This past weekend was a good one. Nothing spectacular happened, but it was one I enjoyed.
Saturday Mark came over in the morning. He and I spent 2.5 hours taking his soft top off his Jeep, then replacing it with a new one. Neither of us had done this before, and though the directions stated it was a one-person job, both he and I decided two was the best option.
The details of the disassembly and new install are not important, but what was was the time we spent together figuring things out. We discussed our upcoming trip, worked through the instructions, and finally got it completed. The 2.5 hours of labor earned me a $10 lunch, where conversations continued and my anxiety was gone.
Sunday began with a trip to downtown Louisville. I headed to my old work parking garage to meet Mark at 8am. The normal exit ramp I took was under construction, so the detour took me through Portland off the 22nd Street exit. As I made my way down 22nd Street towards Main Street, I was stopped at a light. While I sat there waiting for the light to change, I was the only car on the road and to my left was a small lot. Sitting and standing in that lot were five guys. Normally I would think nothing of this, but when I turned to look, some of them were standing, some sitting in lawn chairs, but all five were staring directly at me. Again not to unordinary, but two had the ICE CUBE expression as seen here. I am not exaggerating. The light changed and off I went.
I soon arrived in the parking lot, thinking of my encounter and how I perceived that experience. I hated myself for it. Did I assume something that was not there, did I have bias, or did I see what I really saw? I still run that through in my mind.
Mark eventually arrived, and we headed out. Today’s total distance was 3.58 miles. It was a quiet Sunday morning, and we mostly had the streets to ourselves. We shared uplifting conversation, talked about camera gear and observed what was around us. We came across a homeless man, to which I gave him a McDonald’s gift card. He asked “How much?” I replied, then he said “Thank you and God Bless”.
Mark and I saw bikers, a few homeless people, visitors from out of town, people walking dogs, joggers, and finally ducks when we reached the Ohio River. For me it was a simple day, but very meaningful. Mark is a genuine friend. Conversations are never forced with him, and I feel great solace when I am with him.
My hiking is likely done until fall, but we hope to get some urban hikes in when he is in town. The shots included (minus the Ice Cube one) were taken by me today. Mark is in one of my favorites I took from today’s shoot.
Until next time,
Tim (Kilmer)
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