' garbage cans that were put out last spring replacing the old style. This one is at 2120 Central Ave.

These two can covers are at the 3100 block of Central in front of a bus stop. Whatever the collective cost of this trash can schlock art seems to be worth it.

Two blocks up at 3300 Central Ave.

The same block across the street.

3600 Central Ave.

Another two blocks up and the rest of the way out Central we are back to the original less creatively cultivated Garbage cans.

The Charlotte Library is closing half of its branches due to a lack of funds. Imagine that.