Stoked

Stoked, a photo by hold fast! on Flickr.

Stoked

Irene, earthquakes and a new camera

Thats whats been going on around here lately, supposed to get some from the hurricane this saturday, had an earthquake a few days ago in VA that we could feel down here. Also my awesome wife got us, we, me a new camera so im stoked, getting into taking pictures even more focusing more on takin shots that i wouldn't before.

We took a trip over to greenville this past weekend and did some exploring and train documentation, saw some old rambler's a few Conrail Twittys, and a some fresh squirrels ;) . It was a blast heard something running through the bushes that i didn't see but it scared me to death, being only a fence away from g-ville's tough backstreets it wasn't cool to hear things running in your direction while your standing around by yourself with a shiny new camera, lucky it didn't see me either and we made it back safely.

I still have to put some pics up so stay tuned for updates also check out my flickr for all train related photos by clicking the link on the side of the page>>>>

I will keep you updated on this hurricane.....

highball,

yo get into it

"we hope there is solution in these days so we wait for new ideas to get us away. where to start. where to break and let go. where to move. where to look and where to grow. covered in blanket statements try to break free again and again. we move past these empty walls. start to look for our connections to get us through someday soon. always remember to send out the glowing praises as we look to attempt to get out of these boxes. we need to get out of these boxes. we'll break away one of these days and tell ourselves there are no connections to these screens"

...been a long time since a post....Felt like i been to busy to write me thoughts a second time, one should be good enough i write in a journal about everyday things drawings pics, that's what i like about writing in that its way more personal and you can do whatever you want in it paste pics draw creatures attach letters from my flickr peeps...etc i guess you can do a lot of that on the Internet but it just doesn't have that same feel that a pages have after you write on them the feel of old ink on paper you can't beat it, my monitor is flat and boring my journal is road worn and tells a story by its self....guess thats my excuse for not writing in 2 months ha ha

Just got back from an awesome trip to MD to see family and brand new baby nephew Dalton. What a great time its a shame the weekends only 2 days, why did we do that to our selves, why couldn't we have worked 2 days and had off 5 days...really what are we doing...

remember when time was all we had?

30 seconds of hate....

Why do you have to pull out in front of me when theres nobody behind me for miles, then you speed up only to turn at the next street light.
Seriously, i don't care how fast your mustang is!!

Week is going good so far I'm still breathing, mason is doing great, he had a blast at music fest loves seeing the bands play, I got to see alot of people i don't normally get to see bands and friends! Wanted to take boat out this weekend with the Fam however boat has been in the barn all winter and half of summer last year so she needs a lil work hoping to get it ready for this weekend its supposed to be sunny and hot!! My father had a birthday the other day and got to go to a nascar race at Dover (monster mile) pretty happy for him to get to see one i haven't been in a few years now its something that every one should experience in their life, just a good time all around, even better if you are camping!!

Speaking of Camping i want to start planning for a camping trip this summer for the boys, we started a "Man-cation" two years back in the fall, went camping in Nutbush, NC ha ha, was cool had some good buddy's from Maryland meet me there, went up by myself, nobody here wanted to do it. Last year i drove up to Ocean City Md, for a car show same crowd from camping trip was good too, this year need to find somewhere good and in the middle so we all have equal driving distance. Ill keep ya posted.

Over and Out,


class of 52' BFT



Beaufort Music Festival

Got some good music coming to Beaufort this weekend for the 23rd Beaufort Music Fest!! Glad to see that Justin Townes Earle is headlining (Saturday) and Chatham County Line on Friday, the fest is free and its down on the waterfront, can't beat it!! Would get into details on how good JTE is but ill let his music do the talking :) He does have an interesting story though, growing up as son of Steve Earle, addicted to drugs at 12yrs old. Also CCL can't be missed so check these guys out and the others that are playing all day as well, come out and show your support keep this thing going!!!

Going to start a new part of the blog dedicated to the things that i hate/annoy me. yea i am going to share my pain with y'all. I came up with this idea when i had one happen to me.....

Have you ever been talking to someone telling them a story or explaining how something works, the person your talking to is paying attention or at least pretending, when you see them divert there eyes to another person in the room/area and then quickly look back at you and each time they do that there interest falls out and then a lil smirk appears, then you turn around and the other guy is shaking there head with either disbelief, disapproval.. or even mocking/making jokes.

I'm sure i have done this sometime in my life too, but its still annoying!!

Family Ties



Happy easter!! 85'

Happy belated easter haha

Sure have been slacking on this blog!!! My sister and her fam are on the way down and im excited, not only has it been a while but they are staying for almost a week!! Its going to be good to spend some long overdue time with them. She is coming to take pictures for the Beaufort Food and Wine weekend, this will be her second year doing it, i couldn't be prouder! She is extremly gifted and has a huge heart for it, speaking of huge haha she is preggers, i feel bad that she is going to have to do alot of walking around, and looking at all the wine and beer and not be able to try any! Anyway im happy for her and can't wait to see them, esp. my lil niece!! also to try her husbands homeade wine....very good stuff.

always looking out for my safety

love this one!!!

Also i am co hosting an event at backstreet pub called "be here..for beer" apparently the mayor made Beauforts welcome slogan "Be here" so we improvised haha. It is a beer dinner, 4 beers from Natty Greene's of greensboro, paired with a meal by the talented Chef Anthony Garnett of Coral Bay Club in Atlantic Beach that goes with each unique taste.

so come on out!!! theres something for everybody.

go here for ticket info
http://www.beaufortwineandfood.com/events.html

Fist City

Getting together with friends is always a good time! this weekend we are traveling up to Richmond VA, to see lindz bestie and her husband. Im excited too, last time we saw them it was their wedding which was awesome, this time there will be a lil less going on and get more 1on1! Looking forward to getting on the road again...Will post pics so stay tuned!! over&out

freedom yells, it don't cry...

friday was awesome, left a lil late waiting on some buddies, but got there right when doors opened. Trip up was good listened to some good tunes boys played out angry birds, but we made it. Its wasn't packed like i thought it to be, matter of fact Chapel Hill was a ghost town, you wouldn't think cus UNC was playing that night, i thought it woulda been a diaster. Beer has gotten expensive at bars tall boy PBR's were "on special" for 4.50 i remember them being $2 for 24oz and $1 for 12oz, pbr used to be cool cus it was cheap now its pricey cus its cool, screw that i got schiltz for $2 haha. Got to talk with Josh Small before the show started about Buz Blurr in Rva previous night for stories/signing, he said it was a really good time, josh is a nice dude i was glad to see him again and that he was playing with tim, by the way hes got a new album check it out. The show was really good, jenny owen youngs was really good, tim was great josh played back up vox and guitar, tim sung his heart out and voice haha he could barely talk afterwards, tim also had this guy named Andrew playing hormonica, he found him downtown VCU when him and josh were singing in the street for some protest when andrew walked up and started playing and tim told him you need to be on the road with them and brought him along, it added a good sound to the music.
After show went to father in laws (where we were supposed to stay) and decided to drive home we were all sober and it sounded like a good idea: slam some energy drinks, good tunage and high fives, and we were off, was great ride sang old songs on radio, got home at 500am really tired, but glad to be home and see the Fam. So that was part of the weekend, got to bleed brakes on Bug and looked at tons of paint samples for house colors... have a good week peeps!!!

over and out
for show pics check out minervacat's on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/minervacat/5560794425/

ride fast, live slow

Life is going good, mase, linds and i had a string toy parade around the house last night was fun mason is so much fun now. Ive always questioned lots of things in life esp. the one we have all asked before "why am i here" it wasn't til mason was born that i found that answer it only took lookin in his eyes, i can't explain it in details but i think you will get it. He's my lil buddie. Blessed to have Linds Mason, and my Fam.

Been a busy week lots of pics to share with all the coal and tanker cars moving back and forth. Supposed to go to Chapel Hill tommorow night and see Tim Barry with Jenny Owen Youngs. Im stoked its been 3 years since i last scene him live. Its going to be a quick trip to Raleigh coming back in the morning.  Welcome spring and pollen! haha

Have a good weekend and i'll see you out there!

over and out

tim

jenny

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

feel the ground shake beneath your feet

Im working on my day off, sucks well i did it to myself. Fresh line of tankers rolled in, talked to a worker and hes going to let me take some pics when there finished getting weighed. Going to be long week! Ill post some pics in a few, and write a lil more also. Going to start cutting grass this week, probably only do it once this month until it starts growing faster. Going to get some shirts made this spring, got to finish logo though!!

later,

rain down some change on me...set me free

hello there,

Spring is here weather is staying in the 70's, grass is gettin greener and the birds are chirping. With each season i feel as though my skin peels of a shell of the season past, kinda like a dog sheds or butterfly hatches outta catapillers.

So what inspires you, simple things in life, or what you search for?

You can't steal inspiration from others, you can embrace it but you can't own it. 

Ready to do some traveling, supposed to head up to see some friends in Rva in April then my awesome sister is coming the end of april for Beaufort Food & Wine shes going to be the Event Photographer for the second year in a row (im so proud). Im also hosting an event on thursday called "be here..for beer" its a beer dinner with Natty Greenes of Greensboro, NC more details to come!!!Theres also some good shows this month in the central part of the state that i wish i could make, however i don't believe i can afford it with everything else going on.

Got cornbeef brisket and cabbage cooking next door, i love free meals!

p.s. happy st pats day

rbox benched in raleigh

Every town has an elm street

Another weekend gone, and a great one at that!! Check out my wifes blog for full details. Got a chance to go to the Raleigh Train yard and take some pics i will post them tomorrow.

Looks like its going to be in the 70's all week and in to the weekend, it makes me happy with good weather!

Got in our garden and planted some stuff for linds was nice to get dirty and plant something! Also repaired the fence where Andy did his back flip over and snapped the old board he flipped over ha ha it was funny he got a nasty lil cut on his forehead though. 

silver surfer

Wake up!

Driving down east for a farewell lunch with my boss whom is on a bluetooth conference call. What better time then now to write a lil postie.

Been wanting to do something with my photography for years now and lately I've blamed it on camera issues, see I've always been the one to say a true photographer shoots with his eyes not his camera, meaning it doesn't matter how expensive ur camera is or how many megapixels it has its about having the heart and eye to find something worth shooting I'm constanly finding stuff like colors, scenes, people etc that turn some gear in my brain and half the time I don't take pictures and that's where I was torn telling my self I needed a better camera. So I've gave up one that and am taking it back to the basics (not that my current camera is crappy) just that I'm going to go back to the time when I took pictures cause it made me happy cause id find something that I want to remember exactly how it is to get that feeling I got when I first took it.

Ill see you out there.

Cheers,

sweet camper - taken with cell phone. Davis, NC

still alive

what a weekend. Started off really great, buddy Andy got in town had a couple drinks at Backstreet Pub then hung out at a friends house and made pizza's. Got behind a woman going 25 in a 55 on the way home state trooper pulled us both over right in front of my street ( guess i was riding to close ) He yells at the woman in front of me and then tells me to get out and asks me to sit in his car where he asks me a bunch of questions in the mist of them he pulls out a hand held breathalizer and tells me to blow.  Now i had a couple of beers (as mentioned earlier)  but it was spanned over like 6 hours so i wasn't worried but still really scared. I blew into the straw and he tells me that i was under the limit and that riding close is at least 4 points on my license, then puts out his hand ( to shake ) and says drive around that woman and get home. I about shit my pants. haha I take this as a very valuable lesson granted i really wasn't doing anything wrong and i hadn't been drinking alot but still its a wake up call that even when you are doing right (sorta) that you are never really safe from the law.
The rest of the weekend was good we walked around town a lil had some good lunch, bonfires and watched old videos we had made going back almost 10 years. Sunday linds got stomach virus and was in bed all day feeling bad, i went to lunch with andy and reb, i got a catfish sandwich and when we got home i slowly felt the stomach pains til the point that i was hanging out with the toilet, we got to know each other pretty good that night  haha ew. Anyway im recovering now and still haven't ate much in past 48hrs

till next time bunk

cheers

Bunks!

Andy at the "Doris Hargrove" farm

This weekend has got all the elements of a good time, best friend on his way in, just got paid and 60-70deg temps. Its been just about a year since we really kicked it. Theres a few things going on in town like Fishtown Regatta and Bonfire on Austin Road also some long over due porch nights.

In other news garage is clean and garden is tilled, grass is slowly turning green and the beer is always cold!

Have a good weekend guys, many thanks.
-Me

Brew Review with Andy Roo - #1 Magic Hat "Demo"

Got my best friend Andy to do a few beer reviews as part of my (our) blog and I am so stoked to finally put this up its something that you will be seeing alot more often on here at least once a month. 

looks tasty!

Magic Hat Demo (I.P.A on Tour) – Spring Seasonal

      The first thing I noticed about this beer, from the always-exciting Magic Hat brewery in Vermont, is the clever labeling. The label is designed to look like a 45-rpm record from “Magic Hat Band,” to correlate with the name. Unfortunately, in this digital age the life of the record is rarely seen, so this throwback is plus.
The beer itself is an India Pale Ale, yet unlike any IPA I have ever had because it is black. It forms a nice head when poured, which is always a plus… who doesn’t like good head? I find it hard calling it a pale ale though, because it lacks the hoppy characteristics of an IPA, and it goes down smooth like a nice, dark stout. Overall, I really enjoy this beer, and will undoubtedly enjoy it again through the winter as its 6% abv content gives you the warm, and fuzzy. This beer may be hard to locate in some regions though, because it is in fact a spring release, and according to my local resource it came in earlier than expected. If you can find it, buy it… and of course bottoms up! Cheers!

Cheers bunk!!

Conrail and friends...

Conrail Twitty - Werewolf 4/07

Hobo Yors 11/09

Retribalize "adios mutha"

Stackabones - Grudge 08'

Virginia Zeke -40 miler

Was heading home last night and happened to see a few hoppers on the side of the road and it immediately caught my attention. Conrail Twittys Moniker along with some other members of DIF (Dixie iron fist) was awesome to find them all together. Conrail Twitty has a produced some great photography and published a few zines and a photobook that inspired me to do the same. Unfortunately he is no longer with us but his work will live on forever.

"waiting for the snakes"

My wife Lindsey has got a great idea of starting a community garden, her blog is here you should check it out if you haven't already!! http://growinnc.blogspot.com/

Can't wait for the good weather to come back and stay! Today is 20deg's colder then the past two days, kinda bummed but there will be plenty of warm weather coming. Theres a few events coming up that lead into a jam packed summer like Beaufort Food & Wine, Beaufort Music Festival (which has a personal Favorite headlining i will talk about them when they post it as well) theres another thats caters to my hobbie of woodworking thats the Public Day Sale at the BHA grounds, i have attended the past two years and looking forward to my third. I have done Birdhouses and Patio Furniture, this year is still a toss up have to narrow it down and get building!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Michael!

Open Road!!

Hobo Monikers

Pu NB 5.23.84

Theory  "Risk Losing"

Hobo Yors "The New Despair" 12-09

Old Fart '98'

The Woodman '98'

Pink in IC. 04.2010

Found these in Morehead City, NC some at the Port and others on a sidetracked line thats been sitting there for sometime by the looks. Still out there looking for new ones every chance i get. I love to find the older ones haven't found any older then 84' but thats pretty old wonder where they were and what they were doing.

Hold Fast MAG

hard at work

Going to put out the zine soon hopefully got a few pages left to do (doing a 12 page zine) Ive been super busy with everything else in life, geez so much to do its hard to get started!!