Stronghold World Tour

[callejeros]

Nice fit on that shirt, wainting for mine!

[illumin8em]

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I really had high hopes for my month of the tour, but goodness have I have not found it easy to do. I can't even compete with you city folk in the interesting things to do category.

We had a state of emergency declared here Thursday so my last final was pushed to Saturday, but I am officially done till the 17th. I wore the Stripes to the final for support, but I don't think they helped. I realize now how shut down my tiny little mountain town becomes once the cold and snow arrive. Shut down not just in activities, but in spirit. Growing up I was always the kid freezing walking to whatever house I could get to lure a friend out to play, then getting turned away and continue on to the next friends house. I am pretty sure it is what inspired me to start snowboarding. I knew that if I could get in with a skiing crowd I would be around like minded paople. I started when snowboarding was still banned from the mountain 15yrs ago, and was the only person I knew of who had one. It is saddening that I once believed I was going to make a life out of this that winter activity, and I haven't been in three years.

Anyways, I shall have plenty of free time these last 10 days to make a run an attempt at interesting posts.

I walked down to a place where I spent an incredible amount of time when I was a kid, only to find it devastated. I was nothing more that a damn on the river I grew up along but there is very little left of it. What once was a great fishing spot where I could wade up to my waist and fish at the foots of the concrete lip to the damn, an during a spawn walk along the that same algae cover lip an gig carp and suckers, its now a 10ft tall 20ft wide pile of rocks as high as the damn itself. I am guessing that they did it for reinforcement buy who knows. The little concrete pillars used to stretch all the way across to the other side were a great opportunity for me to test my courage/stupidity and show off by hopping from one to the next the entire length to the other side. At one time it was a 15ft drop to the concrete footer of the damn. The change is just amazing.

It is a shame that this part of the pant is seen so little. I think it should be Law that the stripes must be worn with at least a 2" cuff. I am 6'2" and still have 8" that I could cuff so I am confident that this will work for most wearers. The rise on the other have, good luck. Unfortunately I have to wear the pants lower that I like or it becomes a bit of an adult film.

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[zissou]

Great updates, illumin8em. You and your niece definitely look related Cute kid. Looking forward to the rest of the month...

[edmond]

what boots are those buddy?

[illumin8em]

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Went to check on the chickens today. You must gather the eggs if want them to continue to lay them. Water, food (corn, sorghum, mash) and stone pebbles for a healthy gizzard.

transportation for the day : )

[illumin8em]

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It was really cold so went inside to warm up. while there decided to make some rope. This is a smaller version of the enormous ropewalks from long ago. After attaching your sisal to the hook and loops, simply rotate the handle. Keep an eye on the bag weight and when it begins to rise you know the wind is tight enough to work the separating stick down the length and the rope is made behind it. Wish I would have been more mindful of photographing things

I will post more tomorrow

[Happy Hooligan]

I like your chickens.. .Rh reds and Plymouths?

[illumin8em]

I like your chickens.. .Rh reds and Plymouths?

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Sorry, didn't see your post. Yep Plymouths, and the hairy footed buff Cochin

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[lance]

wonderful post illumin8em

[illumin8em]

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My home town is the birthplace of the confederate general Stonewall Jackson. The photos from the last post, and this post are of Jackson's Mill, the home of Stonewalls uncle Cummins Jackson, which became the young Stonewalls childhood home until being accepted to West Point. The mill property later became the first state 4-H camp in the nation. I won't give a history lesson on Stonewall Jackson, you can look him up if you like.

The gristmill is the last of the original buildings from the homestead

i love old saddles

ice saw, ice skate, and ice clasp for use during an ice harvest

[illumin8em]

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continued...

this is a candle maker from the Civil War era insane asylum, the Weston State Hospital. The Hospital has been a hot spot for you ghost hunters and fans of the paranormal. It has been on TV every Halloween for the past few years with live Ghost hunts which I think you could also follow online live.

This is Blakers Mill. I had planned on having my camera ready when it was time to take up the stones (similar to the round one in the last post) in October, but the Strongholds were late to arrive and the mill is now out of commission for the winter. I will try and remember to to do this in a few months when the pond thaws.

[illumin8em]

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I will have one more post, but my month is up. Nobody has contacted me about who the stripes are going t to next. I need shipping info folks

[pepper davies]

I don't think I'm next, but send me a PM if no one else ends up contacting you. Great pictures, bud.

[jimmyc]

new shirt design on white...

I still have some of these t-s left.

Hit me up if your a non-tour participant and I'll get you the paypal info

[illumin8em]

I don't think I'm next, but send me a PM if no one else ends up contacting you. Great pictures, bud.

I think I will send them off to you Friday.

If someone believes they were next but didn't speak up when I asked last, make some noise

[Joseph Hill]

Spectacular series of photos illumin8em. All your posts that I read will have a newfound relevance.

[pepper davies]

Hi guys! The stripes have arrived. The fit is perfect! Hope to have a fun filled month to show you guys. Should include a lot of music, some tattoos and maybe some mischief.

[pepper davies]

Alright. I've got an initial fit picture. Sorry for the dorky pose and the sun in the eyes. I hate when you hand your camera off to someone and they only snap one. It's digital and capable of shooting 9 images a second, take more than one haha.

It's crazy how these things looks different on everyone. I think my fit is somewhere between Zissou and JimmyC.

[Medine]

YES!!!!! Looks good keep the updates comin'

[pepper davies]

Alright guys. Sorry I don't have any pictures, but I wore the stripes today. Super long day. Woke up at 7 AM, ran 14 miles (left the jeans at home for the part of the journey).

Classes from 10AM to 6PM. Went to go see the National Symphony Orchestra.

I'm sure the stripes have been to more interesting places, but the Kennedy Center is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen.

I'll try to get some picture updates up this week!

[illumin8em]

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hope this is ok, while sorting photos for my first Durrty Dozen +2 post I found a whole batch of photos from my time with the Stripes and figured I'd post few

there is definite fading, but it is really hard to capture

baby stripes

baby photographer

[pepper davies]

Man, guys. I'm really sorry for the lack of updates. Just to catch you guys up - this last two weeks I've had midterms and this Friday I'm auditioning at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. I could go into great detail about the selectivity of the school, and what not but without getting into all of that I'll say that I've just been darn right scared to say the least. I'll bring my video camera to the practice rooms tomorrow, and I'll shoot some video of some of my playing and some of the stripes too.

[pepper davies]

Alright. Here's a little mini update. I did some video recording, but the mic on my camera is rough. Here's a sound file of me playing for those that are interested.

http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=114787

And here's a fit. Only when you're trying to wear striped pants do you notice that 75% of your shirts are also striped.

[tvshooter]

good stuff. stay focused on school tho and don't worry bout us man. if you get your xx bass down here (if i'm up that way) we'll shoot a vid.

[pepper davies]

Tvshooter, we definitely need to shoot a little video. That could be a lot of fun.

SHWT meets GRWT haha.

Anyhoo, I had my audition at Peabody today. Went pretty well. Now I can finally give these pants the attention they deserve.

[pepper davies]

Alright guys! It’s time for my first real update. Hopefully I'll finish strong.

I had my first class at 8 this morning. Ran for the first time in 2 weeks afterward (another thing I've been neglecting due to audition stress). I managed 12.5 miles. Feel terrible and good at the same time if you know what I mean?

Anyhoo, decided to take a walk around campus and show you guys what's up around here. Here's my best attempt at an artsy photo. I'm no -Z- hahah.

Now that I've got that out of the way we can get onto more interesting things (I hope).

I’m pursuing a bachelor’s degree in classical double bass performance from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I picked this school to be with a really amazing bass teacher, but didn’t really know anything about the school outside of that. Granted, I may be transferring to Peabody, but this place is pretty interesting. It’s normal to see people walking around in religious garb.

Checking my mailbox. Nothing today.

As a musician, I’ve played a couple concerts in my schools Basilica. It’s a beautiful building. Even though I’m not religious in the slightest I really found the sights to be quite powerful. Thought I should show it off before I leave.

More in a moment.

[pepper davies]

And more again in a moment!

[pepper davies]

Some pictures from the outside.

Waiting for class. Listening to Nikolai Kapustin.

A fit. I wear that chore coat way too often.

This is my dorm. Can’t wait to move out. Nothing but “bros”, unfortunately.

And I’ll leave you guys now on a positive note.

[pepper davies]

Alright guys! Terrible news. I went up to New York this weekend to get tattooed and enjoy the city. I packed my DSLR and everything, but lo and behold my battery putzed out. On top of that, I lost my iPhone in a cab a couple hours into my trip.

I know it isn't the same, but I think this thread deserves a bump so I'll document my weekend through text. I promise I'll put one more good day into this tour before it's up. New battery should be arriving tomorrow morning.

I opted to take the megabus up from Washington, DC. My first tattoo appointment was set up for 12 noon on Saturday so I bought tickets for the 5:15 am bus. I called for a cab to pick me up at 4:30 in the morning, and the guy never shows up, and I can't find any other cab to pick me up so I end up having to walk 5 miles to the bus hub. Missed 2 buses to NY and had to pay a fee to get on a later one. Took a taxi to my appointment instead of getting to take the Subway, and ended up being late and forgetting my iPhone. Things didn't start off too good.

My first appointment was with Bert Krak at Smith Street. He did a geisha hiding behind a fan on the back of my right arm. I met some really cool Finnish dudes with a mustaches. They used shoe strings as belts, and claimed to be vegan when convenient. They were really awesome.

My second tattoo was with Steve Bolts (also at Smith Street). He did a spider with an anchor around it on the top of my wrist. I'll update with some pictures as soon as they've healed up. If you're into traditional tattoos definitely go check them out. Worth the trip.

Ended up ordering take out from Wild Ginger. Really great place, and good food for recuperating from 4.5 hours of tattooing. Next day I met up with the girl who found my phone to get it back. Big thank you to her. Ate at Mammouns. If you're in New York definitely go hit up Mammouns. So delicious. Love that Tahini sauce.

Next I walked over to Self Edge. It was my first visit, and It was awesome to see all the new shirts and stuff. I bought a new Buzz Rickson sweat shirt. My green one is finally starting to get broken in, so it was time for a navy. I've gotta say, if you have the cash for one of the black Mulholland Master jackets don't hesitate to throw down the cash for it. I was super impressed with the details on that jacket. Walked into Epaulet shop. No horsehide boots, unfortunately

Ate my way through Chinatown grubbing on everything I saw. By the time I made it to BIG in SoHo my belly was big and my wallet was light. No McCoy's in stock, sadly, but I tried some Samurais (another first). Hard to imagine the break in on denim like that when you're used to 14oz. The changing rooms are tiny... The worst.

Anyway, next on the plate was some Mexican food at La Flaca and the bus back to DC. I wish I had pictures for you guys. It was a great weekend. I'm sorry for not giving the tour the updates it deserves, but I'll get in one last good one before passing these on to whoever is next.

PM me if you're next~

[pepper davies]

Alright guys. Sorry for the huge lapse of time. I think my time is about up with these. Haven't had my DSLR so here are a bagillion pictures from my iPhone.

Some weird cigarettes.

A giant apple.

Epic goatee.

Turkish coffee fortune telling.