Playing with Light at the Get Hot Bug Shop
As a Westfalia owner I’m naturally drawn to other VW enthusiasts. There’s an unspoken connection, particularly between those who appreciate older models even if there’s some truth to owners “having more cents than sense.” Thankfully, my handy father works on mine but it’s always fun to stumble upon wizards like Jim who has been meeting a local need for air-cooled sorcery since he was a kid. He owns an understated gem here in PG called the Get Hot Bug Shop which I stumbled upon last year while walking my son to the aquarium. It’s hard to say which has more charm, the space itself with nearly 100 years of machinist history within its patinated dome, or the congenial personality keeping it alive. It doesn’t take much for the allure of an old building to draw me in but one with such unexpectedly gorgeous ambient light and a friendly host makes for quite the portal. Needless to say I started popping in regularly, continuously struck by Jim’s generosity, even allowing me to use a backroom occasionally for floral design. I eventually brought my camera along when a fellow photographer’s model friend was in town. While I’d love to eventually share an essay that features Jim and the shop itself, here are a few images showcasing the natural light I was drawn to and Sienna’s timeless beauty.
ASILOMAR STATE PARK
I’m long overdue for revisiting work I never shared especially essays that pay homage to efforts by fellow nature nerds. Volunteering at state parks got me through COVID and the early years of single motherhood. My mom introduced me to the magic of weekly restoration work when I was a kid at which point I realized just how much I love being around retired science teachers. Asilomar State Beach is one of the more incredible parks I’ve had the pleasure to live near and I hope to continue adding to this gallery as a tribute. For now, this offers a glimpse into mornings spent clearing invasives and prepping seedlings for transplant.
Spay Panama
Don't get me wrong.. I love shooting weddings. I’m always honored to witness vows and moments reserved for that day alone but if I had to choose whose story to tell with my camera, it would be those who can't afford to pay me for it.
I was fortunate to spend part of December working with an incredible non-profit, Spay Panama, that travels through the country as a pop-up vet clinic to rural areas that may otherwise go years without vet care. Offering low-cost sterilization to pet owners in hopes of curbing the number of animals that would likely starve, the organization is due to a generous retired canal worker, Patricia Chan.
This shows part of my time spent with the crew after a tired bus filled with medical equipment, veterinarians and volunteer techs carried us through the mountains to a schoolyard in El Valle. Between street dogs we rounded up ourselves and pets brought in by village residents, over 450 animals were fixed in just two days.
I used to volunteer as an O.R. assistant at a spay clinic in Wisconsin with lofty dreams of becoming a vet, so it was great lending a hand doing similar work when I wasn't documenting it. If you would also like to help, please follow the links to donate. This year Spay Panama celebrated 100,000 operations and have started averaging 20,000 surgeries per year. They've won numerous awards for transparency and utilize resources efficiently.
CLICK HERE to make a tax deductible donation to Spay Panama
CLICK HERE to "Like" their Facebook page
George & Friends
George Fabian, owner of Park Street Shoe Repair, pauses for a moment to enjoy a phone call at the end of the day. The business, started by his Sicilian father in the 30's, has operated at it's current location for the last 55 years.
“I can fix anything but a broken heart.”
George will be the first to tell you that he tries hard not to work hard. Or at least these days. Cleverly disguised as a cobbler's workshop, Park Street Shoe Repair is more of a clubhouse for his charming friends and adoring customers than what the neon sign implies. But leather work didn't always come second to socializing at 609 S. Park.
I met George for the first time through a desperate attempt to get my sandals patched just hours before I left for Nicaragua. "I can fix anything but a broken heart," he said when I walked in. "When do you need it done by?... You need it right now don't you?" He fixed them on the spot, but like most customers, it's not the speedy service that keeps me coming back. It's more that even though I feel like I'm crashing a fellas poker night when I walk in the door, there's enough witty banter and crows feet in the room to make anyone feel at home.
The shop takes me back to Harland's Citgo station in Mt. Vernon where I used to get bottles of Ting as an eight year old kid. My Grandparents lived nearby and the garage had it's own version of this scene as I'm sure service stations around the country did. Instead of shoe polish it smelled like motor oil but the vibe was the same, a conduit to the past where the same folks do the same thing in the same space for decades. It's just refreshing to find a corner of the city that feels protected from constant change. That said, I got a different answer to my plea for shoe help when I stopped in last..
"Jentri, I'll tell you what you can do with that pair. Walk out the door. Take a right and walk two blocks down to the lake. Throw them in. Leave them there."
Willard & Pearl
I used to grow food for the architecture school at Taliesin. There were several perks to offset the guilt I felt for my Carbon-heavy commute, one being a small town fix I got every time I made the drive. Mazomanie, a sleepy town between Madison and Spring Green got most of my attention, especially after I met who I now consider my pseudo grandparents. With my actual grand-folks long gone, I may have been a tad excited when I spotted Willard on the sidewalk, who not only agreed to let me take his portrait, but introduced me to his lovely wife, Pearl. This resulted in several years of friendship, one I know I shamelessly forced upon them despite how much they shower me with praise, homemade wine and garden treasures.
“I can remember when houses in Mazomanie were selling for 3- and $400... It’s very strange how things have changed in the years that I’ve been alive.”
Ginnie & Lynne
These beautiful women care for each other the way we wish all mothers and daughters could. One in her late 80's and one in her early 60's, they entertained me in their east side home one afternoon, giggling while they shared family stories and hysterical examples of how they're every bit as flexible as they were as young girls.
Check back for the audio component as they share more about Ginnie's life, from being raised by a French mother to her days performing in Baraboo, WI.
