steveb leatherworks: the blather

as we roll forward this day, lets point the way with our front wheels…..

Scene: the Lake Erie waterfront, Dug’s Dive, Buffalo NY

Situation Analysis:  fire rages out of control for a solid 15 minutes, fire department comes on scene, puts out fires on 3 boats at this point, a ton of equiptment was dispatched, news teams show up…it is a madhouse.. unreal – all in 45 minutes.

Immediate Assessment: most importantly, no one got hurt, but these boat owners are shit outta luck. Wiz’s car stunk like burning fiberglass for a week with all the crap in the air. 

Scene: the Lake Erie waterfront, Dug’s Dive, Buffalo NY

Situation Analysis: small boat fire, police on scene prevent owner of boat from returning to boat with fire extinguisher thus allowing fire to begin to rage out of control, boat tied to dock and next to other boats in marina. Wind is picking up off the lake…

Immediate Assessment: this is becoming a big deal, the fire department best get here, like NOW or all these boats are  going to go up.

Part 3 tomorrow, stay tuned…….

Scene:                      the Lake Erie waterfront, Dug’s Dive, Buffalo NY
Situation Analysis:  small boat fire, owner running for fire extinguisher, police on scene
Spectator:                Wiz

Immediate Assessment: no big deal, this will be out in 10 minutes……

Part 2 tomorrow, stay tuned…….

I like hanging out by the water if given a choice…and it is especially good to do if i can have an adult beverage in my hand when i am enjoying the scenery and even better’er  if there is a plate of food in front of me.

Visiting good friend Wiz in Bflo some time back I spent a few days trying to distract him from work and life and so one day,  finding ourselves in the early afternoon with nary an item on the agenda, I tabled the idea of : waterfront, adult beverage and food. Wiz, being the amenable sort of fellow played along and suggested we visit Dug’s Dive, a fine establishment on the Lake Erie (I-ree) waterfront, just west of Buffalo.

Alrighty!! I said and so off to Dug;’s we went. Ice cold beer, outrageous Calamari and outstanding wings were on the menu that day,  and it was great. To add to the overall excitement and memorability, we also witnessed a disaster in the marina that Dug’s faces and I have a series of posts and pictures to share documenting that craziness…oy!

Don’t let it be said that the simplest things aren’t the best: friends, food, scenery, beverages…sign me up! 

Overbaked by my standards, but still a pretty piece o chrome arn, I saw this stinker at the Sycamore one afternoon.

Funny, I was standing there looking at it, camera in hand ready to award it the Coontail award of the day, thinking to my superior self, “oh man, he must a paid some heavy cake for this chrome ‘ho dog, ick!” when i hear these two church ladies behind me say” look at that beautiful machine”, oh my god, it  makes me want to tell George to go out and get one…ha…ha”...”

Hmmm…well that made my day, really. Once again – goes to show, there is a million ways to see sumpin if you are so inclined to open yer mind and let go of your precious opinions.  Hard to do (we love our opinions dont we?), but the payoff of letting go is just becoming clear to me as I listen to what goes on in the world…. and open mah clam shell of a mind with the oyster knife of curiosity.

for your viewing pleasure… 

faces tell alot about the world a person lives in..some faces are 10 miles of hard road and others are babes like, full of innocence and wonder.

In the workaday world in NYC, often the only break you get from your routine is if you “run down” for a smoke. I know that I looked forward to thsoe breaks when i puffed and ran that race. The only problem is the place your’e going to chill out is on the street, often a madhouse of activity, so you need to activate that special NYC gift of fabricating then going into your own space, that to the outside world, looks as if you’re meditating .

What would we do without pictures of the people we love, of the people that are gone – but certainly not forgotten. I think these visual reference points are important, I know they help me keep my sail filled with wind, even in the doldrums- and my compass set. 

Took a quick ride with Shank today. It didn’t suck.

So having a “new bike” is still a thrill, happy to say. The shiny penny already has 14,500 miles and I opted to be smart and replace my skins before they were baldini’s.

First time I’ve seen this bike on a lift…  I gave up changing tires by hand when i sold Big Blue, my old bagger. I dont know if you’ve ever tried seating and/or breaking the bead on a 16″ dresser tire…but it is no fun. At this point in my life, I dont feel too guilty bringing the wheels in for someone else to do the really crappy work.

Lame, ridiculous, excessive, unnecessary…but in some twisted way…. useful..

I am ashamed to say i kinda dig it. I hear the snickers….Bad enough i drive a garbage barge, but to add crap like this to it seems like unecessary buffoonery.

I know, I know – but if youve ever been on the road trying to drain your tank before the next stop…and get that scratchy thirsty throat… this idea, as gay as it is…is a tempting consideration.

you can slap me now

Looking for the good wood requires you visit places like Stecks.

Some art just makes ya stop, pay attention and think. I really liked this piece, found in NYC at Grand Central Station… kind of reminded me of Jenny Holzer, an artist whose work i always liked…

All over the country there are kids playing baseball, dogs chasing those kids and more kids playing in mud puddles. Aint life grand?

Even in this day and age – they cant give this POS away. Come an get ’em!!!

Got two new Squires in stock for those that are in the mood. These are pretty cool, one  – Squire 4 – is off the hook… I dont know what i was thinking, but i like it! Beader blade cuts, all kinds of coloration and airbrushing madness…who knows what bee was in my bonnet. Of course, the hardware is brass….

Check em out here – squire4 & squire5

squire4

squire5

visit 45dgree to get the nitty gritty on this chilly visit

niiice!

NYC never sleeps, it rests when it has to, but it really doesnt get true shuteye.

Freddy and I spent some time toolin round the outer boroughs of NYC today. We saw some questionable style in regards to the chrome helmeted metric rider. Chrome Domes are sooo yesterday…ya know.