I wanted to get a ride in before the rains came. I will be fishing here with the Veterans soon.
See you on the highway.
Brent
A Discussion about AI
I don’t think of myself as anti-AI, but I have not been fond of it. I have always considered myself as a photojournalist and documentary photographer. Many of my projects were photographed as I saw them. No photoshopping to remove or change the image; just the standard exposure elements, and rarely cropping an image. I shoot for reality.
But then, my son came to visit us from Utah, where he dabbles in media. He was explaining AI to me and how it can be useful. He also listened to what I have been doing in my leisurely time, especially with the recent Cincinnati Fly fishing Show. He tucked himself away in his room and returned later with these images created with ChatGPT.
These are just beautiful. They represent Tenkara, the Japanese art of fly fishing. I added the watermark to make sure he gets credit for his art.
Wow. Just wow! Thanks, Stu.
See you on the highway.
Brent
February Ride on the KLR
Temps in the low 50s. Partly sunny. The roads are dry and rinsed of all salt after three days of rain. Of course I’m going for a ride.
See you on the highway.
Brent
Old Barn in January Fog
The temperature is an unseasonal 56 degrees in January. The result of warm air over cold ground has produced one very foggy day. This scene appeared as I was traveling home from a visit with friends.
See you on the highway.
Brent
A Quick Review of 2023
I apologize. I did not do a lot of posting here in 2023, but I plan to do more–a lot more–in 2024. This will be quick, but an important update near the end. So, let’s begin.
I motorcycled to two events last year. In June, I met up with friends at our Kentucky Backroads Campout at Lago Linda Hideaway in Beattysville, KY. We were fewer this year, but a mighty force. The roads in Eastern Kentucky are delightful. It is a motorcycling paradise. The second trip was to Wailin’ Wayne Weekend in Nelsonvile, OH, in September. I was camped out with 500 of my newest friends. I met up with old friends there, and made a few new ones. WWW is incredible for dual sport and adventure riding. Again, the roads in SE Ohio are fantastic.
And, I did a little fishing.
On another motorcycle adventure, one that was not mine but I was very involved, was when my friend Sam Manicom planned to stay at our home for two nights during his romp through the USA countryside. It ended up being six as his hydraulic clutch was busted, and needed repairs. Mike Fitterling was also here as the three of us planned to ride to the AMA Vintage Days. Mike went on solo, and I entertained Sam for four more days.
Lin and I did not travel much in 2023, but we did attend a Garrison Keillor show in Wabash, Indiana. We met up with two of her sisters and shared a Vrbo rental. It was quite nice.
For Thanksgiving, we did our usual. Turkey on the Weber.
Oh, I almost forgot. I bought another motorcycle, a 2023 Kawasaki KLR 650. This is my third KLR. I regretted moving along the last one, and when I was offered an inventory closeout deal, I bought it. As of this writing, I still have the two Moto Guzzis, the V85tt and V7iii.
And now, a health update. You may recall, I have prostate cancer. It’s low-grade, but it’s still there, a lesion about the size of a dime on my prostate. I have been poked and prodded, had four MRIs and two biopsies. Five doctors and one surgeon have told me this will not kill me. I will die of something else. My December MRI indicated no change in size, and I will be visiting my doc at the end of this month for a consultation. My latest PSA was 4, the highest limit of normal. It has been lower for the past year or so. Our strategy is “Active Surveillance.” It’s like the CIA or FBI: keep an eye on it.
I have read up on prostate cancer, and looked at all the possible interventions. I don’t want the cure to be worse than the disease. Most men will get a prostate cancer and live with it. That’s what I am doing. The very hardest part of this was learning to overcome the emotional roller coaster of having the c-word. In that aspect, I have conquered the prostate cancer and for now I have been living with it for at least three years. So what did I do at age 73? I went out and bought another motorcycle. “F..k” cancer.
On another subject, I had had the most incredible year sharing life with my best friend, lover, companion, confidant, and wife: Lin. She’s the best.
See you on the highway.
Brent