Chas remembered …

I spent the day “opening” the cottage; sweeping and washing all of the floors; scrubbing and disinfecting the refrigerator and countertops; washing all of the windows; unpacking and airing the linen; and making the beds.

Chas: “When is it my turn? My front wheel and rim has road dirt packed on.”

Tonight I will sleep in a bed for the first time in a week.

Hanging on the dining room wall beside the window facing the lake is a picture of Chas taken during his first build 30 years ago. There he is in all his glory touting his Cinelli bars and stem, and his B17 Brooks saddle. The picture was taken during my photography period. That period in my life when I aspired to be a photographer; that period when I studied instructional media at one of the top photography schools in the country; and, that period when I got serious about road cycling.

Chas: “I’ll say! Weren’t those great days! You were a lot younger then. And stronger.”

Chas was first built as a touring bike, and we enjoyed several remarkable, multi-day trips that year. One along the eastern shore of Lake Huron, and another through parts of Quebec. And, we spent a lot of time exploring the rural backroads surrounding the cottage. This is where he learned to go fast and to battle the wind.

I did a whole series of black and white photographs of Chas during his initial build. One hangs at the cottage. Another in my den at home. I never thought to do it for his last rebuild. I took some pictures to document the build but they were not in black and white, and there was less emotion behind them.

Chas: “Thats OK. In the early years, you were more photographer than cyclist. Today, it is the reverse. I like it when you keep making me faster and better looking. It shows you care, and I have never felt old.”

Tomorrow Chas and I heading out for a ride.

Chas: “Really!”