Evening Porsche Drive

    Needing to do a little work for a friend in the country with no equipment needed to speak of, it seemed a perfect opportunity to take the long ignored 1983 Porsche 944 for a stretch of the legs. I can not remember the last time we went past the city limits so a drive of more than an hour into the Texas countryside was a welcome change of pace. The fact that we were preceding what has been predicted to be the equivalent to Snow-magedon just made it that much better. 

   I really did not expect to enjoy a jaunt down country roads in a nearly forty year old car to be so thrilling but I presume that is the benefit of having a badge from Zuffenhausen on the hood. The feel of a non assisted steering rack may be a little heavy in a parking lot but on the open road it is visceral, making the inputs to balance a bit of power oversteer at the rear sublime. 

  So now I sit in a warm house with a cold rain slowly turning to freezing rain falling outside, and I am content in the thought that the next warm day I can zip out of the garage and take mom's car out for another dash.

Blustery Spring Winds

  With the full flow of spring weather in Texas, the atmosphere starts to change. The days get warm with the strong on shore flow of breezes coming from the gulf of Mexico. Preceding cold fronts those winds become really powerful, trees loose limbs, sheds jettison roofs but I tend to run to the nearest body of water to get a few thrills on either a kite or with my old standby windsurfer. Yesterday made for a really good day of it, gusts to near 50 miles an hour and warm temperatures so I opted for the windsurfer. No work to interfere so I got a chance to try out a boom mount for a camera while I blasted a quick ride. Now that is what I call a board meeting.

Checking the alignment.

Lucky sun flare timing a big wave.

Timing a jump with a five second timer takes luck.

Still have a blast just making turns at speed.

Big Bend Roadtrip

  Went on a little jaunt to West Texas to visit the Big Bend in the Rio Grande River which became a National Park in 1944. A vast desert landscape surrounding a basin of high mountains reaching 7,832 feet at the top of Emory Peak. The river leaders thru canyons and vast planes defining the border between the United States and Mexico. It looks nothing like the Texas that is portrayed in films about the wild west but the area is the epitome of what a wild landscape truly is.

The vagabond travelers hide from the sun as they enter the park.

Looking towards the mountains of the park from Santa Elena Canyon.

Patty fords the Rio Grande. 

The entrance to Boquillas Canyon.

The view from the tunnel as you defend to Boquillas Canyon.

Kim enjoying a respite in the Castolon campground.

A Tribute to my Teacher

  For the fall fashion spread in 360 West magazine we were trying to come up with a  concept and location to shoot at. Hot weather, warm fall clothes, modern styles made for all kinds of bad combinations. During a meeting I mentioned a post modern house that I had passed numerous times on bike rides. It had a Frank Lloyd Wright feel, tucked in the woods away from a quiet street. Empty, it had recently been listed with a real estate firm so it was at least possible.
  After some more discussion it was decided that it would be perfect. Propped with some modern furniture in a sparse way it would give a gorgeous background to make the cloths stand out. It really had some potential to look different.
  Some last minute scheduling problems meant I had no idea about the model or her look. She shows up with a really short haircut, gorgeous alabaster skin and really dark accents. Really dramatic stuff that lent itself perfectly to the environment we had chosen.
  As we got busy, the pics were looking great. The classic Alfa Romeo under the carport looked perfect. All along we were amazed at how different the environment felt, especially in the middle of a city in Texas. It could have been the hills of northern California or suburbs of Illinois, woods of Vermont even but not here. Asking about the history of the house, a neighbor mentions that she took art classes from the former owner in her studio. A gorgeous added section with a wall of windows looking on the trees all around.
  When she mentioned her name a chill rose up my spin. Helen Sylvestri, the first art teacher my brother and I ever had. She was a fixture in the art community. With an eye for seeing artistic talent in the very young and the ability to draw it out and help it flourish. She became a mentor to us both.
  Though my brother passed long ago, and I stopped using a brush and pencil for a much more mechanical device. The vision and senseof compositoon that she taught still comes out in my work everyday. As I looked at the images during editing, the similarities between our model and a younger Helen was uncanny. It was just a reincarnation of her style and glamour.
   I had known that she had passed a few years ago, but seeing those images brought memories of her rushing back. The last time I saw her we had passed at a local store and spoke for a brief moment. I failed to tell her that I really appreciated all that she did for me. Mrs. Sylvestri, thank you for all you instilled in every one us even if we failed to tell you while you were here. You were one of those teachers that really made a difference.

Frozen Toes

When it is the middle of summer, a 100 degrees and my brain is frying. There is not even a whisper of wind and the sun is burning everything to a crisp, withered stalk I need to remember days like Monday in December.

Seventy five degrees, a nice breeze blowing and my toes are freezing even with a 5 mil wetsuit on. That is when I actually get to go ride my kite board.

I saw this from a slightly different perspective since my buddy Guy Witherspoon was shooting and I was the one getting the frozen toes and dizzy from all the spinning.

Board Shorts

Ahhh! Temperatures are in the 80's, the wind is blowing a little. Perfect to get to the lake and do some kiteboarding. Guy, Justin, Mike and Jordan met at Benbrook Lake near Fort Worth, Texas for a session of big jumps, spins, flips and rolls.

Have to take advantage of the conditions before the summer doldrums show up and put an end to all the fun.