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Archive | September, 2013

Bike-hiking and new gear…

By on September 17, 2013 in autumn, beauty, biking, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, stone walls, Uncategorized, working

I have been exploring the island these sunny, warm days.  I have found a couple of small, very rocky and rough beaches on the north side of the bay, facing Syros, north along the coast from the cave of Archilochos.  They are all but inaccessible unless one rides a bike, hikes or has 4-wheel drive.  A few days ago I went back to one of them with the goal of not returning the way I arrived.  From a decent height I could see smaller paths and a narrow road.  I knew I couldn’t bike it, and that I would have to push/carry the bike a certain way uphill, over rocks and walls, before I reached the road.  According to the map, the road wound about until it reached the Delion of Apollo, one of the higher points on the island and an ancient temple site.

So that’s what I did.  I biked down to the beach area, went for a swim, then packed up my panniers (more about them) and pushed the bike up the hill.  There was some real problem solving involving a small gorge, some backtracking, plenty of thorns (shades of Sikinos!) but I eventually made it to the road.  It was a pretty easy ride to the Delion after that and then a downhill ride back to town.  It was only about 8 km but with all the uphill struggle and 15 kilos of bike and gear, I’ll add another few km to that count.  A nice day, and fun.

I bought panniers for the bike.  Now I don’t have to wear a day-pack anymore.  This was making me top-heavy.  The center of gravity has been lowered and I am finding them convenient and efficient.  Below are four incarnations of my current mode of transport.  There is enough room for all kinds of gear.

Beach Bike

Beach Bike

Mountain bike

Mountain bike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking bike

Hiking bike

Shopping bike

Shopping bike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JDCM

Windy Monday…

By on September 9, 2013 in autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, working

The sun was brilliant today and the Meltemi had a decidedly autumnal feel.  It has howled all day, and continues the howl through the tangle of electrical lines crisscrossing the small section of Paroikia I call home.  The cypress trees whip back and forth and Bougainvillea blossoms, free from their thorny moorings, sail their over-saturated colors into my small apartment.

It is Monday, September 9, 2013 and I have taken down my exhibit.  I have enjoyed the three-week long event.  I think of my images differently than when I hung them.  What was once ‘Giorgos and Giorgos‘ I refer to as ‘Don Quixote and Sancho Panza‘; ‘Erin‘ is now ‘The Vermeer Photograph’; ‘Angelika‘ I think of as ‘The Abstract Realist.’   Things change, the Earth tilts and wobbles, the days shorten, the air cools and we slide into bright autumn.  I can almost smell the rain, but I know that is just an illusion.

Now I am filled with melancholia, ennui, a sense of emptiness.  As I write this at Mikro Kafe I realize that in an hour there will be no need for me to open up the Aegean Center, turn on the lights and arrange the easeled sign outside on the marble steps.  All of that is past.  My portraits are safely in their crate, currently a large piece of furniture in my flat.  The sign, too, is there, tucked behind a bookcase.

I have little choice but to get back to work.  That is the best way to shake off these ghosts.

JDCM

The reward of September…

By on September 4, 2013 in autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, quiet islands, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

 

Blue Menu #1

Blue Menu #1

 

August is past and July is a memory.  The streets of Paroikia are no longer mobbed with summer tourists.  The groups of families have departed, returning to their homes.  The weather is lovely,warm and sunny–breezy and cooler at night.  The beaches are quiet, all but deserted.  The wind is from the north, about Force 5, gusting to 6, which is about 33 to 38 km.  This made for a nice headwind as I rode my usual 11.5 km out to a beach on the northern part of the island today.  I was alone for a solid hour until a couple walked onto the sand.  I swam, read my book, and left in no particular hurry.  I had a tailwind all the way back to town.

I am still very pleased with my exhibit.  I take it down in a few days and put it away.  It has been a good run.  I have had excellent conversations with other photographers about the craft as well as people wanting to know more about the Aegean Center.  I feel my work spoke for itself.

So for all of our industry and patience during the summer months, those of us on Paros are presented with the reward of September.

JDCM