~ It was morning and I was hungry. I had just made my way from a long search for some surf and I got skunked. Now, it was time to eat. Heading south along the highway, I approached a lumber yard and mill. As I passed, I spotted a Chopper and knew I had to stop and have a look. Parking the car, I climbed out and walked over to the bike. Nobody was around to ask any questions about it so I just took some shots. Finishing up, I looked over to the lumber yard and saw a guy standing with his arms crossed looking in my direction. I could tell right away that the bike belonged to him. He looked right at me as I walked toward him. As I got closer, I could see the expression on his face. He was smiling.
‘Nice bike,’ I said. 'Did your Girlfriend let you borrow it?’ He laughed. We shook hands and he told me his name was Jeremy and that he had built the bike himself. I was impressed. I really don’t know much about motorbikes but, I know what I like when I see it and I liked this bike a lot. I congratulated him on the work and he told me what all he had done in making it. It was an impressive effort and it was clear that he was proud of what he had done. He had every right to feel this way. The work was stellar.
We talked about bikes, surfing, photography and what I was doing out on the coast. He liked the idea of traveling the coast in search of stories to tell. I explained to him that he was exactly what I was looking to encounter along the way. People make up such a huge part of what keeps me interested. Jeremy was interesting. He had a story to tell. Everyone does.
Coastal Oregon is an interesting place. Many coastal areas are crowded and overpriced places where wealth intersects with beauty. Such wealth has prevented people from being able to enter or remain in any place with any proximity to the Ocean. Many parts of coastal Oregon are different. Coastal Oregon is cold. Coastal Oregon is cold, wet and can be pretty dark. Cold, wet and dark does not add any allure in a real estate ad. It keeps people away, well, some people anyhow. Some people seek the kind of place that is isolated from this world. Jeremy is this person. It was obvious that he had little interest in belonging to a Yacht Club in Marin County or San Diego. He was at home here, where it remains quiet…Quiet, dark and cold.
Jeremy worked at the lumber yard and was on the clock as we spoke. I asked if we could do a few shots with him and his bike and he said he’d have to check with his boss. He went into the office to check and I stayed outside. He came back out, along with his boss Dave. I apologized to Dave for interrupting the day's work and he shrugged it off. He was bust but not too busy to let us get a few shots. Dave suggested that they move a few things around to make a better staging area for the photo shoot. I told him that I really didn’t want to be such a hassle. I felt bad that they were so accommodating, especially, seeing that I just barged in on operations and I felt like I was being a big pain in the ass to them. Apparently,it was really no bother and they worked together to move some stuff out of the way. Dave, it was pretty clear, liked Jeremy and was happy to be a part of all of this. I suppose it did make for a nice break in the routine of a work day.
Before walking over to get his bike, Jeremy asked if he should put his vest on. I told him, ‘Absolutely,’ He put it on and crossed the street and got the motor running. He came up to the front of the shop and I fired away with the shutter. It was nice to get some photos of he and his bike. I liked the pride he had in his expressions. He was a young man and had many reasons to be proud of himself. He created something that stopped me in my tracks. He got to ride his creation and operate it in his world. He was happy and, so was I.
