Turquoise Mercury

Washed, waxed, polished and posh. A Saturday afternoon ritual in the driveway. The rest of the week the automobile rests nestled in the single car garage. Neither sun, nor sap, nor neighborhood children playing stickball will deface the exquisitely maintained finish of his prized possession.

T-Dexxx

No, he’s not being tortured; and, no, he’s not starring in a Bruce Campbell B-movie in which he’s being attacked by an under budget creature without special effects or a fear factor. This is us having some fun with the photo shoot -- that’s how we roll. Yes, we can do the dapper lad look with spiffy attire and slick poses…or go all Fashion on you by striking some poses, but if we’re not having fun, then we’re doing something wrong. I don’t remember exactly what was going on here, but it’s real, unrehearsed, and I love it! Kudos to our model for his spontaneity and lively antics -- we need to see more of that.

Bridge of Lights

I often walk the Walnut Street Bridge on my way to and from work in Harrisburg. In the morning it can be quite refreshing, but this summer the evening commute not so much due to the unrelenting heat wave. I learned first hand why it earned the moniker “Old Shakey”. One day, I was maybe half way across the bridge when I began to feel the sensation that I was bouncing with each step, and it was a bit disorienting and I found myself getting dizzy. That’s when the bounding runner in all his fitness finery passed me. For all the foot traffic utilizing the structure at that moment, it was that one fast moving individual who sent the 120 year old bridge into a state of rising and falling flux that emanated from and moved with him.

For Want of a Clue

An August morning. Aimless wandering leads to Black-Eyed Susans thriving in New England soil. The salty air blowing in from Frenchman Bay distracts, and a discarded candy wrapper lies atop the remnant of a footprint in damp grass.

Krav Maga? Nah.

The little yellow coupe sat on the used car lot beside her house. Right next to the huge metal garage built for professionally custom painting vehicles. She was enamored by the car; and it was cute and blonde just like her. Yet, she was a Jeep person. She had two…no, three, actually. It was a simpler time: tomorrow wasn’t a factor, which meant I lived in the moment. That worked well for me…until I started to think too much. That was my downfall. So much time has passed, but there are days I long to see that spirited sportster.

Face from the Past

When it came time for me to learn to drive, my father drove me to Cross-Keys. More specifically, the family farm there. My first lesson would take place on a tractor in the field behind the farmhouse. In those first moments behind the wheel, my senses were hypersensitive. Having no comprehension of how the controls would react to my touch, I made mistakes as I familiarized myself with the machine. Stick shift, clutch, accelerator. Coordinating the interaction of all three seemed very complicated; not to mention, all the while steering and navigating the plowed field’s ruts. Still, through patience and perseverance I succeeded and mastered manual transmission.

Timothy Decker

Friend. Artist. Children’s book author. Photographer, painter, creative whirlwind. Co-founder of our band Oxford Genius. Encouraging, supportive, leads by example. Hurdler. Fastest hundred yard dash man (on his stomach) I know. Co-creator of the board game Cryptids. Has been known to unleash the Feet of Fury, which can nearly knock a man’s head clean off. Fiercest wielder of Will Knives on the planet. Spry, resilient, tea drinker. Minimalist that makes a Jedi’s lifestyle look like a loaded for bear expedition up Mt. Everest. His studio/workplace preference: a room painted white and completely devoid of anything besides the bare essential supplies for his current project. Well-read, bold, unabashedly honest. Some perceive his constructive criticism as callous when ultimately it is extremely informative and more helpful due to the complete lack of sugar coating. A rock, level-headed, inspiring.