Gettin' Dirty...

"Gettin' Dirty" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

 C'mon...who doesn't like gettin' a little dirty every now and again? You've been screamed at about it most, if not all, your life. "Don't get dirty!" Gettin' dirty was quite likely one of your first "F You" moments. Mom said not to, but...dang...who knows how it happened? Can't wear those pants to school now. Gettin' dirty is an escape from the trappings of polite society. Screw wearing white, before or after Labor Day. There are those among us it is hardwired into, gettin' dirty is life. Sadly, there's flocks of those who's need to get dirty has been terminally beat, or bred from them, homogenized sterility.

Run wild. When you get wrecked, rub some dirt on it.

Have Fun!

Road hard...

"Road Hard..." © Mike Moore Studios 2024

Been a long week. Nature had its way with us with nearly seven sloppy inches of hard, pounding, rain…leaving my trails violated, abused, and darn right squishy.

Been waiting for a dry up, til I couldn’t wait no more. Took my show on the road. Gotta say, not too effin’ bad! Beautiful day, drivers not acting a fool. Got a decently paced, and most importantly, FUN fifteen miles in.

Road riding is a WAY distant second to off road for me. If that’s all there is for the picking, then off we go and make the best of it. A decent attitude never hurt anything (think I just threw up a little bit actually saying that), and riding is better than not. So I’m gonna just give it a smile.

Have Fun!

 

My huevos dropped...

"Huevos" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

It’s the day after Easter, and I’m proud to say my huevos have dropped. This pic doesn’t do much for it, and maybe it’s not much, but this drop has kept its dirty middle finger rudely raised in my direction for longer than I care to fess up to. I couldn’t muster the cojones. I could easily and plainly see the line and that it SHOULD be doable, just couldn't commit.

Today, I wasn’t really 100% amped to be riding here, bit of the ol’ same ol’ same ol’. Made my mind up to spice it up, do something different, fun, challenging, or maybe even all the above. This section was the one I was imagining as I was contemplating that. You don't have to, but typically I ride past this turn, do another section, come back to it. Same for today, rode past, took a glance..."Today, you will be mine", rode on. Next section is a fun swoopy swath of single track with a short, shifty, stab of a climb at the end. Usually, despite my best efforts and eating all my vegetables, a dab, but today was clean. Well hell, is this really gonna be my day? 

Now, dangerously full of not only piss BUT vinegar as well, I rolled up, dropped the dropper and my sack. I did it. There was a nano second flirtation with a panic'd brake grab that I talked myself down from. At this point all I could wonder is why I waited.

Finished the ride, came back for the shot, didn’t look at all scary anymore. Reckon that monster is safely kicked out from under the bed.

Damn it feels good to stand up to your bullies.

Have Fun!

Reflecting...

"Reflecting" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

There's a reflecting pond at my go to riding spot. There's a nice bench there dedicated, I'm sure lovingly, in someone's honor. Due to non climate change related drought (here's hoping sarcasm isn't dead) the pond has been a bleak bin of silt until just recently. The pond is now verdant with all sorts of probably beneficial, but certainly slimy and not ungross, mosses, algae, and other bits of ol Mom Nature's finest yuck.

So me, being me, got to pondering during my pedal...

Do the types of reflections one has fit the scene? And if so, is it better to reflect over a dusty barren nothingness, or an emerald hued vomitous goo? Should you wait until something better comes along? I got no answers for you, just the questions. I, like most of us I reckon, do my bits of ruminating to all sorts of ends, a monotonous proclamation if ever there were one. The emotional wheel of fortune gets a good spin. Sometimes Pat and Vanna are there with fabulous prizes, and sometimes it's just a lifetime supply of Rice-a-Roni and a home version of the game. If looking BACK helps NOW, obviously it's a good and welcome thing. If that's not the result, then I question the medicine.

You gotta go through things to get places, a simple and true statement. Should you go back through things if they take you nowhere?

This was about the time that I realized I was thinking too much, or was it reflecting? Dammit! Stupid pond got me.

Have Fun!

I had to...It's the law.

"Bluebonnets" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

 By law in the State of Texas every citizen must take a keepsake photo of something placed lovingly in a bluebonnet patch a minimum of once every 10 years*. Our kids are too grown to be able to talk them into it, and the cat just won't cooperate, so I had to make do.

While out on this ride, the mind meltingly grand idea to incorporate each ride with a post here came to be. I want to challenge myself to come up with something to write about or an image to share. My pocket microbrain (phone) is with me to keep track of the rides, may as well use it as the Swiss Army documenting device that it is. Generating creativity is the goal...and riding my bike. 2 great things together...like the ol' peanut butter and chocolate commercial. "You got your photo on my bike ride." Hopefully something more clever, or at least vaguely funny, will transpire than that last little bit of quotation mark contained tripe.

Naturally once the idea was born, the panic soon followed. "Well, now what?" That's completely what I don't want, pressure to perform. I'm going to attempt to...RELAX. That's the whole point of all of it, right? Get out, see something, do something, CHILL. So, I'm gonna listen to music, ride my bike, think my thoughts (maybe jot down a note or 2), take some pix of interesting things, and enjoy the process of being in it, doing it.

"Monolith" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

My rambling took me into part of a local Corps of Engineers park that has been closed to cars since the park flooded in the early 90s. Nature, time, and the typical bored miscreant has reclaimed, or destroyed much of the park's former creature comforts. This old concrete water fountain caught my eye. I suppose I could get all arty and say something about the contrast between manmade and nature and blah blah blah. I just thought it looked cool.

Oh yeah, if you wanna be an Ace Photographer, just like yer ol' pal Mike here's how: I'm using an iPhone 14 standard model. Photo app of choice is currently Hipstamatic Classic with the Tejas "lens" and Ina's 1969 "film". Hipstamatic has been around for a long while, one of the OGs in the "put a cool filter on your snapshots" game. I've decided to use it and the settings to create a cohesive look, so you the beloved user, has a more pleasant viewing experience. Ya know, cause I'm a giver.

Take some time to treat yourself right. Heck, treat somebody else right too.

Have Fun!

*The legally astute amongst you will quickly realize that this is a complete fabrication, no such law exists in Texas. It IS however illegal in Texas to eat your neighbor's garbage...without permission. Look it up.

I call it "Fun"

"Fun" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

Anointed in mud, flailed by angry pedals demanding penance. I call it "Fun".

Have Fun!

See? I told you...

"Dam...That was fun!" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

I knew keeping this thing up would be hit or miss when I started it. Seems I've missed more than I've hit. It's the thought that counts, right? Nah, it's doing something that counts. No matter, no excuses...here I is in all my radiant splendor...shouting into the ether.

When I started whatever this is, I called it Random Rambling because I figured I'd just, well, ramble randomly about whatever dumb thing crossed my mind, also to pimp my "art". On a bike ride today I got to thinking maybe I should refine that all somehow. Rambling will still be part of it for sure, just less random.

So without further delay, I bring you Random Rambling 2.0. Same dumb things, same "art" pimping, but now with a bike theme. By bike I mostly mean Mountain Bike. By Mountain Bike I mostly mean Hardtail Mountain Bike. Riding my bike takes me places, some tangible, some not so. I got it with skateboarding too. There's a flow that quiets the noise and dials in the focus a little tighter.  I need that, those around me need me to have that.

Go ride a bike, or a skateboard, see something different, do something different, think something different. Smile and enjoy your little hunk of the mothership...before it crashes and burns. Make some art. Be nice to people. All super easy to do, and I like things that are super easy due to chronically terminal laziness.

Have Fun!

Let's do this...

 

2024. What's the worst that could happen? Why're you laughing...or is that crying?

Resolutions? Don't be a dick, unless you really need to. Or, more eloquently, do better...be better.

There. I did it. See ya later '23, hello '24.

Have Fun!