Biking for a Good Cause

This is the second time that I joined the photo shot for a MS fund raise event. MS Bike is organized by National MS Society, Oregon Chapter. Registration fee is $95 (I believe, is for a team or an individual) and fund raise minimum is $250 per participant. It is a meaningful, fun and enjoyable event that I have experienced.

Multiple sclerosis is considered to be an immune-mediated disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the central nervous system and causes the patients to lose the control of their muscles. 

From what I understand, it is a genetic disease attacking people age 20-50, the prime period of our lifetime. Cure mostly relies on persistent physical therapy and miracles. Progress and improvement can be made, but there is no permanent solution. 

I feel blessed to be able to take a walk or ride a bike whenever I feel like to. And, I am feeling for the person who is ridden by the disease and the family who loves, tenders, and be available to the needy.

Bike is one of the major export items from Taiwan since 70's.  I however could not comprehend why Americans need so many bikes till I live here. Motor vehicles are the essential transportation and yet only bike can serve exercise needs. People's awareness for fitness and the rapidly growing traffic have made bike popular than ever.  Easy strides and harmonious rhythm are appealing. Besides only bikes can access narrow roads and secluded areas where wonders and surprises are often hidden and awaiting to be discovered.

This event is not a race. Participants can pace themselves to start any time between 6:30am to 9:00am.  There are choices of 33 to 100 mile routes which go through scenic Willamette Valley farmland, state parks and rivers.  We took a drive on the route hoping to catch some bikers on the road. The scenery is so beautiful that on several occasions, I could not help myself but to snap a few landscape shots. 

I was told that the first group of riders can arrive at the finish line at 11'ish.  I made sure that I was at finish line to shot the first arrivals.  Surely enough, I took this picture at 11:03am. They are absolutely the first team who reaches the finish line! They looked excited and victorious. I felt as excited as they
were and proud of them.
This guy in the recumbent bike was also among the early arrivals.  Regular upright bike and recumbent bike are different in aspect of technology and performance. I have never ridden in a recumbent bike, but I think seating in a recumbent bike is more comfortable than the saddle on a regular bike. 

When we sit lower to the ground, the legs are bit in the air.  I doubt that it runs as fast as a regular upright bike. However, he is among the first arrivals. I guess bike is eventually just a tool, difference is made by the person who controls it.

I also learned that this is the kind of bikes that MS patients use since they cannot erect their back and sit in an upright position. In the past when I saw this kind of bike running on the street

I thought it was meant to show off. I did not know that it is an alternative exercise bike for people who living with MS.

I like what I see here.  Biker is the Mom. While she was on route biking, the Dad and two preschool boys were hanging out and patiently waiting by the finish line. The moment when she passed through the finish line, Dad took over the bike and Mom grabbed younger boy's hand walking out of the scene. Isn't it a beautiful picture of a supportive young family?  (Too bad that the husband was falling behind and I could not have him included in the picture.) 

Mom has a goal and she goes for it.  Dad supports. Kids learn from their parents.  A giving act.  A  supportive  family.  A  nice  memory  for

them (and impression for me) to take away.

 

This is in fact a very organized event. There are rest stops with abundant water supply and the necessities.  They also provided free bottle water and beer for the event workers and photographers like me. At finish line, there was a misty blind for the riders to cool down. 
My eyes were drawn to this girl who was performing a ribbon dance in the mist. The bright colors of her dress and ribbons stand out in front of the translucent mist and under the bright sun, her cascaded hair is charming...

When the bikers launched their ride at Start Line, I saw smiles. After they paddled several hours in the heat, the smiles remained on their faces.

The cheerleaders stationed at Start and Finish line from early in the morning till the last biker reached the Finish line. A few school kids were waiting in the Finish line to hand out the medals to the bikers. And, many other volunteers were holding their fort to the last... 

American spirit is again at work!!! This is when I really feel proud to be an American.

For MS bike event details, visit following link:
http://bikeorc.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_ORC_ROUTEDETAILS

A few more pictures to share below:

 

Simple Pleasure

American Robins kick off our regular morning with their cheering and rich voice ever since spring was here. Every now and then, I heard the crispy chirps from house finches and gold finches right by the bedroom window. They may all come a bit too early for me, but I would rather be called by them than the alarm clock.

I have been spending most of my time handling camera and working on photos in front of computer. My desk pile is heaping high and my house is getting cluttered.  I started feeling guilty and the words of addiction, indulgence and procrastination were pounding on me. I finally dropped everything photography-related, and spent a good whole day to clean my house.  Oh, mine. Nothing is more relaxing than sipping an iced lemonade in a room with shining floor and fresh smell.

It was a glorious day. We took an hour bike ride at a wooded area early in the morning. I did not touch a bike for 16 years. When I finally got on my bike again,  I  fell  from it  the next year and injured my left shoulder, but that did not stop me. I  am on my  bike again and feel better than ever.  
It is also fun to snap a few panning shots of other bikers  on the trail.   

Eugene  has  great  bike  trails  along the  river and into the woods.  It  is  always  invigorating 
to see people on the bike than behind the car wheel. This natural path of exercise is appealing.

Energized by the bike ride, we worked hard to re-organize the shrubs and flower plants in our yards.  New arrangement is based on 'less is more' theory. So glad to get rid of overgrowth and stringy mess.  I feel great when all are trimmed and looking tidy and tight.

There was no single bird come by this spring till early May. I planted three hummingbird loving plants in April, but they did not show up till about four weeks ago.  There are two regular hummingbird visitors, but I can never be ready enough to get a good shot. I could have aimed at one spot by the feeder and nail just that perfect shot, but that is not what I want. I prefer to photograph hummingbird sucking nectar from a flower and I thought they will be on the three targets that I had planned. But no, they have been flying all over the place and tasting everything. I am chasing after these two little guys without much success. I love to see both of them around, but then they would fight each other off and I ended up with no one.

little guy with sharp eye

This image was taken in a late evening under low light condition. Not super sharp because I had to bump up my ISO, but the little guy was ready to taste Verbena and was in motion that I really like.  A plant behind Verbena happened to provide a nice background from the angle I was shooting. It is quite colorful as a whole, so 

I painted the flowers and added the texture. 

I found out that I really like painting though I have not been able to do a lot. It is a new adventure for me and experimenting process is exciting.

It seems to me that not all photos make good 'digital' paintings and not all work I tested turns out to my expectations. Some turned out to be disastrous and some, so unexpected that therefore, so interesting to me. It is not a snap, edit and finalize process. It is more an artistic journey that I have no clue what I am getting into it till I really got there. Without any formal schooling in arts, I used my instinct and heart to paint. The process is slow and lengthy, but I truly enjoyed it. It is a good training for my patience, my sense to colors and further understanding in the making of an art.  

I took a few corn flower pictures. The flower is pretty, but I feel my shots look homely. I did not like the fact that the colors are all so bright and overpowering, but they are the true colors that I did not want them to be deceived by the texturing. Instead, by painting, I got to keep all real colors and shapes. Most of the time I like the image to look dream-like, but this time, more realistic and only slight brush touches.

Corn Flower

Besides Humminbird, Nuthatch is one of my most favorite backyard birds. They just showed up couple weeks ago. I like their curvy gesture and unique personality. They came, grabbed a bite and left. Quick and sleek. They are  also not too afraid of people. They must have figured that they can get away fast enough and they know, I like them so much that I won't never hurt them. 

Nuthatches are creepers. They like to hang on tree trunk, in many cases, hanging themselves upside down.  It is entertaining to watch them. Their eyes and body are very coordinated. When they are staring at people, their bodies signal, too.  I like this shot for the way how IT grabbed on the bark and curved its beak looking up. Except that its bluish gray body seemed to disappear among the multi brown background. So I added filter. With the blur effect on top and bottom, it looks that the nuthatch has just landed...

curious nuthatch

My eyes have been on hummingbirds. One day I saw one hummingbird stopping on one corn flower and sucking nectar from the other. It was such a rare scene, but I was not ready to capture the shot. So I waited and waited, but I have not seen that again since.

Though corn flower blooms seem to last, but the color is fading. I hate to see them go without keeping myself some memories. So I brought them into the house and place them in my favorite vase.

live and yet peace

Still shots are growing in me and I particularly like the feel of softness and subtlety.  I am not big in home decors, but I have a special liking for white flower vases. Intentionally I used a beige color backdrop for the sculptured shape vaguely shown.

And, instead of showing a perfect full bloom, I chose to focus on a smaller portion. Slight texture was intended to cover up the blemish on the fabric and it unexpectedly added the ambiance to the frame.

Action, color, excitement and fun would eventually come down and be replaced by peace and quietness when dusk comes and silence embraces the night.

A cheerful morning call, a relaxing bike ride, a squeaky clean house, a few visits from my favorite birds and a few attempts to paint my flowers have made up a wonderful week for me.  Simple and easily satisfying.

Calm and not

Ever since I did my first ‘painting’, I was infected with painting fever throughout the whole week.  I looked at many of my pictures and imagined how they will look when they are all turned into painted images. I made many attempts to paint pictures after pictures, and guess what, I ended up deleting most of them.

I realized that there is a learning curve to go through, slowly and patiently.  If art can be produced within a time frame and at speed, then it may not be the art piece worth pursuing.  Try and error. Through the experiment of using different brushes, I have now a better idea which brush to choose for certain types of pictures and what pictures are better choice for painting. For the fact, I so love to learn new things, I am very content in the process.  I am well aware myself that I will be challenged by my patience and bonded by being a perfectionist. Some day I will find my balance. Hope it won't take too long.

Too much sitting in front of computer. On Saturday, I decided that I need to stay away from my camera and computer for change.  I want to leave my house WITHOUT a camera. How did I do that? We went out for a 1-1/2 hour bike ride along river bike path. I brought only my HTC android and a water bottle. This was the first bike ride since we stored our bikes away last fall. I thought we would only do a warm-up ride, but we ended up riding longer than the plan.  It is a nice feeling that we are in good shape. Not only that, we took a different route and went into an area that we have never been, a natural wildlife area with a vast green forest and bird's haven. It is within city limit. 

This new (to us) path is embraced by lines of thriving evergreen and wild flowers. Birds, lots of them, are opening their throat and singing. They cruised high in the air, dived quickly by me and vanished in split second before I could identify them.  I can hear their beautiful voice but visual is impossible. And the river, I saw sunshine sparkles on water and the white silhouette in distance, the egrets.  Varieties of geese and ducks are a sure thing in the area. There were joggers, couples, mom and the stroller, woman with a dog and bikers. So many photography subjects, but I did not have my camera. I had my moment of regret but I was immediately reconciled with myself that this was exactly what I intended. I breathed in fresh air mixed with a bit of toast smell from the sun. Calm, comforting and soothing.

I thought about the image taken one week ago at our family cabin.  Water is calm and clear down to the bottom. Few floating clouds add some white tint to blue sky, a little enhancement, but not a churning drama. And the lonely dock, quiet but inviting.

Down on one of my regular walk path to take a picture for the magazine.  The path is shady, nice for a cool and peaceful walk in summer time, but not a good choice for pictures.  But I found some wild flowers that I have not noticed before. A small streak of light quietly shone through the branches and showered the flower. I felt the share of cozy sunlight and surreal peace.

Often time I found small flowers have more intricate details and make more interesting images. Large flowers like Rhododendron, Peony and Iris are striking to the eyes, good to be pictured in larger portion but not my favorite flower subjects.  I just like to pry the intricacy and secrecy of small flowers.

Husband of a couple friend that I often saw and chatted just died from an accident. There was no drastic natural disaster or serious car accident. It was an unexpected and unfortunate incident. They were enjoying their family weekend at the coast. A large wave suddenly roared in and drenched his mother. While he tried to pull his mother away from the hazard, an approximately 40 feet long and 1 feet diameter log came loose from the stack and fell on him... a fragile human life was taken.

Pondering what shall I say to her, I'd dragged a few days before I went to see her. The moment I saw her, I was overwhelmed by the poignant grief on her face. I gave her a big and long squeeze and we melted down together. Even when I am writing now, I still have hard time controlling my emotion for the loss. Below is not an extra-ordinary image, but it so accurately portraits my current state of mind. I thought of her, the helpless wife and two girls, and how they will begin to overcome the fresh wound and get back to normal.