Thursday, June 28, 2012

I Really Hate Dongo.org

There, I said it.

For years, that domain has been pointing people toward this blog for no reason at all. There’s no contextual connection between that domain and this one.

In all likelihood, Dongo visitors who land here are disappointed, perhaps even pissed off, and I don’t blame them… I probably would be, too, but it’s not something that I have any control over.

If you landed here in search of vacation properties in southern Europe or Africa and found something completely unexpected… GET ANGRY!  But not at me… go after the webmasters at Dongo.

I don’t even know what their game is, but it’s not mine.  If you got pointed here and liked what you see, you’re welcome to be here, comment, browse, whatever… I’m happy for the accident.

If you landed here from a Dongo link and didn’t like what you found, I encourage you to raise hell with them, because I think you’re in the majority.

I want people to visit this blog because they want to, not because some freakin’ robot pointed them here against anyone’s will but theirs.

With great respect for your choices,

Scott

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Where’s the Gig?

I was looking for a different series of shots and ran across one that I made a few years ago.

It’s not posed.  I don’t know the guy.

But, I’m betting that he showed up less than an hour after this exposure at the appointed venue in Cannon Beach and was playing his heart out not long after that.

Where's the gig?

Thursday, June 14, 2012

I’m Going to be Hurting So Badly!

My Coastie neighbor (I’ll call him Motorboy, since he couldn’t seem to resist anything that burned gas… two-stroke or four, mobile or stationary, it didn’t matter) moved away a couple of years ago. 

His burning need to play with his motors drove him over the bank (literally) to cut back the invaders at the tideline that sprouted up constantly.  In a different world, these shoots would be normal and natural, but now, they support and encourage two offshore invaders, English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberries.

I borrowed my parents’ small chainsaw and took some time off from work (to take advantage of low tide) and took over where Motorboy had left off.  The tangle of canes, vines, and previously-cut branches was incredible, and incredibly clingy… there were times when I thought I could dangle freely from my shirt, the blackberries had such a good grip on me.

Wow, that was WORK!  I had attempted to “go green” last year and use nothing but two handsaws and a machete to get the job done.  I nearly ruined my right shoulder in the process and couldn’t complete the task.  The chainsaw made things easier in some ways, harder in others.

Going back with the chainsaw, I spent at least 20 minutes just getting back to my starting point last year.  That mass grows really fast and with great determination.

I had less than three hours to get the job done, if it was to be a single-day effort.  I got “my” portion of the bank done, but the tide was fast encroaching, so I couldn’t work further west… yet.

Completely soaked with sweat, I retreated to higher ground before the tide had me swimming out.

The left image is from two weeks ago.  The right image is from this evening.

BeforeAndAfter