efromm's photo blog...

Saturday Morning…

efromm — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:02:49 +0000

Went for a quick drive this morning to get some photos. I got some!! Enjoy…

It’s A Boy…

efromm — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:31:46 +0000

We went to the doctor for an ultrasound and got the news! It’s a boy! Totally happy about it too…

The Last Photos Of Me On The Xr…

efromm — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:34:38 +0000

I dug up some photos of me on my trusty steed. They are a little blurry. The light was not right and the bike moves fast. Faster than you think. Until you ride one you have no idea. This bike hauled ass period. And if you had it pointed in the wrong direction you were in trouble. So now for some blurry but fun photos of me.

I could wheelie this bike like no other. I loved doing it all the time. SO much so that my Dad was used to seeing me lifting it up all the time. I did it every where I could. Man I miss that feeling of being on the back tire going fast…

That roost is nothing coming from the back tire. My tire was bald from all the riding. If that was a new tire the dirt would be hitting the fence and be three feet high, No joke! It could hurl rocks for 30 ft. I know cause I ate some from my Dads 650r…

I won’t forget my times on this bike. I had it a long time. And it was a part of me. It’s one of the things I gave up to be here now. One of the things I hope I can do again some day. I always wanted a nice dirt bike. When I was a kid that is what I wanted most of all. I always had a thing for motorcycles. Most of my life I have had at least one in my garage. I really like riding in the dirt. You can go so many places that you just can’t get to walking. Sure hiking is fun. But there is nothing like the thrill of riding through the trees and smelling the air at speed. Feeling the temperature change on your face as you round a dark bend. Dirt biking is something I promise myself I will do again…

Missing…

efromm — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:59:39 +0000

It’s hard to look at what I do not have anymore. I was looking at my photos of me riding my dirt bike. I only have a few of them. That’s because I mostly am behind the camera. So the photo’s that I do have are few. I miss my 650r. I know it sounds weird but i do. I spent a lot of time on that bike and with it. It was like my horse. I knew what it could do and would do. We were companions on many rides together. I enjoyed all my rides on that bike. Countless hours were spent up in the fire tower because of my bike. And now I have nothing. No more wheelies. No more crisp early morning rides. No more snow rides too. Nothing but a memory and a hole where it used to be in my garage. I still have the stand I made for it. It holds my tool box now. It used to support my trusty steed. Now it is just another reminder of what I no longer have…

Winchester Virginia Photo Walk…

efromm — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:55:28 +0000

After my sunrise photos I headed into Winchester Va for a walk around. I have lived here 3 months now and I have not really explored the place yet. So today was the day. The light was not what I wanted it to be so I made the best of it.

The name says it all. Apparently he used to live in Winchester..

Well that was it for George. I headed around town to see what else I could see.

As I passed Georges old office I spied the shutters so I had to take some photos of them.

This squirrel and I got acquainted. I wondered if his family lived here all the way back to the 1700′s and beyond. We had a nice conversation then he leaped into another tree with the greatest of ease. I walked on.

Wolfe Street…

An old guitar caught my eye. I gotta go back and have a look at it…

Fire House!!

I laid in the street to get this. Passers by looked at me strangely…

I love the color of this building…

The oak caught my eye. It’s quarter sawn. So beautiful.

The door knob is cool too. I love the old stuff…

The carving on the door was very cool…

This photo is not very straight. I need to work on it in photoshop. I felt bad taking a photo of them in church so I snapped it quickly then walked away. So that is why it’s off center. lol…

The old barber shop looked inviting with it’s Christmas tree all lit up..

Calling Dr Love. I guess he is not in.

Dr Love’s railing…

And a photo of the steps to his porch. I wonder who went there in there time of need. Was he a good doctor?

This lens caught my eye…

I wonder how well it shoots film…

I saw this hole in a wall for a 3 inch pipe so I decided to have a look…

My three favorites all in one place! $6 bucks gets you in to look at fossils…

I made a big circle and saw a few more George photos I forgot so I took some more.

I had a great day taking photos. I will definitely be back for some more photo taking. When the Christmas lights go up I bet everything will look great. Next time I will take some night photos….

Out Of The Slump…

efromm — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:08:48 +0000

I have been in a bit of a slump lately. Today I decided to do something about it. So when I woke up at five am I got my camera gear together and got ready to watch the sunrise. I knew a field and some trees that I pass everyday on my way to work so I grabbed my stuff and headed out to take some photos and this is what I saw…

That was my first stop of the day. It was nice to be outside again watching the beautiful sunrise. It definitely lifted my spirits. Although they were already pretty high. I have been in a very good mood this week. I finished up taking photos here and headed into Winchester Va…

What To Do?

efromm — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:02:27 +0000

I have been doing a lot of complaining lately. And a lot of review. It’s a part of being unhappy. The old phrase you don’t know what you got until it is gone has been resonating with me a lot lately. And I am remembering what I had. And I want it back! Problem is I am too far away to ever return. So my only option is to move forward. I am not sure what I am going to do though. M energy has been zapped by work. And most nights I am to tired to do anything. And on the weekend all I wanna do is sit around. The loss of my energy is confounding. And I feel as if it will never come back.

So I have been looking at photos of the things that made my life. It makes me a little sad to see them. It also makes me happy to know I had them. I put a lot of energy into the things I had. Unlike others that just collected things I used everything I owned. I put in the effort to enjoy them. What bothers me is that I know that I will never be able to do what I did again. Those days are gone. I have hit the first real phase of getting old. I have become someone I do not know. And I do not know who I am anymore. I used to know. Now I am lost in it all.

I lost the flame. And I am not sure how to relight it. I have been trying to figure out a way. And maybe the answer is right in front of me. But I am just too tired to see it right now. I am sure I will. I always do.

Absent…

efromm — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:34:31 +0000

I have been absent. I realize that. I am feeling a depression. It’s one that try as I may I cannot control. At times I am happy and most of the time it’s a sadness. It’s a longing. A missing of myself. And a searching for what my new self will become. I have gotten rid of everything that made me who I am. I still carry the memories. They are a part of me. Although they are nothing more than my past. A part of myself that is forever gone. A place I do not intend to revisit.

I feel worthless and lost in my new home. I feel less than I am. I am here alone. Even-though I have my family with me. They cannot understand me. And my efforts to make them make it worse. So these feelings stay with me. Some days I cry in frustration. I feel the urge to give it all up. Some days I wish I had nothing at all. I feel that I have nothing to look forward too. My time is spent figuring these things out to no avail. I have lost my desires. I no longer aspire to write my book. I put my camera down. And my creativity is gone. I feel as if I am just going through the motions of life.

This last week I gave of myself. I worked with a man from Mexico who barely spoke English. I shared my lunch with him. And the next day bought him a cup of coffee. I tried to communicate with him as best I could. I made a friend out of him. It made me happy for awhile. Although I don’t believe that I should feel good. Those things I am supposed to do. That’s being human. As I walked out of the building to get a crescent wrench. A woman yelled to me “please don’t step on the bird!” As I looked down I saw a beautiful little bird with yellow stripes on it’s head and body. It was just sitting on the ground. So I reached down and touched it’s head. It did not move. It was alive it looked at me. I spoke to it softly and gently picked it up into my hand. I carried it over to an elevated flower planter and gently placed it next to some yellow flowers. I petted it’s head again with my finger and spoke to it. And then walked away.

A woman who was an interior designer and who had rode down with me and another woman and the job foreman said to me. That was a very gentle thing for such a big and strong guy to do. I told her that it’s always the big men who are the softest. We just seem rough because life made us this way. But inside we are very soft for the little things in life. When I returned from my car I checked on my little friend. He was still there. Eyes closed. I gently stroked him with my index finger. His eyes opened up and he looked at me. I asked him how he was doing and wished him well. Promising to take him home if he was still there after work. I thought about that little bird as I finished my work day. When I got done with work he was gone…

Pipes…

efromm — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:27:19 +0000

Been buying pipes at the flea market and restoring them lately. Got quite a few nice ones for very little money. Sure smoking is bad. But I also wonder why people get so upset about it. I am going to die. Nothing I do will prevent it. Why would I want to be in a world with so many judgmental people anyways? Sticking their noses into my business? This whole anti smoking thing has went too far. If I judged you like you judge me you would not like it. Peoples poor driving habits are worse than my pipe tobacco. And they kill you right now. Or mame you. Name one person who dropped dead right on the spot from smoking one single cigarette. They have’nt. But I can name you a lot of people who have died because someone else was being careless behind the wheel. They need photographs of peoples heads smashed in, in car accidents printed on your car with a warning label that driving kills. Fair is fair…

Spades Mountain Fire Tower 2009 The Last Trip…

efromm — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:39:45 +0000

October 8th 2009

At the time I did not realize that this was my last trip up. But it was. I had been so busy working on my friends furniture that I had no time to go up. I had been spending a lot of time making his china hutch. I was making it out of rustic hickory. And I was filling every crack and void with epoxy. And that takes a lot of time. I was working on it until at least 10 pm for over a week. Sometimes later. Actually a lot of times later. And I still had to spray it with lacquer when I was done building it. I was making it after work. I had to do my regular job and then start on his project.

I ended up putting over 80 hours into it. And when I figured up the final price it was over $6000. He paid $2700 for the bike I was trading for. And I ended up fixing it up just as I had done on the last one. He was at the shop on this day. My cousin Bob was there too. Thank God for him! He kept me away from my friend. I could sense that my friend knew that he was stealing from me. I could see it in his eyes and his actions that day. He kept asking me to go for a ride with him. He wanted me to take him up to the fire tower. I hesitantly agreed. I really did not want to go at all really. The kicker was when he invited his wife to come along. I was hoping to talk to him about the hutch up there. Now that would be impossible.

I get my gear on and start my bike. He is riding a brand new bike. About $9000 worth of a brand new bike. So that irritates me. We head out for Spades and I ride like a man possessed. Every time I can I am hauling butt. Sliding through turns and riding way too fast. I wait for them but he tries to hang with me which pushes me even harder. We get to the tower in short order. I really want to just get this over with. Go up there and then get home as fast as I can.

It’s a year and one day since Matt and I made our last trip up and that is on my mind. My friend is walking up slowly. So I beat him to the top. I take out my camera and start taking photos. He has bought a new dslr too and is taking photos too. Always in competition with me he is trying to take the same photos that I am. Trying to get from me anything I am willing to help him with. But not today. I won’t let it happen. I purposely take no photos with him in them. I don’t want any proof that we were together on this day.

He is in this photo. I make it so I cannot see him. He is in the corner to the right. I use the window frames to block him out.

We are there only for a short time. He heads down before I do. So I take the time to take a few photos alone. This is the last flight of stairs from the top. I sit down and take a photo.

I turn to my right and take this photo of the inside of the tower. Then I slowly make my way down with my camera in hand.

I take this last photo from the stair case then I put my camera away. I don’t want to drop it on my last decent down the broken stairs. We head for home. I decide to take a different route for home. As we get to the end of the trail there is a little hill. I jump over it on my bike but not too high. I have my camera gear on my back and I don’t want to crash with my tripod and camera on. He is waiting for me there and wants me to do it again so he can take a photograph. The lighting is bad and I tell him no. But he keeps on me to do it again. I tell him I really do not want too. But he insists so I turn around and ride back over the mound. I hit the mound in third gear. And jump about 6ft in the air. My bike goes over to the right a little. And he is on one knee and I am heading straight for him in the air. I throw my bike to the left and when I land I crash hard onto my shoulder.

The pain is almost instant. I landed on some rocks. My knee is hurting too. I am worried about my camera but it is fine protected in its soft case. I pick my bike up pissed off. I knew better than to jump it again. He asks if I am okay. I start my bike and tell him let’s go. I ride home in agony. I don’t really look at him as I ride home. We get to my shop and he loads his bikes up and he goes to his wife’s parents house. That’s right he has family here. My next door neighbor at my business is his father in law. It’s how we met. Anyhow he could have stayed with them at any time over the years but he would rather invade me in my trailer. Now that his wife is here he goes home with her.

The next day he comes for his Hutch. Bob helps him get it loaded in his truck. I am feeling sick and my body is hurting. While I am up in my shop he drives off with his Hutch and avoids my wrath. I talk to him later. I tell him to leave me alone for a while and hang up on him. He calls me back and I have had it with him. So I let him have years of bottled up anger against him. He keeps trying to convince me that I am wrong about him. I know I am not and I tell him to never call me again. The friendship is over.

That was the last trip to the tower for 2009. I never made it back up there. And my last memory of going there that year was one filled with resentment. I wish I could have gotten one more in that year but it was not meant to be. My shoulder was messed up for months after that wreck. I went to the doctor a few times and the chiropractor. It took about six months for it to completely heal. It ended my riding year that year. So I worked on my bike through the winter and got it ready for next years fire tower rides….