The pace of walking and cycling encourages us to take in the sights, sounds and smells around us.
This deeper encounter with our environment provides one of the many pleasures
of biking, walking, canoeing and kayaking.
(click photograph for larger view)
Last Tuesday I took a new route/road on the bike.
The way the corn rows appeared in the distance gave me a good excuse to stop and hydrate;
as well as pull out the Leica M8, 40 mm Summicron with B+W 93 Infrared filter.
I keep dragging my journal along on these little cycling jaunts;
thinking I’ll stop ant catch up on their pages; or do a little drawing along with the photography.
Though the journal has never come out of the bag; until last Wednesday.
I took it out of the bag and sat on a chiseled stone bench near the Milwaukee River,
in the courtyard of a church, in Cedarburg.
And while I journaled I saw other photographs to make.
But I didn’t make them. Seems like either / or. One or the other gets slighted.
Yet the Leica M Monochrom and 50 mm Summilux Asph also came out of the bag
just to record the sunlight, falling through the trees, on to the journal.
Quiet sounds of water passing through rocks, the occasional fish jumping for insects,
children and people in the distance, ducks quacking and preening.
Remarkably complex combinations of smells.
Nature’s call had me up and heading for the public restroom at Cedar Creek Park.
Here the water offers more intense sounds as it falls a bit while winding through the park.
This gentleman had more than a little to say about the fishing here. Past. And current.
Apparently you can still catch some good sized Rock Bass. Though not “like it was.”
Thursday’s ride to Grafton had me stopping to photograph the Cedarburg Fire Department Fountain.
A little boy told me I should photograph it on Wednesday. Though it was dry and not running.
As well as a view of the Bike Path Bridge from the East side of the Milwaukee River.
These last three with the Leica M Monochrom and 50 mm Summilux Asph
Saturday had me back at Cedar Creek Park to check out the Wisconsin Women Cycling Event.
Hauled the Leica M, along with Monochrome and M8/IR;
as I expected to see hundreds of bright colored jerseys; and all kinds of bikes.
Though at 3:30 in the afternoon there was not much to see; at all.
There were a few of us with bikes in the park.
Though none of the 100+ “women cyclists” who staged there for the ride to Holy Hill; earlier in the day.
They hired The Rhythm Kings to play for the [non existent] crowds. I enjoyed the music for one set.
Bought and ate a spinach, egg and feta crepe; and 4 dark chocolate turtles for Ann.
Made some photographs; and headed back home.
Tak’n a break.
The Crowd
Sunday morning I drove to Pewaukee
to make some Architectural Photographs for a Real Estate Management Company.
Between AM East Side photography and PM West Side photography I hung out at the Lake.
Stalking plastic owls with the 350 Telyt-R w 2x Apo
Observing Jace and his navigator, Kylee
Then rode the bike trail around the lake. Killer hills; at least for these old legs, lungs and heart.
Looking at 15 miles around the lake. I made it out 5 miles and turned around. Still had work to do.
