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Certain Stranger encounters are particularly memorable and Digger was one of those. His motorcycle gear and top hat stood out as he was busily directing motorcyclists to park efficiently for the Realities for Children charity event in Fort Collins Colorado. I recognized Digger as the man who had helped Cassandra (my Stranger #85) move her disabled motorcycle a half hour previously.
His contradictory clothing and his cheerful and open manner invited contact. I said hi and we asked about his top hat. He explained that his wife bought him the top hat as a joke but everyone liked it so much that he wears it frequently and enjoys the attention it brings. He loves children and after several asked him if he could pull a rabbit out of his hat, he bought a small stuffed toy rabbit and wears it under his hat to amuse them. He demonstrated by removing the hat and displaying the little rabbit (see photo in Comment section below). "In fact" he continued "the rabbit sometimes gets uncomfortable up there on hot days and scratches my head to let me know he wants out." He removed his hat and showed me some small scratch-like tattoos on his bald head which he got two years ago to add to the humor. He now buys large batches of small stuffed animals to give out to children at motorcycle and charity events - but will not give away his special rabbit.
Digger went on to fascinate me with his stories and joked that when he started carrying the rabbit under his top hat his wife said "Well, at least now you have some hare on your head!" Digger is 57 and his entire family is involved in motorcycling through the Christian motorcycling organization they help to run.
When I asked if motorcycling is his career he said no, he runs a truck stop in Cheyenne Wyoming (about an hour away) and was a mortician for 15 years. "What was it like being a mortician?" I asked. He said it got boring and the only fun was "putting a smile on the faces of people who had little reason to smile" (because they were dead!) He told me that Digger is his given name and he is the third generation of morticians in his family - all of them named Digger.
Digger was working at this event as a volunteer, overseeing the motorcycle parking. He does a lot of motorcycle-related volunteer work and he pointed out his wife and daughter who were also volunteering at today's event.
Digger was happy to participate in my 100 Strangers project and I took a few photos in between his fascinating and amusing stories.
Before things got busy and I had to let him do his job, Digger had one final surprise for me. He showed me that he has a tattoo on his torso which marks the dotted lines of the incisions that Medical Examiners make when they do an autopsy. He has the words "Cut here" tattooed next to the dotted line. He told me he had this tattoo made as a professional courtesy with a bit of humor for the Medical Examiner who will one day perform his autopsy. "Hey, I used to work with a lot of Medical Examiners and most of those guys do have a sense of humor, you know."
Thank you Digger for a fascinating and amusing conversation on the street of Fort Collins. You are now Stranger #87 for my project.
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
There were also some bigger diggers however there was quite a big queue to go on them. That hole was very deep.
Brass Balls Bobbers & Choppers are by designer Dar Holdsworth and master builder Sam Wills. Each bobber is made to the specifications of the rider and comes dressed in a Harley-Davidson(R) EVO, S&S(R) Shovelhead motor, or the unique re-engineered Indian(R) Power Plus engine. Stripped down to the nitty gritty, the Digger expresses its bad boy styling with a solo seat and hard tail mechanicals that places the rider just 24 inches above the tarmac. Bobbed front and rear fenders expose high-performance donuts. Checkout all the Bobbers and Choppers at www.brassballsbobbers.com or call 405.285.0808.
Based on a 2000 GMC Topkick. The grill is not as accurate as it should be.
Bumper mounted winch works, but is difficult because the reel is located behind the front axle.
The digger was taken away just now on a big low loader. I should have filmed it wobbling about but was having my lunch at the time. So just a big muddy field waiting for the next stage.
This original cyanotype (flic.kr/p/Lq717R) was bleached for 3 minutes in dilute washing soda (sodium carbonate) and then toned in tea for 90 minutes.
One of the pairings from my adventures in the Kulsehov effect. Trying to link up photos from my daughter last summer and ones of Miss Agnes from the last week to change up the narrative a bit.
Here I was playing with the lines on the digger and her incoordination. The lines and colours play well here, but I don't think the story is enhanced.
A delight to see children enjoying freedom at the beach. This boy and the girl in the previous image are alone and happily working at their own thoughts and dreams this early Sunday morning. Note to mom and dad: your son is ready for a real tool, not a beach toy. Hope he gets to use real tools and has a chance to build when he's at play at home.
This image was taken with a 400mm lens on my Canon 40D. This long lens is a joy to use. Nice to get candid shots without people noticing. There are several images of people enjoying their early morning out at Pacific Beach this Sunday morning a few weeks ago.
Furiously excavating a trench in his favourite JCB top
Taken with Carl Zeiss Jena 35mm 2.4 Flektogon on a Canon 5D
Taken on a walk with the pup, this is on the beach at Port Mulgrave, this small digger was right on the edge of the jetty. Not sure if it works ? Or why the bucket was propped up ?
He was sleeping in a big hole he had dug out for himself.
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the Silvertip Bear is a subspecies of the Brown bear. They are normally solitary but will congregate along river banks during the salmon spawning every year. Males can reach up to 1,000 lbs and be over 8 feet tall. The cranial profile of a grizzly is very similar to that of a polar bear and grizzlies also have some of the largest claws of any brown bear species.
Here is a digger parked only five minutes up the road from where I live. I noticed the unusual design, like the jeep from Daktari, and wanted a photo. It was evening when I took the photo and, too, the digger too close to the fence. I hope to take more soon.
Samsung S1050
Nikon D7000
Sigma 10-20mm f4/5.6
Exposure - 1/800
Aperture - f/8.0
Focal Length - 11 mm
ISO Speed - 400
HDR
Saw this digger in a field near Bryncrug and thought it would be interesting to shoot it. Light was pretty harsh and contrasty unfortunately but it was still nice to get out with the camera.
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They may not be used or reproduced in any way without my permission. If you'd like to use one of my images for any reason or interested in getting a print of one of my photos, please contact me at howiemudge@hotmail.co.uk