My bicycle season ended saturday in a crash.  Unfortunately, it left me unable to participate in Diabloween festivities on sunday.  My nurse friend says I likely have a separated shoulder.  It is kind of a familiar feeling. Most of us have done it before.  Oh well, I will never pitch in the majors.  Fortunately, it doesn’t really keep me from snowboarding.

The mountain opened yesterday, November 2nd. (Grizzled pic from the gondola, repping my headwear brand of choice.)

Happy winter everyone.

Blue and White Beach Ball, 1972

On saturday afternoon we took a drive up the thruway to Hudson, NY.  Joe and Leighann invited us to the opening of Joe’s father’s retrospective at Carrie Haddad Gallery.  The gallery is nestled on Warren Street, a classic Hudson Valley mainstreet, about a 2 hour train ride from NYC…and the turnout was remarkable.

I guess the rediscovery of towns like Hudson is all part of the ‘Catskill revival’…but there is no way that the town was anything close to resembling the boutiquey, health food, antique shop haven it has become when Edward Avedisian moved here in the 1970’s.

Joe worked hard to be a good host, while the Haddad family presented and discussed the work with friends and prospective collectors.

When Wes turned his head for one moment, this lady stole a handful of snacks…but I caught her.

Then Wes went on a mission to document the evening’s events for his blog.

Phil showed up, while Lynch enjoyed the vino.

The Haddad’s invited us all to their amazing house for dinner, a converted church full of an extremely impressive collection of art.  It was nice food and good conversation…an honest celebration of Edward’s life and legacy in the most appropriate atmosphere.

Here is a great picture from the gallery website of Joe with his dad…check out the site, and please check in and see the paintings if you’re upstate at all.

Yesterday I drove to 16 Powers Street to pick up my new SR6 prototype at Brooklyn Machine Works.  I was lucky, because once I fought my way across the Kosciuszko Bridge and into Williamsburg it was after 10 am…meaning I got to park on the empty side of the street.  Maybe it was karma for all the tickets I used to get when I lived in Park Slope.  ’Opposite sides’ parking rules can be cruel…but on this day I won.

Joe was in, so we got to work.   This new frame is made from US True Temper Supertherm steel.  Their lightest full suspension frame to date, about 3 lbs lighter than the previous incarnation.

First Joe assembled the pivot.  The internals were painstakingly lathed in-house.

Next, the linkage was assembled and the shock attached.

The crankset and idler cog were added and then the rear of the bike was built.

The new CNC’d dropouts were made in-house, and accommodate a Maxle, quick release thru-axle and new rear brake mount.

Once the drive train was aligned we moved to the front end of the bike.  Ronnie would be upset if I didn’t mention the Marzocchi 66 rc3 ti fork we used.  The BMW headset integrates perfectly with the new Flatrat Brooklyn 55mm Stem.

Once the brake and shifter cables were routed we were just about finished.  The Brooklyn barends and pedals are the proper finishing touches.

This worktable was clear at the start of the day.

The shop is layered thick with artifacts from throughout the years that Joe and his crew have been here.  Here’s a piece on plywood from the neighbor…

There are a few things still to add, like titanium linkage bolts and a new Avalanche shock…but the rig is ready to ride now at sub-40 lbs.  I put it on top of the car and headed home.  I will start riding it friday.  Here it is in technicolor:

I hope I can do this machine justice.  Its a real piece of American craftsmanship.  I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to ride it, and hopefully provide useful feedback.  Regardless it will be really fucking fun.

Life is interesting when you have no job.  I haven’t had this much ‘free’ time to deal with since junior high school…

Since mid-June, my days have consisted of getting up whenever I wake up.  Making coffee.  Maybe do something on the computer…or maybe not.  Obviously, I haven’t been posting on the lodges…but I’ve been lurking.  Today I decided to try and write this post.

When I initially unplugged from my job I sent the standard slew of emails letting people know that I’d no longer be reachable at the work email, etc.  Its cool, because you really understand who your friends are in these situations.  Fortunately, so many people contacted me with kind words and well wishes as opposed to radio silence or crickets.  Some have been proactive in their help.  And there has been some great advice.  The most common piece of advice was “take your time”…from several friends who have experienced a departure similar to mine,  they said, “don’t rush back to work” or “don’t take the first thing that comes along”…So, I’ve been trying to take that advice.

I also had the opportunity to travel to Berlin during Bread & Butter with absolutely no obligations.  Had some Converse hamburgers, drank some decent beer, sat on Muntstrasse watching people pass by for hours…but regretfully, did not get nearly enough time with the Vogel family.  Steven and Nina were very busy, and I was exactly the opposite.

Bikes and biking have been important to me.  I’ve been going into Brooklyn a lot and hanging out at the shop…offering whatever I can to bmw, while trying to also stay out of their way.  We go to the bikepark 2 or 3 days a week, either jerz or highland.  Its been really good for me.  Lynch took the blurry picture of me at the top of this post yesterday at diablo.  Nothing special, its just a great feeling to pin it over a set of dirt jumps in a train of friends.

But, there is always a clock on every situation.  Nothing stays the same, as we all know.  Lately my mind has been spending more time on figuring out what is next.  I’m excited at the prospect of doing something new, going to a new place, making new things.  So its time to focus on making it happen.  Perhaps I will post more often here?  Perhaps I will use fewer ellipses?

By the way, a new Early Man album came out last week.  I really like it.  Summer deserves at least one good music release.  And see Inception if you haven’t.

Now I’m going to go pick some tomatoes we’ve grown in our little backyard garden.  That’s another perk of having some free time, I guess.  Prior to this I’ve struggled to keep even house plants alive.

I realize this post is boring to some…I’m not feeling particularly provocative or political.  But I hope most of you are enjoying your summer.  Hit me up if you wanna go riding.

Hello Black Lodgers…this is my first post at our new home, and it feels nice.  I don’t own a proper camera right now, and I’m running around for work…but take this as a re-introduction, I guess.

In preparation for a SS11 photoshoot, my friend Josh has demanded that I watch this film…Big Wednesday (1978), which chronicles the friendships of 3 surfers…played by William Katt (Greatest American Hero), Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf, and Howard Stern), and Gary Fucking Busey.  The box says that Katt and Vincent were accomplished surfers but Busey learned for the role.  Like Buddy Holly, right?

So, maybe we will be watching this on our long-ass ride out to Montauk.  Jens is here to shoot.  The whole crew is back together…just like here on the Lodge.

And just so we are clear…I do not surf.  I’m a terrible swimmer.