Remi Noel is today’s featured photographer.  Check out his site.  He has am American ’ Lets take a road trip’ sensibility

Katherine Turczan has very interesting photography and I would encourage readers to spend a bit of time going thru her galleries AND reading her essays.

Thought it would be nice to show case other photographers that I’ve admired.  The first one is Inland West

Mitch Dobrowner has some of the most powerful storm photos.  Consider that many are shot in B&W!

Not my GIF but beautiful it is.

While traveling the back roads of Kansas this album came on.  Perfect backdrop for this trip.  Pat was born in the midwest and is a Leo for anyone that cares.  He’s 10 days older than me so he’s automatically in the Leo Club that I run on the side :)

Besides going to Manhattan , KS to celebrate my sister-in-law getting her PhD I had a chance to goof around in the state. The photos below were captured on Old Highway 24 - this is the same Highway 24 that is seen here in Colorado and is literally where I was born

Also on Highway 24 is the nearly abandoned Nicodemus, KS (pop. 17) which is the first town settled by freed slaves west of the Mississippi .  They were mostly from Kentucky and sold the idea that Nicodemus was a Garden of Eden.  It was anything but.  They were free and could make of their lives what they wanted to.  This was good enough for them. The National Park Service has an installation telling the story of Nicodemus.  The docents are dependents of the original settlers which makes this so much more salient

The next stop was the Air Museum in Liberal , KS.  Many of the planes were owned by a Texan who donated some 50 or 60 planes.  He flew them to the museum himself.

On the way home I stopped in at Gobblers Knob rest stop which was mostly filled with trucks

The main point of going out to Kansas was to celebrate my sister-in-law, Robin getting her PhD in History at Kansas State

A small tempest in a teapot erupted when I pointed out that the mascot and colors of KState are the same as my Alma Mater, Northwestern University

Wildcats and Purple and White.  NU was established 1851 12 years before KState , so I rest my case!

My B-in Law

Some dumpster diving

The Sisterhood of the Horse Cup

Welcome to your life
There’s no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on Mother Nature
Everybody wants to rule the world It’s my own design
It’s my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world There’s a room where the light won’t find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I’ll be right behind you
So glad we’ve almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world I can’t stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you’ll never never never never need it
One headline why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

Leon Bridges - just a great song….. Rap/Jazz

It’s so much more than gathering for a weekend and looking at each other’s rigs.  It really is the people and connections that you make. You meet so many amazing people with a diverse set of skills, stories and personalities.  The help you can get is amazing.

It also helps if you’re a dog person as many folks bring their canine children

Luke has a “bar car”-  a sort of bombed out Airstream that has been converted to a bar - lots of fun.  

Let’s not forget the sites that we get to take in….

I purchased this Automat version the Rolleiflex over 15 years ago.  It is probably 60 years old itself.  I decided to have it refurbished with Harry Fleenor who is legend in this field. I had just finished reading more about Vivian Maier who had done much of her work with a TLR ( twin lens reflex) camera such as the Rolleiflex.  She took amazing shots on the street so I was emboldened to get mine cleaned and updated.  It is not the easiest camera to use compared to today’s cameras.  Even compared to other film cameras this is one that requires preparation and patience.  You have no light meter so you have to use a supplemental one or guess.  It takes 120 film in the 6cm x 6cm format giving you just 12 exposures per roll.  This right there makes you think about every exposure.  That being said you are likely to have a higher ‘hit’ rate than with a modern digital camera.  With digital, so many shots are made simply because we can not because we should.  Getting 120 film processed is also not easy , especially color varieties.  Black and White is not so much a problem is you are used to developing it yourself as I am.  Scanning them is also a process not for the faint of heart.  I have a multiformat scanner that does both 35 mm and 120 so for me at least it is nothing special to get them digitized.  Here are some examples from my first roll.  I shot Tri X at ISO 400 and developed in HC110B

New from Kodak - when was the last time you heard that phrase?  Well this is the new Tax 3200.  I shot it at ISO 1600 and developed for 9:15 in HC110B.

I want to give a two thumbs up for Saal-Digital and their lay flat books.  Just had one published by them and was blown away by the sharpness and professional look.