more danzig brick

They played the Barbary last night.

I carved another pumpkin.

And took some artsy pics in the crusty upstairs storage room.

In the true punk rock spirit, the pumpkin got smashed.

haiku tuesday

dry leaves crackle
underfoot the tang of decay
yet something begins

let's slow it down a bit

continuing the tradition

Last year my sister and a bunch of her friends from college went to Seneca Rocks in West Virginia for the end of the climbing season chili cook-off and party. I was supposed to go, but something came up at work and I couldn't make it. They decided to make it a yearly tradition, so this year I wasn't going to miss it. It was an amazing weekend. I will certainly be back next year.

Early morning view from our camp.

Hiked to the top of Seneca Saturday morning.

View from the middle of the hike.

View from the top of the rocks, 960 feet high.

Starting the chili for the cook-off.

2 Hondas.

I had to break Reggie and Buddy off.

Real smoke flavor. The whole next day we all were dropping bombs.

The Yokum's own everything around there.

We got a lot of feedback that our chili was the best, but sadly we didn't win the cook-off. I think it was rigged...

My sister Amy and I...we're looking to get there...

At this point I was by far "there". I ended up getting lost but these people I just met were nice enough to help me find the way back to my site.

Slept out by the fire, frost on my pillow in the morning.

The second day we climbed on the south face of the rocks, view from there.

I climbed this face.

Pulled over to take this shot on the drive home Sunday night.

This is what happens when you fall over during nature's call in the woods.

my weekend techinically starts......now!

conventional beauty is symmetry, endearment is wabi-sabi

The western idea of beauty is defined as symmetry. Symmetry is perfection, which rarely, if ever, exists in the natural world. Striving for symmetry is something that can never really be obtained. Wabi-sabi, on the other hand, is a Japanese aesthetic that centers around the idea of transience. Beauty found in impermanence and incompleteness. Wabi-sabi has a certain intimate quality; things which are simple, modest, and natural are very endearing. Your faded sweatshirt with the zipper that doesn't always work right, is often times more important than anything new and perfect. Freckles or a slightly off center nose are the things that make us smile about those we love. The asperity of an unshaven face or messy hair, the modesty of a shy gaze, the organic smell of someones skin, these are all wabi-sabi.
Nothing can ever be perfect, yet imperfections can be captivating; and the embrace of that syncretism is beautiful. To me.

this isn't getting old