Motile Meditation

 "Meditation in the midst of activity is far superior to meditation in stillness"

                                                                                               - Hakuin Ekaku 

Axis Mundi

Early dawn breaking over "the ridge" - in several aspects the veritable apotheosis of our early AM "under big sky" cycling route. Reaching enlightenment "not through learning, but by unlearning of all preconceived notions of life and reality".

Antarctic Nazis Are Back!

 FROM EDGE OF THE EARTH OCEAN DEPTHS TO THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON!

SEE... Giant creatures born of the beginning of time battle mechanical Nazi horrors spawned of the atomic age!

SEE... Daring aerial Ace play airborne jet-speed tag with monstrous flying beast!

SEE... Mysterious remote island destroyed in fiery nuclear annihilation!

DARE YOU LOOK INSIDE... HERDEGEN'S LOCKER?!!

'Commander Herdegen's Locker - Chapter III, Phantom Island Thompson' 

Running Time: 11min (Approx.)

Lots of fun producing this third installment of the continuing saga of Commander Herdegen's Locker. Is a bit of a challenging light narrative while limiting ourselves to under twelve minutes running time. Sort of an old Castle Films film short style 'one reeler', with narrative excerpted from not a full length feature, but here from a full length work-in-progress spec script.

Other than keyed computer-processed compositing,  this is all stop motion model and miniature prop work. As for the 'creatures', we like to give 'em an old school bit of caricature-type appearance.

Disclaimer:

Music and sound effects we acquired from Pond 5 with licensing. We don't even look anywhere else anymore beyond those guys. They have quite the library. A background plate or two we obtained on-line from content tagged royalty free. All work is "experimental" for on-line/private viewing only. No monetary compensation is involved. Mainly honing our stop motion skills.

Many thanks to our beautiful and talented actress. She's not really a Nazi jet fighter pilot - she just plays one in the movies.

Here's Chapters I and II (descending order) to save ya' from searchin', if interested:

'Commander Herdegen's Locker - Chapter II, Professor Trygg'

Running Time: 10 min (Approx.)

---------------

'Commander Herdegen's Locker'

Running Time: 12min (Approx.)

---------------

(Internet Image)

Antarctic Nazis will return!

Memorial Day 2024: Ol' Pop

No shortage of WWII veteran influence being a kid growin' up back on the 60's. Nearly every guy over thirty-five years old had served in one unit of service or another. That meant practically every Dad, uncle, schoolteacher, shopkeeper, mailman, ball coach... you name it. Except amongst themselves (we assume) not one ever mentioned a word of the experience. On rare occasion (usually after over indulging a few too many Schlitz or Black Labels) one may sentiment over the friendship or bravery of a buddy who never made it back, but that was it. Nearly all shared an integrity nearly unknown in the current times. 

SSgt Pop, US Army Air Corps, WWII

We're guessin' around 18 - 20 years old

Finally of age to acquire a PA hunting license. That meant acquiring a first shotgun. Received a new single shot, breach load, full choke .410 gauge H&R Topper model. Man - was expectin' at least a 16 gauge slide action. This was a toy compared to all the neighborhood buddies 12, 16 and 20 gauge side by side, over and under and pump actions. Was hesitant to show it to 'em, knowing that they'd scoff at such, which they did (except when in the presence of Pop). No big deal. They're all older guys, so got picked on a lot anyway - was used to the harassment. First year out, and for the time bein' was only allowed to hunt with Pop anyway until thoroughly having undergone his training. And there was method behind his selection of the .410. 

(Internet Image)

Harrington & Richardson Topper

Pop hunted a 1940's era Winchester Model (19)12. Internal hammer, 12 gauge. Think it was a six shot magazine. Same model as his preferred service arm. Keep the trigger depressed between rounds and you could "rack fire" almost like an automatic. Came to quickly realize that he was lightening fast and deadly with that thing. First day of small game and we're not long off into the field when two cottontails broke side by side then split reverse direction probably forty-five degrees. He rapid fired off two shots dropping both, all before I even shouldered the Topper (or even realized what was goin' on for that matter). Immediately impressed on my part. He followed up with two quick ringneck kills. All before our first pass the length of the small pasture - and I'd had yet to get a shot off.

(Internet Image)

Early 'Winchester Model 12' magazine ad

He wound up shootin' more game that first morning than I did all that first season. And there was plenty of quarry back then. Eventually sensing a bit of frustration coming from my direction, he scheduled more squirrel hunting than usual, which was more forgiving to a slow on the draw kid. All throughout he never suggested another firearm on my part, despite my repeated motion to such, which always went ignored. 

Inexplicably, after much "trial and tribulation", one day everything just gelled as if all happened overnight. Had finally become pretty proficient with that single shot. First time out with the buddies the scoffs shortly became silent. Was matchin' 'em each shot for shot.  

Eventually pop got us a Beagle pup, which, through patience and a bit additional trial and tribulation, we trained into being a pretty good gun dog. Every third house on the block had a hound dog or a few penned up in the back yard. Got her from a neighbors litter, who was also a hunting buddy. Frequently being able to let her run with her seasoned rabbit hound mother quickened that learning curve.

Received Pop's '50's era Winchester .30-30 lever rifle as a pass along for PA deer. He stuck with the Model 12 chambering 12 gauge "pun'kin ball" slugs for the same. Mention pun'kin ball now'days and most will have no clue as to what you're talking about. Conversely, guys weren't runnin' around heavily store bought as well. Camouflage, scoped high-powered rifles and such were for the bad guys (Roy Rogers -  'Springtime in the Sierras' - must of seen it 50 times). Besides, the "krauts" frequently wore camouflage - so not wise to be runnin' around the woods decked as such should you shock one of the former European front boys to temporarily forget where they're at. 

Somewhere in India - SSgt Pop out savin' the world

We're bettin' that frequently lookin' down the opposite end of an Axis gunsight improves your speed and aim as well

---------------

(Internet Image)

Living The Infinite Way

 "We are all spiritual beings having a human experience"

                                                                 - Lenny Kravitz

(Internet Image)

Caught some early morning talk show on the tube a few weeks back. The panel happened to be bustin' on rocker Lenny Kravitz while screening a short clip of 'em in the gym workin' out attired in leather pants, mesh shirt and boots. Not one mention of the routine he was crankin' out - incline sit ups incorporating barbell pullovers and overhead presses. Appeared to have some serious weight on the bar ta' boot. Looked tough if just an empty bar.

(Internet Image)

Also didn't mention that the man is a remarkably buffed sixty years old.

F*k 'em, Lenny

Definitely some Zeppelin and Hendrix influence:

(YouTube Video)

Orchestrates some brilliant horn arrangements ta' boot:

(YouTube Video)

Encore - puttin' it all together:

(YouTube Video)

A modern Maestro

Shadow Casting

 "So, we didn't receive any brook trout this year. We always stocked 'em in the past, but everyone always says that they never catch 'em... wonder where they go!?"

"That's strange - that's all I ever catch - that and a few rainbows."

"Where've you been fishin'?"

"Xxxx and xxxx... you gotta' fish the abrupt and deep shoreline drops... shadowed tree line cover... all the better if foam lined... best late dawn or early dusk, out of the direct sunlight of day... know just where to go."

Receive a "you're full of sh*t" stare.

We're conversing while overlooking the first batch of a roughly 1,500 count mix of rainbow, brown and palomino trout within the newly constructed, under roof raceway-style pond. The fish form three large shoals, preferring the shaded ambient daylight over the direct afternoon sunlight casting down thru the intermittent roof system sky lighting. 

A bit of a study - note how the fish avoid the sunlit portions of the raceway during periods of direct sunlight. They're just fine when cloud cover (around 800lux/75fc - when feeding, we toted a light meter out one day out of curiosity - tell us we ain't got nothing better ta' do). We annotated the red break line for clarity.

What Not: A Favorite Climbing Photo; Divers; Iron Men

I asked three bricklayers what they were doing 

The first said laying some bricks

The second said making some money

The third said helping to erect a great building

                                                - Unknown

---------------

Go big or stick to the day job...

A few years back we were contacted by an individual asking if we had any "favorite" climbing images we'd like to contribute to a publication of some sort that they were workin' on. Never specified that they had to be one of ours.

"Sure!"

Sent 'em this, un-captioned and unexplained - 

Image©️Royal Robbins - Spirit of the Age, 1998, Pat Ament/Author, Stackpole Books/Publisher

Imagine the forgone life this guy (left) would have had, had he succumbed to this shitty clerk job at the local bank

Subsequently, never received a response regarding our submittal

---------------

While rummaging thru the archives we came across an old disc of a few assorted images from the day job:

On a mission

"Spec-Op" lock & dam project - operation classified

One of the boys hard at work

---

Bridge inspection

---

Preppin' a sectional mini-barge, then out on the lake

---

Always interesting work when the divers are involved...

Divers puttin' in steady four hour split-shifts, zero visibility, vacuum-dredging a silted up gatehouse at a lake dam for later inspection

After nearly an hour and a half negotiating the final five miles of inbound city gridlock, breaking dawn finds us arriving at the next job situated along Pittsburgh's north shore riverbank. We're scheduled to meet (recently departed) Bob Brown, owner of Three Rivers Diving. Zero hour 7am. Bob's small barge is moored shoreline. We're lookin' about. No Bob. Must have run out to get himself a coffee. We settle back and watch the bumper to bumper rush hour congestion creeping snail pace along the West End Bridge, maybe a hundred feet over-spanning the Ohio River. It's mid-summer and shaping up weather-wise to be a good day out on the water. Great way to get paid. An early morning misty fog is limiting visibility downriver from our vantage point to just past the bridge span. Maybe a quarter mile. Ten minutes out and the rush hour resound is penetrated by the distant droning of a four-stroke Evinrude outboard. A 20ft aluminum workskiff penetrates the mist and a smilin' Bob motors upriver and docks... "I brought the barge up last night!"

F*k that - no traffic jams for Bob.

---

Commute isn't always settin' in traffic

---

A simple rig we came up with for assisting with structural inspection and testing at Pittsburgh's (then named) Heinz Field.

---

We're gonna' have to locate a disk that we know we have of a few steel erection projects...

Prince Georges, County, Md. Early AM. The ironworkers are gearin' up for another day of settin' structural steel for framing a new "modern-style" church building. Erection is complete up to roof level. One of the two guys settin' high steel for the day is workin' his way nonchalantly up the flange of a 1:1 pitch hip rafter framing the church "steeple". Probably 60ft off the ground floor. He's got a 50ft coil of air hose slung over the right shoulder counter-weighting the 20lb air impact wrench he's carryin' left hand.

Same crew, another project. We're ground level checkin' the plumb tolerance of a few steel columns. Hear someone calling out to get our attention. Look left, right, then all around. Where is he? Look up. Two floors above our caller is perched mid-span along the three-inch flange of an open-web steel floor joist. Until "buttoned up", a bit deflecting framing member to say the least. Hunched waist over, hands on knees. Comfortable as if standin' on a four foot sidewalk. 

For all the "mountain climbing" that we did, will have to admit that we never really got comfortable the (infrequent) times we had to follow those ironworkers around above the floor decking. Is quite a difference being anchored to a rope on a cliff face and having only to focus on ascent as opposed to balancing (then) untethered along narrow beams while prioritized with concentrating on the job at hand. Hard men those guys. 

---

Drivin' into the shop and notice that the guys have cordoned a small, maybe 12' x 12', section of the equipment yard off with four corner spaced traffic cones and caution tape. Not a convenient spot, either, for negotiating 25ft trailers, mobile drills and heavy equipment access to the shop bay door. What the f*k did they do now, kill somebody?

"Hey - what's up with the traffic cones!?"

"A Killdeer laid four eggs right there in the gravel!!"

As Killdeers do - those guys aren't so tough and menacing as they let on.

Western Pennsylvania Ice IV (Cinema Part 14)

Final chapter in our early '00's "ice fest" quadrilogy. On the whole a collection of film shorts that were later "dissected" from the lot, some re-worked, for individual uploading to the former website. Most we've previously posted herein in one form or another - Tim and Laura on 'Internet Connection' - Tim and Doyle on 'The Sick-le' - Griz and Brint's brilliant master class in "ice craft" with their on sight FA of 'The Beast', interspersed with selected clips of assorted "constituents of the order" of the time:

'Western Pennsylvania Ice IV' - 2007

Running Time - 38min (Approx.)

Seeing the big picture. Was always drawn to the "time capsule" aspect of photography. Don't exactly recall where we read this quote. A comment from a "first contact" primitive Amazonian tribesman (or something like that) after viewing his polaroid image for the first time... "I shall never die"